Our second stop was a quick one just to break up the drive and it can be found in the state capitol.
The Little Rock Zoo is home to a large collection of animals and for us a rather special carousel.
However, when we approached the ticket office we were told most of the animals had retreated into their indoor suites due to the heat, and the carousel was down for maintenance. On asking if it was possible to get in to photograph the carousel rather than do so through the fence, a manager agreed to allow one of us in for free to get a little tour and it was very kind of the group to let me be the one.
The carousel is the only "over-the-jumps" ride, which means the horses move up and down on a waltzer style motion rather than on a flat circuit.
This video gives an idea of what it moves like, I hope it can go a bit quicker than in this video though.
4 of these were built but this is the only one left. Originally built in 1924, it was donated to the zoo in 2007 following some fund raising from a local group.
The carved horses are stunning and they've done a brilliant job restoring this ride back to it's initial splendour, having to remove 46 layers of paint to get them back to their original base. To ensure the future upkeep I believe the horses have now been sold to private investors who financially contribute to their upkeep.
There is a much fuller history of the carousel at this website.
Lots of pictures of horses I know. It's a shame that the carousel wasn't running today but I felt rather privileged to be allowed to get on it.
Thankyou to Kelli for letting me into the see the ride and giving me a nice overview of the attraction.
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