Getting Up Close and Personal With All God's Creatures at the Animal Adventure Park

 You don't have to be a kid to have a rollicking good time at the Animal Adventure Park in Harpursville, NY but kids would go crazy here.  The park became famous in 2017 when April, the giraffe, became a worldwide webcam sensation as all eyes watched and waited for her to give birth. That's when I first heard about the Animal Adventure Park and I've been itching to go ever since.

Sadly April was diagnosed with osteoarthritis in 2021 and had to be euthanized, but Tajiri, her offspring, carries on her legacy along with a slew of beautiful creatures at the zoo - over 300 representing over 100 species.  A gorgeous ride on I-88 for most of our drive, Animal Adventure Park is located just 15 minutes from Binghamton. Our decision to go was made spur of the moment so we didn't arrive at the zoo until 1:30 but that was ample time to enjoy the Preserve portion of the park.  This is the park's 11th season.

The park is divided into two sections, one a traditional type of zoo where guests can walk about visiting the animals in their caged habitats and 'The Preserve', a drive through park.  The Preserve consists of 100 acres of 3 miles of one way dirt roads that snake through grassland, scrub brush, and deep forests as you explore geographically designated paddocks:  Aussie Eurasia, The Americas, Africa & Giants of Africa. Being a "free" space, the animal inhabitants can choose if they wish to engage guests in their vehicles or keep their distance and ignore them. We are joining them in their environment (from the safety of our car)and that is a beautiful thing to experience!  We found almost all of the animals to be in hospitable moods, some more interested in us than others and all of them seeming to be well aware we were packing treats.  We purchased a $20 treat bucket which was a 1/2 bucket of pellets which we could feed any of the animals, a large handful of carrot sticks (also for any of the animals) and a cupful of lettuce for the giraffe.  We rationed the treats and had enough to get us through the entire Preserve, although I'm sure we could have emptied the bucket on the first group of animals. (They were a friendly bunch).

Admission to the Preserve was very reasonable, in fact much more affordable than the small local animal park.  Guests 3 and up are $14.99 at the Preserve.  The park and Preserve have different entrances and separate admission.   We planned on doing the Preserve on this visit, which is advertised to take 1-2 hours.  We enjoyed two leisurely hours of fun, pausing as long as we wanted at each animal group including a quick stop into the gift shop. Although the roadway was one-way and narrow, there were plenty of spots to pull to the side to let more hurried visitors pass.

Zebu

Tibetan Yak

Emu

Eland Antelope

Tank the Rhino

Tajiri and Desmond

Grants Zebras

Jordan Patch and his team have created a most beautiful environment - both for his animals and for visitors to enjoy the beauty and an up-close experience with animals one might only see on tv or behind a fence from a distance.  It's not everyday that a bison or yak comes face-to-face with you inside your car.  Where else can you go and come home with animal drool on your windows?  Or feed pellets on your car floor days later?   It was a truly magical experience to witness so many wild animals who were calm and relaxed, happy and healthy in a large and natural habitat.  I would absolutely do this again and can't wait to go back to experience the Animal Park too where they have lions, cheetahs, tigers, monkeys, wolves, bears and so many more.  Visitors can also purchase more intimate encounters with some of the animals including a sloth, a penguin, a rhino, or have breakfast with the giraffe.   

The Animal Adventure Park is open daily from 10:00-5:00 through October 22nd with many fun events happening including a trick or treat event and holiday lights.  

For more information and to learn more about Animal Adventure Park and the Preserve: 

https://www.visitaap.com/ and https://www.facebook.com/AnimalAdventurePark and https://www.facebook.com/ThePreserveatAnimalAdventure  The park is located at 85 Martin Hill Road in Harpursville NY.  It was an easy 2 hr. drive from Clifton Park on scenic I-88. 

There's plenty of time between now and October 22nd, so there's plenty of time to visit this great park.

Thanks for stopping by Life As I See It.

ZAA

Animal Adventure is an accredited zoological facility, earning accreditation after a rigorous application and site inspection process in December of 2021.

The Zoological Association of America (ZAA) is a non-profit, membership-based, accrediting organization dedicated to responsible wildlife management, conservation, and education. The ZAA upholds the highest level of professional standards in animal welfare, safety, and ethics.

USDA

We are federally licensed by the USDA; ensuring that our animals, their care, and facilities meet the same standards of all USDA licensed zoos and aquariums in the US. We are also licensed by NYS Department of Environmental Conservation and NYS Agriculture & Markets.

Many of our animal ambassadors are from rescue situations & surrenders! Ask our staff, we would love to share their story with you!