drive thru safari paoli indiana

Wilstem Wildlife Park Drive Thru Safari in Indiana

If you enjoy up-close experiences with animals, then put Wilstem Drive Thru Wildlife Park on your must-do list. We visited last week, and our ride through this wildlife park in southern Indiana was nothing short of amazing!

Where is Wilstem Wildlife Park?

Wilstem Wildlife Park (aka Wilstem Ranch) is located in Paoli, Indiana , which is about 2 hours south of Indianapolis. We have visited Wilstem in the past for their giraffe and elephant encounters, and we were blown away by those experiences. In the summer of 2020, Wilstem announced the opening of their new drive thru safari, so we knew we needed to head south ASAP.

What animals do you see on the drive thru safari?

You can see up to 30 different species of animals on the drive thru safari. Obviously, just like when on a real safari or visiting a zoo, you may not see all of the animals. Factors like time of day, weather, and roaming patterns may affect who you see. On our safari, we saw, fed, and/or interacted (like they stuck their heads in our windows!) with the following animals:

• Texas Longhorns
• Aoudads (African sheep)
• Fallow Deer
• Alpacas or Llamas (I don’t know the difference. Maybe both?)

At Wilstem, there are basically 3 sections to the current drive thru experience:

• In the first section, you can feed any of the animals that you see. We fed longhorns, emus, donkeys, and alpacas/llamas. 
• In the second section, you roll your windows up and cruise through the bison area. 
• In the third section, the animals are inside pens right next to the road. Here, you drive by the zebras (can’t feed those guys or they’ll eat your hand off), camels (they love carrots), and goats. 

What is the cost?

We opted to purchase the self-guided drive thru tickets and take our own vehicle through the park. These are general admission tickets that you can use any time from 9:00am EST until 4:00pm EST on the day you choose. The self guided non-refundable drive thru tickets can be purchased online . Currently, the prices are:

• $15 per adult +$2 processing fee
• $13 per senior adult (65+) +$2 processing fee
• $10 per child (3-12) +$2 processing fee
• Free for 2 and under

  If you don’t feel comfortable driving your own car through the safari, you can purchase guided wagon or safari bus tickets for a specific time and day. These non-refundable tickets can be purchased online . Currently, the prices for these tickets are:

• $25 per adult +$2 processing fee
• $23 per senior adult (65+) +$2 processing fee
• $20 per child (3-12) +$2 processing fee

What else is included in the ticket price?

Your family will be given animal food prior to entering the park.The food is included with the ticket price. Also, if you  want, you can visit the Roos and Crews Encounter to see even more animals! Inside the Roos and Crews barn, you’ll find:

• African Gray Parrots
• Ring Tail Lemurs
• Japanese Silkie Chickens

Can we feed the animals?

Yes! When you get to the gate, you will be given animal food and an explanation of who you can feed. You cannot feed the animals any outside food.

Can we maintain social distance during this experience?

Yes! If you purchase online tickets for the drive thru safari and take your own car through the park, then the only person you will encounter will be the “ticket taker” at the entrance booth. That person will also give you the animal feed. 

If you decide to go inside the Roos and Crews barn, depending on how busy they are, you might have some trouble maintaining social distance. However, when we visited on a Monday in early July of 2020, all workers were wearing masks and most guests were as well. We had no problem maintaining distance between us and other guests inside the barn. There were also hand washing and sanitizing stations available. 

What else can we do at Wilstem Wildlife Park?

There is so much to do here. As I mentioned, we have experienced and LOVED the elephant and giraffe encounters, and we hope to go back soon to see the grizzlies. They even have special VIP encounters, including a “ Spa Encounter ” with the elephants where you can give them a bath! How fun does that sound?! Here’s all that’s available at Wilstem Ranch:

• Grizzly Bear Encounters
• Giraffe Encounters
• Elephant Encounters
• Sloth Educational Encounters
• Roos and Crews Barn
• Horseback Riding
• Rental Cabins

Do they have any human food?

