When the going gets tough, head to Mooresville and the Lazy 5 Ranch for some quality family time with a drive through safari at this cool animal park in North Carolina. Prepare to see it all from the comfort of your own vehicle and to feed the animals.
Kids and adults alike will love checking out the many animal species at Lazy 5 Ranch as they drive through the safari, stretching across 185 acres in the town of Mooresville, located just north of Charlotte, North Carolina.
The exotic animal park includes pot-bellied pigs, kangaroos, llamas, water buffalo, zebra, giraffe, ostrich, goats, and more. It opened to the public in 1993 and includes more than 750 animals from six continents.
Most of the animals on the safari are extroverts that aren't bashful about peeking into your car window to say hello — and get a bite to eat.
(For those eager to hand-feed a zebra, the ranch warns that zebras are the only animals on the drive-through safari that are prone to accidentally biting. On the website and when you enter the safari, it's advised not to feed them.)
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Prepare to meet all kinds of interesting creatures.
The safari route is 3.5 miles long and with all the stops to feed and visit with friendly animals, it's an adventure you won't soon forget. (All drive-through safari visitors are asked to remain in the car at all times.)
Be sure to confirm before making the trip that the Lazy 5 Ranch is open. It does close for a couple of weeks, for example, for annual maintenance and vaccinations for the animals.
You'll find admission rates and current hours of operation at the official website for the Lazy 5 Ranch. General admission includes the drive through the safari in your vehicle as well as the opportunity to get out and walk around the petting zoo afterwards. Buckets of food are available to purchase in addition to your admission ticket.
Lazy 5 Ranch is located northeast of Mooresville on NC-150 (Mooresville Road). Little exists in the way of signage so be sure to add the address below to your gps so you don't drive right by the entrance.
I had the opportunity to visit this wonderful place as a part of a special mother-daughter trip. My daughter is an animal lover, and I kept this visit a surprise. It was an incredible, fun experience seeing the animals approach the vehicle eagerly for food.
The emus, actually, were a little scary to her – aggressive, I would say, when they ate. One of them even knocked one of the two buckets we had purchased out of our hand and got much more of a meal than we had intended, greedy guy!
And another cherished memory from this drive through safari was one particular little cow who was so short, he had a hard time reaching the window to get food. She found it adorable how he would tilt his head up so he could eat!
Have you visited this drive through safari, Lazy 5 Ranch, in North Carolina in the past? What’s your favorite permanent furry resident of the park? Join the conversation in our comments, or if you haven’t visited yet, make plans to soon! Book this cute cottage in Mooresville and make it an overnight adventure.
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Drive-Through Safari In North Carolina & Related Info
AnneMarie|January 26, 2024
Are there any other animal encounters in North Carolina?
Yes! In addition to Lazy 5 Ranch, check out the Shackleford Wild Horse and Shelling Safari that leaves from Beaufort and the Bear Safari at Alligator River in East Lake, just for starters.
