After years of touring across the United States, each with my household and with out, I’ve run throughout many drive by zoos, safari parks, and wildlife preserves. As conventional zoos have transitioned to animal conservation and training over leisure, there was a shift to bigger, extra pure animal habitats and enclosures. The good factor about drive by safaris and zoos is that almost all have acres and acres of land for animals to roam in a way more pure setting.
I consistently wrestle with the advantages of zoos versus the destructive impacts of preserving animals in captivity. Although I do know many have totally different views, I see many advantages of those safari and wildlife parks from seeing the straightforward pleasure on a toddler’s face once they see an animal in person who conjures up a lifelong curiosity in animal preservation, to the essential analysis that these parks present in understanding animal habits and saving them from extinction.
That stated, I do assume we have to be cautious about which institutions we assist, which is why I’ve included solely the zoos and safari parks which are accredited members of the Association of Zoos & Aquariums or the Zoological Association of America.
Drive Through Zoos & Safaris
I’ve deliberately disregarded a number of safari parks, even ones that I’ve visited as a result of larger analysis confirmed that they weren’t accredited by a kind of two widely known organizations. (I discovered this text useful in understanding the various kinds of accreditation and what it means.)
As of this writing, this record is barely of drive by zoos and safaris which are accredited AZA or ZAA institutions or overseen by authorities wildlife entities. I’ve included drive by safaris and wildlife parks the place you possibly can both self-drive your individual automobile or take a safari tour or safari experience by the animal habitats.
Lion Country Safari, Loxahatchee, Florida
Founded in 1967 because the first drive-through safari park within the United States, Lion Country Safari is the biggest attraction in The Palm Beaches. This park is residence to greater than 1,000 animals, which could be seen alongside the 4-mile-long drive-through protect and walk-through habitats on the 320-acre park. Animals from six totally different continents could be discovered at Lion Country Safari, together with lions, white rhinos, chimpanzees, zebras, giraffes, and extra.
After taking a scenic drive by the protect, friends can benefit from the rides and points of interest at Safari World. These embrace a ship experience on the Safari Queen, a paddleboat, miniature golf, a carousel, a Flying Elephant experience, and the Rio Grande Train. Safari World additionally consists of Safari Plunge water slides, so friends can actually make a day of their go to.
Lion Country Safari is positioned at 2003 Lion Country Safari Road, Loxahatchee, Florida 33470. Editor’s word: I used to be supplied with a complimentary tour at Lion Country Safari, and I’ve additionally visited by myself. All opinions are my very own.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Orlando, Florida
Kilimanjaro Safaris is considered one of many points of interest at Animal Kingdom in Walt Disney World. Ticketed friends can experience a guided safari automobile by the Harambe Wildlife Reserve, residence to 34 species over 110 acres of plains, forests, and rocky wetlands. This is a fast 18-minute experience through which friends will see animals corresponding to a hippopotamus, giraffes, lions, elephants, rhinos, cheetahs, crocodiles, elephants, hyenas, zebras, and extra.
Animal Kingdom is positioned at 2901 Osceola Pkwy, Orlando, FL 32830.
Six Flags Great Adventure & Safari, Jackson, New Jersey
Six Flags Great Adventure & Safari is an amusement park and animal protect mixed. Guests can discover this 350-acre protect, containing 1,200 animals from six continents together with elephants, rhinos, tigers, giraffes, and lions. This drive by safari takes 1.5 to three hours to finish and covers the Americas, Afrikka, Wild Plains, Serengeti Grasslands, Black Bear Ridge, Kingsland, Tigris Asiana, and extra.
Six Flags Great Adventure & Safari is positioned at 1 Six Flags Blvd., Jackson, NJ 08527.
Lake Tobias Wildlife Park, Halifax, Pennsylvania
Lake Tobias Wildlife Park is a 150-acre wildlife park and zoo in Central Pennsylvania. You can roam by the various wildlife habitats to see giraffes, tigers, zebras, baboons ostriches, gibbons, kangaroos, lions, and rather more. Then, experience a Safari Tour and hand-feed wildlife corresponding to bison, water buffalo, yak, eland, and watusi.
Lake Tobias Wildlife Park is positioned at 760 Tobias Road, Halifax, PA 17032.
Cacoctin Wildlife Preserve, Thurmont, Maryland
While you possibly can’t drive your individual automobile on this drive by zoo, you possibly can take a one-hour journey experience on a safari automobile by the Cacoctin Wildlife Preserve, which showcases unique animals from six continents throughout twenty-five wooded acres and 4 totally different paddocks. The Safari experience options African Zebra, North American Bison, Dromedary Camels, Asian and African Antelope, big birds like Ostrich and Emu, European deer, Eurasian wild sheep, and strange cattle, donkey and goat breeds from world wide.
