If you ever find yourself near Jackson, TN and have a few hours to kill, you have got to check out the Tennessee Safari Park. We have seen signs for it on the side of the road for years and never had time to stop. However, this time, we made time…and boy, are we glad we did! We had the best time ever! I don’t think we have laughed that hard in years.
The Tennessee Safari Park is basically a drive through zoo. You stay in your car and drive through acres and acres of animal habitats. When you enter the park, you have the option to purchase a bucket of animal feed. You should get at least 2 buckets! One for each side of the car. There will be times when you are completely surrounded by animals, and you don’t want anyone getting left out!
The park is home to dozens of different species of animals including zebras, camels, alpacas, goats, pigs, donkeys, and ostriches. You can’t forget the ostriches! I’m pretty sure these huge birds are really dinosaurs. When you see them up close trying to eat grain from inside your car window, you’ll know what I’m talking about! Make sure you hold on to your bucket tight. They are super strong and can easily knock the bucket out of your hands. So, unless you want to spend an hour cleaning animal feed out from between your car seats, hold on tight!
Our favorite part of the tour was seeing the giraffe. He is the very last stop on the tour. He is absolutely HUGE and gorgeous! I’m pretty sure all women would be jealous of his eyelashes. If you pull up close enough, he can reach over the fence to stick his head in your car. Make sure you’ve got the grain (and your camera) ready!
Once you finish the drive through portion of the park (which took us about an hour and a half), there is an area where you can pull in for picnics, restrooms, and a petting zoo. We were running a little late that day, so we didn’t explore all of those areas. Just another reason for us to come back again! Here is their website address if you want to check it out: http://www.tennesseesafaripark.com