The Jacksonville Jaguars aren’t the only big cats in town! Residents can visit the Catty Shack Ranch Wildlife Sanctuary and get up close and personal with resident lions, tigers, leopards and more. Open to the public since 2004, Catty Shack’s mission is to provide a safe, loving, forever home for endangered big cats and to educate the public about their plight in the wild and captivity.
Executive Director and Curator Curt LoGiudice’s love of animals is evident. He began his career training dogs in the law enforcement service. He then moved on to working with exotic animals, and in 1994, the Florida Panther Project asked him to represent the organization in Jacksonville, making educational presentations. Catty Shack Ranch Wildlife Sanctuary was granted non-profit 501(c)(3) status in 2003 and a year later became accredited to welcome visitors.
LoGiudice believes that education is the best way to teach the public about the plight of large cats in the wild, as well as the dangers of private home ownership. Catty Shack is dedicated to providing these animals with a safe and comfortable home – they do not buy, sell, trade or breed any of their animals. The sanctuary rescues animals from serious situations and provides thorough medical care and a safe living space. Catty Shack’s residents include tigers, lions, leopards, cougars, caracal, bobcats, serval, coatimundis, foxes and horses.
Catty Shack Ranch Wildlife Sanctuary offers tours to the public as well as educational school tours. All tours begin with an introductory video that covers the sanctuary’s mission and history. The Day Tours are offered daily from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Guests can take a self-guided tour of the animal habitats while interacting with volunteers stationed throughout the sanctuary to answer questions. The Night Feeding is available on Fridays and Saturdays from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Guests can enjoy a self-guided walking tour. At 7 p.m., Executive Director Curt LoGiudice provides a guided tour full of fascinating facts and background on the animals as the animals enjoy their dinner – the cats can eat up to 600 pounds of meat! Enrichment tours are on every Sunday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Enrichment is when staff provides the animals with activities that stimulate them mentally and physically. Visitors can enjoy a self-guided tour and watch animals enjoy their enrichment activities. Tickets may be purchased online or at the gate (for the Day and Enrichment tours only).
Taking care of all these exotic animals takes a lot of resources. The Sanctuary is completely funded through visitation, concession stand sales, honorary adoptions and financial and material donations. Take a day trip that helps care for these magnificent animals!
Did you know that St. Johns County farmers are Florida’s most productive potato growers? In fact, St. Johns County is the #7 producer of potatoes in the nation. St. Johns County potatoes have anchored products by Frito-Lay, Cape Cod, Kettle, Snyder’s and others. Do you know how potatoes took root in the County?
There are plenty of beautiful public beaches all along the First Coast. However, as many locals will tell you, finding easy and convenient ways to access the beaches takes a little savvy. Here are the top five best places to access the beach all along the Northeast Florida coast:
Two parties in a conversation must share a common interest with a shared vocabulary – or there will be no communication – no meaning.
As many of my fishing buddies and World Golf Village neighbors know, our area offers a wide variety of ramps to get your boat in the water. I have a 22-foot Nautic Star Bay Boat with a Yamaha 150-4 stroke outboard that enables me to fish a variety of locations within the Intracoastal and bottom fish in the ocean. I love spending the day on the water with some friends and grabbing lunch or dinner at some of the best eateries in town. 
One of my favorite things about living in St. Augustine is the multitude of fishing opportunities in our area. Because we have vast bodies of water surrounding us including the St. Johns River, the Intracoastal Waterway, and the Atlantic Ocean, there are a variety of opportunities for both freshwater and saltwater fishing. We are also very lucky to have local fishing stores that are more than happy to help with tackle and local knowledge. Not to mention, local forums offering information and insight on both fishing locations and equipment. 
The singer/songwriter, Joe South, famously recorded the song, Walk a Mile in My Shoes. The commonly used refrain about “walking a mile in my shoes” refers to being non-judgmental of others. Humorously, it is often extended to “before you criticize someone, walk a mile in his shoes – then when you do criticize that person, you’ll be a mile away and have his shoes”. Some say that research shows the sentiment is rooted in old, Cherokee Indian, native-American wisdom. It remains wonderful advice – “don’t judge a person until you have walked a mile in their shoes”. 
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