A beautiful maintained preservation with more than 600 animals about an hour away from Tyler, Texas. And 3 hours from Austin, Texas. My children aged 8 and 15 had the best time! Feeding, observing, getting a really close look and feel of these beautiful, mainly Safari animals. Some were impressively large like the bison, longhorn, buffalo, zebra's, camels with extremely long tongues and large teeth! It was quite pricey, because you get charged per person and not per car. It rang up $79 total for our party of four. I would definitely recommend to bring wipes for your hands, to clean up, and a car wash afterwards because your car will be covered in saliva. This was quite the experience and very well loved! read more

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The drive thru Safari was a lot of fun.It's such a beautiful place! They have over 700 different animals and some of them are huge! The animals are very used to people and some of them are pretty brave and will stick their head in tour window! The camel even bit my mirror when I didn't give it any pellets! There's a really nice welcome center with two sweet ladies that work there. Bathrooms are clean and they have some snacks and souvenirs. We'd definitely go back! read more

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If you want some crazy cool selfies with weird looking dogs that have stripes, horns, humps and long necks, then come check this place out! It's an hour drive from Tyler and about 20 dollars per adult with one free bag of food. As recommended from previous reviews, you need to get you an extra bag for 5 dollars. The massive swarms of deer will thank you. I saw a couple baby bambis that were so cute they were the size of a chiquaqua. Different breeds of deer, cattle and a few interesting characters that I forgot how to pronounce or spell! Nevertheless, it was amazing and took about an hour and half to go through. I showed up before 10 am and doors were already open. I wanted to avoid being stuck behind any other vehicles so I made sure to be the first to arrive. The lady at the Welcome Center was extremely nice and welcoming. I wish I could have remembered her name to give her a big shout out. I bought a couple cool t shirts and magnets to be reminded of this amazing adventure I took. I absolutely loved this place and I hope you guys loved my review and selfies I took to share with y'all! read more

One of a kind experience. Located in east Texas in Jacksonville , TX. Cherokee Trace Drive-Thru Safari is a must visit zoo! An experience at your own pace, in the comfort of your own car, it just can't get any better . All guest are expected to park and walk to the welcome center to Check in and pay their entry. The fee is per person and it includes one bag of feed (15$kids/20$adults) , I highly recommend buying the extra bag for 5$ you will be so glad you did! Especially for first timers you will go through food quickly . Animals are always hungry! I really enjoyed the self-guided tour through the open fields. Upon arrival I instantly saw wild life. The animals are far from shy, they approach the vehicles, offering the best photograph opportunities. If you are afraid of getting dirty don't lower your windows because the animals are far from gentle and your car will get a bit dirty! If you are ready to have slobber then pack extra cleaning supplies. (Wipes recommend) I came across so many different animals, from donkeys, deer, cows , llamas, camels , ducks, alligators , zebras and much more ! The pictures and memories will forever remain. This was such a special activity to share with my family and friends so worth checking out! Make sure to pack some lunch to enjoy during or after your drive . Cherokee trace offers benches for visitors to enjoy some fresh air on premises. At the welcome center you will find 2 restrooms and outsidportable toilets near the exit . The entire zoo at an Average takes 1hr 30min to complete. This is a one-way route, once you enter you have to drive through the marked path in order to exit. If you rather not be rushed or stuck behind cars then make sure to be there when they open! This worked so perfectly for me. All the animals were so hungry and eager to welcome me, I took my sweet old time . Keep your cameras and phones charged there is so much beauty to capture ! I am glad I called a day prior to make sure the park was open to avoid any inconveniences. Staff were very informative and helpful with preparing me on my first visit ! So make sure to call before you go, because unexpected weather changes affect the park hours. Early closures are common on harsh weather conditions. read more

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Great experience! The animals have the space they need. They seem to be healthy, if not a bit spoiled! We loved our time there! read more

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First time there and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!!!! My toddler and husband had so much fun!!! I would just say purchase some extra food ITS ALOT OF HUNGRY ANIMALS!!! read more

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My family had an amazing trip! We go there early and they opened the gates about 10 minutes early for us. The signs were easy to read while driving up. You park in the side lot and one person goes inside the building to pay for the tickets. You will receive one free bag of feed for each person you pay for. But the bags are not large I definitely recommend buying extra feed for $3 a bag. Lots and lots of deer to feed. The zebras were a little aggressive but it was no big deal. Definitely a fun dirty family time! One you leave you drive right past the ticket building again with a little gift shop inside. With drinks, shirts, stuffed animals and things. read more

So many animals to see and enjoyed the beautiful ranch and scenery. One regret was I should have bought more food bags for the animals.

