In 2009, on our way home from a wedding, we decided to take a brief side-trip and check out The Wilds.

It’s Amazing!

For $20, you hop on a open air safari-style bus and drive throughout the property, seeing amazing animals all along the way. Just like (I imagine) a real safari, some are only seen from farther away:

Some get up close & personal:

There’s an occasional indication it’s a zoo

But most of the grounds look much more like a wide open nature preserve:

BTW, that last picture is of my personal favorite animal spotted that day, a Takin (which I had never heard of before that day), so be sure to bring binoculars!