Two Safari Adventures Worth the Drive from Western Kentucky

If your upcoming travel plans have been affected by higher gas prices, and you're looking for fun options closer to home, there are a couple of amazing safari experiences that are a comfortable drive away from anywhere in western Kentucky.

Wilstem Wildlife Park

Wilstem Wildlife Park is an exciting experience for the entire family. We never get too old for animal encounters, and Wilstem offers several of them. Guests can select sloth, giraffe, elephant, otter, and kangaroo encounters. Visitors can also book horseback riding and ziplining experiences.

And, of course, if you go, you have to take the Dino and Wildlife Safari. It's an unforgettable experience, and one you'll want to have again. Trust me. We went last fall and look forward to returning.

Your Wilstem Safari is a hayride during which you'll get to experience buffalo, camels, llamas, alpacas, and more up close. You can even feed them. Some will eat out of your hand. The buffalo will not. No petting the dinos either, but, as you'll see, that wouldn't be a dangerous proposition. Still, everyone must stay in the vehicle, especially with the reintroduction of the bear habitat to the tour.

If you're looking for summer staycation ideas, put this one into rotation.

Southland Safari

Located just about halfway between Nashville and Memphis, just a little north of Interstate 40, Southland Safari is an adventure you really can't pass up if you want to get a closer look at exotic creatures in a way that you can't at a zoo.

Hop aboard the big wagon for an exciting trek through an enclosure where you'll see capybaras, rhinoceroses, ostriches, sloths, and so much more. You can make a weekend of it with cabin rental availability. Giraffes, zebras, rams? You'll find them, too, at Southland Safari once you've booked your encounter.

Southland Safari, in Yuma, Tennessee, traces its roots back to the 2003 purchase of a buffalo by Chris Gurley just as he was finishing attaining his electro-mechanical maintenance associate's degree. He and his wife, Tosha, had met the year before, got married, had three kids, and now operate one of the most popular attractions in western Tennessee.

Safari adventures to the north and south of Kentucky that are not terribly far apart. I think a vacation is in order.