Between Greensboro And Fayetteville Is North Carolina's Safari Experience With Unique, Interactive Attractions

An exotic wildlife experience might not be the first attraction that comes to mind when thinking of North Carolina, but one hour south of Greensboro and 40 minutes north of Fayetteville, you'll find just that. The Aloha Safari Park in Cameron has been operating since 2010 with the intention of providing a safe place for animals in need of rescue and educating the public on diverse types of wildlife from all over the world. Today, it houses animals as small as geckos and as big as giraffes.

One of the ways to check out the animals at Aloha Safari Park is from your own vehicle. The park's drive-thru safari winds through fields where multiple species can roam far and wide. Along the route, there are zebras, donkeys, wildebeests, and ostriches. Types of antelope that you may have never even heard of wander here as well, such as African eland, oryx, nilgai, and waterbuck. Grab a feed cup before beginning the drive and get the animals to come right up to your car window. However, you must remain in your vehicle at all times. Riding in truck beds is allowed, but the tailgate must stay up.

Aloha Safari Park admission tickets include its walk-thru zoo as well. Here is where visitors can see the park's apex predators and other animals less suited for the drive-thru format. There is a tiger, a caracal, a porcupine, multiple types of lemurs, cockatoos, pythons, giraffes, geckos, and much more. You can feed the walk-thru animals, too. "Feeding Titus the giraffe was definitely the highlight," said one Tripadvisor review. In doing so, you'll get a close-up look at what makes each species so unique.

For another special wildlife connection, schedule a hands-on animal encounter at Aloha Park Safari. Animals available for this might change, but past encounters have included a serval cat, a kangaroo, a capuchin monkey (which fans of "Night at the Museum" will especially love), a spider monkey, and a sloth. When interacting with any of the animals, you'll quickly notice how incredible they are and learn even more about what to look for in ethical wildlife experiences. For more animal adventures in North Carolina, visit Asheboro for one of the best elephant exhibits in the U.S., or head to the coast for the Buckridge Reserve full of native plants, rare wolves, and alligators.