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Go on a Safari in Alvin, Texas… at the Bayou Wildlife Zoo!

by Jill Jarvis 1 Comment

Bayou Wildlife Zoo Near Houston

Here’s what I like about Bayou Wildlife Zoo near Houston:

  1. It’s unexpected. I’d never suspect there was an African Safari tucked away in Alvin.
  2. You ride a shaded tram and the animals come to you. No chasing kids in the heat!
Bayou Wildlife Zoo Near Houston

Right along a busy road, back behind the trees, is the Bayou Wildlife Zoo. Here they have animals from 19 different countries, including locations in Africa, Asia, Australia, and North and South America. (Learn about it HERE!)

The last time we went, my big kids were little and my toddler wasn’t even born, so we made the drive down this summer.

The main attraction is the tram ride through the 86-acre property where exotic wildlife is allowed to roam. Not only do you get to see these animals up close, but you can even feed most of them.

At Bayou Wildlife Zoo, buckets of food are available for purchase and many of the animals will come up and stick their heads right into the tram looking for food!

Bayou Wildlife Zoo Near Houston

On this visit, we saw zebras, deer, water buffalos, wildebeests, camels, llamas, Watusi cattle, giraffes, ostriches and emus as well as many more types of animals on our safari-like trip.

Watch out for those ostriches though, they really like their food! (And one was even behind a fence in time-out for stealing hats and sippy cups. My kids are still talking about him!)

Bayou Wildlife Zoo Near Houston

Our tram ride lasted about 30 minutes… and we had a minor break down in the middle. For a second I thought it would be like a bad scene from Jurassic Park… but the staff just got us a new tram and animals were not concerned with our little stop. This turned into another highlight of the adventure.

After the tram ride, you can take a pony ride (for kids under 90 pounds), visit the petting zoo or have a picnic.

And on the drive out, you can use any left over food to feed the animals along the road. This was a lot of fun because the animals kept on sneaking around the car and surprising us at different windows!

The big kids really enjoyed going back… and the toddler loved it. She loves the Houston Zoo and this was even better. She sat in awed silence for the entire tram ride, just taking it all in… and has been talking about it for weeks now.

I recommend making the trip to Alvin for this safari… and try to organize a group of 15 so it’s not so expensive. (Just call them to work out the details.)  Also, bring water with you on the tram… and a picnic to eat at the shaded tables afterwards.

Also, you can find more Houston area farms HERE!

Bayou Wildlife Zoo:

Address: 5050 FM517, Alvin, TX 77511
Cost: Adults: $20, Kids: $10, Free Under 2, or organize a group for a discounted rate! (Cash or check. No credit cards accepted)

More Houston Area Farms:

 

Filed Under: All, Farms and Zoos, Things to do July 21, 2019

About Jill Jarvis

Jill Jarvis is the owner of JillBJarvis.com, a BigKidSmallCity.com and Things to Do in Houston, with Kids, blog!

She is the mom of 4 and started the website years ago... when she was tired of constantly cleaning up the same mess in the family room.

Another mom showed her that you could just go do fun things in Houston, without hours of planning.

This inspired the blog and changed everything about how she enjoyed life in Houston, with kids!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jeffrey Wright says

    July 23, 2019 at 8:16 am

    looks great! My son will be happy to visit this Zoo

    Reply

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jill-jarvis-bigkidsmallcity-circle-300 Welcome!  JillBJarvis.com is the go-to blog for things to do in Houston with kids!  It is upbeat and dedicated to making our big city feel small.   START HERE!    

On this website you will find a full list of Houston weekly events, things to do around the city, travel ideas and resources for parents.

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I started this website to make a list of all the events happening around Houston and then pick one to enjoy with my kids. And instead of thinking of all the things I was missing, I started to enjoy the things we were doing together.

If you are a parent that is feeling overwhelmed by all the things you could be doing in Houston… please just use our weekly lists and daily posts as suggestions. Pick one thing to do with your family and intentionally ignore the rest!

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