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The City of Atlanta offers a wide variety of things to do for those visiting the state’s capital. However, there are also plenty of things to do near Atlanta, GA, as well and not the least of these is a visit to the Pine Mountain Wild Animal Safari, located just minutes outside the Town of Pine Mountain, GA. Though only an hour’s drive from Atlanta, there are a number of good places to stay in Pine Mountain as well, such as at the fabulous Callaway Gardens Lodge and Spa. A Little History With the intent of giving everyone an opportunity to appreciate animals from around the planet, world-renowned big game hunter, Ron Snider, developed Wild Animal Safari as a place where people could get close to animals that one typically never gets to see outside of the wild. Two of his primary goals were to ensure that the park would be reasonably priced and affordable to young families while allowing for the proper care of the animals and the maintenance of the grounds. In particular, he wanted to reach children from the ages of 3 to 12 years old, in order to help give them an appreciation of nature and love of animals. To accomplish this, Snider first created the Turkey Creek Hunting Club in 1988, which eventually led to the purchase of enough additional land to develop the safari-like experience that he had in mind. Two years later, in 1990, he sought input from a number of expert outfitters and hunters who helped him to design the park’s layout and to select the animals that would do well in this setting. In 2005, Parks! America bought Wild Animal Safari and has since acquired new animals and upgraded the grounds. What You Can See There are over 65 different species of animals—from blackbuck antelope to a variety of zebras—from Africa, India, Australia, Europe, and South America, in addition to animals from North America such as the American bison. All of this adds up to well over 650 animals that can be seen either on a walk-through tour of the park where or a drive-through that covers nearly 200 acres along a 3 1/2 mile road, where one can get close enough to touch as well as feed hundreds of exotic animals. In total, the park covers nearly 500 magnificent acres and offers visitors a hands-on, once-in-a-lifetime experience with animals from all over the world. No doubt, one can spend an entire day, if not a number of days, at Wild Animal Safari—just one of many world-class things to do near Atlanta, GA.
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