MENTOR, Ohio — Filled with rhinos and giraffes, there's a spot in Mentor that's known to few and beloved by those who discover it. Judy’s Jungle, located at 8665 Station Street, is a sprawling green area with more than a dozen fiberglass animals hiding behind MT Heat Treat, a metal heating services company.
The animals have been there since the 90s. They're a solution to a winter problem in Northeast Ohio. Trucks coming to MT Heat Treat were not able to tell where the parking lot behind the plant ended and the deep snow began, so owners Judy and O.V. Mathews created an unmissable “jungle” to clearly mark the area.
The Mathews started adding one fiberglass animal after another, and soon it became known to visitors as “Judy’s Jungle," a pleasant space for parents and grandparents to spend some time with the kids.
Judy's Jungle was recently featured on News 5's 100 hidden gems of Cleveland list.
"I would call it a hidden gem just because so many people don't know that we have it in their own backyard," said Wendy Loomis, of Mentor.
Take a walk-through of Judy's Jungle below:
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