If the thought of a two-hundred-pound bison sticking its head through your car window sounds relaxing, the Virginia Safari Park is the weekend trip for you. If you're at least in the mood for a messy and  unregulated adventure, the Safari Park might still be a day trip worthy of your bucket list.

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The Virginia Safari Park, is located in National Bridge, Virginia. It's only about 45 minutes south of Harrisonburg down 81. Unlike a traditional zoo, this park allows visitors to drive through the 180-acre property. During the drive you're able to feed the animals from your windows.

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You can buy buckets of feed along with your ticket for admission when you pull up to the zoo’s gates. While the staff recommends one bucket per rider, I found my bucket devoured in no time. Perhaps I was too generous to the first group of wandering mouths that approached my window? In any case, I would recommend purchasing one extra bucket just to be sure. It's terrifying to have nothing to offer an ostrich whose made himself at home inside your 2005 Honda CRV.

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Before planning your trip down to Natural Bridge, there are a few things to consider. These tips from my first time at the zoo might be useful when deciding if this experience is for you.

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What are the logistics?

In short, here’s everything to keep in mind for a trip to the park.

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• The address is 229 Safari Lane, Natural Bridge, Virginia, 24578.

• For the drive-thru attraction, the price is $19.95 for adults, $18.95 for seniors and $12.95 for children. You pay per person at the gate, not per vehicle.

• There are no pets allowed. Odd considering you’re surrounded by animals, but I am in no position to question their logic.

• Buy feed buckets for $3.50 or 4 for $12.00. This is the only food you’re allowed to feed the animals. This rule makes sense to me.

• The park is open from mid-March through the last week in November. The operating hours fluctuate from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. during this time.

• There are other attractions at the zoo besides the drive-thru option. This includes the safari village walk through featuring:

  • A giraffe feeding area

  • A tiger observatory

  • A bird feeding aviary

  • A Kangaroo play area

  • A petting zoo

  • More exhibits for cheetahs, reptiles, monkeys, tortoises, warthogs, flamingos etc.

• Your admission to the park is good all day.

• Cash and credit are acceptable payment.

• A gift shop and small dining options are available on the property.

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What to expect?

Before I arrived at the park, the answer to this question would have been helpful. It would have been nice if someone had said “Meghan, consider the possibility that an alpaca might spit all over your steering wheel.” So, what should you, as a potential new visitor, expect from this experience?

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For starters, prepare for a mess. Animals ranging from reindeer to bison will approach your vehicle without misgiving. Despite your best efforts to hold the bucket outside your window, crumbs, slobber and fur will end up everywhere. In addition to paying the $19.95 adult admission fee, be sure to save a dollar in quarters for a trip to the car wash vacuum cleaner.

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If the idea of a messy car gives you palpitations, consider shelling out an extra $6.50 for the wagon ride. The price includes a bucket of feed which saves you from both the cost of the food and of the post-feed disarray.

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My next expectation may come across as obvious, but plan for animals barging into your space. From the second your car clears the gate you’re ambushed. Ostriches, markhors, ibex, blackbucks. An array of animals no way indigenous to Virginia flood your pathway with hungry eyes. At first, this experience can be frightening. Even to an animal lover. The impulse to hit the gas pedal or roll up your windows is there. Remaining calm is a must. It may never come natural to sit still while a moose approaches your vehicle. But they’re only interested in your food. Not your eyeballs or the small children strapped into the back seat.

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Some of the animals are a little less forthright with their approach. Especially some of the smaller fellas who don’t reach the windows (I’m talking to you pot belly pig basking in the mud). With that in mind, try to scatter some of your food toward these coy creatures to counter their timid nature.

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Finally, prepare yourself for a lot of laughs. It was worth the price of admission to see the grown man in my passenger seat yell out in surprise as an ostrich tried to nip his ear. In the hour or so spent driving through the park, I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face.

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What to bring?

Besides a full tank of gas and a positive attitude, be sure to bring a camera. Priceless moments such as this are necessary to capture.

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Also, be sure to bring some hand sanitizer. Even though you’re in the comfort of your own vehicle, you’re still in a petting zoo. For the animal’s sake and your own it’s a must.

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When selecting the car to drive through, consider the amount of space you want to leave open for the animals. For my comfort level, only having the two front windows open was as close enough to the animals as I wanted to get. For a closer experience, consider a vehicle like a jeep with a removable top. Not only will it aid you in feeling like you’re in Jurassic Park, but it’ll give you more space to interact with the animals.

 

Finally, if you feel like throwing all caution to the wind, put your crew in the bed of a pickup truck. This leaves the least amount of space between you and the critters. I witnessed a truck from North Carolina with 12-15 children and adults busting from the seams of the bed. It looked equal parts fun and unregulated. But hey, choose your own adventure.

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What Occasions Would This Excursion Be Good For?

Aside from an after funeral party or premeditated breakup, there isn’t a situation I imagine to be improper for a trip to the drive-thru zoo. Yet, if you’re looking for an excuse to head down to Natural Bridge, perhaps these ideas will get you inspired.

Consider going to the zoo if…

• You’re celebrating a birthday.

• A club, organization, or workplace is looking for a unique excursion to boost morale/bond.

• You want to spice up date night in an almost uncomfortable way.

• You had a really…really bad Monday.

• In fact, if any day that ends in “Y” was bad, consider going to get a little lick from a llama to cheer you up.

• You got a great grade on an exam.

• You got a terrible grade on an exam.

• You’re looking to conquer a crippling fear of animals through amateur exposure therapy.

• You’re studying anthropology and you need visuals to aid you in demonstrating how odd speciation can be.

• You asked your group of friends “what should we do today”, and nobody answered with anything exciting.

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Of course this list isn’t exhaustive. I can’t emphasize enough how this trip can create a fun-filled, memorable day. Fun, for that matter, for all ages and genders. As a 21-year-old female, I’m not ashamed in the least to document how much fun I had at this zoo. Although I hope my last thousand words or so made that clear by now.

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Final Thoughts

Being promised an exotic zoo experience off the highway in central Virginia had me skeptical. Nothing about the Shenandoah Valley screams bison and giraffes. For all the fun I had visiting the park, there was part of me that felt bad for these creatures. For the avid animal activist, I’d caution you when making the decision to visit. I never got the sense the animals were mistreated, but I did feel as if there was something inorganic about their role. They’re 80-90 percent entertainment and 10 percent education in my opinion. While these species are in no way endangered, it might not be everyone’s cup of tea to visit these creatures in captivity.

If there is one thing I can vouch for, it is that these animals are well-fed. I enjoyed having a hand in making sure of that. Any ethical biases aside, I would recommend that anyone go give this curious experience a shot. Who knows, you just might meet a new friend along the way.

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