Wilstem does sell a few snacks and drinks in their gift shop. They also have a picnic area that you can use if you bring your own lunch. You’ll also be close to Paoli and French Lick, so you can drive into one of those towns for food.  

I cannot stress enough how much fun we had on our drive thru safari at Wilstem Wildlife Park. We all laughed and smiled the whole time. We cannot wait to go do it again! 

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Wildlife park in paoli, indiana now has a drive-thru safari.

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Did you know the wildlife park in Paoli, Indiana now has a drive-thru safari?

Wilstem Wildlife Park is located just about an hour outside of Louisville, north of Hoosier National Forest.

Like so many other businesses, it has come up with a creative way to safely conduct business.

At the new drive-in, people can see more than 40 species of animals from their vehicle and feed some through their windows.

"See everything from alpaca to zebra and lots in between!" the website says.

This content is imported from Facebook. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

People can take a self-guided tour or hop on a guided wagon or safari bus.

The park also has several "animal encounters" with kangaroos, elephants, bears and more.

Learn more about the park, safari and tickets here.

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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.

Wilstem - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

Review Highlights

“ I loved feeding & touching the elephants; feeding the giraffes and various animals along the safari path. ” in 24 reviews

“ My family has done many " safari " rides ( even with Disney) but this was the BEST TOUR we've ever had! ” in 8 reviews

“ When driving to Wilstem from French Lick , the property was on the right hand side and not difficult to locate. ” in 8 reviews

Location & Hours

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4229 W US-150

Paoli, IN 47454

Amenities and More

About the business.

Cabins, Drive-Thru Safari, Elephant Encounter, Giraffe Encounter, Grizzly Bear Encounter, Kangaroo Encounter, Lodges, Otter Encounter, Sloth Encounter. Products: Animals, Cabins for Rental. Services: Animal Encounters, Safari Park, Zip Line, Wildlife, Lodging, Horseback Riding. History: We're Wilstem and we're a wildlife park and resort here in Paoli, IN. We believe in unforgettable experiences, offering cabins and lodges, animal encounters, and drive-thru safaris. We started this business to offer one-of-a-kind wildlife interactions to the community and to tourists. We're looking forward to growing our business to continue to serve Paoli and the surrounding areas. We'd like to personally invite you to visit us today in one of our lodges or cabins, take a zipline adventure, or schedule an encounter with giraffes, otters, elephants, kangaroos, and more! …

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Overall rating

We did the drive-thru safari at Wilstem. My family and I haven't laughed that hard together in a long time! It's surprising how wild animals can bring a family together. The drive-thru safari turned all of our tired, sour moods around. I love the safari here because you literally do not have to leave your car at all. You pull up to the booth and pay, and then you take off down the path to see animals. No exiting and entering a vehicle. One thing to note, and the reason why my review is four stars instead of five: The people at the booth don't tell you anything about how to interact with the animals that are outside of your window. If you opt to buy the animal food (which you should), they don't tell you how to feed the animals. But I'm telling you right here. You need to put the container of food out your window and let the animals eat it from the container -- do not put the food in your hand or hold it between your fingers. If you do, you might get your hand bitten/nibbled from a friendly but hungry animal. Just let them eat from the container, and it should be all good. Once we figured out how to feed the animals safely, it was a fun experience. The animals know to come running when they see a vehicle enter their domain. Car = food. So it was delightful to see the emus running at full speed toward our car to say "hello" (and also "Where is my food?"). As we made our way through the park, we encountered a variety of animals. During the drive-thru safari, you have the opportunity to spot around 50 different animal species. But just like with a real safari or a visit to a zoo, it's not guaranteed that you will see all of them due to various factors such as weather, time of day and roaming patterns. We visited Wilstem during the early summer months when it seemed like lots of animals were out and about. During our safari, we had the chance to interact with several animals, such as Texas longhorns, zebras, emus, goats, donkeys, deer, alpacas, llamas and bison. The drive-thru safari experience at Wilstem Wildlife Park is divided into three main sections: The first section is the emu zone. You're allowed to drive through this section with your windows rolled down, and you can feed the emus if they come up to you. (Note: Feed the animals by holding the feed cup in your hand and letting the animals come up and eat from the cup.) In the second section, you will see animals like llamas, alpacas, goats and donkeys. You're allowed to feed these guys, too! The third section is the bison section, where signs instruct you to drive through the area with your windows rolled up. The fourth section -- Grizzly Ridge -- is also a zone where your windows need to stay rolled up. Here is where the bears reside (safely contained in a pen). As we made our way through the animal safari, we also saw some animals grazing in the fields a little farther away, such as zebras (not available for feeding because they can bite!), camels and deer. From start to finish, the drive-thru animal safari lasted about 45 minutes. Timing can vary, though, depending on how long you want to linger and feed/observe the animals, or how many other people are doing the drive-thru safari. Fortunately, there weren't many people also visiting at the same time, so we didn't have to wait too long.

