This was such a beautiful setting for viewing a variety of wildlife. Well-maintained with a very nice picnic area. We were one of the first cars to arrive, so the animals were hungry and came right up to the car.
Many, many animals up close, the kids absolutely loved it ages 22 months, 9&11. We did but extra food so we wouldn't run out.
We love wildlife and this is a great place to go for a fun adventure. Drive through safari just about 30 minutes south of Tyler. We went at 1pm in the afternoon and wondered if we would see many animals since it was so hot, but we saw LOTS of animals. We love seeing the animals up close from your open windows and getting to toss some feed out and see them so happy. My 21 year old son said... if you were one of these animals, this would be the life! You get 2 free bags of food, and we bought 2 extra bags for $3.00 each. If you don't use the purchased food, you can return it for a refund. We used all the food! They have several "extinct in the wild" animals, so it is amazing to have this wonderful property to care for them. Your entrance fee includes an all day pass. They have picnic tables - so it is a great outing. Great gift shop. Friendly people. We laughed and had a wonderful time. We will go again!
We had a great time! Lots of animals to see at the safari. The real beauty of the experience is that you get to see many of them up close. We actually had an Emu I think it was stick its head in our car. The kids laughed about that for days afterwards. Take a picnic lunch and enjoy the experience from a different vantage point. I will caution you to avoid the drive thru if you are in a car that is low to the ground as there are a couple of places on the trail that where you may drag.
This was a pretty fun venture. The only bad comment I have is if a military families goes on this venture the active duty member is the only one who gets the discount, which is unfair to me because I am a veteran and we are paying as a family. I never heard of such a thing before.
We will definitely go back !! My kids loved it. We were each given a bag of food that lasted the entire time ( 2hrs ) but we had 5 in the car. You can buy more for $3.00 each. Ollie the camel is FUN to see and feed. ENJOY
This was so much fun!!! We laughed so hard. A must if you are in the area! They give a free bag of food per person. It is only $3.00 for extra. They also offer a Military discount.
If you're traveling through the piney woods of East Texas near Jacksonville and need a break from miles and miles of freeways, this is a great 3 hour respite! There's a picnic area if you want to eat under the trees. Then, you take the complimentary bag of feed that comes with the entrance fee, hop in the car, roll down the windows and drive slowly through peaceful rolling hills into the land of Ollie the Camel, ostriches, exotic antelopes and more! Other than some proud stags and zebras, the animals want to be your friends and will put their heads in the window if you're not careful. The staff is very friendly and helpful and the restrooms at the center are clean. I have more photos and videos than I need to remember a delightful drive through the woods!
A great drive thru zoo! My kids had a blast. The price was very fair considering the length of the drive through the park, the amount of animals, and the all day admission. Next time, we'll pack a picnic lunch - there is a really nice picnic area just outside where you drive through the zoo. The staff is super friendly, and the park is very well maintained and the animals are obviously well loved and looked after. We will definitely be back!
This is one of the fun-est places I've visited in a long time. The way this works, you drive through in your vehicle and stop when you see animals. You open the window and wait for them to approach. Then you toss the (purchased) food out and shoot closeup pictures. DO NOT GET OUT OF THE CAR! Look out for that camel, though! He'll stick his head right in your window and kiss you with furry lips until you throw all your food at him. My 92 year old mom was the victim and we laughed until we cried. We drove away with some great pictures and kept saying, "That damn camel!" We still laugh about it...