Since I just uploaded a few old photos, I thought I should add a forum post about Maymont to go with it.
Maymont is a 100 acre mansion/gardens/mini zoo right in the heart of Richmond, Virginia. The mansion was built in 1893 by James Henry and Sallie May Dooley. They had no children and the mansion and was willed to the city upon their deaths in 1922 and 1925. It was opened as a museum and public park just a couple of months later and is therefore one of the most intact, well maintained estates in the country from that time period.
I'm not sure when the animals were added, but along with the koi in the gardens, the estate has a little farm, a nature center, and some wildlife exhibits. The outside exhibits are free, while the Nature Center is $4 for adults.
The farm is set up in a very educational fashion, with the goal of guiding both children and adults in future farm endeavors. It's at the top of a hill, after a steep downhill from the nature center. At the Farm:
Chickens - a welsummer hen, buff orpington hen, jersey giant hen, golden laced wyandotte hen, and a barred rock rooster
Cows - Irish Dexter
Donkey - a Sicilian
Ducks - a Muscovy named Ashley who was abandoned on the property
Goats - Nigerian dwarf, Nubian, pygmy, and hybrids
Horses - several Clydesdale/Hackney hybrids
Pigs - 2 Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs
Rabbits - a Jersey-Wooly/Rex hybrid and a Lop crossbreed
Sheep - Shetland and Blackface breeds
The Nature Center is fantastic! One of the best I've seen, and definitely the best that focuses on one specific area (the Chesapeake Bay and James River). There's lots of interactive bits and plenty for adults, too. We probably spent nearly an hour in there, but you could easily do it in 20 minutes if you don't read all of the signs, etc.. In the Nature Center:
Mammals - North American River Otter (large exhibit)
Snakes - Corn snake, Eastern black rat snake, Eastern cottonmouth, Eastern king snake, Northern copperhead, Pine snake, Timber rattlesnake
Turtles - Diamondback terrapin, Eastern box turtle, Eastern mud turtle, Eastern painted turtle, Eastern river cooter, Red-eared slider, Snapping turtle, Spotted turtle, Stinkpot
Other Reptiles - 5 American alligators
Amphibians - American bullfrog, Eastern tiger salamander, Gray tree frog, Green tree frog, Marbled salamander
Crustaceans - Blue crabs
Fish - American eel, American shad, Atlantic sturgeon, Black crappie, Blue catfish, Blueback herring, Bluegill, Bluespotted sunfish, Bowfin, Brown bullhead, Bull chub, Channel catfish, Chain catshark, Common carp, Gizzard shad, Flathead catfish, Largemouth bass, Lined seahorse, Longnose gar, Margined madtom, Northern hogsucker, Oyster toadfish, Pumpkinseed, Quillback, Redbreast sunfish, Rock bass, Sea lamprey, Shiner/Spottail, Shorthead redhorse, Smallmouth bass, Striped bass, Striped blennies, Striped burrfish, Stripedback darter, Torrent sucker, Walleye, Warmouth, White catfish, White crappie, White perch, Yellow bullhead, Yellow perch
The wildlife exhibits are scattered in between the Nature Center, Farm, and paths to the estate and gardens.
Mammals - American bison, 2 American black bears (both local rescues), a Bobcat (a rescue, people thought he was a kitten and started hand-raising him), and a herd of Sika deer (introduced to the VA islands)
Birds - 2 Bald eagles, a Barred owl, 2 Black vultures, a Cooper's hawk, 2 Great horned owls, 2 Red-shouldered hawks, 2 Red-tailed hawks. All are local rescues, most hit by cars, except for one of the vultures, who was born on the property.
Maymont is a 100 acre mansion/gardens/mini zoo right in the heart of Richmond, Virginia. The mansion was built in 1893 by James Henry and Sallie May Dooley. They had no children and the mansion and was willed to the city upon their deaths in 1922 and 1925. It was opened as a museum and public park just a couple of months later and is therefore one of the most intact, well maintained estates in the country from that time period.
I'm not sure when the animals were added, but along with the koi in the gardens, the estate has a little farm, a nature center, and some wildlife exhibits. The outside exhibits are free, while the Nature Center is $4 for adults.
The farm is set up in a very educational fashion, with the goal of guiding both children and adults in future farm endeavors. It's at the top of a hill, after a steep downhill from the nature center. At the Farm:
Chickens - a welsummer hen, buff orpington hen, jersey giant hen, golden laced wyandotte hen, and a barred rock rooster
Cows - Irish Dexter
Donkey - a Sicilian
Ducks - a Muscovy named Ashley who was abandoned on the property
Goats - Nigerian dwarf, Nubian, pygmy, and hybrids
Horses - several Clydesdale/Hackney hybrids
Pigs - 2 Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs
Rabbits - a Jersey-Wooly/Rex hybrid and a Lop crossbreed
Sheep - Shetland and Blackface breeds
The Nature Center is fantastic! One of the best I've seen, and definitely the best that focuses on one specific area (the Chesapeake Bay and James River). There's lots of interactive bits and plenty for adults, too. We probably spent nearly an hour in there, but you could easily do it in 20 minutes if you don't read all of the signs, etc.. In the Nature Center:
Mammals - North American River Otter (large exhibit)
Snakes - Corn snake, Eastern black rat snake, Eastern cottonmouth, Eastern king snake, Northern copperhead, Pine snake, Timber rattlesnake
Turtles - Diamondback terrapin, Eastern box turtle, Eastern mud turtle, Eastern painted turtle, Eastern river cooter, Red-eared slider, Snapping turtle, Spotted turtle, Stinkpot
Other Reptiles - 5 American alligators
Amphibians - American bullfrog, Eastern tiger salamander, Gray tree frog, Green tree frog, Marbled salamander
Crustaceans - Blue crabs
Fish - American eel, American shad, Atlantic sturgeon, Black crappie, Blue catfish, Blueback herring, Bluegill, Bluespotted sunfish, Bowfin, Brown bullhead, Bull chub, Channel catfish, Chain catshark, Common carp, Gizzard shad, Flathead catfish, Largemouth bass, Lined seahorse, Longnose gar, Margined madtom, Northern hogsucker, Oyster toadfish, Pumpkinseed, Quillback, Redbreast sunfish, Rock bass, Sea lamprey, Shiner/Spottail, Shorthead redhorse, Smallmouth bass, Striped bass, Striped blennies, Striped burrfish, Stripedback darter, Torrent sucker, Walleye, Warmouth, White catfish, White crappie, White perch, Yellow bullhead, Yellow perch
The wildlife exhibits are scattered in between the Nature Center, Farm, and paths to the estate and gardens.
Mammals - American bison, 2 American black bears (both local rescues), a Bobcat (a rescue, people thought he was a kitten and started hand-raising him), and a herd of Sika deer (introduced to the VA islands)
Birds - 2 Bald eagles, a Barred owl, 2 Black vultures, a Cooper's hawk, 2 Great horned owls, 2 Red-shouldered hawks, 2 Red-tailed hawks. All are local rescues, most hit by cars, except for one of the vultures, who was born on the property.
