Southwick's Zoo

Southwick’s Zoo in Mendon, Massachusetts is a decent sized zoo for a decent admission fee. Southwick’s has a variety of animals including tigers, lions, giraffes, rhinos, deer, etc. They also offer interesting activities such as a zipline, a skyfari sky ride that offers a nice view of the whole zoo from up above, and other rides for families to enjoy. Southwick’s also offers animal interactions such as the deer forest where you can walk through a forested area and feed/pet beautiful deer. They also have a bird aviary, and encounters with giraffes and rhinos. The only thing I didn’t really like about this zoo is that the bathrooms were porta potty’s and I did not see hand washing stations anywhere while walking around – only hand sanitizer pumps. The zoo is open from April-October from 10am to 5pm. Parking is free and right outside the zoo. Depending on which way you go in to the parking lot, it can be a bit confusing. There were two ways to get into the lot and one had a big sign notifying you of entering the zoo parking lot, the other way didn’t have a sign near the parking lot entrance or leading up to it so it was a bit confusing as to whether it was actually the zoo or not. Admission is $25 for adults, $20 for children 3-12, $18 for seniors, and free for children 2 and under. If you are a AAA member, you get a discount as well if you are an active military member or veteran.

Here are my top 5 tips to have the best experience at Southwick’s Zoo –

1)      Southwick’s allows you to bring in outside food and drinks, so I would highly recommend bringing in a picnic to have with you so you don’t have to spend more money on their food.  

2)      I would also recommend bringing your own hand sanitizer or wet wipes to clean your hands with after interacting with the animals.

3)      If you enter the deer forest, PLEASE be respectful of the deer and other humans. Do not run and scream in there, and if you have children make sure they are behaving appropriately. Do not approach the deer – let them approach you. Be very gentle and soothing while feeding and petting them. You do not want to startle them as that could lead to someone getting seriously injured.

4)      If you are an AAA member or active military member/veteran bring your card/id so you can get a discount!

5)      Lastly, just make sure you are being cautious of the animals. Do not taunt them or try to reach over into their enclosures, as some of them have very easy access to get into/out of.

Here is a link to their website if you would like to take a look - http://southwickszoo.com/

East Beach, Charlestown RI

East Beach in Charlestown, Rhode Island is a nice little beach to visit in order to have some fun in the sun. While there is not a lot to do or see at this beach (besides the water and clear blue sky), it was not very crowded when I visited so it was easy to relax without personal space being invaded by others. Parking is limited, so make sure you get there as early as possible so that you don’t have to find a parking spot elsewhere.

Here are my top 6 tips for visiting East Beach –

1)      Like I mentioned, parking is limited to the first one hundred cars, and when they have that number I believe they close the lot for the day. So, it is best to get there basically right when they open so that you are guaranteed a spot.

2)      Bring something to do, especially if you have kids as there is not a lot to do/see at this beach. I’d recommend bringing a good book, or some headphones. For kids, sand toys such as sand buckets and shovels would be a great option so that they can build sandcastles.

3)      Protect your skin, especially if you plan to spend a few hours there. If you do get burned, get some aloe to rub on your skin.

4)      Keep hydrated! With water, or Gatorade as long as you are getting your fluids in you should be fine.

5)      Be cautious walking on the sand. In the morning it was fine to walk on, but by 1 pm it was way too hot to walk barefoot on and I had to put my sandals back on.

6)      Lastly, I would recommend bringing a picnic of some sort if you plan to spend all day at the beach, as there are no food vendors on or in walking distance to the beach.

Bokeh Photography

Bokeh is a type of photography filter that gives a blurred look to the photograph while adding bubbles of light to the photograph. Bokeh is interesting in that it can add a certain ambiance to a photograph, and it has the ability to give certain photos a whimsical touch. To get the Bokeh effect on these photographs, I used the Picmonkey photo editor.

Here are my top 3 tips for Bokeh photography –

1)      If you are using Picmonkey like I did, then you can move the filter around and even erase some of the bubbles if you only want them in a certain spot.

2)      Add color to some of your photographs! The two I have with color adds to the overall look of the photographs – which would have been a bit mediocre with just plain Bokeh.

3)      Bokeh also looks amazing on black and white photographs, but I would advise that you keep the bokeh the base color if you are applying it to black and white so as to not distract from the photograph.

Sepia Photography

Sepia is a type of photography that allows for there to be a reddish-brown tint on the finished photograph. Sepia – much like black and white photography – certainly requires a special image, or the effect will be lost in translation. Also like black and white photographs – a sepia filter has the ability to give a photograph a timeless feel. To get the sepia photo finish on the photographs below, I used the sepia filter from the Picmonkey photo editing website.

Here are my top 2 tips for getting a special Sepia photograph –

1)      Do not settle! I will say to date that this is the hardest series of photographs I have worked on for my blog. I went in at the beginning of the week thinking I would just take some photographs and apply the filter and would have what I wanted. I was wrong! While I did get some great images on the first try, I was left feeling like I was missing something. Sepia really does require the artist to feel attached to their image in order for the photograph to work, so keep experimenting with new or old photographs until you have a set of sepia images that you love.

2)      With the Picmonkey sepia filter, you can change the tone of the tint. So, you can make the sepia darker or lighter, and make it appear redder or browner depending on your preferences for the photograph – so don’t be afraid to mess around until you get the right tone!

Schroon River, NY

Schroon River up in the Adirondacks in New York State is a part of the larger Hudson River. It is a location where you can fish, kayak, and swim at certain spots. You just have to make sure you are doing these activities in a public area, not on private property. There are also cabins and campsites that you can stay at if you want a few days away from the hustle and bustle. I was also told that there are waterfalls someplace up there, but unfortunately I could not pinpoint them.

 

Here are my top 3 tips on if you plan to visit Schroon River –

1)      In some parts the water can get incredibly choppy, so just be aware of that.

2)      No littering! Preserve the beauty of this area and properly discard of your trash.

3)      Like I mentioned above, just be cautious of who’s property you might be on. Don’t trespass!