Looking to take a drive on the wild side? Here's one possibility that's out there.
Nestled in Southwestern Missouri outside the small town of Eagle Rock near the Arkansas border lies Eureka Springs Safari Park. This drive through menagerie is closely associated with the Promised Land Zoo, found about an hour to the east in Branson, Missouri. Family operated since 1992, the park holds several dozen different species of wild animals, both endangered and widely found, across over a hundred acres of land. In addition to the safari experience, whether self-guided or with a tour representative, a small petting zoo with several more species of animals may be found for all ages to visit.
As you enter the property, you are greeted at a building filled with the stench of excrement from the several dozen guinea pigs corralled in the back. This is a sign of things to come. After paying what is a complete rip-off of a price for what is offered and its means, the journey begins. Emus and antelopes begin to walk to your window begging for the overpriced pellets upsold at the door, tapping at the windows of the "cheapskates" as if the staff wants patrons to fulfill the animals' nutritional needs. In some cases of looking at the animals, you can tell that may be the expectation. As you drive along, Bible verses adorn the property, which almost seem to be a distraction from the lack of care for the grounds the staff has. Once the course is complete, if you're lucky to find any parking, the petting zoo is through the back of the original building, but good luck bringing a service animal if you require one, as they are prohibited.
At the end of the day, the experience at Eureka Springs Safari Park was fairly underwhelming. The hour drive from Branson was not worth the trip. In fact, it is our sincere hope that what we saw is not a sign of what is found at Promised Land Zoo, which was not visited, although we saw transporter trucks every now and then along the safari course. There are plenty of city zoos and safari drives across North America that offer a much more enjoyable family experience, and although what was seen at Eureka Springs wasn't the worst thing in the world, it is not a place where we would return without significant improvements.
So the next time your Internal Compass calls you to the wild animals, there's no shame in following it, but be careful where you seek what you wish to find.
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