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Houston has a wilder side filled with incredible animals you can encounter up close right from your vehicle! Drive-thru safaris offer an exciting family adventure where exotic wildlife—from curious giraffes to majestic bison—roam freely alongside your car.
Whether you are looking for a quick day trip just outside the metro area or an adventurous weekend road trip across Texas, here are the absolute best drive through safari destinations near Houston.
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Drive Through Safari Near Houston – Under 3 Hours From Houston
Franklin Drive Thru Safari
Image credit: Franklin Drive Thru Safari
Imagine an adventure where zebras peer curiously into your car and giraffes gently pluck lettuce from your hand. Yep, this has happened to me! At Franklin Drive Thru Safari, this is the everyday experience.
Just a short trip from Texas’s major cities, this sprawling 100-acre park invites you to journey through winding roads, where over 500 animals roam freely.
Keep your eyes wide open for the white buffalo somewhere along the trail. You won’t see one of those at every safari.
Also, load up on feed at the gate before you head in. One bucket goes faster than you think.
Before you leave Franklin, pay the extra few dollars for the Baby Animal Room. You’ll walk in and immediately have a baby lemur on your shoulder, a monkey on your lap, or an armadillo investigating your shoes all at once.
The animals inside rotate regularly, so what you find on any given day is different. And it can get chaotic, but in the best way, and it’s the part of this trip you’ll be describing to people for weeks.
Where: 4324 W Hwy 79, Franklin, TX 77856
When: Daily: 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Cost: Entry Price: FREE for children under 2 years old; $20 per person | Group of 30+ $20 (Free Tour and Food)
Aggieland Safari
Image Credit: Aggieland Safari
Have you ever wanted to share a moment with a capybara or get a selfie with a curious giraffe? Aggieland Safari offers this and so much more across its expansive 250-acre park.
In this drive-through safari near Houston, the experience is a two-part adventure: a scenic drive-through safari and a walk-around zoo.
From the comfort of your car, you’ll journey through three distinct habitats, encountering over 100 species, with zebras, bison, and llamas approaching for a personal greeting. You’ll want to keep a tight grip on your feed bag or they’ll just steal it away.
Then, you can explore the Walkabout Adventure Zoo, a wonderland of lemurs, monkeys, and exotic birds. And then there’s Howdy, the hippo. Make sure to say hi as he’s one of a kind in the area. He’s a charmer, and he knows it.
Where: 18075 FM974, Bryan, TX 77808
Operating Hours: Tuesday – Wednesday: CLOSED | Thursday – Monday: 9 am – 5 pm
Cost: $25 – $30 for safari | $35 – $40 for walkabout zoo | $125 for family four-pack
Drive Through Safari Near Houston – Under 4 Hours From Houston
Rocky Ridge Drive-Thru Safari
This sprawling 200-acre park in Eustace offers an intimate, self-guided journey where over 25 unique species roam freely, waiting to greet you. One pound of feed is already included with your admission, so you become a main attraction to the gentle giraffes, curious bison, and playful llamas roaming your path.
If you’ve never seen a capybara in person, Rocky Ridge is a good place to fix that. Duke, Daisy, and LuLu are the park’s three residents.
If you’ve never seen one before, they’re the world’s largest rodents, roughly the size of a large dog, and are calm around people in a way that makes for a good photo and a better story.
Aside from the capybaras, the 2.5-mile loop takes you to see highland cows, zebras, American bison, and even miniature donkeys.
Where: 3350 FM1256, Eustace, TX 75124
Operating Hours: Monday – Saturday: 10 am – 4 pm | Sunday: 11 am – 4 pm
Cost: FREE for 2 years & younger | $15.95 for kids 3-12 years old | $19.95 for adults | $17.95 for 65 years & older
Cherokee Trace Drive-Thru Safari
Load up on feed bags before you start the Cherokee Trace drive. The camels here will reach into your car and the zebras will chase your vehicle for another handful.
Aside from them, the 5-mile route through 300 acres of East Texas piney woods will also have water buffalo, kangaroos, capybaras, and bison.
On the other side of the picture, watch for the Père David’s deer near the spring-fed ponds along the route. They graze quietly among the pines, completely unbothered. Don’t worry, they won’t be terrorizing you for feed. The species was functionally extinct in the wild until breeding programs helped bring it back, and Cherokee Trace has been part of that effort for years.
