Did you know that there is a safari ride in Maryland hidden in one of the best zoos in the area? The Catoctin Wildlife Preserve is a little bit of a drive from Annapolis (roughly an hour and fifteen minutes) but it is absolutely worth the drive. The zoo has a huge variety of animals including many that you can feed and pet. The real attraction is the safari where you get loaded onto safari trucks and pulled through four pens of animals where you can handfeed them biscuits. The animals you see along the safari ride include zebras, bison, ostriches, emus, reindeer and many more. The ride lasts about 45 minutes and is worth every penny. The safari is an extra add-on on top of normal admission. For safety reasons, ALL safari riders must be at least 36″ tall and children under age 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Even without the safari, the zoo has plenty to offer, and you can easily spend a half a day here and it rarely feels crowded.
The pricing is as follows: Children (3-12 years old): $18.50; Adults (13-64 years old): $27.50; Seniors (65+ years old) & Military: $25.50 with the safari being an extra $17.50 a person. The hours from 1 May through 30 September are from 9am to 4pm.
Address: 13019 Catoctin Furnace Rd, Thurmont, MD 21788
Distance from Annapolis: An hour and 15 minutes
For more info and tickets: https://bit.ly/3Ivwm1L
By Frank Bolinsky, Parks & Rec Contributor