This was so cool! A drive through safari in Indiana that lived up to my expectations for my kid. You get the option to add on feed for the animals and while that is an intimidating experience, it's really cool once you get acclimated. This was certainly the best zoo type experience we've ever had.

See all photos from Sean P. for Wilstem

Came here for my 41st birthday today and did the drive through Safari. This was amazing! The animals come right to your car (and peek through your windows lol). Hot tip:You will get food pellets in your car because they are messy eaters (especially the emu's!) The facility was clean and the animals looked happy and well taken care of. I can't wait to come back and do one of their encounters! Thanks for making my birthday unique and fun!

See all photos from Jennifer E. for Wilstem

We did the animal encounter where you bathe the elephants. It was overall a great experience. We appreciated the small group size. I didn't appreciate during the second portion being asked to pay for feed when we already spent a hefty amount on the first portion. You also have to have cash for that which we didn't know or bring. I also thought it would be nice if there were better options for photo ops or even a photographer on site.

See all photos from Laura G. for Wilstem

Went here about a month ago. Purchased the All-Access package, and we were not disappointed. From the drive-thru safari to the various educational encounters with the animals, it was a fun and exciting experience. Staff appeared to be quite knowledgeable and showed extreme care toward the treatment of the animals. I cannot speak to the lodging facilities, but if you are looking for a fun-filled day, I highly recommend Wilstem. Plus they have otters and who doesn't like otters???

See all photos from Andrew P. for Wilstem

Great experience. So happy we came. The cabin was wonderful and our whole experience was amazing

We decided to finally check out Wilstem on Earth Day this year. It's one of those places I think about when I drive past on the way to someplace else and then forget about. I'm glad we finally remembered. It was just my husband and but I think our grandsons would love to visit as well. We'll definitely be back.

See all photos from Stephanie D. for Wilstem

My family and I went over Labor Day weekend and had an amazing time. We did the sloth encounter with Terri and it was my favorite thing we did. Terri was absolutely incredible and so knowledgeable. She made my entire weekend. I would recommend going to see her and Luna (the sloth)!

Our whole experience at Wilstem was amazing. We did a private elephant encounter and a primate encounter and both were wonderful! Cindy and Vicky (the elephants) were beautiful and it was amazing to be able to interact with them. We spent time in the Roos and Crews barn and fed the giraffes too! The real highlight for my teenage kids though was the drive-thru safari - we went through multiple times! I am sure they will forever remember when a camel stuck his head all the way in the car across the driver side to the passenger side to get some food. We were all laughing and had such a wonderful time! We will 100% come back.

We went there for the first time on thanksgiving. They had a huge buffet. Everything was prepared deliciously. We will definitely go back.

11 other reviews that are not currently recommended

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Animal Encounters at Wilstem Wildlife Park

• Poppy the Camper
• by Erin Huiatt

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My love for animals runs deep. When I was little I wanted to be a veterinarian. Not many people know this, but before I began my blogging and entrepreneurial career I was a veterinary technician for seven years. Although I no longer work with them every day, our family loves to experience any opportunities where we can be hands-on with animals. More reason to make the trip to Wilstem Wildlife Park located in Paoli, Indiana to encounter all sorts of large animals!

