We drove up from Dallas on a whim, looking for something fun and different for the family on a hot, Saturday afternoon in July. Upon arrival, we weren't even sure this place was open. It looked abandoned until we saw the *short* line of cars waiting to get in.
The go-karts, bumper cars and other side attractions were closed for "maintenance". The walk-thru portion was closed due to flooding from recent rain. (I'll let that one slide.) We initially parked right by the gift shop, because our 2 year old had some serious business to do that he had been holding in for about 30 miles. With some road trip trash in hand, we headed up to the building, and they had small planks covering the receptacles as if they didn't want anyone throwing any trash away because nobody wanted to empty it. Once we entered the restrooms, it was blatantly clear that whatever maintenance crew they had at one point, was on strike or vacation. Trash was overflowing from the bins, and a solid 1 of 12 bathroom stalls was acceptable, the others were either filled with some sort of bodily vile, or the door didn't lock, or there was no paper. I guess that answers the maintenance crew question. The store was half empty, the cage for the Burmese Python long forgotten in the corner, no snake in sight. $85 dollars for 4 admission tickets, a stuffed zebra, 2 packages of candy and soda, and 6 cups of animal food later, we were on our way.
The first animals we encountered were free roaming crapping llamas and emus. They were followed by a single kangaroo, lonely and mangy in his overgrown enclosure. Llamas, emus, and donkeys were overly abundant, but fun for the most part. We continued through the park, and although we did see and interact with many animals, I noticed many empty enclosures. Many of the animals looked to be in poor health, even seeing some that we watched for a few minutes to see if they were breathing, leaving a few questionable ones by the wayside. The ostriches were mean, I recommend rolling the windows up and installing storm glass. Note: the camel can reach across a vehicle from the rear window to the opposite from seat for food, whilst completely unfazed by the shrill shrieks from the 2 year old he has pushed out of the way to get to the front seat. And he will drink your Slurpee. Giving the benefit of the doubt, there were probably animals we just couldn't see through the intense weeds and high grass; maybe that's where the second giraffe slipped off to because we didn't see him.
Recommendations:
Buy a LOT of food, we had to use a bunch just to get some of the animals away and/or out of the vehicle.
Don't try to roll through here on big, fancy rims. The pathways are awful to drive through.
Bug spray. Seriously. Mosquitoes were our biggest fans, with a giant wasp a close second. That one actually forced us to break the rules and exit the vehicle for a moment.
All in all, a fun, albeit slightly disappointing, adventure for the family. Will I be back? Maybe. But not today and not tomorrow. If they can get their animals healthy, obtain a larger variety, and get the place looking like they actually give a damn about the animals or their guests, then we'll see. read more