The family enjoyed the outing thoroughly. Except that we couldn't get to feed the giraffes. The employee at the entrance provided world class service, and everything that we would need to know on the trip.
4 stars because the family enjoyed it staff at the entrance were so nice..the cafe staff very polite people made us feel welcomed... is everything we imagined.. now 1 star minus because we had a security at the giraffe site he was VERY RUDE! I understand he gave us a reminder that our friend cant sit on the edge of our pickup truck OK!! FIRST!! OUR truck wasn't even moving because traffic was horrible like 20 cars in front us he was just stretching his legs from all the waiting PLUS other cars were cutting in line!!! LATER! we saw kids throwing plastic paper and cups out the window and other jumping in there pickup truck and security guy didn't tell them a single THING!.. HE EVEN WAVED AT THEM AND SMILE AT THEM..OH! BUT not to us we got screamed at saying that we need the follow instructions blah blah..we didn't want to cause a scene and get kick out so we stayed quiet and I decided just to write a bad review about this ALL I GOTTA SAY IS..IF HE NEEDS TO TELL PEOPLE TO FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS CAN HE SAY IT IN A POLITE WAY! AND ALSO TELL EVERYONE ELSE the same thing, don't be screaming at my family and my kids causing a scene as if we were hurting an animal or throwing paper.. please remind your security staff to show more respect!
Very scenic and wonderful place for a family to enjoy a picnic, with the friendly nature of animals, they are very co-operative while feeding. Our little daughter enjoyed a lot and had a fun with friends.
Time taken to complete the drive: 2 hours
Animals that we have seen today,
1. Deer
2. Giraffe
3. Bison
4. Cheetah
5. Ostrich
6. Zebra
7. Elk
Great family adventure. Son and granddaughter had a blast feeding the animals.
I highly recommend taking the bus so you can focus on the animals. Love the background story they have.
We did the safari tour and our tour guide, Will, was excellent. The tour is about 2 hours and you see a lot of different animals like giraffes, rhinos, wildebeests, cheetahs, ostriches, deer, and other animals. You get one cup to feed the animals and it was plenty. Feeding the giraffes was my favorite part. It's better to go in the morning if youre wanting to feed the giraffes because then the giraffes will come to you instead of other vehicals.
Such a fun place to go for the hole family. Perfect for day trips if you live in Dallas. Beware of the ostrich!!!
We did not see the wolves and many other animals. I understand it's not a zoo but I thought the wolves and other predatory animals would be in an enclosure like the cheetahs (which we did see). Other than that, it's about a 2.5 hr drive thru. Lines get long with people stopping to see the animals. Beautiful views and overall fun.
Thank you for responding and correcting me, Fossil Rim. My apologies!! I was not aware the other animals can only be viewed by a different tour.
Not bad. For a day outing it is perfect. Exhibits are kept in open and quite naturally makes it an awesome environment. Kids love feeding lettuce to Giraffes. If you are not so lucky they might not come when they are full. So try to go early in the morning.
Great family activitie, the staff is awesome. The guided tour is worth the extra cost, you see more, and the animals come to the tour vehicles better than personal vehicles.
Worst experience I ve ever had none of the animals were out or would come to the car giraffes were all caged up asked for a refund and wouldn t give our money back a waste of gas and time
Very cool place for the family! We really enjoyed our first trip to the park. It's better if you go early just as the park opens - the animals are more comfortable out. Take it easy- drive very slowly so you can enjoy the view. There are a ton of deers of several varieties and they would literally eat from your hands if you choose so! But the Giraffes were the best..we opened the sunroof of our SUV and she just put her long neck in to grab the goodies. Highly recommended..but the one little comment I have is about the price - even for driving in your own car they charge nearly $30 per person. I thought that was a little too much.
Great fun for family fun! Highly recommend booking a safari tour for up close views of animals & specific information from tour guide.
Awesome, fun experience. Would recommend coming during warmer times because we went when it was cold and unfortunately the giraffes and rhinos had to be put inside their enclosures. Love seeing the wildlife roam around and be free! Good selection of wildlife
This place is great. I came here as a kid and now I bring my kids. They say not to hand feed the animals but the animals will stick their heads in your car and eat from your hand. The kids love it.
First time coming here. It was so peaceful! Great experience. Just a tip dont leave the bag of feed on ur seat while u take a selfie w the Giraffe IT WILL TAKE IT AND EAT ALL UR FEED ALONG WITH THE BAG
Awesome place. Just go when it's cool outside. Too in the middle of summer. Definitely going back in the fall.
My family and I had a great experience, this place is a real sanctuary, we had an amazing time, i definitely recommend it.
Other than the giraffes being inside because of weather, this place was great! The animals really arent scared of you and in fact are a bit aggressive. They know you have food and will stick their heads literally in your car. It's pretty cute. Startling at first.
Really had a good time here. Love all the giraffes and cheetahs.
The best experience ever! Super beautiful place. A must-go
Great drive thru safari zoo. Nice facilties. Good collection of animals. Hand feeding the giraffes is the highlight of the tour. Good childrens education center. Lots of helpful staff.
