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Orange Lobster Saved From Being Dinner Finds South Carolina Home

It’s extremely rare to find an orange lobster. The odds are 1 in 30 million. But if you happen actually to be one it will save your life! At least…

Orange Lobster
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It's extremely rare to find an orange lobster. The odds are 1 in 30 million. But if you happen actually to be one it will save your life! At least that's happened for one crustacean that was set to be dinner at, where else? Red Lobster. His unique coloring saved him, and now "Cheddar" (he was named after the cheddar bay biscuits) has a new home in South Carolina.

He was part of a shipment to a Red Lobster restaurant in Hollywood, Florida. But once the staff at the restaurant noticed he was unusual they took action. Employees at the Red Lobster reached out to the Ripley's Aquarium in Myrtle Beach South Carolina. And they were willing to give Cheddar a new home. But you can't visit him just yet. First, he will be introduced to his new world in the aquarium's scientific research facility before moving to public view.

A reel posted to the aquarium's social media platforms shows Ripley's personnel traveling to the Red Lobster to pick up Cheddar the orange lobster.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cf6j2lHD6H4/

List: 15 Places To Visit Animals In The Charlotte North Carolina Area

An interesting fact that you may not know is that Charlotte is actually the largest city in the country that doesn't have a zoo. And there is very little chance we will ever get a true one. But don't let that get you down, there are plenty of places you can visit with all types of animals in the Charlotte area. The biggest reason we will most likely never get a true zoo is that we are just 1.5 hours from both the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro and Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia.

Both of those zoos make our list and while both are large zoos, they offer different animals. For instance, you can see polar bears in North Carolina and Koalas in South Carolina. Is marine life more of your interest? Don't worry we've got a couple of options for you as well. Other animals include bison, alpacas, farm animals, all sorts of birds, goats are more.

All of the places on this list are a short drive from Charlotte. Most are very affordable to visit so a great family trip as the weather gets warmer. I love animals but I'm not a huge fan of encountering them unexpectedly, so this type of thing is right up my alley. I can't wait to add several of these to my summer bucket list. Where is your favorite place to visit animals in the Charlotte area? Let us know on social media!

North Carolina Zoo

Location: Asheboro, NC

Ticket Prices: Adults $15, Senior $13, Child $11

Animals: Lions, elephants, polar bears, giraffes, black bears, and more1

Discovery Place

Location: Uptown Charlotte

Ticket Prices: Adults $23, Children $18, Seniors $20

Animals: sea urchins, jellies, and other sea life

Cotton Bean Farms

Location: Mt. Pleasant

Ticket Prices: $15

Animals: Goats

Carolina Raptor Center

Location: Huntersville

Ticket Prices: Student $8, Adult $12, Senior $10

Animals: 20+ bird species

Good Karma Ranch

Location: Iron Station

Ticket Prices: $10

Animals: Alpacas

Tiger World

Location: Rockwell, NC

Ticket Prices: Adults $15, Children and Seniors $12

Animals: Multiple tiger species, lions, kangaroos, leopards, jaguars, and more

Sealife Aquarium

Location: Concord

Ticket Prices: Adults $18, children $15

Animals: sharks, stingrays, fish, seahorses, turtles, and more

Dallas Lavender Lane

Location: Dallas, NC

Ticket Prices: Contact for more info

Animals: ducks, potbelly pigs, pygmy goats, a miniature pony, and a donkey

Zootastic Park

Location: Troutman, NC

Ticket Prices: Adults $15, Children and Seniors $13

Animals: tigers, lions, leopards, giraffes, monkeys, lemurs and more

Tatanka Bison Ranch

Location: York, SC

Ticket Prices: Varies by tour $13-$150

Animals: Bison

Riverbanks Zoo

Location: Columbia, SC

Ticket Prices:

Animals: zebras, koalas, tigers, komodo dragons, and more

Darby Acres Farm

Location: Charlotte

Ticket Prices: $11

Animals: emu, water buffalo, goat, pigs, sheep, camel, and more!

Sweetwater Farms

Location: Huntersville, NC

Ticket Prices: $5

Animals: horses, cows, pigs, donkey, goats, chickens, and ducks

Lazy 5 Ranch

Location: Mooresville, NC

Ticket Prices: Adults $15, Children and seniors $11

Animals: antelope, giraffes, cattle, birds and ducks, cattle, sheep, goats, and more

The Farm at The Schiele Museum

Location: Gastonia, NC

Ticket Prices: $3

Animals: chickens, goats, pigs, bunnies, bees, a turkey, and alpacas

Melanie Day is a graduate of North Carolina State University. She has worked for Beasley since 2012 in a variety of behind-the-scenes roles in both digital and promotions. Melanie writes about a diverse range of topics some of her favorites include travel, restaurants, Taylor Swift, and college athletics. When not at work you'll find her at a country concert or NC State sporting event.