You can roam through the many wildlife habitats to see giraffes, tigers, zebras, baboons ostriches, gibbons, kangaroos, lions, and much more. Lake Tobias Wildlife Park is a 150-acre wildlife park and zoo in Central Pennsylvania. Lake Tobias Wildlife Park, Halifax, Pennsylvania Six Flags Great Adventure & Safari is located at 1 Six Flags Blvd., Jackson, NJ 08527. This drive through safari takes 1.5 to 3 hours to complete and covers the Americas, Afrikka, Wild Plains, Serengeti Grasslands, Black Bear Ridge, Kingsland, Tigris Asiana, and more. Guests can explore this 350-acre preserve, containing 1,200 animals from six continents including elephants, rhinos, tigers, giraffes, and lions.

Six Flags Great Adventure & Safari is an amusement park and animal preserve combined. Six Flags Great Adventure & Safari, Jackson, New Jersey This is a quick 18-minute ride in which guests will see animals such as a hippopotamus, giraffes, lions, elephants, rhinos, cheetahs, crocodiles, elephants, hyenas, zebras, and more.Īnimal Kingdom is located at 2901 Osceola Pkwy, Orlando, FL 32830. Ticketed guests can ride a guided safari vehicle through the Harambe Wildlife Reserve, home to 34 species over 110 acres of plains, forests, and rocky wetlands. Kilimanjaro Safaris is one of many attractions at Animal Kingdom in Walt Disney World. Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Orlando, Florida Elephants at Animal Kingdom Editor’s note: I was provided with a complimentary tour at Lion Country Safari, and I have also visited on my own. Lion Country Safari is located at 2003 Lion Country Safari Road, Loxahatchee, Florida 33470. Safari World also includes Safari Plunge water slides, so guests can really make a day of their visit. These include a boat ride on the Safari Queen, a paddleboat, miniature golf, a carousel, a Flying Elephant ride, and the Rio Grande Train. Animals from six different continents can be found at Lion Country Safari, including lions, white rhinos, chimpanzees, zebras, giraffes, and more.Īfter taking a scenic drive through the preserve, guests can enjoy the rides and attractions at Safari World. This park is home to more than 1,000 animals, which can be viewed along the 4-mile-long drive-through preserve and walk-through habitats on the 320-acre park. Lion Country Safari, Loxahatchee, Florida Rhino at Lion Country Safariįounded in 1967 as the first drive-through safari park in the United States, Lion Country Safari is the largest attraction in The Palm Beaches. I have included drive through safaris and wildlife parks where you can either self-drive your own vehicle or take a safari tour or safari ride through the animal habitats. (I found this article helpful in understanding the different types of accreditation and what it means.)Īs of this writing, this list is only of drive through zoos and safaris that are accredited AZA or ZAA establishments or overseen by government wildlife entities. I have intentionally left out a few safari parks, even ones that I have visited because greater research showed that they weren’t accredited by one of those two widely recognized organizations. That said, I do think we need to be careful about which establishments we support, which is why I have included only the zoos and safari parks that are accredited members of the Association of Zoos & Aquariums or the Zoological Association of America. Although I know many have different views, I see many benefits of these safari and wildlife parks from seeing the simple joy on a child’s face when they see an animal in person that inspires a lifelong interest in animal preservation, to the important research that these parks provide in understanding animal behavior and saving them from extinction.

I constantly struggle with the benefits of zoos versus the negative impacts of keeping animals in captivity. The nice thing about drive through safaris and zoos is that most have acres and acres of land for animals to roam in a much more natural setting. As traditional zoos have transitioned to animal conservation and education over entertainment, there has been a shift to larger, more natural animal habitats and enclosures. After years of traveling around the United States, both with my family and without, I have run across many drive through zoos, safari parks, and wildlife preserves.

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