There was a day at the beginning of this past summer when everyone was walking around the house trying to find things to do and nothing seemed exciting enough to try. We were officially bored. So my husband decided that we were all going to jump in the car and go somewhere. Anywhere. As long as it was outside and something we could do together.
As soon as we got in the car, he asked me to find out more about this place that he had heard me talking about recently that had wild animals. This place is a 500-acre drive through park with exotic animals and a petting zoo. Although it was about 90 minutes away, this was perfect for our family and the kids were beyond excited.
We arrived and headed in to buy tickets. The person at the counter told us that we should rent a van and drive through the park. They said that the animals tend to come right up to the car and after looking at the dents in the rentals, we opted to rent their van.
We piled the kids in the van, loaded the animal [or “wild creature” food] food they suggested we buy and began our hour long drive through the park.
From the second we drove in the park, the squealing began from our kids as animal after animal converged on the van. We bought a 20-pound bag of food and fed everything from buffalo and zebras (pictured above) to horses and giraffes.
We were slobbered on. Nickered at. Snorted on and nudged timed and time again. We had the most amazing time seeing and touching all of these animals up close. After the ride, we headed to the petting zoo portion to see even more animals.
At the end of the day, we piled our exhausted kids into our car and I realized something. This day was the perfect summer outing. This was an excellent way to create memories while getting outside and having fun as a family.
Even though my car smelled like a barn on the way home, this was one of our favorite family outings of the summer. More than 12 weeks later, my kids are planning their next trip back. They are also coming up with ideas of other fun, family outings we can do together.
Learn more about Wild Animal Safari in Pine Mountain Georgia
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This post took me back more than a few years (my daughter is now 21) to a time when DISCOVERY was pure magic. One of the best practices we can have, as parents, is to keep that sense of curiosity about life and continue to share it with our children, even when they are adults. The truth is none of us “knows it all” and who wants to anyway–where’s the fun in that? Thanks for sharing a great adventure/discovery/memory.
It’s been a long time since I’ve been to one of those animal parks. I remember being scared as a child, but I’d give anything to go again now.
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