By Kevin Reagan | Pinal Central
Pinal County has a history of drawing big ideas that don’t seem to go anywhere.
Since the 1980s, there have been a variety of proposals for building an amusement park in the Casa Grande, Eloy, Apache Junction and Florence areas. The ideas have always been grand in scale and included elements such as live animals, vintage airplanes and a football stadium.
But after the community got buzzed about the idea, it slowly fizzled out and was forgotten. One project has left behind a few artifacts that can be seen while driving along Interstate 10 in Eloy.
Disclosure: Rose Law Group represents the developers of this project.
The blue, birdcage-like structures stationed near the freeway were intended to be part of a drive-through zoo called Family World Adventures. In 1995, Richard Songer began planning the zoo on 157 acres off Milligan Road that was to house a number of non-carnivorous African animals.
