To those in the know, down a long, winding road, and through the shaded hills of Northern Georgia, there appears a place where capybara, sloth, and other creatures not usually found in the Deep South coexist. The North Georgia Wildlife Park and Safari, with the goal “to bring people and animals together for the glory of God so that no life goes untouched,” shares its love of creatures by allowing visitors to get up close and personal.
While reservations are not necessary, I’d highly advise perusing their website, scanning the options for tickets, and planning before visiting. Unless this is done, you are liable to find the park closed or have to listen to a lengthy explanation of ticket choices. We chose all the options, which included park admission, a nature walk, visits to feed six different animals with food provided, and a guided behind-the-scenes tour with additional interacting options.
First up was feeding parakeets. I felt like the lady in “Home Alone.” They surrounded the food by landing on your head, arms, back, and any other convenient spot. Then we walked to the barnyard animals and finished with large tortoises. The nature walk that followed was my least favorite activity. It was lunchtime; the animals were displayed like a zoo, and seemed hot and tired.
The Wildlife Refuge has few food options, so we took a quick break to grab some grub, returning in time for our behind-the-scenes tour. This was our favorite part of the day. First of all, we were fortunate to have Coffey as our guide. I have found the best guides are genuinely excited by the subject matter. His enthusiasm was infectious, and we found ourselves feeding porcupines, watching a jealous honey badger attempt to drag his mate from being petted, and admiring a wildebeest.
Our visit was thoroughly satisfying, especially since it is not that far from home.
