safari drive thru sc

Drive-Thru Safari

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• ELECTRONIC GIFT CARDS
• ANNUAL PASS
• SAFARI PARK
• Events and Specials
• SCHOOL FIELD TRIP
• BIRTHDAY PARTY
• PRIVATE TOURS
• ANIMALS FOR HIRE

PRIVACY POLICY

Hours of Operation

Get directions, animal fact sheet, eudora farms map.

Drive Thru Safari

Eudora Wildlife Safari Park, home to over 300 exotic animals, is located in Salley, South Carolina.  Eudora Wildlife Safari Park allows you and your family to drive through the safari and see animals you normally don’t see every day.  All of the animals that live at Eudora Wildlife Safari have their most recent vaccines, and we are USDA inspected and approved.  Our 3 mile drive-thru safari park is the perfect experience that builds memories to last a lifetime.  We also allow you to hire our animals for birthdays and other special occasions.  As you drive thru the park, make sure to take a lot of pictures and share them to Facebook.  And if you see Mark, be sure to say “Hello!”.

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Amazing shows you won't want to miss

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Thank you for an amazing day today 🤗 SMILES 😁

See you in a few hours 🥰✌️

Alicia Montney Smith

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What is the schedule for the 2 events today?

Love this place!

Any teacher discounts this summer?

Josh Ward I want to go here

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Eudora Farms

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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Eudora Farms - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

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Eudora Wildlife Safari Park

Review Highlights

“ Excellent diversity of animals, super clean grounds, plus the petting zoo was surprisingly fun. ” in 6 reviews

“ There was only two of us in our car but we got six buckets and a bucket of carrots on our first time round. ” in 5 reviews

“ It's a drive thru safari experience. ” in 3 reviews

Location & Hours

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219 Salem Ln

Salley, SC 29137

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Amenities and More

About the business.

Business owner information

Business Owner

Eudora Farms was founded by Mark Nisbet, and is the first drive-thru safari park in South Carolina. His history with care-taking for animals started during childhood. Mark was responsible for the care taking of the rabbits and chickens that lived on the balcony of his family's apartment in Morganton, North Carolina. As the child of a teacher, value was heavily placed on education and conservation. Eudora Farms was built with the mindset of providing a Drive-Thru Safari experience that would address the education, preservation, conservation, and the protection of the environment for the entire community. The safari allows the public to view and feed exotic animals from around the world from the comfort of their own vehicles. There is also an enclosed petting zoo area nearby, along with a Parakeet Adventure where over 200 parakeets make their dwelling. Eudora Farms Drive-Thru Safari, with over 200 exotic animals, plans to acquire more animals as part of the safari expansion. There is a picnic area for the guest. The current farm opened with phase one the Drive-Thru Safari. Eudora Farms soon will include a gift shop with restrooms and a larger educational area, beautiful grand entrances, and a downloadable phone application for animal education as you drive through. …

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Overall rating

WHERE ARE THE GIRAFFE'S?? If I was still in South Carolina I would still be looking for those giraffe's that were advertised everywhere in Eudora as being able to feed. I told my family all about them and boy did I hear about it afterwards and still! Either way... Eudora might have been the highlight of our Charleston trip. We went through the safari drive thru twice. The first time we spent about 10 minutes at the entrance as we were the first car of the day and the animals were just waiting there, blocking the entrance. My husband was fearful and he was driving as I was in the backseat with our 2 and 11 year old. We were armed with multiple buckets of food. We had so much fun! The animals blocking the car made my husband frustrated which we thought was hysterical! The kids were scared the animals would bite so windows were going up and down and up and down and... The car was filled with laughter and screams of enjoyment. We had one billy goat that stalked our car and was a bully. We had to shake him and the journey began. The walk through area- fell a little short for our family and those giraffes... they were indoors. Never emerged. Never got to see them. The carnival type area... apparently only happening on weekends. It was like a ghost town. I would highly suggest taking your kids here and let them fill your car with shrieks and laughter. It will be worth it (but when using your own car- beware they might ram your car and do damage. We had a rental with full coverage.) Safari score: 5!

