Wild Florida, a drive-through safari park, and more
The sign lost its “L”, but you get the picture…
We found out about this place the good old-fashioned way, aka, via Facebook ads! After seeing several of them, I decided to look this place up, and I’m not sorry I did.
I will say that we don’t generally have much interest in visiting zoological parks these days. We have been members of the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Park for years when we lived there (definitely recommend it), and we consider ourselves somewhat “spoiled” by that experience. The two parks are entertaining, not to mention absolutely beautiful, and they are heavily focused on conservation efforts worldwide, a cause we gladly supported.
Though I am sure there are other zoo parks out there that are just as great, if not better than those two, we just haven’t been interested in visiting. However, that changed when we found out about Wild Florida. A drive-through safari park? We were intrigued.
We made reservations the day of, just in case, and also, so we don’t give up on getting there as it was a bit of a drive from Tampa (well over two and a half hours, and that with not a crazy amount of traffic). The “basic” tickets include the safari park drive-through and a visit to the Gator Park next door. I would highly recommend checking their tour tips for the best experience.
We arrived around noon, on a gorgeous Saturday (the weather was fantastic), and were the first of three cars, that arrived shortly after us. As soon as we drove through the gates, we were met with animals. For that reason, I recommend getting your camera ready prior to entering, if you’re going to take photos.
The animals were pretty “chill”, resting, sleeping, or eating, so the drive-through was really nice, though we saw a few of them going head to head, as well as rams violently hitting trees with their horns (they didn’t seem to have any interest in us when we drove by).
We were able to observe a variety of animals, from giraffes to camels, elands, elks, bison, lemur, llamas, emus, ostriches, and several species of deer, cattle, sheep, and gators, of course. In fact, the park has a large pond that is filled with “nuisance” gators, aka, the ones that were found in places they don’t belong to, and brought here.
As we approached them, the ostriches seemed pretty curious and got close to our car, looking like they were ready to “kiss” us; to avoid unpleasantries, we rolled up our windows. Important to note is that we got stuck a few times when a calf, and later, deer, stopped in the middle of the road, blocking traffic for about 10 minutes (we couldn’t get around as the mom was nearby watching her baby).
Once the drive-through was over, we headed to Gator Park and found a much busier place. This is more like a regular zoo, and as the name suggests, is packed with all sorts of crocodiles, and gators, including albino ones (I was shocked that everything about these is white, including their eyes). However, you’ll find here a lot of other animals, and birds, including sloths, lemurs, wallabies, tamandua, peacocks, macaws, etc., and the cutest Prevost squirrels. While there, don’t miss checking out the Hawk Swamp.
All in all, we loved visiting and would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a unique experience in Florida.
Things to know:
This is an ideal place to visit with kids, as upon entry, you are given a scavenger hunt sheet they sure would love to fill out. Also, there are several fun activities to do, including airboat tours, for an extra cost.
You can only drive at 5mph speeds through the safari (reserve at least one hour).
You are literally surrounded by animals; only some of the gator areas are enclosed, though in some spots the gators can get through the fence if they want to.
It’s going to be a dusty drive. The driveway is not paved, and the landscape mimics a real safari, though Florida style, aka, you’ll see some swampy grounds, massive live oak trees covered in Spanish moss, etc. Inevitably, your car will get covered in dust, including the interior if you have your windows open (DUH! How else are you going to closely and unobstructedly see the animals?).
Animals will get close to you, and your car (especially the ostriches). If you don’t like such surprises, I’d recommend rolling up your windows.
Some will even block the road.
Always watch for smaller animals in front of your bumper/car.
From our experience, the animals are friendly/and calm.
However, I would not recommend honking or screaming at and around them, and definitely do not get out of your car during the safari. If you dropped something out of your car, you are provided with an info brochure that has a phone number to call for help.
You can drive through more than once.
Respect and be patient with the other visitors/drivers.
The last entry of the day is at 5pm.
Florida residents get a $10 discount with their valid ID, presented upon entry — look for the option if purchasing tickets online.
Gator Park holds several shows a day, including feeding the gators (they attract big crowds).
There is an on-site restaurant, Chomp House Grill, and you’ll find gator on the menu quite a lot. I have zero interest in ever trying gator, so we didn’t eat there, hence, I can’t speak about the food.
I hope you enjoyed this post and added this place to your “fun things to do in Florida” list. Check their site for more info.
Fun fact: as beautiful as they look, peacocks produce very unpleasant sounds, and are a nuisance in many Florida neighborhoods for various reasons.
xo,
Em