Wilstem Wildlife Park offers several different animal encounters including giraffes, elephants, kangaroos, camels, and many more. Monte has always been fond of elephants. When I learned that they offered a special encounter with elephants where you could pet, take pictures, and even feed these giant creatures, I signed up quickly!

Drive-Thru Safari

The Wilstem Drive-Thru Safari was like nothing we had experienced before. We have been through several safari’s including the Wildlife Safari Park in Nebraska , but this one offered a lot more opportunities to pet and feed the animals throughout the park.

The animals definitely knew that we had food and were not shy to ask for a snack!

Before entering the park they give you rules and guidelines on where to stop, when to roll up your windows, and NOT feed the wildlife. At the end of the drive-thru safari, you can park to get out and feed the camels. They were the sweetest!

Wilstem Elephant Encounter

Wilstem Wildlife Park offers several encounters including an elephant encounter . This was a 45-minute experience where we learned everything there is to know about elephants. The difference between African and Asian elephants, what they like to eat, their habits, history, and so much more. It was an incredible educational experience! Afterwards, we were invited down to take fun photos with the elephants.

One of the elephants had such a fun personality and even unlocked the gate with her trunk in the middle of the presentation. It was fun to watch them explore, eat, and communicate with their trunks. This is definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience!

The owners and staff of Wilstem Wildlife Park care a ton for these animals and raise thousands of dollars to help fund non-profits that support and save animals in wildlife.

Roos and Crews Encounter

Your ticket for the Elephant Encounter is also good for the Roos and Crews Encounter . This is a smaller building filled with birds, kangaroos, an iguana, and other exotic animals. There is a ton of opportunities to pet and feed these animals too.

Light Shows

After our day of meeting and playing with all the Wilstem Wildlife Park animals, we returned in the evening for the Fall Festivals of Light Show ! This was the perfect way to kick off the Halloween season. You will drive 1.5 miles through the Wilstem Wildlife grounds and see several light displays. We turned on some spooky Halloween music as we drove through! They also offer Wilstem Winter Fest which is a holiday-themed light show through the Wilstem Wildlife Safari grounds.

Patoka Lake

Patoka Lake is a state park located in Indiana and not far from French Lick and Wilstem Wildlife Park. This is where we brought our popup and camped for two nights. They offer a wonderful campsite, winery , restaurants, cabins, and more around the lake. If you are not looking to camp while in the area, make sure you visit French Lick’s Visitors Bureau to book a room at one of their many hotels.

French Lick, Indiana

Wilstem Wildlife Park is located just outside of French Lick, Indiana . This cute town is full of charm and fun things to do. We spent the afternoon eating lunch, eating ice cream while playing games, and visiting a winery near our campsite! There is so much to do when you are in the area.

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Erin Huiatt

Erin is a reliable resource and stepping stone for women and families to find support and make connections within our community. She wants families to feel confident to reach out and ask for help and advice to get pointed in the right direction. She enjoys traveling and exploring with her two children in tow!

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Adventure Awaits At This Drive-Thru Safari Park In Indiana

Tori Jane is a storm chaser, writer, photographer, and the village idiot - in that order. When she's not out and about dancing with the meanest storms on planet Earth for funsies she can be found wandering, shooting landscapes, writing, editing photos, and otherwise up to no good. Legend has it that she can also be occasionally spotted typing up short bios in the third person, but those rumors are unsubstantiated.

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Okay, so maybe people don’t immediately think of epic adventures when they think about Indiana – but maybe they should. Hear us out – as any born-and-bred Hoosier would probably know, Indiana is a place full of all kinds of shenanigans to get into, as long as you know where to look. For example, did you know you can go on a safari out here? You totally can – among plenty of other activities, of course. This drive-through safari park in Indiana is sure to be something that you  and  the kids greatly enjoy. It’s all the adventure of the outside world right here in our Midwestern backyards.