Who knew... there is an drive-thru safari in South Carolina, just an hour drive away from Augusta. The Eurora Wildlife Safari Park is a great place to get up close and personal with wildlife from around the world, you can either drive thru the park and feed the animals from your vehicle or hit the nature trail either way it fun and exciting for the whole family. The park is open year around except for Christmas Day and Thanksgiving Day. Feed will cost you $5, veterans gets a free bucket of feed for free. The Eurora Wildlife Safari Park is the perfect outing the entire family can enjoy!

See all photos from Kevin H. for Eudora Wildlife Safari Park

We thoroughly enjoyed our Christmas outing to Eudora Wildlife Safari with our grown grandchildren! The whole adventure was perfect- from driving through the area where you can feed the animals to watching an entertaining pig race! Family friendly, picnic area, loads of fun! We will be back!

An absolutely perfect experience for a toddler. It's a bit of a drive but worth it. They have food and beverages there also. Plan 3 hours AT LEAST! It took us 2 hours to do the drive through safari and the village and we could've easily spent another 30 minutes at the village; didn't have time to do the walking safari. Next time!!

Eudora Safari is phenomenal!! The animals are super active and there are so many!! We only bought two buckets of food, I definitely suggest getting the 5 bucket special! The animals know why you're there and they have no fear of approaching if your windows are down! We found that when our windows were up they just gave us the side eye and waited for another car! We were completely wowed and awe struck at the size and number of animals. The road through is super bumpy, very true safari feel! The walk thru safari and the activity area/petting zoo will round out your experience and keep the kiddos busy the entire day!

See all photos from Cindy P. for Eudora Wildlife Safari Park

I came to this place during Covid and had a blast!! Decided to come back here again the other day with some friends. All in all great experience, the only reason I am giving it a 3 is because the staff at the front entrance, there was an older lady, she was so rude to us because our cards were not working due to the lack of service , so I offered to pay and she snatched my card out my hand when I told her I would pay for the experience. Other than that, definitely a good place to take your kids and family

10/10 An amazing experience, more then I thought we were going to get. We chose to do the public wagon tour because we didn't want to drive our car through it! The women that rode with us was very friendly and informative on ALL the animals ! We learned so much, which is a big reason why I think this was better then taking our car ! The Safari tour was well over an hour long and you got to see and feed so many animals! They came right up to you and some were aggressive fair warning hahah but that comes with the territory. Our three year old loved as well as our 10 month old, so it's a perfect family outing! Not only do you get the safari tour but with your ticket you get the walk through Safari as well with 5-6 exhibits in a beautiful area makes you feel like you are somewhere else! You also get a petting zoo that also has a few other activities to do! I can't say enough nice things! Everyone was super friendly besides the women working the ticket window but don't let her ruin your time!

Really enjoyed my first visit to Eudora Wildlife Safari. There were a large variety of animals to see and feed as you drive through. Also a nice walk through area with fun exhibits. Minor complaints: there could have been a few more signs showing you where to go, and the grass was really long in the food and gift store area making mosquitos pretty bad. The gift store was also closed despite the park being pretty busy. Recommend bug spray. Despite these small things, my family and I had a great time. Highly recommended.

See all photos from Scott S. for Eudora Wildlife Safari Park

WHAT AN EXPERIENCE. My hubby and I have had this place on our things to do list for a while. SO GLAD we finally made it here. If you love animals and getting close with them this is the place to do it. We went on a gorgeous day. I personally would recommend going in a car that has windows you can open and close easily, not a convertible lol. It's a drive thru safari experience. It took us an hour and that was just the drive part. There is also a part at the end where you can get out and see, feed and pet more animals. This is a family friendly place however I think it depends on your kids. This isn't an experience where you can close the window because you could hurt the animal and/or your vehicle. You have to be confident in your decision to feed an animal. They have rules in place for a reason and I'm not sure you want to find out the hard way why they have specific rules in place. I'm sure there's a reason for feeding out of the bucket only and not to feed an animal 3 times your size a carrot with your hand.. The prices are affordable for the experience. I would highly highly recommend. Bring cash and card as they accept both for certain areas of the place.