Near the end of the drive, there’s an alligator feeding enclosure, a fenced exhibit where you toss feed to actual alligators and watch them move for it. Now, won’t that be a banger to end the trip?
Where: 1200 Co Rd 4405, Jacksonville, TX 75766
Operating Hours: Monday – Saturday 10 am – 5 pm | Sunday 1 pm – 5 pm
Cost: $16.95 for children 3 – 12 years old | $ 21.95 per adult | $19.95 per senior (65+ years old)
Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch
This sprawling 450-acre haven is home to over 500 animals from more than 40 different species. As you navigate the six miles of winding roads, you’ll be immersed in their world, observing majestic rhinos, graceful giraffes, and curious zebras roaming freely.
Book the Rhino VIP Experience, and you’ll find yourself inside the enclosure with a long-handled brush, scratching a white rhino’s belly while a guide tells you things about that specific animal that aren’t in any brochure. And no need to be scared. The rhinos here are enthusiastic about the belly-scratching part.
The Giraffe VIP Experience puts you alongside the giraffes in the same way, feeding them and standing next to them, close enough that you’ll get a good idea of how tall these creatures are in real life.
Both are add-ons to a self-guided drive that already covers six miles of paved road through 500 acres with over 500 animals from 40 species.
When you finish the drive, park the car and head straight to Lemur Island. It’s a cage-free, open-air enclosure where ring-tailed lemurs move freely overhead, with just a 78,000-gallon moat keeping them on the island because lemurs don’t swim.
You can stand underneath and watch them move around above you. Trust us, it’s going to be a one-of-a-kind experience you won’t get anywhere else.
Where: 26515 Natural Bridge Caverns Rd, San Antonio, TX 78266
Operating Hours: Daily: 9 am – 5 pm
Cost: Guided tours start at $48.99 for adults and $38.99 for kids 3 – 11 years old
Texas Zoofari Park
Image credit: Texas Zoofari Park
Step into a truly massive wildlife sanctuary at Texas Zoofari Park, where over 1,200 rare and endangered animals from across the globe roam freely across 900 sprawling acres.
From the comfort of your vehicle, you’ll be treated to up-close encounters with a spectacular array of species, including rhinos, bison, and Grevy’s zebras. You can even feed them.
After the drive, head to the Safari Village walk-through where the giraffe feeding area is. You’ll be standing at eye level with a giraffe, holding romaine leaves out, and watching a very large animal make direct eye contact with you while it decides whether your offering is acceptable. It usually is.
Where: 9773 Farm to Market 429, Kaufman, TX 75142
Operating Hours: Daily: 9 am – 4 pm
Cost: Free for kids under 2 | $21.95 for kids 2 – 12 | $24.95 for seniors (65+) | $26.95 for adults
Exotic Resort Zoo
Image credit: Exotic Resort Zoo
From a single baby elk named Dottie, I know, how cute is that, to a sprawling sanctuary for over 600 animals, Exotic Resort Zoo is a true labor of love. Established by a couple who were captivated by the beauty of the Texas Hill Country, this independently operated park now spans 137 acres and is home to more than 45 exotic species from around the world.
You can choose your own adventure here: hop on a guided tractor-trailer tour for up-close encounters, or explore at your own pace in your private vehicle. The animals, from camels to zebras and kudu, are known to eagerly approach for a chance to be fed and petted.
For a truly immersive experience, the park offers eight safari-style cabins, each with a private petting zoo and unlimited drives included.
Where: 235 Zoo Trail, Johnson City, TX 78636
Operating Hours: Daily: 9 am – 5 pm
Cost: $15.95 for children 2 – 12 years old | $17.95 for seniors (60+) | $19.95 for adults
Topsy Exotic Ranch & Drive Thru Safari
Embark on an interactive adventure at Topsey Exotic Ranch & Drive Thru Safari, a family-run gem in Central Texas since 1988. As you navigate the three-mile loop, you’ll be surrounded by a diverse collection of exotic animals from six continents, roaming freely across a 250-acre preserve.
Beyond the drive-thru, guests can explore a walk-around area with a petting zoo and enclosed species like monkeys and kangaroos.
