Jungle Jim's International Market

Aidan, my grandson, wanted a coconut and I suggested we take a little trip to Jungle Jim's International Market. This market is over 200,000 square feet of goods from around the world. Aidan, Sophia, Will, and I made the half-hour trip, heading east on the I-275 loop around Cincinnati to Eastgate and took the Batavia exit.

The kids were excited the whole time and Aidan kept saying how big Jungle Jim's was and he was convinced it was much better than our local grocery!

The kids were amazed at the big stacks of huge bags of rice in the Far East section of the store. This is a store that is so enjoyable if you are an adult and are just looking for something unusual. It is way more enjoyable to watch and listen to kids exploring it for the first time. They were amazed at all of the drinks in each section of the store. (They kept putting unusual drinks in the cart.) They found the candy and cookies in the section from Holland.

They found bacon flavored lip balm in the aisle where the fire truck was perched above their heads. There is a huge selection of hot sauces just behind this truck. I never knew there were so many hot sauces, but the shelves in this room are lined with hundreds of bottles of hot sauce!

Yes, that is a ship! We found the aisle with food from the Carribean, South Africa, and Jamaica.

Of course, they had to test the seats from an old plane. They noticed the ashtrays in the arm rests. They buckled themselves in and imagined they would be flying someday.

We found the live lobsters and the live fish. We also found an interesting sign that said, "Fish Heads and Thangs".

Will and Aidan checked out the exotic meats, but they were not quite adventurous enough to choose any to take home for dinner.

Aidan's search for coconuts was successful! They each chose a coconut and after thoroughly inspecting their coconuts, they placed them in the shopping cart.

Did anyone say 'honey'? Honey, from around the world, lines all sides of this display.

The Jelly Belly car greeted us at the entrance to the candy section. There was a vast array of candy in that section! The kids did not know where to look next. Aidan was amazed at the biggest gummi snake in the world. It was a mere eight-foot long. You can have one of your own, but it has to be special ordered.

This huge gingerbread house was on display as we neared the cash registers. Sophie asked if it was real. Trying to figure that out for myself, I noticed the sign which indicated it was indeed real and the cookies used in the gingerbread house were displayed beneath it!

By this time everyone was a little hungry. A few doors down from Jungle Jim's is Hwy 55 Burgers Shakes and Fries. What a great place! We all loved the retro look and the food was very good and reasonable. The kid's meals are served in a 'car'!

If you ever find yourself on the east side of Cincinnati, you should stop in and enjoy Jungle Jim's International Market and Hwy 55 Burgers Shakes and Fries!

#family