Here in the Ozarks, we have a vast amount of critters to observe. There are wild turkeys, white-tailed deer, raccoons, hawks, eagles and the occasional skunk, to name a few. But sometimes a person has a hankering to see some animals that are a little more unique, a bit more exotic, and a tad less run of the mill. Here in the Midwest, the best place to go see amazing creatures like zebras, kangaroos, lions and elephants is at a zoo! Are you around the Tri-Lakes area and looking for a Branson zoo? (Or a near Branson zoo?) You are in luck – there are some exotic adventures not far from you!
Promised Land Zoo
Promised Land Zoo, located on Shepherd of the Hills Expressway in Branson, Missouri, is a fantastic option for a Branson Zoo experience. Promised Land Zoo is a five acre zoo encompassing over one hundred different animals and forty-four different species, many of which are babies and youngsters. Meandering about the neatly mulched hillside paths, you’ll find critters like caracals, alligators, prairie dogs, a spider monkey, and more! Be sure to bring your camera – you’ll certainly want to snap some pictures of the exotic deer, tortoises and other cool critters. Promised Land Zoo offers animal shows every day for your enjoyment – visitors can get up close and personal with some of the zoo’s animals, and learn about their traits, habitats and other information in an outdoor show and tell setting. Zoo visitors also have the opportunity to help bottle feed some of the baby animals that reside at the zoo.
Dickerson Park Zoo
Dickerson Park Zoo is a great nearby Branson zoo located in Springfield, Missouri next to the fairgrounds. Home to over three hundred animals, you can spend hours here roaming through different ‘continents’ admiring the animals that live there. You will find tigers and elephants in the Asia section of the zoo, for example. Kangaroos hop happily about in the Australia exhibit, zebras make their home in Africa and otters can be found frolicking in the North American exhibit. Dickerson Park Zoo also has a petting zoo area, where guests can pet and feed goats, donkeys and cows. There are exotic birds located throughout the zoo, as well as a reptile house and a giraffe exhibit, where animal lovers can feed the long necked giants crackers. Peacocks can also be found roaming freely about the zoo – you may find a few fancy feathers lying around!
Branson’s Wild World
Branson’s Wild World is a unique interactive animal attraction that features one hundred eighty different species of animals for you to enjoy. You have the chance to touch, feed and hold some pretty cool critters that you don’t see every day. One of the most unique features of Branson’s Wild World is the indoor wolf exhibit, Wolf Woods. It is the only indoor wolf exhibit in the region, featuring wolves that have been bottle fed from pups and are now full grown! Branson’s Wild World also features an arcade and glow in the dark mini golf – and the golf course is surrounded by live animal exhibits!
If you want an exotic animal experience to remember, you are sure to find it at a Branson or near Branson zoo. Let the adventures begin!
