Tennessee has one big drive-thru safari in West Tennessee, with a 7.5-mile route where animals from six continents come right to your window. In the Smokies, the Cades Cove Loop is one of the most famous wildlife drives in the East, and since vehicle-free Wednesdays ended September 30, it’s open to cars every day this fall.
- Tennessee Safari Park (Alamo)
- Cades Cove Loop Road – Great Smoky Mountains National Park (Townsend)
TENNESSEE SAFARI PARK
Type: Self-drive exotic animal safari plus a 20-acre walk-through zoo. It’s on the Conley family’s century farm, which has kept animals since the family brought Tennessee’s first privately owned bison in 1963.
Location: 618 Conley Rd, Alamo, TN 38001 (West Tennessee, about 1.5 hours northeast of Memphis and 30 minutes from Jackson)
Phone: (731) 696-4423
Website: tennesseesafaripark.com · Ticket & Feed Cup Pricing · Hours · FAQs · Christmas Under the Stars
Social Media:
Size: A 7.5-mile drive-through safari plus a 20-acre walk-through zoo
Animals: Animals from every continent except Antarctica, including zebras, bison, rare and endangered antelope, camels, and more along the drive. The walk-through has giraffe feeding (Jackson the giraffe), Parakeet Landing, squirrel monkeys, a sloth barn with two-toed sloths and prehensile-tailed porcupines, wallabies, kookaburras, foxes, and a goat petting zoo.
Admission (tax included):
- Adults: $24
- Children (2–12): $16
- Ages 1 & under: Free
- Feed cups: $3 each or 4 for $10
- Giraffe carrot sticks are sold in the gift shop.
- No online ticket sales. Pay at the gate with cash or card (3.75% card surcharge).
Hours:
- Monday – Saturday: Gates open 10 AM, last car in 4 PM, park closes 5 PM
- Sunday: Gates open 12 PM, last car in 4 PM, park closes 5 PM
- Open year-round, every day except Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day.
Rules:
- No dogs or outside animals allowed anywhere in the park, at any time. No exceptions.
Other Experiences: A Christmas Under the Stars holiday event, group and field trip rates, and seasonal gem mining
Tip: Brave guests feed the giraffe a carrot held in their teeth, which earns them an 18-inch-tongue kiss.
CADES COVE LOOP ROAD – GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK
Type: National Park Service one-way scenic loop through a historic mountain valley, known for roadside black bears, white-tailed deer, and wild turkeys
Location: Cades Cove Loop Rd, Townsend, TN 37882 (Tennessee side of the Smokies, about 30 minutes from Townsend and 1 hour from Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge)
Phone: Great Smoky Mountains NP info line (865) 436-1200
Website: nps.gov/grsm – Cades Cove · Parking Tags · Road Conditions
Social Media: Facebook · Instagram (@greatsmokynps)
Length: An 11-mile, one-way paved loop (20 mph speed limit). Allow 2–4 hours. Sparks Lane and Hyatt Lane are two-way shortcuts across the middle.
Animals: Black bears (often in trees eating acorns in fall), white-tailed deer (bucks in the rut in fall), wild turkeys, coyotes, and groundhogs. Historic cabins, churches, and a working grist mill line the route.
Admission:
- No entrance fee.
- A parking tag is required if you park more than 15 minutes anywhere in the park: $5 daily, $15 weekly, $40 annual.
- Buy tags online, at visitor centers, or at the Townsend Wye and Cades Cove kiosks.
Hours:
- Open to vehicles sunrise to sunset, daily. Vehicle-free Wednesdays ended for 2026 on September 30.
- Closes for weather, especially ice and snow in winter.
Rules & Tips:
- Stay at least 50 yards (half a football field) from bears and elk. Approaching, feeding, or disturbing wildlife is illegal.
- Pull fully off the road to watch. “Bear jams” can stop traffic for long stretches.
- October is peak season, with foliage, active bears, and heavy traffic. Arrive at the gate before 8 AM or go in the late afternoon.
- No services on the loop, so bring snacks and water.
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