Great family fun. Those camels... scared the heck out of us Wish I could post the video of my kids screaming with a huge camel head inside my suburban Great value and we will be back read more

Lots of animals, most of them grazing types (deer, antelope , and gazelle) but also zebra, camels, donkeys, kangaroos etc. Your admission includes what looks like a lot of feed pellets - buy at least the same amount this place is BIG! The place is well kept but not fancy glitzy. Plan for a 70-90 minute drive. (Heed their warnings about the camels - keep your windows rolled up during this section if you don't want them sticking their heads in to look for food!) read more

We road-tripped from North Carolina to California & this is by far one of my most memorable & favorite places! I bought the extra pack of food cause I was so excited about feeding the animals but what they gave us would have been plenty. I could not stop smiling the whole time & I still can't stop smiling thinking about how much fun we had here! Absolutely amazing time & well worth every penny! read more

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What fun!! We went over 4th of July weekend and had a blast! Zebras, wildebeest, camels, yaks, emus, bison plus so many others!! It was about an hour and a half drive through the park. We purchased extra food at the office to feed the animals are we are so glad we did - 4 bags total! It was a blast feeding the animals!! Cannot wait to go back! So worth the drive. read more

Cherokee Trace Drive Thru Safari - Hello to the alpacas!! - Parks Near Me - Jacksonville, Texas

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Great drive through. Camels, zebras, ostriches just to name a few. 1.5 he drive through. Save some of your feed for animals on backside. We had 6 bags but could of been stingier in the beginning. We will be back!!! Loved it read more

Cherokee Trace Drive Thru Safari - Parks Near Me - Jacksonville, Texas

Just want to start off by saying THANK YOU to the fellow traveler that we met at a water park who informed us about this Safari. It was a little difficult to find but let me tell you those scary back roads that we took was 100% worth it! As someone who has recently visited another drive thru Safari in another state, my home state to be exact, this experience was by far the best! It's fairly inexpensive, literally under $20 for each person. Children, 2 and under are FREE, children 3-12 are a discounted rate, adults and then seniors 65+ are another. I don't remember the exact rate. For each person in your car you get 1 FREE bag of animal food and each additional bag is $3.00 Make sure you get extra bags of free food. We got 2.. && another traveler was leaving and gave us her extra bag as well. We had 5 extra bags and nearly finished with not enough. It was such a cool experience- my husband back at work in Florida was insanely jealous! So neat. You can hand feed the animals from your own car or drop it out the window to the skittish animals. There were A LOT of baby animals. It was so cool to see. The water buffalo , cattle , camel , deer , llama , alpaca and long horned cattle were a complete hit!!!! The camel and llama will take the bag of feed from your car with no shame. Spend the extra money on the bag of feed!!! Pack a picnic to eat at the picnic tables afterward. Grab a drink, ice cream or cold candy bar from the shop. Grab a souvenir from the shop. read more

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Was so much fun!!! The animals were so friendly! We couldn't stop laughing and had a great time read more

Omg! This was so much fun and worth every penny! We came to town for a basketball tournament and had some extra time during the day. We were referred by some locals to go. The animals were amazing and beautiful! The animals chased after the car and came right up to the windows! The tour route is extensive, so I recommend buying a couple of extra bags of food! Don't give away all your food at the beginning! We were feeding everyone and then came to a sign that said, "You are 1/4 through your tour!" What? We had given out almost all the food! So save some for the animals at the end of the tour! read more

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This drive thru zoo was fun. The animals were spread out a lot and there wasn't a walk thru like some drive thru zoos have, but we had a great time. So many laughs! The camel was all the way in the window terrorizing my husband! read more

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This drive thru is very long! Be prepared to be here for a while. Also, it's expensive! For two children and two adults is was over $75! The animals were interesting and friendly, for the most part. They hand you a card to identify the animals and a placard for your window to show your paid - both must be turned in when you complete the path We arrived early just after opening on a Sunday hoping for less crowd - they were already packed. We hung back for a few moments hoping to get some space between us and a few cars that grouped up. The car that stopped relentlessly, holding up every freaking body was the most annoying part. This couple let their child hang out the window at her waist to pet and feed animals. There was no oversight or policing of this! Staff should at least be mindful of the cars clearly breaking the rules, letting their kids hang out the window and hold up long lines of 7-10 cars at a time! We had food for the alligator - but don't hold out hope for any activity. The poor thing just had gobs of pebbles sitting on the water while it just hung back. Tip - bring your own kids some snacks and roll up your windows so they kids can snack during the wait behind slow people. It took us almost 2 hours to get through and they were hungry! So glad we packed a picnic. Nacogdoches and Jacksonville are the closest, larger cities for food options. read more