Cacoctin Wildlife Preserve is positioned at 13019 Catoctin Furnace Road, Thurmont, MD 21788.
Virginia Safari Park, Natural Bridge, Virginia
Visitors of Virginia Safari Park can drive their very own automobiles over three miles of a maintained gravel highway to see and feed the animals on the 180-acre property. These encounters embrace elk and deer, that are free to roam and work together with guests and one another all through the property. Virginia Safari Park additionally provides giraffe feeding, a petting zoo, and an opportunity to see tigers, penguins, and kangaroos in reveals on the walk-through safari. Please word that the Virginia Safari Park is NOT related to the Natural Bridge Zoo, which can be positioned in Natural Bridge in Shenandoah Valley.
Virginia Safari Park is positioned at 229 Safari Lane, Natural Bridge, VA 24578.
African Safari Wildlife Park, Port Clinton, Ohio
African Safari Wildlife Park is residence to giraffes, zebra, alpaca, bison, elk, and extra. African Safari Wildlife Park provides each a drive-through and walk-through safari choice. One cup of animal meals per automobile is included with admission. The park shouldn’t be open year-round, so examine the web site for present opening dates and hours.
African Safari Wildlife Park is positioned at 267 S. Lightner Road, Port Clinton OH 43452.
The Wilds, Cumberland, Ohio
The Wilds spreads throughout 9,000 acres and is residence to uncommon and endangered species from across the globe dwelling in open-range habitats. This land that was as soon as dedicated to strip mining is now a personal, non-profit safari park that mixes conservation science and teaching programs. Guests can even take pleasure in immersive experiences corresponding to zip line excursions, horseback driving, fishing, and extra.
Open-air safari excursions take two hours and embrace a guided tour on an open-air automobile with stops at Lake Trail and the Carnivore Center. Animals embrace giraffes, cheetahs, white rhinos, camels, trumpeter swans, zebras, oryx, and extra.
The Wilds are positioned at 14000 International Rd, Cumberland, OH 43732.
Lee G. Simmons Conservation Park & Wildlife Safari, Ashland, Nebraska
The Lee. G. Simmons Conservation Park and Wildlife Safari can be a wildlife protect and a part of Omaha’s well-known Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium. The Wildlife Safari Park provides a four-mile, drive-through North American wildlife expertise. On this safari, you possibly can see bison, elk, wolves, prairie canine, deer, eagles, pelicans, and extra up shut and private. There can be a viewing deck overlooking the 40 acres of woodland hills and open grasslands that make up the Bison Plains. In addition, a nature-based playground provides alternatives to discover, play and study.
The Lee G. Simmons Conservation Park & Wildlife Safari is positioned at 16406 N. 292 Street, Ashland, Nebraska 68003.
Lee Richardson Zoo, Garden City, Kansas
The Lee Richardson Zoo is residence to 300 native and unique animals over 50 acres. The zoo is free to pedestrians or guests will pay to drive by the park to see the wild animals. Each animal is an envoy for his or her wild counterparts selling the understanding and conservation of wildlife and wild locations. Animals embrace lions, alpacas, addax, Amur leopards, camels, bison, ferrets, bobcats, elk, giraffes, jaguars, sloth bears, and a lot extra.
The Lee Richardson Zoo is positioned at 312 E Finnup Drive, Garden City, KS 67846.
Fossil Rim Wildlife Center, Glen Rose, Texas
Fossil Rim Wildlife Center provides a 1,800-acre wildlife middle with self-driven or guided safaris. Altogether they keep 1,100 animals of fifty totally different species together with bison, cheetah, wildebeest, emus, kudus, giraffes, zebras, wolves, rhinos, and extra in a pure atmosphere.
Unlike different safari drive-thrus, Fossil Rim has a concentrate on conservation they usually have even efficiently reintroduced an oryx species again into the wild in Chad. Fossil Rim can be the biggest profitable breeding facility for the endangered cheetah on this planet. To date, they’ve had over 200 cheetah cubs that are crucial for his or her conservation efforts.
Fossil Rim Wildlife Center is positioned at 2155 County Road 2008, Glen Rose, Texas 76043.
Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch, Texas
Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch provides an African safari, Texas-style, and is considered one of Texas’ most acknowledged household leisure points of interest. Visitors can be a part of a guided tour or drive their very own automobile by 450 acres of rolling hills, creek beds, and dwell oak bushes. The safari trek covers over six miles of the scenic Texas Hill Country and takes roughly an hour to an hour and a half to drive by. Guests can have a distinct journey on every go to, witnessing the habits of over 500 animals from 40 unique, native and endangered animal species worldwide.
After the drive, households can stroll by the giraffe barn and meander over to Lemur Island, the habitat of the Ring-Tailed Lemurs.
Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch is positioned at 26515 Natural Bridge Caverns Rd, San Antonio, TX 78266.
Bearizona Wildlife Park, Williams, Arizona
One hour south of the Grand Canyon’s South Rim, Bearizona covers roughly 160 acres. Visitors can drive by greater than three miles of Ponderosa Pine Forest, viewing North American animals in pure habitats as they go. There are additionally extra animals in Fort Bearizona, a 20-acre walk-thru space, in a zoo-like setting.
Bearizona Wildlife Park is positioned at 1500 E Rte 66, Williams, AZ 86046.
Camel Safari, Bunkerville, Nevada
Camel Safari provides guided safari excursions that embrace friends driving both on the again of a camel, aboard our Safari Tram or on ATVs to view 40+ camelids up-close. Located an hour north of Las Vegas, Camel Safari additionally provides night VIP Sunset Safaris that embrace animal encounters whereas having fun with a shocking Mojave Desert sundown and roasting marshmallows for s’mores over a hearth.
Guided safaris are 2-hour interpreted excursions.
Camel Safari is positioned at 2725 Rivercliff Road, Bunkerville, Nevada 89007.
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Park, San Diego, California
The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Park, positioned 35 miles away from the San Diego Zoo, provides quite a lot of drive-through safari tour choices together with a caravan, cart, and behind-the-scenes safari. Just word that you just can not drive your individual automobile by this Wildlife Park. In addition to the tour choices, you can even take pleasure in experiences like zip lining, journey programs, and even sleep in a single day within the park on a tenting journey. Animals embrace rhinos, camels, cheetahs, elephants, giraffes, gorillas, rhinos, lions, tigers, zebras, and extra.
The Safari Park is positioned at 15500 San Pasqual Valley Road, Escondido, California 92027-7017.
Safari West, Santa Rosa, California
Coined the Sonoma Serengeti, Safari West is a Wildlife Preserve and African tent camp totally accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Safari West’s 400 acres are residence to just about 1,000 animals, together with African antelopes, primates, and predators, plus quite a lot of avian life from across the globe. Instead of driving their very own automobile by this safari, friends can join guided excursions on retro-fitted safari automobiles.
Safari West additionally provides distinctive “glamping” lodging inside the protect utilizing custom-built tents imported from Botswana, which overlook a view of grazing antelope and giraffes. Twilight eating and wine-paired adventures can be found in addition to eating on the onsite Savannah Café.
Safari West is positioned at 3115 Porter Creek Road, Santa Rosa, CA 95404. Editor’s word: I used to be supplied with a complimentary tour and in a single day keep at Safari West. All opinions are my very own.
Wildlife Safari, Winston, Oregon
Wildlife Safari is residence to America’s most profitable cheetah breeding program, with over 235 Cheetah cubs. It can be residence to over 500 animals of many alternative species together with elephants, lions, bison, elk, wildebeest, brown bears, zebra, giraffes, hippos, rhinos, tigers, and extra. Wildlife Safari is devoted to the preservation and training of native and unique wildlife.
The drive-through safari takes roughly one to at least one and one-half hours to drive by. The safari takes you previous ostrich, Watusi cattle, lions, zebra, hippos, oryx, rhinos, giraffes, and elephants. Then you’ll cross the land of bears, bison, and elk inside the sprawling canyon forests of North America. Lastly, you’ll journey by the cheetah breeding grounds and previous Sumatran Tigers, all from the consolation of your individual automobile.
Wildlife Safari is positioned at 1790 Safari Rd, Winston, OR 97496.
Northwest Trek Wildlife Park, Washington
Northwest Trek Wildlife Park is a 723-acre wildlife park that includes a tram tour that takes guests by a 435-acre free-range space. Tram excursions run 40 minutes and are led by a naturalist by meadows and forests with herds of Roosevelt elk, moose, bighorn sheep, caribou, and extra.
Animal strolling excursions, keeper talks, Kids’ Treks, and climbing trails are all out there. The Zip Wild Deep Forest Challenge provides 5 exhilarating zipline programs by a tree cover.
Northwest Trek Wildlife Park is positioned at 11610 Trek Dr E, Eatonville, WA 98328.
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