If you’ve met my 6-year-old Maxine, you’re sure to notice how much she loves animals. She can’t go anywhere without becoming BFFs with dogs, cats, lizards, tadpoles, grasshoppers—you name it! You don’t have to be as obsessed with animals as Maxine is to put the Wildlife Safari in Winston, Oregon on your must-do list!
This animal park is one of the most fun things to do near Eugene, Oregon. Just 1.5 hours south on I-5, it’s a unique experience your kids will talk about for years.
Wildlife Safari is a 600-acre park where the animals roam free as you drive past them. You’ll get incredibly close to many species, from hippos and ostriches to cheetahs and giraffes.
This is also a COVID-friendly and socially distanced activity, since you explore the park from inside your car.
To get your own up-close-and-personal experience with amazing animals, read on all about Wildlife Safari. In this guide, I cover
- Wildlife Safari prices and Groupons
- How to feed the animals
- When to visit Wildlife Safari
- Where to stay and hotels in Winston, Oregon
- plus more!
Wildlife Safari: One-of-a-kind experience for families
You and your kids won’t soon forget Wildlife Safari’s drive-through experience. Once you pay admission, you’ll drive along a one-way route that takes you past all sorts of animals. You’re asked to drive 10 mph or less and honestly, you won’t want to go faster. You want to see all the creatures!
Because they’re roaming free, you’re not guaranteed to get a close-up view of most animals. I had been excited to see rhinos but barely spotted them in a patch of shade high up on a hill. Try not to build up expectations of seeing certain animals so you and your kids aren’t disappointed.
As you drive through Wildlife Safari, car passengers are allowed to ride without seatbelts and with windows open. (Keepers ask that you close windows if animals approach your car, except in the animal feeding section—more on that below.)
Maxine and Edie couldn’t believe they could ride without seatbelts—honestly, I think it was one of the more memorable parts of the adventure.
What animals will you see?
I was much more interested in all the creatures we saw! The park is laid out by continent, so you’ll drive through Africa, Asia and the Americas. Some of the animals you’ll see:
- Giraffes
- Lions
- Bears
- Many hoofed species, including Sika deer, Tibetan yak, wildebeest and oryx
- Ostriches and emus
- Bison
- and of course cheetahs, the animal the park is best known for
Some sections of the route allow you to circle popular animal enclosures, such as the lions, as many times you like. This helps prevent a bottleneck of cars and allows you to spend more time with these beautiful creatures.
We were lucky enough to see not only cheetahs but a mama with three little cubs! You should have heard all the excited squeals coming from my minivan.
Wildlife Safari is the second-most successful cheetah breeding program in the world. 231 cheetahs (and counting!) have been born here. The breeding program is designed to maximize genetic diversity among a species in danger of inbreeding.
Wildlife Safari prices
Instead of paying per carload, as some drive-through attractions do, you pay per person. Wildlife Safari prices range from $16 to $22, depending on your age.
- Wildlife Safari tickets for adults: $22
- Wildlife Safari tickets for children ages 3-12: $16
- Wildlife Safari tickets for babies and toddlers 0-2: free
It is very likely you can also find a Wildlife Safari Groupon! Look for options that fit your family, and buy a combination of discounts that works for your family.
I bought a Wildlife Safari Groupon for one adult at $11.60 and an additional one for two children at $14. That’s a savings of $29—more than 50 percent!
Feeding animals at Wildlife Safari in Oregon
One of the biggest highlights of our visit to Wildlife Safari was feeling the animals! At first I thought they’d discontinued this activity since I last visited, when I was a kid. It turns out that the section of the park where you can feed animals is more than halfway through the drive-through safari. You’ll know you’re close when you pass the elephant habitat.
Once you arrive, get ready for a mob of animals! These critters know precisely what they’re in for: delicious food. (Well honestly, the kibble-like feed doesn’t actually look that appetizing, but maybe it’s considered a delicacy by Sika deer, emu and yaks.)
To feed the animals, pause at the booth. Feed is $5 per cup. I recommend buying one cup per person, plus an extra for every two children in the car. We bought 4 cups at $20. After Maxine and Edie had given out all their feed, I split the extra between the two of them. This was clutch because they were quite disappointed their feed was gone so quickly!
After all, these animals are hungry! Sika deer walk right up to your car and even stick their noses in through open windows. Hold onto those cups tight because the animals will knock them right out of your hands. Don’t be surprised if one of the deer licks you to get every last crumb of feed!
Emus might eat the feed, too. Make sure to feed them out of the cup, not your hand, as they can bite!
