Branson's Wild World has over 180 animal species, including wolves, sharks, turtles, snakes and a baby kangaroo. You can even feed the sharks. After you visit with the animals, you can also play an optional game of 3D blacklight mini golf.
National Tiger Sanctuary - This animal attraction is located north of Branson in Saddlebrooke, off of Hwy. 65. You can take guided tours, feeding tours, or spend a day with the director, depending on how much you want to spend. There are lots of beautiful tigers, lions, and other wild animals here and if you want, you can donate to the cause. I would really love to pet and stroke those beautiful big cats.
Promised Land Zoo is located on Shepherd of the Hills Expressway. Our family visited PLZ two years ago and enjoyed seeing all the animals. It's free to feed the parakeets, or you can pay an additional fee to feed more exotic animals. There are also lectures about some of the animals.
If you're interested in prehistoric animals, visit the Branson Dinosaur Museum. You can see life-sized replicas of dinosaurs, dig for fossils in the dirt, see a fossil exhibit and visit the learning center.
Wild Animal Safari is located in Strafford, Missouri on Hwy. 44. You could stop here on your way to Branson or on your way home from Branson. It is a drive-through animal park with 70 different animals. You can also take a bus ride through the park with a guide. There are small carnival rides available if your youngsters need to burn off some steam. You can buy tickets at the website and save a little money.
Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge is located in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, which is a few miles southwest of Branson. This refuge also provides lifetime care for rescued tigers and lions and other wild creatures. There is lodging available on the property. You could combine a trip to Turpentine Creek with a trip to the Great Passion Play in Eureka Springs.
If you're interested in exotic animals but don't prefer to see them live and up close, you can see taxidermied animals and fish at the Ralph Foster Museum, which is located on the campus of College of the Ozarks. The taxidermied animals are mounted in realistic environments, except for the taxidermied fish - they're mounted on the wall. Look for the large swordfish.
Groupon and Half Price Ozarks often have deals for tickets for most of these animal attractions. I post many of these deals on this blog's Facebook page, so keep an eye out for them there.
Thanks for reading! See you next time!
Diane
