Drive-Thru-Safari-Wildlife-Parks-in-Maryland

Drive-Thru Safari Wildlife Parks in Maryland

Maryland has no self-drive safari park where you take your own car through animal pastures. What it does have is a guided safari truck ride at a classic family zoo, a small exotic-animal rescue farm with wagon safaris, and two great wildlife drives on the Eastern Shore: one known for bald eagles and one famous for wild horses.

CATOCTIN WILDLIFE PRESERVE

Type: Walk-through zoo and preserve with a guided safari truck ride (not self-drive). It has been family-run since 1966.
Location: 13019 Catoctin Furnace Rd, Thurmont, MD 21788 (on US-15, about 1 hour from Baltimore and DC)
Phone: (301) 271-4922
Website: catoctinwildlifepreserve.com · Tickets & Hours · Daily Fun

Size: The preserve is about 50 acres. The safari ride winds through four paddocks covering 25 wooded acres.
Animals: Bears, big cats, monkeys, macaws, alligators, and snakes in the walk-through zoo. On the safari: camels, bison, ostriches, zebras, and more, many of which you can feed from the truck.

General Admission:

  • Adults (13–64): $29.50
  • Seniors (65+) & Military: $27.50
  • Children (3–12): $20.50
  • Ages 0–2: Free

Safari Ride Upgrade: $17.50 per person on top of admission

  • The safari truck departs daily at 11 AM, 12 PM, 2 PM, and 3 PM, weather permitting.
  • It’s billed as the only ride-through safari in the mid-Atlantic.

2026 Hours:

  • October 1–31: Open daily, first entry at 10 AM (generally 10 AM – 4 PM)
  • November 1 – December 23: Open daily except Thanksgiving, only when it’s dry and 45°F or warmer
  • Closed for the season December 24, 2026 until March 2027
  • Some exhibits close 60 minutes before the preserve does.

Feed & Extras:

  • Encounter tokens are $5 each and are sold only at the admission booth, Safari Outpost, and gift shop.
  • One token buys: petting zoo food, tortoise feeding (daily 11 AM – 3 PM), koi food, or a safari food refill.

Tips:

  • Reviewers say the safari is the highlight and worth the upgrade.
  • The truck ride is bumpy, so it’s not ideal for anyone pregnant or with back or joint pain.
  • Budget extra for tokens, since most encounters cost more on top of admission.

WORKHORSE FARM RESCUE & EXOTICS

Type: Small exotic-animal rescue farm with guided wagon safaris. You visit by appointment only. It has been operating since 2002.
Location: 25883 Garey Rd, Denton, MD 21629 (Eastern Shore, Caroline County)
Phone: (410) 253-2035
Email: info@WorkHorseFarm.org
Website: workhorsefarmrescueexotics.com · Tickets · Meet Our Animals · FAQ · Private Family Tour
Social Media:

Size: 40 acres
Animals: Zebras, camels, buffalo, ostriches, kangaroos, capybaras, a two-toed sloth, and a zonkey (zebra-donkey cross)

Admission: About $15 per person, with ages 2 and under free (per local tourism listings). Some visitors report it’s cash only.
Private Family Tour: $300 for up to 10 people. It includes small-animal encounters and then a wagon safari where zebras, camels, buffalo, and ostriches eat inches from you.

Hours:

  • Weekends only, about 10 AM – 3 PM, by appointment only
  • Seasonal: it closes for winter and reopens in spring.
  • Call to confirm whether the season is still running this fall.

Tips:

BLACKWATER NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE

Type: USFWS national wildlife refuge with a paved self-drive wildlife loop
Location: Visitor Center: 2145 Key Wallace Dr, Cambridge, MD 21613 (12 miles south of Cambridge). The Wildlife Drive entrance is about 1.5 miles east of the visitor center.
Phone: (410) 228-2677
Email: fw5rw_BWNWR@fws.gov
Website: fws.gov/refuge/blackwater · Visit Us · Rules & Policies · Pay on Recreation.gov · Friends of Blackwater FAQ
Social Media: Facebook

Size: More than 20,000 acres are open to the public. The paved Wildlife Drive is about 3.6–4 miles long, with 2 short trails, an observation platform, a photo blind, and many pull-offs.
Animals:

  • The largest breeding population of bald eagles on the East Coast north of Florida
  • The largest natural population of Delmarva fox squirrels
  • Huge wintering flocks of Canada geese and other waterfowl
  • Herons, egrets, ospreys, foxes, and sika deer

Admission (Wildlife Drive):

  • $3 per private vehicle
  • $1 per hiker or biker age 16+
  • Pay at the self-service kiosk at the start of the drive (cash or check only) or on Recreation.gov.
  • It’s free with an America the Beautiful pass, an annual pass, or a current Duck Stamp.
  • The visitor center and all other public areas are free.

Hours:

  • Wildlife Drive: Sunrise to sunset daily
  • Visitor Center: Tuesday – Sunday, 10 AM – 4 PM. It’s closed Mondays and federal holidays.

⚠️ 2026–27 Hunt Closures: Most of the Wildlife Drive is closed on October 22–23, 2026, December 4, 2026, and January 8, 2027. On those days, the west-end Pool 5 loop stays open for free.

Tips:

  • Late fall through winter is peak season for eagles and geese.
  • Bring binoculars, and stay on designated roads and trails.
  • Watch the refuge’s eagle and osprey cams on the visitor center monitors.

ASSATEAGUE ISLAND NATIONAL SEASHORE (MARYLAND DISTRICT)

Type: NPS barrier island where wild horses roam freely along the park roads, campgrounds, and beaches
Location: 7206 National Seashore Ln, Berlin, MD 21811 (about 8 miles south of Ocean City)
Phone: (410) 641-1441
Website: nps.gov/asis · Fees & Passes · Alerts · Maps
Social Media: NPS Facebook · NPS Instagram

Animals: About 80–100 wild horses in the Maryland herd, often seen right along Bayberry Drive and the main park road. Also sika deer, foxes, shorebirds, and migrating raptors in fall.

Admission:

  • Private vehicle: $25 (7-day pass)
  • Motorcycle: $20 (7 days)
  • Walk-in or bicycle: Free
  • Assateague annual pass: $45 (valid in both the Maryland and Virginia districts)
  • America the Beautiful passes are accepted.
  • Free Entrance Days: October 27 (Theodore Roosevelt’s birthday) and November 11 (Veterans Day)
  • Note: Assateague State Park, next door, is separate and charges its own fee.

Hours: The Maryland district is open 24 hours, and the entrance booths are staffed seasonally.

Tips:

  • Never feed or pet the horses. They kick and bite, and feeding them carries fines. Stay at least 40 feet (about 2 bus lengths) away.
  • Drive slowly, since horses often stand in the road.
  • Fall is quieter than summer and has fewer biting insects.
  • Bring photo ID along with your pass.

Explore Drive-Thru Wildlife Parks in Neighboring States:
Pennsylvania · Delaware · Virginia · West Virginia