159 Mini Lane, Cameron NC

Aloha Safari Zoo in North Carolina is an experience you won’t want to miss! This is a much smaller zoo than the NC Zoo, but you get up close and personal with the animals instead of watching them from a distance! Feeding animals and safari rides equals an animal loving toddler’s dream!

The Safari Ride

We arrived when the zoo opened at 10 am and were some of the first patrons in the park. After feeding the goats we headed straight for the safari tour and got on the first ride at 10:30am. This turned out to be a great idea since it was feeding time and all of the animals were up around the fence!

The safari ride will be the highlight of your zoo visit. It’s no extra cost so you can ride as many times as you wish. It’s an open air wagon that takes you right through the animal pens. We were just feet away from zebra, antelope, ostrich, pigs, llamas, alpacas, camels, and more! We were there during social distancing so they asked that we not feed the animals on the ride, however usually you are allowed to throw bread to the animals as you drive by.

Feeding the Giraffe

After we got off the safari ride we headed over to feed the Giraffe. Feed bags are $1 for 4 pieces of food. You will need cash for this part! We bought two bags for our 3 kids to share and it worked out pretty well, although we definitely could have done more!! The kids loved this interactive experience and the giraffe was very friendly and loved the treats!

The Reptile House

The reptile house is located in the old admission entrance of the zoo before they expanded. This was confusing because it still said Zoo Entrance and we didn’t think there were any animals in there. A zookeeper saw us wandering around and asked if we had been inside, otherwise we may not have gone in!

I will say the zoo is in need of some more signage and maps. There are a lot of buildings around but it doesn't say what is inside. Some of them are private residences since the zookeepers live onsite to give 24 hour care to the animals.

Inside the reptile house there are some narrow walkways, so I wouldn’t bring your stroller in. We saw lizards, tortoises, snakes, and then in another part of the building found the porcupines and birds.

Large Animal Pens

And let’s not forget the large animal pens with monkeys, tigers, and bears! We also caught the feeding time for the tigers they were crazy with excitement! It was fascinating to watch them chow down and growl in protection of their food.

Admission

Let’s talk cash, because this is certainly not a free activity. I thought it was a tad on the expensive side for the size. Admission was $12 per person (under 2 is free) and then you can buy optional extras like animal feed bags for $3 and giraffe food for $1. They take credit card at the front gate for the admission and feed bags, but you will need cash at the giraffe stand.

A word of caution: the animal feed bags include popcorn, so your little one may try to eat some themselves! It's mixed in with the animal food though so I wouldn't recommend eating it. My two year old definitely got a taste before I realized!

All in all we spent about $70 for a family of 5, not including the cost of driving over an hour to get there and then grabbing lunch on the way home. We spent about 2 hours in the actual zoo, but it took up our whole morning getting there and back. There’s a gift shop on your way out, but we didn’t get anything. It certainly isn’t the cheapest of excursions but the kids LOVE it and it goes to a good cause of rescuing and rehabilitating animals that cannot be released into the wild.

Accessibility Information

Most of the park is stroller friendly, but it’s not that big so you probably won’t need it. There are lots of picnic tables scattered about the zoo, and a few grassy areas to rest if needed. I didn’t see any water fountains but they did have lots of hand washing stations setup.

Unfortunately, they only have porta-potties available, which – let’s be honest – is not the easiest thing to deal with when you have young children. But we managed fine and without any incidents.

There is NOT a restaurant onsite, but the gift shop at the entrance has basic snacks if you need it. There was a Hibachi food truck parked while we were there, but I wouldn’t count on it being there all the time.

So bottom line?

Overall, Aloha Safari Zoo is definitely a home-grown zoo without the resources the NC Zoo has, but it’s actually probably the largest privately owned zoo I’ve been to. It really seems to be run like a small business with a nice personal feel to it. There are lots of zookeepers around to answer questions and do demonstrations with the animals.

I’d rank this zoo higher than It’s A Zoo Life due to the size and number of the larger animals. But I really enjoy that it’s less spaced out than the NC Zoo and much more personal and interactive for preschoolers. I’d say that this is the zoo to visit if your kids are under the age of 8.