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This place is so fun. Don't wash your car before hand, save that for after b/c you'll need a wash and vacuum for sure! These animals are so adorable and so friendly. Many stick their heads way into your car. We had to gently push them out! Slobber can get everywhere. Follow the rules, don't get out of your car and for goodness sake, don't drop any trash like the sacks the food comes in. Animals are awesome, humans often aren't. Buy some extra food, or ration yours to make it last. read more

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So much fun at Cherokee Trace. The Friendly staff will explain the different animals in the park. The animals will come to your car and most of them will eat their treats out of your hand. Recommend getting an extra bag of treats! read more

I don't even know where to begin... The animals come right up to your car!! Yes! They eat out of your hand! (Shhhhh not supposed to hehe) Buy some extra bags of food! Trust me you will wanna! Camel stuck his head right into our car and stoke the whole bag! It was incredible!! Could be better if they had a snack bar! Put a restaurant in!! Y'all would make a killing!!!!! Just a great place! A must see! If you stress out about your car... take someone else's lmao they may scratch it! read more

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I personally think that the drive thru zoo in Jefferson has a better selection of animals. That said, for a reasonable price you get to see an endless supply of gazelles and donkeys, ostriches/emus, some zebras, and a mixture of other North American and African big mammals. read more

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I took my daughter here several times as she was growing up and now take my grandchildren here. They continue working on the property and the roads and is so well taken care of. it is absolutely worth every penny for the price you pay in admission and for the extra food that you need to probably buy! The animals are so lovely and come right up to the car you just drop the food and you're not supposed to pet them or hand feed them but once in a while they will lick your hand! Something new was the donkeys this year and they will actually hold their mouth open and turn their head sideways so that you can pour the food into their mouth. this is absolutely the best place in East Texas to take your kids or grandkids or family members ...even just go as an adult and enjoy the beautiful scenery and wildlife. Zebra's galore! Yaks. Water Buffalo, many deer, alligators, emu babies, wow Bravo! read more

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Took my 86 year old dad here for Father's Day and we had a great time! We weren't sure what to expect since we didn't know anyone who had been here. When we checked in they gave us each a bag of animal feed included in the cost of admission. Once we got into the park we quickly realized that every animal knew you were packing food! The animals came right up to the car which allowed for a wonderful viewing experience. Some of the animals were fairly insistent we not be stingy with our paper bag contents which was hilarious. There are a great variety of animals and we were given a laminated photo card when we checked in so that we could identify what we were seeing. The seven mile drive took us about 2-1/2 hours and we giggled like 6-year-olds thru the entire drive. This is a "must see" if you're anywhere near the area. We will definitely be going back! read more

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Great surprise. When I walked in to get tickets, I thought wow this is really expensive. But I had my granddaughters visiting so I said why not. From the time we started until the 1.5 hours we spent driving through and feeding all the animals we laughed and had the greatest time. Much better than any zoo I've been too including the San Diego zoo. My grandchildren if given the chance would choose this place over Sea World. Yes it's that good. The mouth of some of the yaks? Look like something from the alien movie read more

A great safari drive through. Best experience & great for family date idea!! The animals gave us lots of laughs! read more

Cherokee Trace Drive Thru Safari - Parks Near Me - Jacksonville, Texas

The animals were pretty. The property was nice. The employees were fine. It's just... Other people. Too many people stopping and holding up the road. We spent the entire time moving slower then walking speed just sitting. In a line. Of never. Ending. Cars. Just cars and more cars. All in a line. All stopped. It was old after 20 minutes. We will probably not come back. read more

Cherokee Trace Drive Thru Safari - Parks Near Me - Jacksonville, Texas

We LOVED Cherokee Trace. Our 3yr old had so much fun spotting and feeding the animals. He loved all of the different deer. I loved the albino zebra, the camels, seeing a deer molting the velvet on it's antlers and the Highland cow trying to lick my wife. The countryside is beautiful as well! We'll be back!! read more

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Went there last week. Had a lot of fun meeting & feeding all of the animals. All of the animals were so tame. The camel came to us and stuck its head in thru the window and took the bag of food the whole thing and ate the bag with it that was in between the 2 front seats before we could grab it away. A brochure with pictures of the animals would have been helpful. Was able to use the restrooms inside the building but on our way out went to use the restroom & they had closed signs on the restroom doors, so that was disappointing. Didn't want to use the outhouse they had there. Would go again read more

Absolutely awesome spot! I've been to a lot of drive-in safaris and this was one of the coolest by far. So many awesome animals and a truly huge park. Definitely worth the drive to get out there and check this great place out! read more