Where: 945 Co Rd 118, Copperas Cove, TX 76522
Operating Hours: Daily: 9 am – 5 pm
Cost: $14 for kids 3 – 12 | $16 for seniors (62+) | $18 for adults
Drive Through Safari Near Houston – Under 5 Hours From Houston
Busy B Ranch Wildlife Park
Spanning over 125 acres of picturesque East Texas landscape, this park offers an unparalleled drive-thru safari adventure where you can get up close with over 50 species of native and exotic animals. From the gentle mini Highland cows to the unique sight of kangaroos, every turn offers a chance to feed and observe these incredible creatures from the comfort of your own vehicle.
And don’t forget to add the sloth encounter to your Busy B visit. It’s 15 minutes with a two-toed sloth where you feed it, pet it, and, of course, take photos while a guide walks you through its biology and daily care.
But the fun doesn’t stop there. Busy B Ranch also hosts seasonal events like “Zoo Boo,” and for a truly unique experience, you can book an educational encounter with animals like two-toed sloths.
And for those who want to truly unwind, the ranch offers cozy log cabin rentals on private lakes, making it a perfect drive-through safari near Houston that doubles as a serene country getaway.
Where: 1100 W Prospect Rd, Jefferson, TX 75657
Operating Hours: Tuesday – Thursday: CLOSED | Friday – Monday: 10 am – 4 pm
Cost: Starts at $18
Fossil Rim Wildlife Center
Image credit: Fossil Rim Wildlife Center
Since the early 1980s, Fossil Rim has led breeding programs for endangered species. They have bred over 200 cheetahs alongside black rhinos, Attwater’s prairie chickens, and scimitar-horned oryx, a species that was extinct in the wild until reintroduction efforts brought it back.
Home to over 1,000 animals from 50 different species, including majestic giraffes, rhinos, and zebras, the center offers a truly unique educational and immersive experience. Beyond being just another drive-through safari near Houston, it is a living classroom and a vital sanctuary dedicated to protecting the planet’s most vulnerable creatures.
Where: 2299 Co Rd 2008, Glen Rose, TX 76043
Operating Hours: Daily: 8:30 am – 4:30 pm
Cost: Safari Tours start at $39.99 per person | Self-Guided Tours start at $29.99 for adults and $24.99 for kids 3 – 11 years old
North Texas Safari Park
Journey with me just north of Dallas to discover a hidden gem of the wild at North Texas Safari Park. This charming drive-through safari near Houston adventure invites you to navigate winding roads through picturesque pastures and woodlands where a menagerie of exotic and native animals roam free, from majestic bison and camels to graceful antelope and a variety of deer and birds.
Here, you’ll also see the largest herd of Mhorr Gazelles in the United States. The Mhorr Gazelle is critically endangered, and most visitors driving through Bonham on a weekend have no idea they’re looking at one of the most significant herds of the species anywhere in the country.
Where: 2920 US-82, Bonham, TX 75418
Operating Hours: Saturday – Sunday: 9 am – 3:30 pm
Cost: Free for kids under 2 | $20 for kids under 12 | $25 for adults
Know Before You Go: Planning Your Safari Road Trip
While a drive through safari near Houston offers an accessible escape into nature, proper preparation makes a huge difference. Most of these parks are located along major highway corridors connecting Houston to Bryan-College Station, San Antonio, and the Hill Country.
If you reside in Greater Houston suburbs like Katy, The Woodlands, or Sugar Land, driving times can vary by 30 to 45 minutes depending on traffic.
Plan to arrive near opening hours when animals are most active, and lines are shortest. Always pack extra hand sanitizer, towel wipes, and bucket containers for feed.
Frequently Asked Questions: Drive Through Safari Near Houston
How long does a drive-through safari typically take?
Most safari drive-thru loops take 1 to 2 hours to complete, depending on park traffic and animal interactions.
Do I use my own vehicle, or can I ride in a safari vehicle?
Most parks require you to drive your own fully enclosed vehicle. Select parks like Fossil Rim and Exotic Resort Zoo offer optional guided tour vehicles for an added fee.
Are soft-top Jeeps or convertibles allowed?
No. For safety reasons, soft-top Jeeps, convertibles, motorcycles, and open-top vehicles are strictly prohibited in drive-thru zones.
Can I bring outside food to feed the animals?
No. Outside food is prohibited to ensure animal dietary safety. You must use approved feed buckets provided by the park at admission.
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