I saw so many animals all living a peaceful existence . Black Beauty Ranch is worth a special visit.read more

Very educational. Is great to hear the story behind it and see the rescued animals. The guides were…read moreknowledgeable and attentive. Wish they had more tours besides Saturdays.

We chose this certain place because of the train ride and got there and it wasn't running. Not many…read moredifferent animals in the safari. Disappointed

We stopped by when we were staying in Jefferson. The kids had a great time feeding some baby goats,…read moreenjoying the petting zoo and then going through the drive-through park. Take it slow and easy to not startle all the animals. We had no problems. We even had a large group of cattle come up to feed from the kid's hands.

The drive thru Safari was a lot of fun.It's such a beautiful place! They have over 700 different…read moreanimals 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!

A beautiful maintained preservation with more than 600 animals about an hour away from Tyler,…read moreTexas. 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!

Chimp Haven is open in Oct and May for visitors--try to go! It is so informative. It is amazing…read morewhat they can do as a "no touch" facility and how they care for the chimps. They do all kinds of enrichment to keep them active. The guides know all 293 chimps by name ! Grounds are clean.

Chimp Haven is a fabulous place to visit. See the post experiment life of over 300 Chimps.read more

Gators & Friends is not just for children because it was just my wife & I and we had a really nice…read moretime for a few hours. There was a wide array of animals to see such as Scottish Highland cows, Kangaroos, Fallow Deer, Alpacas & our personal favorite was the Ring Tailed Lemurs & of course plenty of Alligators. Although we must've missed it but they have Gator feeding times daily & if you're into Ziplining that's available as well. The staff is friendly & helpful as well as a fair admission price of $15. Nice place to spend a few hours with or without children.

I brought my 89-year-old patient here to push around in a wheelchair to see all the animals…read morethinking that she would have the best time . We were charged $35 for myself and her and one cup of food . When we went outside we realized we could only go around the Gators because it was wood but to see the rest of the animals you have to go through the rocks . I could not push her through those rocks we got so far and it was so tough we had to turn around and go back . So it is not wheelchair friendly and we did not get to see all of the animals and when I reported to the staff that the place was not wheelchair friendly they said oh sorry about that have a good day . We thought they should have at least offered a refund on our admission but oh well lesson learned we won't go back and it's not wheelchair friendly for those who are handicapped

Must visit! Fun for all family ages! We stayed at one of their cabins and then went to the park. It…read morewas very peaceful and a must stop

From the owner: Encounter Exotic Wildlife Without Leaving Jefferson, TX Plan…read morea trip to our drive-thru zoo There's no need to search far and wide for a place to see exotic animals. Busy B Ranch Wildlife Park, LLC offers residents and visitors of the Jefferson, TX area the chance to have up-close encounters with a wide variety of wildlife. Our drive-thru zoo allows you to remain in the comfort of your vehicle while viewing our animal enclosures. With more than 20 years of experience caring for wildlife, we have the skills needed to keep our animals comfortable and happy. Call 903-665-4093 now to plan your visit to our wildlife park.

This small zoo allows you to get up close and personal with lots of cool animals and reptiles. The…read morebaby animal room was the best part and well worth the extra $5. Definitely a hit with the kiddo! We took our 6yo daughter on a Sunday afternoon and she loved it. We saw alligators, capybaras, all sorts of weird fowl, goats, monkeys, a pig, an emu, some zebras (they were far off in an area that wasn't accessible), bears, baboons, roosters, a donkey, a miniature pony, peacocks, and tortoises. Probably the coolest thing outside the baby animal room was the alligator feeding. One of the handlers came out with a bucket of raw chicken and some gator knowledge, and we stood just feet away as these massive gators hissed and jumped and came up out of the water to eat. It was so awesome! In addition to the animals, there was also a small playground with ropes to swing on and climb. On our way out we stopped in the baby animal area and got to hold ferrets, a bearded dragon, two snakes, a baby coati, and a baby alligator. There was also a sweet baby muntjac deer you could pet (but not hold). We took a lot of really fun pictures. It was a great way to end the visit. The only drawback is that the grounds don't seem well-maintained and need mowing and other work. The barns were really dirty and covered in cobwebs. There were giant tortoise turds on the walkway. One of the feeding tubes for the bears was broken. You can tell the place is in need of some repairs. I'm sure it's because all their profits go to the animals and not the facilities. It didn't prevent us from having a great time and we would definitely visit again!

Do Not Go. They have been reported twice since December 2025…read more According to the United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, the incident happened Dec. 20, 2025, at Mystic Misfits (aka Canton Grand Safari) in Grand Saline. Inspectors say the adult female hyena was being handled in a manner similar to a pet dog, walking in a public area with direct access to guests. The USDA report states the facility allowed members of the public near the animal and directed one guest to stand beside the hyena for a photograph. Federal officials say the hyena then bit through the leash, escaped the handler's control and attacked the guest, causing a severe calf injury that required hospitalization. The violation was labeled "Critical" under federal animal handling regulations. USDA inspectors noted hyenas are powerful wild predators capable of causing serious injury and said public exhibitions must include proper barriers, distancing and handling procedures to protect both the public and the animals. The focused inspection was conducted Dec. 31, 2025, and the report says corrective action was required immediately moving forward. Article Below: https://www.txan24.com/post/usda-report-hyena-was-being-walked-like-a-dog-before-attack-at-east-texas-facility They only provide proper notification of liability for injury concerns after payment (as you can see in the photos attached). Canton Grand Safari was found to be in violation of their 21 day suspension which was put in place January 2, 2026. Please see attached Official Notice of suspension paperwork attached. Article Below: https://www.peta.org/news/canton-grand-safari/ Another known alias for the company is Mystic Acres https://www.facebook.com/mysticacrestx/ https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1B2FNHGery/

We had a great stay at Tall Timbers Retreat. Owners were very responsive. Would highly recommend!read more

We needed accommodations for lots of family coming into town from all over the world. Blake…read moresuggested Red Bud Cabin at Tall Timbers Resort. This place was great! Everyone loved the Rustic atmosphere. The kitchen is roomy, with a large dining area & family den where everyone could gather and visit. There are two bedrooms downstairs, one with a queen bed (the grandmothers took that one), one with four twin beds and a bunk bed, so six family members could comfortably sleep there. There is also a large bathroom with big mirrors & two sinks, so everyone could get ready for our event. Upstairs has a long dormitory style room with six twin beds & a couch. There is also a large closet, bathroom, and washer & dryer. The place was perfect! Our family from Missouri, Illinois, Texas & South Africa was enchanted with the tall pine trees, the friendly cats, dogs, and horses on the property. You just need to bring food if you plan to cook in the cabin, and toiletries, as none are provided. Don't forget salt & pepper like we did, but if you do, there is a convenience store at FM1275 & Loop 224 that has everything!