Nice family day trip...especially during Covid. Kids had a good time (13 and 18 months old). There were a lot of deer though....not enough giraffe. Other than that pretty nice place.
Fossil Rim is one if the best drive through animal sanctuaries/parks, ive ever experienced! I wish more states had intimate animal attractions such as this. Many, many years ago, Six Flags- Great Adventure, in Jackson N.J., had a smaller type drive thru safari. It was unique for its time. But no way in size and variety of beautiful animals like Fossil Rim. I have visited at least 5+ times, in past few years. You will not be disappointed. It an experience you will never forget. The wildlife is so happy, and safe, in their free run environment.
The best time to visit- anytime after late Sept, until June. July and August - very hot, the animals are more laid back trying to stay cool, less active. But, I'm not saying you shouldn't visit during that time. The park needs visitors always. But, if you want the hands on experience with almost every animal, just check the weather.
Depending on your location to the park, its best to arrive early and give yourself plenty of time to drive slowly throygh the park. You will want to pull over quite a bit for photos. The animals will come right up to your vehicle, and are by no means - camera shy! I especially loved the zebras, the Roan, Deer, Oryx, Aoudad. The ostrich and Emu, very entertaining and love "tasting" your windshield.
OK, im just gonna say, i LOVED the unique interactions with every animal! You and your kids- will too! The giraffe are HUGE- when they are only inches away from your vehicle. Very overwhelming for the little kids under 5. And [some adults *smirk* ]
The staff is amazing, very informative and helpful. You can tell they love their jobs, and love the animals. They take wonderful care of the park **Tip** Bring plenty of water to drink. All vehicles will be able to drive the terrain, but trucks, SUVs, and 4x4's are very useful in inclimate weather. Especially rain. Most of the park is flat, but there is some steep inclines and STEEP down grades, when navigating the [mountain] higher elevated areas.
Take your time to drive through, and stop for photos. It takes approximately 3.5 hours to drive through. (Without too many stops).
Oh, and please, please, buy plenty of the animal food for sale at the at the entrance/gift shop. You will be able to hand feed the animals. But be sure to buy enough for the entire ride. That way you will have enough for the animals towards the end of the trail.
After writing this, it seems I'm really missing Fossil Rim, perfect time for another visit.
I hardly ever give my review but I am very disappointed! I spent over $70 & we drove for hours to see deers. Lots of animals not found or they were so far off the driveway that you couldn't feed or even semi-interact with them. No Zebras or anything. Just save your money and drive around country roads, you're likely to see more animals there. Expectations were way off!!!
Very good experience with giraffe, putting the head in to car from top open and collecting the food from our hands.
We love bringing the kids here. Tickets need to be purchased online in advance. Price of admission includes a bag of feed for the animals. You throw palettes for most of the animals, except for the giraffes, who eat from your hand. Last time we arrived in the afternoon, when the giraffes were full and did not come to the car. We still enjoyed the visit. This time we came first thing in the morning and had our sun-roof open. It was so exciting to have the giraffe come up to our car and eat from the kids' hands.
We had tickets for 8:30, but got there just before 10. The line was short and moved quickly. We spent around 2 hours in the park.
It is very beautiful one of the daily routine comes out but there are no animals that are there in the guide and there are many spaces alone at least the children have fun
What a fun place with a chance to see lots of anamils.
AWesome!! We stayed over in Glen Rose and went to Fossil Rim right when it opened. It was amazing to say the least. The kids were able to get right up close to the animals which you never get to at a Zoo. The animals had plenty of room to roams and looked happy and healthy. We will be coming again soon!
My family and I have been going to Fossil Rim roughly twice a year for about 8 years now. The place offers a wide variety of wildlife, especially for the area and there are enough animals present to make a great experience, even when the park is busy. The staff has always been friendly and we have never had a time where we didn't enjoy ourselves. We especially like the giraffe's which you are allowed to feed by hand. We see a lot of other visitors feeding the other animals by hand and the employees usually don't say anything about it, even though it is prohibited. As a casual guest, I would advise to expect to pay a premium, with zoo memberships giving a nice discount, but it is worth the price either way. My son sees our trips there as part of our culture and I am very happy that this park has provided this for us. Great memories are being built every time. This park is a must see and Glen Rose is wonderful as well. Please have an open mind when visiting and not write a poor review because one park employee upset you while purchasing a key chain or fries. We're all human. Peace.
Everyone had a blast watching and feeding all the animals. It s actually one of the best drive-thru wildlife parks I ve ever visited.
Great place to see animals from your car. They can come up close to the car.
I remember being a kid going here all the time, its too amazing to explain ! The pictures are just not enough to show the true bueaty of this place. Taking me & the team of 6 next weekend
Loved it here. Didn't get to see the cheetah but still was awesome to feed all the animals. The giraffes are beautiful. Was overall a nice get away. I just was a bit concerned about the drive on the cliff. I really think there should be rails there. If you have been there, you would know what I'm talking about. There is this part of the route that is raised up in the hills only right next to the road is an open valley that really surprises/shocks you. Looks like there was some kind of soil erosion.If you are distracted and swarve for any reason, it would not be a good outcome. I don't know how it has gone unnoticed.
