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Grapeland Drive thru Safari

July 22nd, 2010

      Texas has always been land rich! Given the size of our great state I guess it was inevitable that we would be on the lookout for unique ways to use the land that we have. In the past few months I’ve investigated and written on a number of people’s imaginative uses of our area’s rolling hills and sprawling country side. I’ve read about balloon races, zip-line tours, water parks, big game preserves, and drive-through wild life parks. Among the latter is the Cherokee Trace Drive thru Safari Park. My impression of this park was very positive, but little did I realize that there is another such refuge in Grapeland.

     The Grapeland Drive thru Safari boasts three hundred fifty animals including: zebras, buffalo, llamas, axis deer, fallow deer, camel, kangaroo, and many other species. They are located a mile to the north of the City of Grapeland, on fifty nine acres of natural habitat. So how do the two area safaris compare? Well based on the reading that I have done, much smaller and the animals and exotic species less numerous. They do have a barrel train that visitors can ride around the park for only ten dollars a seat (or barrel). The train is pulled slowly around park by a mower or a four wheeler. This is great option for those bringing a group of The Grapeland Safari is actually quite a bit cheaper. Although it seems the park is school children or other youngsters. They also offer a bounce house to young visitors at the rate of a dollar for five minutes.

     From what I can tell, Cherokee Trace is definitely a larger, more developed site. Visitors pay more but the experience seems more centered on the park itself as well as the animals. Either stop would probably be memorable and enjoyable for the kids, but I suggest paying a bit more for what appears to me to be a more educational experience. For those interested in Grapeland, or if readers want to compare the two parks the websites are as follows: www.grapelanddrivethrusafari.com, and www.cherokeetrace.org. Readers can also search this site for my original article on Cherokee Trace entitled simply Cherokee Trace Drive Through. 

     After revisiting my original article I found a reader wrote about a rather negative experience he’d had at Cherokee Trace. I’d be interested in the experiences of other visitors to either park. Is his experience unique or common? Hopefully others had better experiences than that of this particular reader.

Cherokee Trace Drive Thru Safari

June 9th, 2010

I’ve often said that I would pay for an experience. Growing up, my family traveled extensively, my folks often took us to important events, historical sites, zoos, museums, etc. Now that I’m a dad, it is my desire to do the same thing for my young son. I drag him around from site to site, museum to museum, zoo exhibit to zoo exhibit and even though he is still young, I have tried to start introducing him to the world around him. One of the experiences I have always dreamed of having is that of going on safari in Africa. I have numerous African friends who have volunteered to take me, but I have as yet, been unable to make to the supposedly dark continent. And while it’s not the same as making the journey to Africa first hand there is another alternative.

Cherokee Trace Drive-thru Safari is located just east of Jacksonville on a three hundred acre wooded preserve. Visitors are invited to drive through the park at their own pace, take photographs, and leave pellets for the animals. If visitors prefer a guided tour, and open air van will take them on a two hour tour of the entire park including areas normally off limits to attendees on self guided tours. Guided tours also offer patrons the opportunity to interact more with the animals primarily by feeding them from the van. There are also designated areas for guests to picnic.

The park features over a dozen different exotic and endangered animal species from several continents. There are of course also domestic animals normally, observed in the wilds of North America. A few of the park’s animal attractions include: the Asian Axis deer, the Indian Blackbuck antelope, the Canadian Wood Bison, the Dromedary Arabian Camel, the Rocky Mountain Elk, the Fallow Deer, found in the area of Iraq and Iran, (my personal favorite), the Highland Cattle, and many, many others.

As a last note of interest, on a five acre corner of the park there are two cabins that serve as a bed and breakfast. They have large porches, fire pits and outdoor grills. Guests can sit on the porch in the evenings and listen to the sounds of the park around them. Overnight guests also have greater access to the park then the general public. To read more about Cherokee Trace Drive- throu Safari, visit their website at www.cherokeetrace.org