ACCESSIBLE OHIO -- PART 3

THE CINCINNATI ZOO AND BOTANICAL GARDEN

To reach some of the zoo’s other exhibits requires covering hilly terrain. 

But not to worry.

If a guest can’t propel himself in a wheelchair and has no companion to assist, with 24 hours advance notice the zoo will assign a staffer to help.

The zoo also enables the mobility of visitors with a tram and a train, both of which have wheelchair lifts. 

Once a visitor arrives at a display, he’s likely to find a sign indicating the best vantage point for a chair, scooter or stroller user.

The zoo is in the process of posting signs at all the exhibits so those with mobility limitations won’t miss seeing a bear being fed or a baby elephant in a playful mood.

To arrange for a wheelchair-assisting companion and for other information, phone the Cincinnati Zoo at 1-800-94-HIPPO.

http://cincinnatizoo.org/

STORY CONTINUES TOMORROW -- APRIL 24

ACCESSIBLE OHIO -- PART 2

THE CINCINNATI ZOO AND BOTANICAL GARDEN

From elephants to apes, every display at the Cincinnati Zoo, located at 3400 Vine St., is barrier-free. 

Of special note is the Jungle Trails rain forest, a popular draw at a zoo already known for its lush botanical gardens, white Bengal tigers and top animal birthrate in the nation, earning the nickname of the “world's sexiest zoo.”

Though the rain forest is built on a slope, its gentle grade is easily negotiable by wheelchair.

Even the trail’s realistic surface, covered in spots with leaves and twigs, is doable.

This extraordinary display is worth lingering over, especially for the playful gibbons, frolicking orangutans and odd-looking lemurs.

STORY CONTINUES TOMORROW -- APRIL 23

ACCESSIBLE OHIO -- PART 1

FIVE WHEELCHAIR-ACCESSIBLE HAUNTS
IN THE STATE WE WERE RAISED IN

Indoors or outdoors, from a first rate zoo to a restored Greek Revival building to a paved trail leading to an awe-inspiring cave, there are wheelchair-accessible destinations all over the Buckeye State.

People looking for a good time -- but who may need the assistance of crutches, a walker, scooter or wheelchair – can find barrier-free fun in many shapes and sizes.

Some destinations have been well-planned.

Others just happen to be on level ground, or have other features that aid maneuverability for people with disabilities.

The next 10 days, we will list “wheelchair accessible wanders” scattered around the state we lived in for 35 years.

STORY CONTINUES TOMORROW -- APRIL 22

CEDAR KEY TRANQUILITY -- PART 11

FIND OLD FLORIDA IN CEDAR KEY

IF YOU GO:

Cedar Key Chamber of Commerce: www.cedarkey.org            (352) 543.5600

Cedar Key Bed and Breakfast www.cedarkeybandb.com         (352) 543-9000

Tony’s Seafood Restaurant: www.tonyschowder.com                  (352) 543-0022

Dilly Dally Gally: www.dillydallygally.com                                        (352) 543-9146

Curmudgeonalia: www.curmudgeonalia.com                                (352) 543-6789

Cedar Key Hole: www.cedarkeyhole.com                                    (352) 543-5801

CEDAR KEY TRANQUILITY -- PART 10

FIND OLD FLORIDA IN CEDAR KEY

According to local historians, the weathered, collapsing structure was built in 1959 by local craftsman for the family that owned the Thomas Hotel -- a short day trip away in Gainesville.

The boardwalk and some of the cottage itself were destroyed by Hurricane Elena on Labor Day, 1985.

Subsequent storms created the further battered condition that makes the isolated Honeymoon Cottage a rustic, faded charmer.

Taking meandering walks and rolls in the slow lane, fueled by plenty of fresh seafood, is what Cedar Key is all about.

Check out the Honeymoon Cottage. 

Bring a book.

Pack a snack. 

Take a nap. 

Old Florida still exists and it is wheelchair-accessible.

Wright is an award-winning journalist and photographer who has published thousands of travel stories and contributed to New Mobility for nearly two decades. He lives with his ADA-expert wife in the heart of bustling Miami, but appreciates a good Old Florida respite.

STORY CONTINUES TOMORROW -- APRIL 11

CEDAR KEY TRANQUILITY -- PART 9

FIND OLD FLORIDA IN CEDAR KEY

Better news is that several of the bridges also feature turn off points for public parks along the watery bayous, inlets and other bodies of water that support commercial clam farms and other seafood harvesting. 

The park at No. 4 Bridge features an accessible fishing pier, van-width parking and clean, barrier-free restroom.

Right in town, the Cemetery Point Park features a wheelchair-accessible boardwalk that weaves over wetlands and returns to the accessible parking spaces. 

It indeed is next to the historic town Cemetery, which is a bit too hilly to wheel through, but can be enjoyed by a slow car ride past its aged headstones and mature trees.

Back in town, one of the best waterfront sites is a pile of rotting wood ruins. 

The Honeymoon Cottage is the nickname for a house on stilts out in the Gulf, but close to the shore.

Perhaps the most photographed image in all of Cedar Key, the cottage used to be connected to the mainland by a 300-foot boardwalk.

STORY CONTINUES TOMORROW -- APRIL 10

CEDAR KEY TRANQUILITY -- PART 8

FIND OLD FLORIDA IN CEDAR KEY

Cedar Keyhole Artist Co-Op and Gallery, located in the 2nd Street Historic District in a lovingly restored 19th century building, boasts of its accessibility on-line. 

Dozens of artists have their wares on display in the barrier-free first floor gallery beneath the big open porch above.

My wife, Heidi, found a beautiful Old Florida-style sea glass necklace at a very reasonable price.

In a city filled with quaint wooden docks, piers and buildings, Cedar Key's fishing pier is not pretty.

But the massive concrete structure is 100 percent accessible with a large, wide turn ramp leading up to several sections of pier that jut out into the blue, seafood-filled waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

The pier is free of charge and has barrier-free restroom facilities. 

Even if you're not an angler, the pier provides magnificent views of the Dock Street restaurants, pubs, shops and barrier islands in the Gulf.

Travelers cross several bodies of water and bridges on the way to Cedar Key's isolated spit of seaside land. 

A word of caution: visitors tend to soar over these bridges on their way into town and the slow-land locals don't appreciate big city speeders.

Maintain the limit or risk paying a hefty speeding fine.

STORY CONTINUES TOMORROW -- APRIL 9