A few weekends ago we ventured to the Franklin Park Zoo for carousel number three! The carousel here is a small metal one with creepy painted animals. We still had fun though - we especially enjoyed riding some of the animals that we saw in the zoo! This carousel has an interesting payment system - you need to buy tokens from a machine (that takes exact change only) and then give those tokens to an employee who is stationed about five feet away. Brilliant. 

Here is a carousel fun-fact that is somewhat related to zoos: most zebras on carousels are not horses painted with stripes. Like real zebras, they tend to have short spiky manes and stubbier tales. We have been learning a lot about carousels this summer and that was something I found very interesting. There are some horses that, when given a fresh coat of paint, were turned into zebras. However, many of the famous carvers made it a point to create true-to-life zebras.

One more carousel fun-fact in relation to zoos: Philadelphia was one of the premier carousel carving cities during the Golden Age of Carousels (1870-1920). The carvers there would regularly go to the Philadelphia Zoo for inspiration on animals to add to their menagerie.

We have zoo passes, so it was great to find a new use for them. It will help out later in the summer as well. I believe we have to go to at least three zoos in our carousel quest! Three down, nineteen to go!