Fossil Rim Wildlife Center — Attraction in DeCordova

We drove from Grapevine, TX which was about 1 hr and 20 min and so we'll worth the travel. It was myself, a teen and 2 preteens. We did the self guided tour and received one bag of feed for our vehicle which we were aware of before going. We had the most incredible time. The high for today was 56 degrees, dry grounds, had not rained, a little cloudy and we still saw a good amount of animals. We were greeted by a spunky ostrich who wanted 1st dibbs on the feed before we saw any other animals. He or She was a welcoming joy. We saw lots of different animals and were amazed by how they would block the road forcing you to stop and give them feed. The deer allowed us to pet them as some were super friendly. The gentle yet powerful nature of the animals was surprising. We had no instances of danger. The zebra were a joy to feed. They will let u hand feed them even though we tossed the feed on the ground. The giraffe was a fan fav...so big and beautiful and gentle. We had no issues with the paved road. We stopped at the Overlook Point for a bathroom break and souvenirs. Because I know how expensive souvenirs can get, we kept our purchase under $50. We received a free cute tote since our purchase was over $35. The cafe had just closed so we did not get food but being the resourceful mom that I am, I packed pnut butter/jelly sandwiches, cookies and drinks and my kiddos were grateful. We continued our self guided tour. I saw the tour bus and they wisped by the giraffes. I thought they were going to stop for feeding or a photo op but they didn't. It made me glad that I didn't get the guided tour. On our way out, we saw our greeter the ostrich again and had a blast with him/her. Oh and the feed was plenty for us. The bag is small but filled completely. Also u can break each pellet in half and that extends the amount of feed you have. By the time we left, we had to rush and get rid of the rest of the feed as to not take it with us. You definitely want to visit this place. It's worth ur time and attention. Also the drive through the park didn't seem like 2 hrs because you're so happy and occupied with the animals. And it's probably 2 hrs only because u can't drive faster than 15 miles/hr and for good reason. There are so many beautiful creatures roaming...

This is such an amazing and beautiful place. The three times we have been have equally been different each time. The first two times you got more more food to feed the animals but our most recent trip in May 2022 it was only one bag per vehicle. We were using it so sparingly though that we still wound up have some at the end of the drive.

We went through early in the morning all three of our visits and didn’t encounter much traffic any of our visits. You can go at your own pace and stop to “visit” with any animals near/on the road. The only animals you can hand feed now are the giraffes, the rest you have to toss/drop on the ground. This last visit, the staff had put out a lot of food in the roads which for one made it so there were plenty of animals up close to see but for two made it so that they weren’t very interested in the few pellets coming from our passing car.

All of the animals are so beautiful and seeing these wild animals up close is so majestic! Our 2022 visit we finally got to see several Zebra up close. We also had a sun roof this time and having the giraffe reach down through the roof was amazing!!!!

The mid point there is a Children’s area, gift shop, GREAT bathrooms (so clean) and a cafe. The children’s area is great (there’s a separate Google review spot for it so I will detail that there) you can pet and brush goats! The gift shop is huge and has an amazing array of items and a ton of plushies. We’ve never eaten at the cafe before but I did learn you can access this area of fossil rim separately for FREE through another entrance.

Overall it’s a great drive through experience. It is pricey because you pay per person, not per car. With 5 of us, it seemed like a hefty price tag but it’s worth it. It really is. We will definitely be back. I hope to be able to ride on a public tour one day (even more of a cost per person) where you ride in one of their vehicles and get access to a bit more and some behind the scenes areas.

Would highly recommend and just think -the cost helps animals in this great habitat. Take pictures with the dinosaurs on your way out if you are/have Dino lovers...

Fossil Rim is a must-visit, magical place in which you and your family will get a very special experience of coming face-to-face (at your vehicle's window) with many of nature's exotic and wonderous creatures: addax, gazelle, ostrich, wildebeast, kudus, zebras, giraffes--just to name a few--and many other animals you would never know by name without Google. In fact, you will get way more up close and also see a much larger quantity of each animal than you'll ever get at the Fort Worth Zoo. You also get to see plentiful other animals from a safer distance: rhinos, bison, cheetahs, etc. While open year around, we have found that certain seasons are more active with animals (e.g. Fall). Included with admission is a generous size cup of animal feed. Just about the whole wildlife center is two lanes, allowing you to pass other drivers and control your pace (when other drivers actually stick to their lane). At the half way point (near the giraffes), there is a nice size gift shop with bathrooms, a cafe, and a fenced in goat petting zoo along with exhibits containing, emu, turtles, tortoise, pig, birds and more. Warning: to prevent animal horn scratches on your vehicle, throw the animal feed out and away from your car! Although, you are allowed to feed the giraffes directly out of your hand, and the giraffes will love you for it. We also love to toss feed directly into the wide-stretched mouths of the zebras. I highly recommend the season pass, as it will pay for itself in no time and is well worth multiple visits. Each time, nature will give you a different experience, keeping the adventure exciting every time. The one negative is that we have been unable to spot any unicorns :-)....