Looking for a fun, adventurous day? One involving no parking issues, long lines or heavy wait times? Wild Florida in nearby Kenansville may have the solution.
By Karin Fabry-Cushenbery
The park’s drive-through safari park has opened back up for business, and honoring social distance guidelines is a cinch with this self-guided tour.
“It’s really the easiest family adventure you’ve ever been on,” says Co-Owner Sam Haught. “Here you can get out of the house without any fear of putting your family at risk.”
Book your safari online ahead of time, and simply roll up to the kiosk window to check in, no touching needed! Once checked in, you’re on your way to a two-mile adventure filled with animals that represent every continent on Earth. Traveling at a leisurely five miles per hour, the journey will take you past zebra, llamas, emus, wildebeest, bison and much more. For many, the highlight of the tour is the resident giraffes. (You even have the opportunity to park your car at the end of the safari and take your turn hand-feeding the gentle giants.)
Along the journey, tune into the included podcast to learn about the animals as you see them.
“We are a free-roaming park,” says Sam, “so guests have the opportunity to choose each animal as they come across them.” Free-roaming means no carnivores, either! Instead, the animals, although they generally stay with their family groups, may meander into each other’s territory from time to time.
“Here you can see animals that you’ve only seen on the Discovery Channel or biography specials, says Sam. “Our goal is to pique interest in these animals and have guests wanting to know more about the amazing creatures found on Earth. We are about encouraging humans to make a connection with our animals—it doesn’t matter if it’s a deer or a sloth.”
From the comfort of your air-conditioned car, you can roll down the windows and take as many pics as you like. Just pull over and let any other cars on the tour travel safely around you. The drive takes about an hour, and attendance is capped throughout the day to ensure a relaxed, enjoyable experience.
“I love seeing the kids leaning out the windows and oohing and ahhing at the animals.” And there are a lot of them. Sam says you’ll find north of 150 animals, many more if you count the resident alligators and crocodiles.
The only aspect of the park open at press time was the drive-through safari, but there really is a full days-worth of fun to be had at Wild Florida. Check the website regularly for additional openings. The facility offers walking tours of the expansive gator park, airboat tours and a zipline tour is in the works for the future.
Florida residents can partake in the safari for just $20 for adults and $15 for kids, making it an easy spur-of-the-moment splurge.
Wild Florida // wildfloridaairboats.com // 3301 Lake Cypress Road, Kenansville // (866) 532-7167
Check out more local entertainment like this at 352preview.com.