See all photos from Carolyn R. for Eudora Wildlife Safari Park

Really cool! I was expecting to see a few scattered animals here and there but it was filled with life!! I absolutely loved that the animals have so much land to roam and they are more behaved than my dog! Yeah my car saturated with animal saliva and chewed pellets and carrots but it was worth it! The price for admission is for all day and for the petting zoo as well. We will def return more often!

See all photos from Nichelle W. for Eudora Wildlife Safari Park

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Eudora farms drive-thru safari opens.

Photos and article by Valerie Sliker, courtesy Wagener Monthly

Right about the time we all grew weary of being stuck in the house during the time of coronavirus isolation, Mark Nisbet came to the rescue by opening his drive-thru safari one year earlier than he had anticipated. Social distancing requirements were easily met as families drove through the exotic animal sanctuary, enjoying the spring weather while petting and feeding the animals. Over 1600 vehicles came through the safari during the Mother’s Day grand opening weekend.

Eudora Farms Drive-Thru Safari is open from Wednesday through Sunday, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. at an introductory rate of $20 per vehicle. $5 cups of animal food may be purchased in addition. The farm is closed Monday and Tuesday. As guests drive their own vehicles through the drive-thru safari, they enjoy close encounters with zebras, camels, antelope, water buffalo, emu, llamas and Willie, the extraordinarily large African Watusi. 

Guided tours are available and include interactive and educational opportunities at the introductory cost of $10 per person. The rate will increase this summer. The guided tours include a tour of the giraffe barn and a visit with the Lemurs in addition to the guided, educational drive-thru. When social distancing is no longer required, guests will ride a horse-drawn wagon through the safari for their guided tours.

The farm currently has no concessions, so bring your own water and a picnic to enjoy at the picnic tables provided. Baby animals are enclosed in a petting area nearby and guests can enjoy Parakeet Adventure where over 200 parakeets are housed.

The current farm is the first part of phase one for the Safari. Future plans include better signage, a gift shop with restrooms and an educational area, beautiful, grand entrances, and maybe an app for animal education as you drive through. Nisbet acquired more animals soon after he opened and has plans to acquire many more.

By Summer, a walk-thru trail should be available with about six exhibits along the route where guests can see ring tailed lemurs, African servals, binturongs, a tortoise, and kangaroos.  This will be a leisurely trail with benches where people can sit and relax. All of this will be hands-off, but eventually will include some interaction with guided encounters. 

The desire to have animals has always been a driving force for Mark Nisbet. His history with animals goes back to his childhood when he managed to keep pet rabbits and chickens on the balcony of his family’s apartment in Morganton, NC. As the son of a teacher, importance was placed on education and conservation.

Nisbet earned a degree in sociology at Elon, accepted a job with LabCorp and moved to South Carolina. He began looking for some place rural to raise his show dogs and found this place in Salley with a tiny, old house and thirty acres, mostly wooded. He and his wife began clearing the land and restoring the house.

“We were thinking of getting ostriches and emus,” Nisbet said, “but they were too expensive at the time. We saw miniature donkeys in a periodical and decided to get one. We started learning about the animals and ended up getting a camel. At first, friends came out to see the camel, then churches would ask us to have camel rides at their VBS programs. Then we started doing festivals on the weekends.

“The farm sort of developed without intention,” Nisbet smiles. “We started doing field trips for school groups. I had to learn how to drive horses, tack up draft horses, hook up the wagons for the classes. The good Lord puts you in positions that are the right thing for you, but you might not know anything about how to do it.” Nisbet continued to include education and conservation with every field trip he hosted and in his exhibits at the festivals.

LabCorp went through several merges and eventually Nisbet was let go. His focus fell fully on the farm. “We developed a ten-year plan to possibly have an interactive animal exhibit. The festivals began requesting petting zoos and the fair in Columbia County lost their animal exhibit vendor and we got that job. Still have it, twenty years later. That was when we realized we might be able to make a living doing what we enjoy.”

