November 11, 2023 – Traveling with Rich & Julie
Driving down a back road in rural Alabama, we came upon a bunch of huge rocks built and painted like zoo animals. I love finding street art in the middle of nowhere.
I told Rich to stop and back up and looked it up on Google Maps. Yep, it is there. It’s called “Rock Zoo.”
The website https://alabamarockzoo.com/ says that Leonard Dawson, the original zoo keeper, started the rock zoo in the 1970s when roadcrews left two huge boulders behind.
The animals are made of stone and painted with love! They have cemented some rocks together to form a shape. What a fun idea. This is something I would love to do as a creative person.
I’m not sure what some of the animals are but I do see a penguin in the photo above.
See if you can tell what some of them are. I see a rooster, a bull, cows, a turtle, a shark, a frog, and a giraffe.
If climate change keeps up and more animal species become extinct, this might become the only kind of zoo left in existence.
Since the 1970s, the zoo has grown to include turtles, a bear, a flag, a cross, a watermelon, a deer, a giraffe, an elephant, sea creatures, and many more!
If you have rocks that look like animals, you are welcome to paint them and bring them to the Rock Zoo where they will have a home for many years to come.
Drive way out into the country, pull off to the side of the two-lane county road, and walk this 100 yards of painted rocks! There is no parking area or any kind of facilities.
I can tell what the turtle and frog are. The green color helps. If you have read many of our travel articles, you know I am going to be the first one to make Rich go to all these crazy, weird attractions.
We see a lot of cows everywhere we go. Even rock cows.
All are welcome to pull off the road during daylight hours and explore these cute painted creatures.
If you are ever in northern Alabama, be sure to look up this Rock Zoo roadside attraction and take the time to drive by it. Be prepared though because it is down backroads in the middle of nowhere.
Thanks for coming along with us on our crazy adventures as we travel across America.