This browser does not support the Video element.
Popular Florida restaurant combines exotic food, taxidermy
Photojournalist Corey Beckman reports
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - A truly wild and very popular dining experience awaits in Jacksonville. Clark’s Fish Camp is a great place to grab a fresh fish basket, but there's much more than fish to enjoy.
"It’s amazing how people will stand in line for two and half hours to get a fish basket just so they can stare at a gorilla," joked general manager John Wolfe.
Clark’s is home to a large collection of taxidermy covering the walls and ceiling of almost the entire interior of the restaurant.
It claims to have the largest indoor taxidermy collection in the United States.
John says the owners almost exclusively get the animals from zoos around the country.
"She purchases animals and then when they pass away naturally, they’ll call her," John explained.
The collection includes tigers, giraffes, peacocks and even ducks.
The expansive menu at Clark’s Fish Camp includes exotic meats from around the world like camel, kangaroo, and snake, as well as local favorites like frog legs and gator.
The restaurant sits on Julington Creek on the southside side of Jacksonville. There is plenty of outdoor seating with great views of the creek and the gators, turtles, and manatees that live in it.
Clark’s Fish Camp, located at 12903 Hood Landing Road in Jacksonville, is open Tuesday through Sunday and closed on Monday.