Eudora Farms eventually had exhibits in fairs across the country for seven months out of the year. They’d start in Florida in February and March, then go to upstate New York and the New England states, finishing up the season in August and September here in the south.

In March of 2020, they were all set up at the Florida fair at Okeechobee; all the vendors were set up, the town had invested a lot of money and the fair was ready to start. They had been hearing bits and pieces about the coronavirus COVID-19, but didn’t expect to have to shut down. Ultimately the decision was made to not open. Then the fairs in NY and New England closed. Nisbet is still waiting to hear if the southern fairs will open in August and September.

During the off periods while working the fair circuit, Nisbet would work on the ten-year plan for the 2021 safari drive-thru, acquiring more land, clearing it, fencing it, seeding it and acquiring more animals.  When COVID-19 shut down the economy, Nisbet was sitting on 125 acres, 100 of which were seeded and ready, beautiful rolling hills just needing some fencing. He had 80 – 100 animals with a few ostriches and black buck antelope on order.

“With everything shut down, I wanted to continue to provide work for some of my folks, so we kept working on the safari out of pocket. My kids came home from college and could help out. We figured it would be short term and the fairs would open again in May. That didn’t happen. We tried to keep moving forward, but my savings were dwindling fast. We began to think about opening the safari much earlier than anticipated.”

Nisbet put a rush on finishing the giraffe exhibit and a few other things so they could open. He set their opening day for Mother’s Day 2020. “Suddenly we began to get publicity, news stations and Facebook, the magic of social media! It coincided with a time when people didn’t have anything to do and they needed to get out of the house.

“When you hit your darkest times, there are a lot of variables trying to stop you. But like the Bible says, in those times you’re close to getting overwhelmed with favor from God, you have to stay true to your dreams and push on.

“So, we opened a year early. A few cars came through and we thought that was good. Suddenly, we started seeing a lot of cars coming in, a couple hundred. Then word of mouth spread and the next day we had close to 800 cars come through with a 1 ½ hour wait to get in. The third day was basically the same thing, so it was awesome.”

Nisbet felt sure business would slow down now that businesses are reopening and people have other things they can do outside of isolation; however, the following weekend was busier than the first. There was a three hour wait to get in and they had to turn away new arrivals due to traffic issues.

Nisbet concluded our talk with a drive-thru tour and a visit to the lemur exhibit. “We’re still in the process of doing things to better the park,” he said. They’re struggling figuring out the logistics, where and when their handful of employees are needed and how to manage the crowds. They need to update their website, manage their Facebook and Instagram accounts, and try to answer hundreds of messages and phone calls. “It’s a bit overwhelming. But it’s been very good for local businesses, especially the gas stations and restaurants. It’s good to be a part of a small community, it gave everybody a little boost.”

Nisbet’s sons Travis and Triston and his daughter, Shelby work at the farm along with several other employees, and he could not have done this without them. He is very appreciative of their help. The farm is USDA licensed and inspected.

For more information, call 803-606-6325 or visit Eudora Farms .

Currently, the safari drive can last about an hour, more when crowded. Introductory rate to drive-thru on your own is $20 per vehicle and you may purchase food for the animals at $5 per cup if you'd like.  Guided, educational tours are available upon appointment and at $10 per person. No concessions yet, so take a picnic. Picnic tables provided.

Find them on Facebook .  Located at 219 Salem Ln, Salley SC , 29137.

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Eudora Farms LLC

Description: Eudora Wildlife Safari Park is an adventurous family outing that the entire family can enjoy at an affordable cost. Ages 1 - 100 are guaranteed to learn new information and love the experience. Build memories to last a lifetime with our furry friends!

