Each year, USA Today Readers’ Choice Awards holds an online voting competition. The 2020 nominees for “Best Safari Park” were released on Monday, March 16. Voting was temporarily halted due to the pandemic, but is now back on. Voting is open now thru July 6, and voters can vote once daily. The winners will be announced on July 17. See below for our recap of the nominees.
To see our article on “Best Zoo Exhibit” Nominees, click here.
To see our article on “Best Zoo” Nominees, click here.
The Favorites
The 2019 and 2018 competitions were both won by the Lee G Simmons Conservation Wildlife Safari Park in Ashland, Nebraska. Rebranded as Wildlife Safari Park, they are the favorites to take home the title this year. This park has a plains animal approach, and you weave through the prairies and the woods seeing elk, deer, and bison. You can also stop at a halfway point and stretch your legs while visiting eagles, wolves, bears, and some goats. On our trip in 2017, we found ourselves surrounded by elk on our way out. It’s a great experience! The other top contenders would be the Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center (2nd in 2019, 1st in 2017), and the Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Texas (3rd in 2017, 2nd in 2018, 5th in 2019). One more to watch is Bearizona Wildlife Park in Williams, Arizona (5th in 2017, 3rd in 2018, 4th in 2019). We haven’t visited Bearizona, but have multiple friends who have, and they say it is amazing!
The Underdog
For us, The Wilds in Cumberland, Ohio is one to watch for. Although not necessarily an underdog, they would be a candidate that could win for the first time. The Wilds has seen a steady climb in the rankings over the past three years. They finished 10th in 2017, 5th in 2018, and 3rd in 2019. Their part in the tv series “Secrets of the Zoo” on the National Geographic channel might have been the culprit behind their recent higher finishes. We visited The Wilds in 2019, and it is definitely as cool as it seems on tv. Giraffes, rhinos, and more have plenty of room to roam, in a scenic rolling hills pasture in Ohio. There’s also a chance to get out of the tour bus and see wild dogs and cheetahs from a close range.
Additional Safari Parks
Usually we would call out the “snubs” that were left off the list. I wouldn’t call the below parks “snubs”. However, they’re worth pointing out as safari parks that are in the midwest, and worth the visit.
- African Safari Park, Port Clinton, Ohio – We visited here in 2019, and enjoyed it very much. There are many animal feeding opportunities here. They have both a drive through and walk through option.
- Branson’s Promised Land Zoo, Branson, Missouri – Similar to the African Safari Park, they have both a drive through and walk through portion, but this one does have more of a typical zoo feel on the walk-through side.
- Safari Lake Geneva, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin – We visited this one in 2020. This park changed its format to a drive-thru park because of the pandemic. It’s the smallest one on this list, but worth the visit.
- Aikman Wildlife Adventure, Arcola, Illinois – This one is on our list for a visit in 2020. We’re assuming it is similar in size to Safari Lake Geneva.
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