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Sarasota, Florida: Sarasota Jungle Gardens: Bike-Riding Parrots

Parrots ride skateboards and unicycles at this timeless Florida attraction. Flamingos wander freely. Open since 1939.

Address:
3701 Bay Shore Rd, Sarasota, FL
Directions:
I-75 Exit 213 onto Hwy 610/University Parkway. West six miles to Tamiami Trail, then left (south) about a mile to Myrtle St. Turn right four blocks to Bay Shore Rd.
Hours:
Daily 10 am - 5 pm. (Call to verify) Local health policies may affect hours and access.
Phone:
941-355-5305
RA Rates:
Worth a Detour
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Visitor Tips and News About Sarasota Jungle Gardens: Bike-Riding Parrots

Reports and tips from RoadsideAmerica.com visitors and Roadside America mobile tipsters. Some tips may not be verified. Submit your own tip.

Sarasota Jungle Gardens: Bike-Riding Parrots

Gift shop was under construction summer 2021. Highly recommended this old Florida attraction. Relatively small (90-120 minutes). Hot and humid in summer. Bring the bug spray and enjoy!

[Cosmic_Adventurers, 11/21/2021]

Flamingo feeding.

Sarasota Jungle Gardens

The Park is still alive and well. Hand-feeding the free-range flamingos and ibis is an ultimate travel high! Photo ops with parrots, and don't miss the hungry gators! Drop a quarter in the feed dispenser and they start climbing all over each other at the sound. [fondahandels, 03/21/2015]

Sarasota Jungle Gardens: Bike-Riding Parrot

If you love interacting with animals, this place is fantastic for all ages. While there we got to hand-feed flamingos, a black swan, and some ducks. We also held and took photos with a skunk and gorgeous parrots. Be sure to check out the shows too, which were interesting and informative. SJG is my new favorite FL park.

[Mary, 08/04/2010]

Jungle Gardens photo op.

Sarasota Jungle Gardens

We visited this attraction based upon tips from this site. To say the least, we were not disappointed. This place is great! There was a live alligator show, flamingos walking around in the open (my girlfriend almost got attacked by one) and of course the infamous bird show, where a parrot rides a bicycle! The place is well kept and the staff are friendly.

[Greg Kopp, 04/01/2009]
Sarasota Jungle Gardens

They have a garden full of big plants you can wander through, and there's a live show featuring a parrot riding a tiny bicycle at the end. Be sure to visit in the summer when you can literally see the humidity in the air. *gasp* And then visit the gift shop and buy a plastic pink flamingo. It's every stereotype about Florida, all rolled up in one great attraction!

[Teri, 02/08/2004]

We first visited Sarasota Jungle Gardens in 1986. They had been open since 1972, with a regular cast of performing bird characters. Elvis, the Rembrandt of the Parrot World, painted masterpieces with a brush while cheered on by audiences. He retired after suffering disabling arthritis. The "Gardens of Christ" housed in eight tiny "Biblical-style" buildings, complete with piped-in musak. Also home to the most grueling garden/swamp walk of any Florida attraction.


Nearby Offbeat Places

World's Largest Miniature CircusWorld's Largest Miniature Circus, Sarasota, FL - 1 mi.
Sandman, Other ArtSandman, Other Art, Sarasota, FL - < 1 mi.
Where George W. Bush Read Where George W. Bush Read "The Pet Goat" on 9/11, Sarasota, FL - 2 mi.
In the region:
Roosevelt's Rough Riders Rode By Here, Ybor City, FL - 42 mi.

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