Address: 219 Salem Ln Salley, SC 29137

Phone Number(s): (803) 606-6325

Website: https://eudorafarms.net/

Open for Business:

Attractions:

• Animal Display / Demonstrations
• Drive thru Safari

Special Event Space:

• Youth / Church Groups
• Tour Groups

Admission Information:

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© South Carolina Department of Agriculture 2024

BY APPOINTMENT ONLY

March to october, animal experiences.

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

November & december, holiday lights, news flash.

drive-through is open  on  weekends

May 4 to September 1  

2024 DRIVE -THROUGH DEER PARK

Open Saturdays and Sundays 

May 4th through September 1st

We hope to see you then!

Enter the safari section of the preserve and enjoy feeding and being surrounded by hundreds of deer, antelope, steers, donkeys, alpacas, waterfowl, and more.

All are waiting to see you!    Please note that all access and activities are drive-through only.

Saturdays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Sundays 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. 

(Admissions gate closes at 4 p.m.) 

The event is closed if it rains. 

Adults and children $8 

(Children 24 months and under are admitted free)

Animal food options:

(No outside foods are allowed per USDA regulations.) 

Proceeds from your visit will directly benefit the hundreds of animals who reside at Hollywild Animal Preserve, a 501 (c) 3 not-for-profit organization since 1999.

2325 Hampton Road  |  Wellford, South Carolina 29385

© 2024 Hollywild Animal Preserve

Hollywild Animal Preserve is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE

Myrtle Beach Safari is not planning to cancel any tours. We are also following the CDC guidelines and taking all necessary health precautions. Should you need to reschedule your tour for a later date, please contact us via email or phone.

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Wild Encounters Tour - Day Safari

Wild encounters tour day safari.

• Starts at $389 per person
• Located at our 50 acre wildlife preserve in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
• Spend your day with an array of wildlife
• Meet the world's largest big cat - the liger
• Hug Bubbles the African elephant
• Interact with exotic cats and wolves
• Get up close to the fastest land animal - the cheetah
• Bucket list interactions with baby chimps & monkeys
• Experience a 500lb bengal tiger run at full speed below your feet
• Play fun games with the chimp brothers
• Animals vary and cannot be guaranteed

This experience is a fully-guided walking tour

• Starts at 9 am sharp and is over at approximately 1:30 pm
• Reservations are required
• Prices higher on peak dates
• Photographers will be with you all day | Digital copy of all photos included
• No personal cell phones, cameras or video cameras allowed
• Price is the same for adults and children
• Amazing encounter rain or shine
• Complimentary snacks and pizza lunch
• Not wheelchair or scooter accessible
• E-mail confirmation with additional details will be sent after purchase

Preview Wild Encounters Tour

Cancellation Policy:

• After 24 hours of purchase your reservation becomes non-refundable. You will be able to reschedule your reservation for up to one year after your original date of purchase. After 12 months tickets expire permanently.
• Any and all changes to your reservation will incur an additional fee. Rescheduling fees vary from $50-$300 per person.

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• Furry Friends
• July/August 2022

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The plains of Africa in the Palmetto State

By Margaret Gregory

Photography by Robert Clark

Eudora Wildlife Safari Park opened as South Carolina’s first drive-through safari in May 2020, with about 100 hoofed animals and birds that are not typically seen in many zoos. The animals roam freely about the 130-acre open grassy fields, interacting with one another much as they would in the wild. Today Eudora Safari Park features more than 400 animals.

Have you ever dreamed of going on safari, but a trip to ride across the plains of Africa seemed a bit out of reach?

It may not be quite the same, but just down the road in Salley, South Carolina, you can reach out and touch quite a few African animals.

Eudora Wildlife Safari Park opened as the first drive-through safari in South Carolina on Mother’s Day 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, with about 100 hoofed animals and birds that are not typically seen in many zoos.

The animals roam freely about the 130-acre open grassy fields, interacting with one another much as they would in the wild. One major difference is they also interact with the humans driving through the park who offer carrots and feed to any takers.

