Stax Museum

The Stax Museum of American Soul, located in Memphis, Tennessee at the original site of Stax Records takes patrons through the history of Stax Records. 

Stax Records began in 1959 and launched the careers or unknown artist into superstars and later into icons. A few of their recording artists included Isaac Hayes, Booker T & the MG's, Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Aretha Franklin and many more. 

The museum shares the history of Stax through films, artifacts and memorabilia. Museum patrons also walk in the footsteps of where the music was recorded and can view instruments used in the recordings of legendary songs. 

Stax Museum of American Soul is open April-October Monday-Saturday 10:00a.m-5:00p.m. and Sunday 1:00p.m-5:00p.m. November-March Closed Mondays, Tuesday-Saturday 10:00a.m-5:00p.m. and Sunday 1:00p.m-5:00p.m.

General Admission is $12.00 for adults

Discounts vary depending on age and group size

Check their website or inquire at the ticket desk for prices

The Albuquerque Zoo

The ABQ BioPark Zoo located in Albuquerque, New Mexico is home to over 250 exotic and native animals. Founded on 64 acres located beside the Rio Grande, you'll get a chance to see hippos, elephants, lions and many more. They also have a rare bald eagle on site. 

While visiting the Zoo patrons can expect to walk up to almost 3 miles viewing animals and exotic/native birds. At certain times of the day, camel rides are available. 

The ABQ BioPark Zoo is open daily from 9:00a.m.- 5:00p.m. Closing hours due vary depending on the season. Each adult ticket cost 7.00$ but vary depending on package deals and age. Tickets can be purchased at the ticket booth or online. 

Albuquerque Aquarium

The ABQ BioPark Aquarium located in Albuquerque, New Mexico features a 285,000 gallon ocean tank, sea turtles, eels and  deep and open ocean species. 

The Aquarium is open daily from 9:00am-5:00pm, however, hours due vary upon the season. 

The Aquarium is also very reasonable priced. An adult ticket is $7.00. Depending on combo park packages and discount offers the price can be even cheaper. 

One of their sea turtles swimming in the 285,000 gallon tank.

 

One of their many sea reptiles.

If you're visiting New Mexico and in Albuquerque the Bio Park is a great deal for families and individuals. It's also a great way to beat the heat in the summer seeing as how it's indoors. 

The Newport Aquarium

The Newport Aquarium houses thousands of animals, sea creatures, tropical birds and penguins. The Aquarium is located in Newport, Kentucky on the Levee and only minutes away from downtown Cincinnati, Ohio. 

At the Aquarium you can feed the birds, walk with the penguins and even pet a shark! Open 365 days a year to the public, the Aquarium is a great place to spend your day. It's great for single travel or with the family. 

No matter what your favorite attractions are they have something for everyone...

They also have daily shows of divers and feeding and the Aquarium boasts a walk thru tunnel where sea animals can swim directly over top and around the public. 

The Aquarium is very affordable at $22.00 per adult ticket and an annual pass is worth purchasing for only a few dollars more. So the next time you're in Newport make sure you check out the Newport Aquarium doors open daily at 10:00am.

Gatorland

One of my favorite places to visit every time I'm in Orlando, Florida is Gatorland.

I first went to Gatorland in the early 1990's and fell in love with the place. On my most recent trip in August I had the pleasure of adding to my Gatorland memories.

If you've never been to Gatorland then you're in for a unique experience! As soon as you walk through the gates you become surrounded by alligators, crocodiles turtles and other wildlife.

The reptiles are so close to you but far enough away for safety. Besides being able to walk around the grounds viewing the reptiles they also have a feeding show, a gator wrestling show and opportunities for the general public to feed them.

As I mentioned before, Gatorland has other wildlife animals on their property. Beautiful birds are spread out all over their property and have no problem being close to people. They're a great bonus to the alligators. The scenery is also wonderful.

Not only was Gatorland a fun place to spend the day, it was filled with friendly and helpful employees that made this day of travel a memorable one. Not traveling with family or friends? Who cares... you can have a great time here alone!

Gatorland is open daily 9:00am-5:00pm and is located on Highway 441 just North of Orlando.

A Welcome Note

Hello and Welcome! 

I'm Jennifer Marie Olivia (JMO) and I'll be your guide here on JMO Travels. I've been traveling around the world since I was a child and nothing has ever made me happier. There's just something about being out on the road, visiting new cities and exploring new attractions that's always brought a smile to my face. What else can I say, I love it! 

During all my years of travel, I've visited some great attractions, stayed at some fancy hotels, shopped at chic stores and discovered delicious foods and often at times it was because I went off the beaten path. Yes, there's some great tourist locations everywhere, but sometimes the most special places are only found by word of mouth. Here you'll hear about some of those places.

Along with going of the beaten path in my travels, I've learned that many people hate to travel alone. Yet, they all had one thing in common, they still wanted to travel. I'm here to tell you that you can travel independently. Due to my schedule a lot of my travels have happened when I was alone. I'm living proof that you can be safe, have fun and get to explore major cities. Male or female, in a group or individually travel is for everyone. 

 

Here at JMO Travels, I will be sharing all of my globe trotting ways! Expect to see tons of travel tips ranging from restaurants, attractions, shops, hotels and much more! You'll also be seeing reviews, suggestions and tips on how to make traveling cheaper, simpler and stress free. I hope you'll stick around and come back. 

Till the next travels,

JMO