As you’re traveling along the highway through Grapeland, Texas, you’ll notice a small sign for a drive through safari located right off the main road. Do not be fooled—this small sign is actually an invitation for HUGE fun!
Open seven days a week from 9:00am to 7:00pm, guests of the Grapeland Safari drive their own vehicle through several acres of open pasture where exotic, friendly animals roam free in a habitat thoughtfully designed just for them. A large water hole provides a refreshing place for buffalo to satisfy their thirst and for Aoudad sheep (a goat sheep hybrid indigenous to Africa and introduced and thriving in the southwestern United States) to splash and play.
The Grapeland Safari regularly acquires new animals. I drove through the safari on a beautiful, sunny Saturday morning with my two enthralled children. Along with the buffalo and sheep, we saw llamas, camels, waterbucks, wallabies, zebras, antelope, Scottish highland cows, a Tibetan yak, fallow deer, beefalo, kangaroos, an addax oryx, emus, and even a chunky, little pot belly pig that followed our vehicle all over the grounds on his short legs in hope of receiving treats.
Feed is offered for purchase by the cup or bucket, and is a fantastic lure for seeing the animals up close. I strongly recommend going for the bucket, as our first cup of feed was pulled right out of my hands by an eager deer! The Grapeland Safari’s owner, Mrs. Nona Herring, said, “They pull the cups out of our hands all the time. We have to drive through ourselves a few times a day to pick up all the cups. You’d think we never feed them, but I promise, they eat very well!”
There are many safety rules to consider before embarking on your Texas safari for the first time. It is important to remember that you are entering at your own risk, and while the animals are all very accustomed to being around people, they are still animals and, therefore, unpredictable. You need to stay in your car and only feed the animals from your cup rather than your hands. If you run into any trouble at all, you can simply honk your horn, and help will come your way.
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There is a separate, fenced off petting zoo area where visitors can mingle among the smaller, tamer livestock and animals like pygmy goats and peacocks. I advise other visitors to avoid feeding the animals on this part of the grounds, as I made the mistake of doing. The goats ate all of my feed quite quickly, and as they pressed in around me and realized my cup was empty, one particularly disappointed goat bit me on the leg! Thankfully, I escaped relatively unharmed and learned an important life lesson.
My absolute favorite part of the petting area was the corral of tiny baby piglets! There were about 8 little ones out for guests to interact with, some black, some pink, some speckled. I scooped one right up and cradled it in my arms, and though it squealed at first, it calmed down and enjoyed the snuggle. This was such an authentically Texan experience!
The Grapeland Safari also sells exotic animals. Caring for exotic animals requires a good deal of research and resources, but if you are prepared to take on the responsibility, Nona and Tracey Herring can help potential owners find what they are seeking.