Mark Nisbet, owner of the safari park, has been working with animals for more than 30 years, providing educational and interactive animal shows for events from New York to Florida.“I grew up in a third-floor apartment in Morganton, North Carolina,” he says, “and my mom let me keep chickens and rabbits on the balcony. She was a school teacher and was always taking me to the library with her. I would read National Geographic and learn about all these different animals.”

It was always his dream to have his own drive-through safari like ones he had visited through the years.

“We only had about 30 acres at the time. About 15 years ago, the Corley family that owns the property adjoining ours began harvesting timber,” Mark says. “That’s when I had the idea about buying additional acreage.”

Over the next several years, Mark purchased an additional 140 acres to add to his farm and went about clearing the land, pulling out stumps, and sprigging the grass, as well as fencing the property.

With his educational and interactive business doing well at the time, Mark added his first giraffe to his menagerie. Then came the pandemic and along with it, cancellations for most of his shows scheduled for fairs and events.

“While events were being canceled, drive-through safaris were taking off,” Mark says, “because it was something that families could do without getting out of their cars. It was the perfect storm for us.”

In anticipation of opening weekend, Mark recruited neighbor families to give the safari a test run. “I created the path that the cars would follow with my lawnmower,” he says with a laugh. “We wanted it to be realistic, to drive up and over hills, to meander through the park.”

On opening day, only 10 cars arrived, but with word-of-mouth and the help of social media, after just two short weeks, bumper-to-bumper traffic lined the road with waits of up to five hours long. “We had to deal with issues we hadn’t even considered,” says Mark. “Cars were running out of gas or overheating, so we had to keep filled gas cans available and even had to help a few people out with a tow truck.”

The following year saw the long lines of vehicles begin to normalize a bit more. Mark and his team took the opportunity to reinvest some of their earnings from the prior year into new buildings and attractions.

So what can you see at Eudora Wildlife Safari Park? When visitors to the park first enter the gate, they receive a printed guide that will help identify the wide range of animals, all of which are herbivores — no carnivores allowed. They also have the opportunity to purchase buckets of carrots and feed pellets.

Just a few hundred feet into the 3-mile drive, alpacas, llamas, eland antelopes, and Gir cattle begin to trudge toward the vehicles in search of a handout. The “oohs” and “ahs” can be heard from park-goers who are brave enough to lower their windows and allow the animals an opportunity to reach in for their favorite snacks.

Peals of laughter and squeals of delight emanate as more animals approach — the Tibetan yak, the Brahman cattle, and the Auodad African goat, all in search of a tasty morsel. None are shy about poking their head in the window, both to the amazement and sometimes great reluctance of those riding in the car, SUV, or truck.

Also, quite a few ostriches and emus make Eudora their home, and they are none too shy about popping their heads as far into visitor’s car as possible in hopes of grabbing whatever food is nearby. “It’s a bit of a love-hate relationship with the ostriches,” Mark says with a laugh. “Some people absolutely love them and others are a bit afraid because they can be aggressive,” as noted by windows quickly rolling up when the big birds approach.

As visitors’ vehicles continue down the path through the open range, other animals come into view, including a new herd of wildebeest, recently introduced in the park and still becoming acclimated to their new surroundings. “I am working with them to help them learn not to be afraid of the cars driving by,” says Todd Taylor, a staff member who has worked with Mark for many years and spends much of his time on his golf cart riding the pathway. “I’ll bring pellets out to them, and they’re slowly coming around,” he says, as the entire herd heads toward his familiar voice.

Todd takes time to talk with two young brothers from Augusta, Georgia, who are visiting the park for the first time. Inquiring as to their favorite animals in the park: both replied, “the big-horned cow.” Todd explains those big-horned cows are African Watusi, which have the largest circumference horn found on any cattle breed. Watusi are considered by some African tribes as sacred animals.

“Education is a key part of what we do here,” Mark says. “The joy of what we do is to educate and entertain at the same time.”

About halfway through the park, Mark installed a second hut where visitors can purchase more buckets of treats. “Sometimes the animals at the front of the park get more attention, and visitors tend to feed them as they’re so excited to be interacting with animals,” he says. “We added this hut so they would not run out of food.”

