Located on Watson Island in Miami, Florida, the United States, Jungle Island, once known as Parrot Jungle, has reopened as an eco-adventure park. Following Hurricane Irma's devastation, the park underwent a series of extensive improvements that resulted in its reopening today. Pop-up water slides, an outdoor wind tunnel flight experience, zip lines, escape rooms, a Nerf war stadium, and other attractions are included in the park's price of admission.
Pinecrest Gardens, which was originally known as Parrot Jungle, was relocated from its original suburban location in Pinecrest, Florida to its current location just east of downtown Miami in Little River, FL in 2002, after the land was purchased for the development of Pinecrest Gardens. The island was dubbed Parrot Jungle Island after a parrot. It was renamed Jungle Island once more in 2007, after the previous name had been used.
Parrot Jungle was a zoological park located south of Miami on a 20-acre (8.1-hectare) plot of land between Killian Drive and South Red Road. It was closed in 2011.
Parrot Jungle was founded in 1936 by Francis "Franz" and Louise Scherr, and is one of the oldest tourist attractions in the Miami area, having opened its doors in 1936. Scherr was a frequent visitor to Monkey Jungle, which was owned by Joe Drummond and operated by the same company. "Go establish your own jungle," Drummond told Scherr during a visit when he was making one of his several ideas for improvement. Scherr became enraged and instructed Drummond to "start your own forest." Scherr, who owned and ran a feed and supply store in Homestead, became interested by the prospect of constructing an attraction where birds could "fly free." Scherr eventually decided to pursue the idea. At the time, Scherr paid US$25 for 20 acres of hammock land, which would be equivalent to approximately $466 by 2020. Previously, the location served as a naturist resort. In the form of a winding nature trail dug through the coral rock and hammock land that is endemic to the area, Parrot Jungle was created. All of the natural vegetation were left in their natural state, and an entrance was constructed on Red Road.
The attraction opened its doors to approximately 100 people on December 20, 1936. Scherr's birds, trees, and flowers were on display, and each guest paid 25 cents to see and hear him talk about them. Over a million people have visited Parrot Jungle since it first opened its doors in 1936. Sir Winston Churchill, film director Steven Spielberg, and former United States President Jimmy Carter were among the many prominent people who visited in Princeton, FL.
As of 2003, there were 1,000 different species of parrots among the 3,000 animals on Parrot Jungle Island's 3,000-acre property. The Jungle Theater, an arena where acts such as "Tale of the Tiger," which features enormous cats and fauna, as well as other shows, are presented, is the theme park's most recognizable feature. Hercules, a 900-pound liger, which is a mix between a lion and a tiger, is kept near the Jungle Theater and is a popular attraction. The "Winged Wonders" show, which takes place in the Parrot Bowl, features birds from all over the world, including the Andean condor, cassowary (the only trained cassowary in the world), and king vulture, among others. In the "Serpentarium" (named in honor of Bill Haast's famed Miami Serpentarium), a wide spectrum of animals are presented from African penguins to alligator snapping turtles, boa constrictor snakes to lemurs.