Because of quarantine, traveling has been put on hold for a lot of families. While looking for something to do locally, we came across Franklin Drive Through Safari.
Since it is only 2 hours away from Houston, we decided to give it a try! I am so glad we did because the whole family had fun, all while maintaining social distance and staying safe.
Read below to read more about our day trip to this fantastic drive through safari as well as helpful tips for before, during, and after your visit!
This post may contain affiliate links through which I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases, at no cost to you. See my full disclosure here.
Before Your Visit
Of course kids love animals and will be ready to have a blast, but before you head to the safari, make sure you talk to your children about what to expect. Below are a couple of ideas:
- Play some games like this Montessori Wooden matching cards to build vocabulary and knowledge about animals they may encounter
- Read your favorite books about animals and their environments.
- Interact and engage to get their senses activated with a safari animals sensory kit.
During Your Visit
This particular park opens at 9 am so we made sure to leave our house early so we could be there as soon as they opened.
I’m very glad we did this because when we arrived there were hardly any lines.
After checking in and paying for our admissions and cups of feed, we parked our car and went straight to the gift shop area to purchase some greens for the giraffes. Once we had the food, we headed to the feeding platform and let our children feed the giraffes.
Our little ones were amazed by the gentleness of these beautiful animals and thoroughly enjoyed feeding the giraffes.
After interacting with the giraffes, we got back in the car and started the drive through part of our trip.
The camels, zebras, deer, and all the other animals were a joy to watch and feed! Mia and Damian were a little scared to feed them at some point, so Juan and I did a lot of the feeding while they watched.
You drive at about 5 mph through long trails, so you definitely get to see tons of beautiful animals along the way. Seeing these magnificent animals so up close was an amazing experience!
Once we finished the drive through part, we parked our car and headed to see some of the walk up exhibits.
Damian and Mia were thrilled to see the kangaroos (some with their babies in the pouch), monkeys, and turtles up close.
They loved the giraffes so much, we went ahead and bought more greens to feed them again!
After that, we wrapped up our trip and headed out. We left the park before it got too hot or crowded which was exactly what we had planned.
Because the park is so close to College Station, we drove there to have a nice lunch and then headed back home with amazing photos and full tummies! The kids napped on our drive back, so we really couldn’t ask for more!
After Your Visit
To keep the fun going, below are a couple activity recommendations to do when you get back from the safari:
- Give your little ones a nice relaxing bath along with a fun little surprise like this safari animal bath bomb
- Have a custom made name puzzle ready for them to interact with and engage
- support their imaginative play by adding some new themed items like these safari finger puppets
Final Thoughts
If you decide to visit this drive through safari or another one near your area, make sure to check their website or social media pages first as every park has certain restrictions and modifications during this quarantine period.
Do not let this quarantine hold you back from having fun safely. I know this was a small little outing, but it was extremely fun and just what our family needed!
My Ko-fi button
If you can donate a few dollars to help us develop this site, I would really be grateful!
