Cherokee Trace: A Wild East Texas Safari Adventure!

Drive-thru safaris are probably my newest quarantine-appropriate favorite activity!

We've been to Bearizona in William, Arizona (right near the Grand Canyon). We've driven through the Badlands National Park in South Dakota and stopped while buffalo crossed in front of our car.

And now, we've been to Cherokee Trace Drive-Thru Safari in Jacksonville, Texas, about 150 miles from Arlington.

Honestly, it's the perfect day trip for DFW kiddos. The park is open from 10 am to 6 pm daily (except Sunday, when the park opens at 1 pm). Admission is $16.95 per adult and $11.95 for kids. Each admission includes a bag of feed for the animals. 

We pulled up to the park at 10:15 am because we new we wanted to beat the heat. We drove through the park at 10 miles per hour with all the windows down. The park was quite shady, and my temperature gauge in my car only reported 87 degrees... But I recommend going early so you aren't fighting with the heat of a Texas afternoon!

The drive takes you about an hour and a half, and during that time you will come to face to face with a variety of fun animals! We saw deer, ostriches, llamas, alpacas, zebras and so much more. The animals are SUPER friendly and walk right up to your car. Most aren't afraid to stick their heads in if they are tall enough! It can actually be a little bit intimidating- prepare your kids ahead of time to avoid tears! 

We had a blast checking this place out. I did not get any sort of discounted admission- we paid $55, which is the price for one adult and three kids. We found that the four bags of food included with admission were plenty, but you can purchase additional feed bags for $3 each. There are portapotties available at the start and finish of the safari.

Cherokee Trace is a bit of a drive from Arlington, but we do have some recommendations! Pack a lunch (or grab a drive-thru lunch in Jacksonville when you finish your safari) and eat it at Lover's Lookout, a gorgeous rest stop with pretty views about 15 miles from the safari. 

Plan a few other stops! You could plan to go on a weekend when First Mondays are happening in Canton and shop one day and safari the next! You could also stop at Splash Kingdom waterpark or Yesterland Amusement park, both located on I20 not far from Canton. If you are a country music fan, Miranda Lambert's Pink Pistol Boutique is about 55 miles away in Lindale. The drive-thru safari is also not far from Tyler, where the entertainment possibilities are endless! And did you see my post about The Waterpark at the Villages? Watch for it to reopen (thanks, covid!) and you can safari in the morning and waterpark in the afternoon!

What East Texas adventures am I missing?