Cherokee Trace Drive-Thru Safari — Attraction in Rusk

It was a fun little trip with the family. My kids enjoyed it. Super easy to navigate thru and fun to see the animals up close like that. We got there shortly after opening at 10:30 and it wasn't very crowded. It takes about 1-2 hrs to drive thru, depending on traffic - Sometimes we stopped to feed and pet the animals longer depending if we had cars coming up behind us or not. The animals were super friendly and hungry! They would come right up to your window looking for food. We had 6 people/5 bags of food and that seemed to be plenty to feed the animals, but you have the option to buy more food.

It was a little pricy since you pay by the person, not by the vehicle, but totally understandable and reasonable since it's probably pretty expensive to maintain a park like that. I had originally thought you pay by the vehicle for some reason. If you have a van-full, or a larger group, it can be expensive. And you can't purchase tickets online. So make sure you check their website and social media to make sure the park is open before making the drive.

Only thing I wish is that there was more info on the animals. They give you a sheet with all the animal names and description in alphabetical order, but no pictures and there's no signage around the trail about animals, only signs telling you of no passing areas. I thought it might be kind of cool if they had like a little bingo type game or scavenger hunt for kids to find these kinds of animals to check off and learn about as you drive through. My 1 and 3 yo liked it all the way thru, but my 5 yo started losing interest because he said all we saw were mostly deer. It would even be cool if they had a local radio station you could tune into while doing the drive that told you about the park and different animals there.

Once you get towards the end of the safari, there's signs saying not to feed those particular animals, so make sure you use all the food before then. There's a cool little picnic area and a teepee so once you get done you can have lunch in the parking area. They have some snacks and drinks in the check-in area, but your best bet is to bring a cooler or lunch with you. We ended up going to a cool little restaurant on Lake Striker nearby and it was a good choice for seafood after driving...

What a nice little adventure. There are pros and cons but overall, i recommend if you’re in the area. I wouldn’t say it is worth a long commute if you’re driving for the sole purpose of coming here, however if you’re an hour away or so, I recommend.

Pros: a decent amount of animal interaction, hands-on feeding of animals, the animals are lively and non-aggressive for the most part, there are certain areas for other cars to pass if needed, a gift shop and restroom in the “welcome center,” they give you one free bag of feed per paid customer, natural terrain that isn’t too difficult for smaller cars, hilarious donkeys, sweet llamas that like attention,

Cons: a LOT of different varieties of deer… like other reviewers have stated, the vast majority of animals that are in this mini adventure are types of deer, not a big variety of other animals, for the money would’ve expected a longer “safari”, tiny gift shop with not much to choose from, workers there not very friendly or nice, bigger animals get in middle of road and don’t move at times, the restrooms were nasty but at least they had them available.

The zebras were cute and friendly, the llamas were adorable, the camels were aggressive and stole a whole bag of food, so be warned, the big bird looks evil and is nosy, there are a few types that hop alongside your vehicle that are so funny and amusing. It’s not a mind-blowing experience but...

Fun for the whole family!! The safari did not disappoint. There are so many animals and they come right up to your vehicle! We'll definitely go back again and recommend to our friends!!

A few tips to consider: Drive a vehicle that can accommodate each passenger with a window they can open/close at their discretion. Our kids were constantly fighting for the front seat (since we drove our NVP). You don't have to park in the very first parking lot. It's okay to drive near the welcome center to park. Pack a picnic. There are some picnic tables available. Purchase EXTRA food. You will be glad you did. It's so fun to feed ALL the animals. Don't be stingy. Take your time. It's not a race.

Posting For Awareness: The Zebras and Camels will absolutely put their heads into your vehicle. Some patrons may enjoy this while others may not. Also the camels will eat the brown paper bag. Additionally, the orange Yaks got a little aggressive. Our van windows were smeared with slobber and their horns even crashed into the side of our vehicle while they were snooping for the last few pieces of food that fell to the ground. The kids thought it was SO cool to feel the van shake [just a tinch]. No...