Free Safari Village Attractions
The drive-through safari is hands-down the park’s major attraction. By the end of all that driving, though, you’ll want to stretch your legs. Thankfully, you can park after completing the drive-through safari and walk around the free area.
Paths wind through the free Safari Village so you can wander past small animal enclosures, a flamingo-filled pond, and the lion viewing area. You’ll also find a very small petting zoo, though I think it’s more like a set of farm animal stalls with an opportunity to feed goats. After spending $20 on animal feed in the drive-through safari, Maxine and Edie couldn’t talk me into shelling out more to feed the goats!
You’ll also find clean restrooms, which you’ll probably need after driving around. Then let the kids run off some steam at the playground, or watch a zookeeper talk. When we visited, it was lemur feeding time. Cute!
Wildlife Safari Cafe
Hungry? You can order typical kid food (burgers, fries and mac n cheese) at the cafe. You can eat indoors, at one of a few picnic tables in the Safari Village, or—this is what I recommend—get it to go to eat in the picnic area just past the parking lot. These tables are located under enormous oak trees, giving you plenty of shade—and no crowds.
My kids say the best part of the cafe was fresh-scooped ice cream! Local brand Umpqua ice cream satisfied Maxine and Edie on a super-hot day. I was satisfied at the very reasonable $1.50 price for a single scoop.
Hotels in Winston, Oregon
You’ll notice that the address of Wildlife Safari is in Winston, Oregon. But if you’re looking for hotels near Wildlife Safari, focus on nearby Roseburg, Oregon.
(Winston is so little that you won’t find many lodging options.)
In Roseburg, don’t expect fancy lodgings. That means, though, that your visit to Wildlife Safari can be even more budget-friendly! Here are ideas to find hotels near Wildlife Safari:
Booking.comWeather in Winston, Oregon (+ When to Go to Wildlife Safari)
Overall, weather in Winston, Oregon is mild. Winter weather tends to average in the 50s; you’ll also see rainy days about half the time.
Summer can get quite hot and dry. June through September, expect high temperatures in the 80s and between one and four days of rain per month.
If you’re hoping to visit the park in the summer, keep wildfire season in mind. Oregon has been experiencing unusually hot and dry conditions, which often lead to wildfires. These are more common in late summer. If you plan a trip to Winston, Oregon to see the animals, keep an eye on wildfire conditions.
Finally, one more tip related to the weather in Winston, Oregon: Visit Wildlife Safari earlier in the day during the hot summer months. Animals will feel more comfortable and be more active before temperatures hit their highs.
Your Wildlife Safari questions: answered!
Admission to Wildlife Safari costs $22 for adults, $16 for children and $19 for seniors. That said, you can often find Wildlife Safari tickets through Groupon. On our recent visit, I paid a total of $25 for one adult and two children through a Wildlife Safari Groupon deal.
You’ll need 1.5 to 2 hours to drive through Wildlife Safari in Winston, OR. When my kids and I recently went, we explored at a leisurely pace, which took 2 hours. Budget additional time if you want to go to the Free Safari afterward.
Dogs are not allowed in the drive-through Wildlife Safari. If you come with a pet, you’ll need to leave any animals in the on-site kennels. It is free to use the kennel, but if you don’t have a padlock, you’ll need to buy one for $5.
From everything I saw, yes, Wildlife Safari treats animals well. Animals have ample space to roam and exercise. It is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), which means it meets professional and humane standards set by zoo and aquarium experts. Consider, too, that the Wildlife Safari cheetah breeding program is one of the most successful in the world, so it contributes to the viability of a majestic (and threatened) species.
Wildlife Safari in Winston, Oregon is only a few miles south of Roseburg, Oregon. The park is about 1.5 hours from Eugene, OR and 3 hours from Portland. Wildlife Safari is less than 5 miles off I-5, which makes it a terrific break on a road trip!
Are you so excited to go to Wildlife Safari and see all these animals firsthand? If you’re not ready to tick off your list of things to do near Eugene, Oregon, don’t forget to pin this post for later!
PS – If you’re in the area, check out my posts on family-friendly restaurants in Eugene, Oregon and a self-guided street art tour of Downtown Eugene!
How cool is this! I have never been to a safari park, but now I’m intrigued. Thanks for sharing.
Wildlife Safari is such a cool experience! I definitely recommend you go when you have the chance.
This looks so fun! I had no idea there was a safari park in Oregon! I love being able to see animals roaming a little more free than in a zoo setting.
Wildlife Safari is SUCH a family favorite! I couldn’t believe how close we got to some of the animals.