South Carolina has one drive-thru animal park, an Upstate preserve whose drive-through deer park runs only May through September, so it’s closed for the season right now. It returns in November as a drive-through holiday lights event. The best wildlife drive open this month is a free refuge loop across the river from Savannah, full of alligators and wading birds.
- Hollywild Animal Preserve (Wellford / Inman)
- Savannah National Wildlife Refuge – Laurel Hill Wildlife Drive (Hardeeville)
HOLLYWILD ANIMAL PRESERVE
Type: Nonprofit 501(c)(3) animal preserve with a seasonal self-drive deer park, private animal encounters, glamping, and a holiday drive-through lights event. It opened in 1970, and its animals have appeared in 65+ feature films.
Location: Two separate entrances:
- Deer Park Drive-Through: Little Mountain Rd entrance, across from 1441 Little Mountain Rd, Inman, SC 29349
- Office, Encounters, Glamping & Magic of Lights: 2325 Hampton Rd, Wellford, SC 29385
- Both are in Spartanburg County, about 30 minutes from Greenville.
Phone: (864) 472-2038
Email: hollywild@hollywild.com
Website: hollywild.org · Drive-Through Deer Park · Hours · Magic of Lights · Glamping – Nature Nook Retreats
Social Media: - Instagram (@hollywildpreserve)
Size: About 80 acres of pasture, woodland, and ponds
Animals: Nearly 400 animals. The drive-through has deer, antelope, steers, donkeys, alpacas, and waterfowl. Encounters feature capybaras, fennec foxes, baby kangaroos, and fallow deer.
Deer Park Drive-Through:
- ⚠️ Seasonal: May – September only. Closed now, and returns in May 2027.
- Hours in season: Saturdays 10 AM – 5 PM, Sundays 1 – 5 PM. The gate closes at 4 PM.
- Admission: $8 per person. Children 24 months and under are free.
- Animal feed: $5, $10, or $15 options. No outside food is allowed, per USDA rules.
- Drive-through only: no walking areas.
Open Now (through October 31):
- Private Animal Encounters and Nature Nook glamping cabins, 7 days a week. Book online.
Coming Soon: The Magic of Lights
- November 20, 2026 – January 1, 2027
- A drive-through display of millions of lights, plus animal interactions and a holiday Village. Buy tickets through Magic of Lights Greenville.
- Go on a weeknight to avoid long lines.
SAVANNAH NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE – LAUREL HILL WILDLIFE DRIVE
Type: USFWS national wildlife refuge with a free self-guided gravel auto loop through former rice-plantation impoundments
Location: Visitor Center, 694 Beech Hill Ln, Hardeeville, SC 29927. The Wildlife Drive entrance is on SC-170, about 10 minutes from downtown Savannah, GA.
Phone: (843) 784-2468
Website: fws.gov/refuge/savannah
Size: The refuge covers about 32,000 acres of marsh, tidal river, and bottomland forest. The Laurel Hill Wildlife Drive is about 4 miles of dikes between historic rice fields.
Animals: American alligators (often sunning on the banks), wood storks, roseate spoonbills, herons, egrets, purple gallinules, ospreys, and bald eagles. Huge numbers of wintering ducks arrive starting in November.
Admission: FREE
Hours:
- Wildlife Drive: Daily, sunrise to sunset
- Visitor Center: Hours vary. Call ahead.
- The drive occasionally closes for hunts or flooding, so check the refuge website before you go.
Rules & Tips:
- Stay well back from alligators and never feed them.
- Drive slowly, and pull fully onto the shoulders to watch.
- Bring bug spray and binoculars.
- Cooler fall mornings are great for alligator and bird activity.
Explore Drive-Thru Wildlife Parks in Neighboring States:
North Carolina · Georgia