Screw the Disney Monorail, I Am Headed to Jungle Jim’s
Last weekend we had a great weekend in Cincinnati, which was scheduled so we could make a trip to see EnterTRAINment Junction and go on an Underground Tour, both courtesy of Groupon. We were also very fortunate to have Terri from Travel50StatesWithKids.com provide us with a copy of “Adventures Around Cincinnati,” which is “a Parental Guide to Unique and Memorable Places to Explore with Kids.”
The book was terrific in that it is set up as a really easy to use guide, broken up into distinct geographic areas, depending on your area of travel. I usually let my wife plan most of our itineraries since I take care of securing all the accommodations at the cheapest prices. I had planned EnterTRAINment Junction and the Underground Tour, but I let Mrs. InACents take the lead in filling in the blanks.
After we left EnterTRAINment Junction, and went to a mediocre lunch at an Irish restaurant, we surprised my parents by taking them to Jungle Jim’s International Market, thanks to an excellent writeup in “Adventures Around Cincinnati.”
We love grocery shopping, so Jungle Jim’s sounded right up our alley. It actually is our one financial downfall preventing us from saving more. As the boys continue to get older, we have also noticed the amount of food our family requires increase, which is to be expected. So we were excited to see what Jungle Jim’s had in store, once my wife read me the description.
Upon pulling into the shopping complex, we noticed the monorail track and knew this was going to be a pretty amazing experience. Jungle Jim’s purchased the monorail from the nearby King’s Island. Unfortunately, the monorail was not in operation. The checkout girl told us the monorail only runs on special occasions and July 4th weekend. Outside of the store, the animal waterfall area was under construction, so we were excited to see what was inside.
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I am a sucker for animatronics. So when my wife told me there were several at Jungle Jim’s, I was excited to show the boys. The comedy team Corn and Butter, which was located inside the entrance, was well detailed, although I did not get to hear their act. My wife tells me that was the newest animatronic added to the store. The greeter at the front door was wonderful and telling us all about facility and highlights.
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The whole facility was full of surprises in every direction. When walking through the store, make sure to look up as you never know what you will find. Just be sure to keep an eye for people all around you, as Jungle Jim’s is a tourist attraction and you do not want to bump your cart into the little old ladies actually doing their grocery shopping.
The bathrooms are touted as “Award Winning,” although I am unsure exactly who is handing out awards for going to the loo. I would say it was a pretty unique way of jazzing up the outside of the bathrooms with porta-potty veneers. The insides are normal, fancier bathrooms, and as much as I wanted to snap some photos for the sake of the blog, I did not want to make all the men standing around doing their business feel uncomfortable (i.e. I did not want to get pounded in front of my family).
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Above were some of the more unique cheese products in the shapes of animals and objects. Practically every other cheese in the world was probably available in some form or another at Jungle Jim’s. Of course there were also samples being handed out.
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I loved the feel of almost being in a farmers market to select your vegetables. I had hopes of finding a dragon fruit to sample, but I did not find any. I have hopes of finally getting to try one in Hawaii. (Thanks to http://countryskipper.com/2012/02/16/what-do-people-eat-in-china-dragon-fruit/ for spurring my taste buds and wanting to sample a dragon fruit.)
There was an animatronic Elvis bear in the corner of the candy section. However, he was rather dated and not that intriguing to our kids.
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The bakery, and my weakness, was rather impressive, with all sorts of delicacies at various price points. In addition to all of the bakery, Jungle Jim’s bakes over 450 loaves of European style bread daily. That is a lot of bread!
While I did not get a chance to take pictures of the fresh meat section, if they make it, Jungle Jim’s sells it. I saw packages of all sorts of animal parts that could instantly turn you into a vegetarian. Whoops, I did not bring my cooler so we had to pass.
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The alcohol section was HUGE and very impressive! Over 1,200 types of beer from around the world, 12,000 wine labels, kegs of all sizes, a huge walk-in cooler, and all the alcohol making supplies if you wish to do it yourself.
The boys, and particularly Lan-Shark, really loved the fish section. The boys have been really addicted to watching our fish tank at home, so when there were a dozen different tanks full of live fish for purchasing (do not tell the kids they are for eating!), they were mesmerized.
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Between the produce and fish sections was a giant yacht, complete with the Cereal Bowl Band (the Trix rabbit, Lucky Charms leprechaun, and Honey Nut Cheerios Bee).
If we had more room in the vehicle, I probably would have stocked up on all the Indian foods. It is a new found addiction of mine, and there were lots of ingredients I would have been tempted to purchase.
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After I returned home, the English section, complete with Sherwood Forest display overhead, is what really struck a nerve with me. I was rather moved by just how much authentic supplies were within Jungle Jim’s. It really felt like we had traveled to each section when you are surrounded by the foods (and smells) of each Country. While I have yet to leave North America, it really gave me a genuine appreciation for getting out to see the world.
Overall, Jungle Jim’s is the most impressive grocery store I have ever been too. To say it was awesome was an understatement. If I actually shopped at Jungle Jim’s on a regular basis, my trips would take hours as I would want to try some of the over 180,000 items. It was great getting to “travel” through each country and see the products I would expect to see there.
To purchase your copy of “Adventures Around Cincinnati,” visit AdventuresAroundCincinnati.com
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While we were provided with a complimentary copy of “Adventures Around Cincinnati,” all opinions are our own.
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I’ve heard so much about this place, and it’s on the bucket list! Looks like you had a great time.
Isn’t Jungle Jim’s the coolest? We visited several years ago and we’re due for another trip. Last time we went in the evening and expected to try lots of yummy samples only to find out all the action is during the day. 🙁 We may not have been able to eat our way through Jungle Jim’s, but it was still an amazing experience. I only wish we lived closer so I could shop there on a regular basis.
Oh and as to grocery bills- we’ve got three teens to feed. When they move out there is no doubt in my mind that my husband and I will be able to save huge amounts of money. 🙂