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For FAQ, more pictures, tickets, and a full list of all the things you can do at Wilstem Wildlife Park, visit the official website . This drive-through safari park in Indiana is one you simply cannot miss! It’s the perfect destination for creating cherished family memories.

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Here’s where the wild things are — in Southern Indiana!

In the scenic rolling hills of Paoli just a few miles east of French Lick , Wilstem Wildlife Park proposes a variety of unexpected animal attractions and adventures for visitors of all ages to enjoy.

Here, guests have the opportunity to interact with sloths, giraffes, kangaroos, grizzly bears, elephants and otters through immersive educational encounters.

My son and I opted to cruise through the self-guided drive-thru safari during a recent stay at West Baden Springs Hotel, and we were delighted to get so close to so many four-legged park residents. Visitors can purchase as many recyclable plastic cups full of feed as they want to share with the animals and boy, do they know what’s coming. No sooner had we pulled into the looping drive than we were swarmed by hungry emus, deer, llamas and cows.

In addition to feeding the animals through your vehicle's windows, you may also get to glimpse giraffes, zebras, bison, elephants and grizzlies, depending on the time of day and activity levels.

Be aware some of these animals eat rather aggressively, there’s some jostling for the position involved, and the experience can get a bit messy. My car doors and windows were coated in drool by the time we got through the loop, and we had to stop by a gas station to vacuum out our floorboards after our visit. We agreed the aftermath was worth it.

Wilstem also hosts outdoor recreational fun like ziplining and horseback riding, and guests can even book stays on-site in a choice of cozy cabins and lodge accommodations.

Reservations are recommended for all Wilstem experiences, but we didn’t have any trouble walking in and purchasing a safari pass on the day we went. 

For more information, visit wilstem.com .

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Elephants, alpacas, drive-thru safari: Check out interactive zoo experiences in Oklahoma

Have you ever wanted to see an elephant up close and personal? Or a camel from your car?

These immersive animal experiences in Oklahoma offer visitors the chance to do just that.

From alpaca farms to an elephant sanctuary, here's your guide to hands-on zoo experiences in Oklahoma.

Arbuckle Wilderness Park drive-thru safari

Arbuckle Wilderness Park in Davis offers a drive-thru safari where drivers and their passengers can feed llamas, emus, camels among several other animals.

The park is located at 6132 Kay Starr Trail in Davis and is open every day from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. on weekdays and 5:30 p.m. on the weekends.

For more information, visit http://arbucklewildernesspark.com/ .

Elephant sanctuary in Hugo

The Endangered Ark Foundation in Hugo is a private non-profit that provides a retirement ranch for circus elephants.

The sanctuary offers public tours of the facility on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. It also offers private encounters, group visits and observation deck experiences.

Elephant Ark Foundation is located at 2657 E 2070 Rd. For more information, visit https://www.endangeredarkfoundation.org/ .

Mowdy Ranch

Mowdy Ranch is a wild horse sanctuary with 4,000 acres of wooded hills and open valleys in southeastern Oklahoma.

With 350 wild horses, guests can book a tour and even adopt a horse at the sanctuary located at 16280 Oklahoma Highway 31 in Coalgate.

For more information, visit https://mowdyranch.com/home .

Magnolias & Prayers: Everything Alpaca

Magnolias & Prayers: Everything Alpaca is an alpaca farm featuring over 40 alpacas that hosts several events like wine tastings ang yoga in the pasture with the animals. These events include petting and feeding the alpacas.

The farm also offers private events like tours, parties, weddings and more.

For more information on how to book an experience, visit https://www.magnoliablossomranch.com/ .

Bradt's Menagerie

Bradt's Menagerie is a family-owned petting zoo located at 39755 US Highway 64 in Alva.

The zoo features a variety of farm animals such as cows, llamas, goats and chickens.

For more information, visit the Bradt's Menagerie Facebook page .