Cherokee Trace Drive Thru Safari - My yak best friend and me (right). - Parks Near Me - Jacksonville, Texas

Oh my word!! This was so much fun! Had heard of it but never been what an AWESOME place. You never think of something like this in the middle of East Texas. Don't miss it! read more

I went today, Monday 8-11-20. I love animals and came from Dallas, to just get away. Second time here. I was disappointed in that I was by myself. I asked if I could buy extra food for the animals. Said no. Maybe thought had more in the car. Anyway ran out of food, which made it where I couldn't do what I came for. Not only would I had bought more food, but would of left a donation. I gave it a 5. Only because of the animals. read more

Fun day trip! Not too expensive (less than $20 a person) and you get a bag of food with entry fee. My boyfriend and I with 2 extra bags of food, plus some starburst was less than $50. Buy more food! The total "safari" took about 2 hours. Quite a few animals came up to the car, but some advertised were caged separately and we were unable to see. Overall, we had fun and will go again if we are in the area. read more

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We drove through on July 4, 2018. We have been through a few other drive-thru safaris...and this one is by far THE BEST! The staff are really nice and the animals are friendly and have character. We will definitely go back. The animals are well cared for and the drive is beautiful through the grounds. read more

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Had a very unique and great time here. The drive thru takes about 1 1/2 hrs. Your admission includes a bag of feed for each person and extras are $3.00. We bought one extra so had three total and ran out about 3/4 of the way through. We were probably too generous at the beginning..lol Great up close and personal experience. read more

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This is an amazing place, and should not be missed if you're in the area. We detoured here during our 3-day trek moving to Texas from Chicago, and it was a perfect spot to relax (although spending more time in the car!). Every admission comes with a bag of animal feed to attract the animals - and they know it! When a car approaches, hungry animals come right over to get some - while you get the coolest views of the animals. Several are a bit more forward about their desire for a snack, so be proactive in throwing the food so they don't come into your window. At one point, my husband had to quickly roll up his window to prevent an excited yak from sticking his head in the car (another tip: plan for a quick car wash afterwards ;-)). This is a really cool spot - we had a 5 year old, myself and my husband, and my in-laws in the car and EVERYONE loved this place... we all left in awe and with a few belly laughs from our experience. read more

Issues loyalty cards, then refuses to honor them. No expiration. They provide many excuses, but not of them ethically or legally valid. This review provided by both the party that paid for trip as a gift and individuals attending. Verification available upon request including receipt. read more

Cherokee Trace Drive Thru Safari - Completed Loyalty Card Refused by Cherokee Trace - Parks Near Me - Jacksonville, Texas

We drove up from Houston. It's a beautiful dusty dirty drive getting to Cherokee Safari. You have to purchase tickets at the welcome center. The tickets are reasonably price. Receipt is in the attached photos. The animals appear to be well groomed, well feed and well taking care of. They were extremely aware of us. The animals approached the trucks to get the food..In fact they would put their heads all the way in the car/ truck.. We laughed so much. It was an awesome trip. Please please please buy extra food for the animals you won't regret it. The picture moments are price less. We will be back. read more

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We loved this place!! We took my mom here for Mother's Day and she said it was the best gift ever!! The staff is so friendly and the animals are so lovely And have so much character!!we can't wait to go back read more

We have a teenager who is too cool for anything and even he enjoyed this drive-thru. We arrived when it opened - we were the third car going in. You receive a complimentary bag per person and we bought an additional bag for each of us, thinking that would be plenty. We entered the safari area and immediately were greeted with hungry animals. They were all very friendly and cute. In minutes we went through our first bag. It felt like we had gone through probably half the safari, until we came upon a sign that said we had only completed the first 1/4 of the area! Then we realized we wouldn't have enough food! Then we tried to conserve our last bag. During the second quarter, one of the deer grabbed my bag from my hands, so I was out. My husband's bag was later grabbed by a llama. Our son still had a bag but it was getting low so he started just giving one pellet per animal and even had to skip a few who we saw had been fed by the cars ahead of us. What would have made this nicer is to have feed for sale in the middle of the safari so people could buy more feed if they didn't calculate enough. Otherwise, this was thoroughly enjoyable and for the length and time (about two hours) of the drive-thru, we felt like it was worth the admission price. Many animals approached our car but there were many more that were in the distance, relaxing or watching. So it seems there would be plenty of animals to feed throughout the day. Our biggest pleasant surprise was seeing the baby emus. We had the most giggles while feeding the longhorn. read more

Cherokee Trace Drive Thru Safari - Parks Near Me - Jacksonville, Texas

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