PS; take some wipes and a trash bag to clean off the animal goo from your hands from feeding them. Actually gloves would be a good idea.
We used the 50% for Dallas Zoo members, so our family of 5 got in for $35. Spent about 5 hours there, saw nearly all the animals on the list except for about 5. Watch out for the Ostriches, they draw blood. The Emus and the Addax will eat from your hand though.
Amazing place to see animals! Six-year-old loved it! We saw and fed many animals up close and personal. Other drivers were very patient. Everyone took their time and enjoyed the animals and took pictures. We will definitely return!
I love this beautiful and I could have the giraffe very close
Pretty Expensive. Per adult is at 26 dollars and for a family with kids it goes above 100 dollars. They charge per person which is ridiculous than per vehicle. There are no guarantee for animals to be there. Even if it is still it is too high. Not going again and then $7 for that food which is outside the $26 dollars per son. Expensive deal. Cafe inside cost are also sky rocketing. Help yourself by taking food from home if you are going with family and that probably is your last visit.
Thank you Raven for saving so many lives!
Your legacy will NEVER be forgotten!
Price is really high for just a few animals they have
Such fun but too expensive to me. The giraffes only come up to the tour vehicles.
If you love petting animals then this is one hell of experience. Do not miss it!!!
My husband and I took our son and daughter (it was her birthday) here on our way home from San Antonio to DFW. We d never been before and I m so glad that we took advantage of a warm, sunny winter day by going. We drove our own car and although people who did the safari tour say it s so worth the extra money and avoid the long lines , we ll be driving our own car next time as well. We saved $60+ (including a first responders discount) by driving our own car. There were no long lines as there is a passing lane that runs throughout the park. I was in awe of how much space these animals have. If you love visiting the zoo but hate how people block your view of the animal in the exhibit, you ll love this place. No one will stand in front of you. We re members of the FW Nature Ctr & Refuge so this was right up our alley.
Really enjoyed our relaxing trip here. We chose to drive through and we were able to go at our own pace. The kids loved the animals coming to the window especially the zebras. They loved petting the goats and feeding them hay. The drive didn't feel long at all. Time flew by. If you are a nature lover this is the place to visit. Worth the price for the experience.
Entrance price is little expensive for what we get to see. Otherwise it was a nice experience with kids. You get to feed a lot of deers, antelopes, zebras and some more types of animals on the drive. There are not many carnivorous animals except cheetahs. Some are in more controlled zone (endangered) where only the guided tours can take you. Seeing and feeding giraffes can be good experience. You may need to drive in line if you have to feed the animals especially during weekends and holidays, otherwise you can go ahead of other cars. As we were waiting in line with slow driving our car ran out of gas since we didnt fill the tank when left home. Luckily they had some emergency gas service within the park, they provide 2 gallons for $6 a gallon.
Customer service has gone down hill over the years! After today, we will not be returning.
Even our college age daughter loved it! She wants to go back!
Our guide tour was amazing!! Our tour guide Jack Francis was the best and very knowledgeable!! We plan on coming back and have more tours especially with Jack. Best experience ever!!!
Love this place!!!! Don t know who enjoyed it more.... my husband and I or our kids. It s amazing having the animals up close.
If you visit.... please be safe and monitor your kids. I saw a few cars ahead of us, the parents were allowing the kids to stand on top of the windows!! So dangerous
For the summer, it seems best to go early or later in the day. All other times its hot and the animals are trying to avoid burning up in the sun. Its great fun for kids.
Our family vacation in glen rose included a trip to fossil rim. The kids enjoyed seeing all the animals while sitting in the bed of the truck. Feeding the giraffes was by far the highlight but is not a guaranteed part (sometimes the giraffes are not close to the road). Total round trip is probably about 45 minutes plus however long you choose to spend at the half way point (gift shop and small petting zoo).
I was very excited to come back to the park but it's an hour waiting to get to the entrance and another 20 mins to be checked in. The staffs were awsome but it's too crowded during the spring break....long line....by the time we got inside the animals were hiding from us....aka too many people...hahaha but it's fun because it's different.....
I have lived in DFW for 7 yrs and just made the trip out there yesterday. We got there early in the morning around 0845 and there were a few cars in front but the line moved quickly. Soon as we got inside there was a herd of wildebeest meandering in the field. During the visit we saw many types of deer, emu, zebras, cheetah, and even got to feed the giraffe. Yes it s a bit expensive as they charge per person. Not per car. But for a one day trip it was decent.
Kids would love this place. Go early morning to see most of the animals close by. Do take the animal food from the admissions, some animals wouldn't clear road unless fed.
This is a great little get away, especially if you can stay for the night or weekend. They offer cute cabins or you can stay in the main house. They offer a package where you get a tour and get to see all that goes on behind the scene. (The baby animals and secret enclosures) We had a blast!
Nice to connect to nature and wildlife. Family friendly. Great bathrooms. Beautiful store.
This is a great Park for kids and adults. So enjoyable to drive through and see the animals as well as get a chance to feed them. Picnic tables and gift shops as well.
fossilrim.org