Morgan Spicer, DDS, with Carolina Smiles Family Dentistry, visited the park with a friend after hearing about it from a coworker. She learned first hand about portioning out snacks for greedy animals. “I advise you to ration your treats because we had so many animals come up at the beginning of the ride,” she says.

During the second half of the tour, the zebras and camels make their appearance, but Mark cautions against feeding them. “Zebras are more aggressive toward each other, and you never know when one will try to push another out of the way trying to get to the food,” he warns, “so we advise that you just enjoy watching them as you drive past.”

Most of the zebras at Eudora were born at the farm, while the other animals come from breeders across the United States as well as a few from other petting zoos and rescues.

As you approach the end of the drive-through, the giraffes come into view from their separate enclosure. Visitors can then park and spend some time at other exhibits, including a petting zoo, parakeet adventure, and pony rides, and they can grab some human snacks, including corn dogs, funnel cakes, and ice cream.

Plans include new exhibits for the parakeet adventure as well as a new tortoise exhibit and camel rides. Parkgoers also have a chance to get up close and personal with the giraffes as part of the walk-through exhibits. With African-themed enclosures and music leading the way, a guide introduces visitors to Elliott, who stands 15 feet tall at 6   years old; Amari, who is 3; and Dakari, age 2, who winters at Eudora and spends his summers in New York.

“Don’t be surprised when Elliott leans over the top of his enclosure in search of a treat,” Mark says. “And he loves to give kisses with his prehensile tongue that he uses to reach the upper leaves in trees.”

The walk-through safari also features ring-tailed lemurs, black and white rough coated lemurs, binturongs, macaws, cockatiels, and sun conures, as well as wallabies and three red kangaroos named Rocky, Apollo, and Creed.

Alyssa Yancey, who works in internal communications with Savannah River National Laboratory, and her husband, Steven, a senior investigator with the Lexington County Sheriff’s Office, have taken their young sons, Everett and Jase, to Eudora Wildlife Safari Park on a couple of occasions.

“I first heard of the park after some friends posted about it in a moms group on Facebook,” she says. “We initially went to see a dinosaur event they were having and did the drive-through.” She says Steven was not too enamored with the large birds, but she captured photos of him making funny faces with a llama. The family returned again, but rather than driving through themselves, they took advantage of the guided wagon tour, where guests can interact even more with the animals and environment and ask questions of the tour guide.

“It was very educational and so nice to have someone telling us what each of the animals were,” she says. “The kids got a much closer experience on this tour.”

Alyssa likens Eudora to other safari drive-throughs she has visited. “I grew up going to The Wilds in southeast Ohio, and we have been to Fossil Rim in Glenrose, Texas,” she says. “It’s neat to have something similar to what I grew up with right here in our own backyard and to share it with my kids.”

Today the park features more than 400 animals and will add an additional half mile to the drive-through safari. Mark built Eudora Wildlife Safari Park with the intention of providing an environment in which children and adults of all ages could learn more about the preservation, conservation, and protection of exotic animals, but the sign at the front gate best describes what he hopes every visitor will experience — “This place is not part of the ordinary troubled world, so relax and enjoy!”

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Go On A Realistic Safari As You Make Your Way Through Eudora Farms In South Carolina

Robin Jarvis

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In light of the pandemic, we’re all still looking for fun ways to get out of the house with the family and still remain socially distant. Here’s the perfect way to combine a short road trip over to the tiny town of Salley in South Carolina (Aiken County) with unique animal encounters when you visit Eudora Farms, a drive-thru animal safari park few people even know about.

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Who knows? This may be the most fun you’ll have all year! It will at least surely be a contender! Have you discovered the drive-thru animal safari at Eudora Farms in Salley yet? Learn all about it on the official website for Eudora Farms . You can also follow on Facebook to learn of closures due to weather and such. Normal business hours are Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 per vehicle carrying up to six passengers.

And for an animal encounter of another kind, keep reading: Most People Don’t Know About This Underrated Zoo Hiding In South Carolina !

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