We had a great time at the Bayou Wildlife Park from the moment we entered the gate. As soon as you turn into the property, you are stopped at a guard house where you pay your admission fees and purchase buckets of feed. The animals know you have just purchased food and they are waiting for you when you cross the cattle guard. The posted 5 miles an hour sign is no joke. With the number of animals we encountered, I would not drive any faster than that. But don't be too quick to throw your food out the window of your car, save it for the tram ride.
We finally reached the parking area and waited about 20 minutes for a tram. In that 20 minutes we took advantage of the bathroom facilities. We enjoyed the petting zoo, feeding a few animals through the fence and taking pictures. When the tram arrived and was ready to reload, they asked us for our numbers which we were given at the gate when we paid our admission fee. The lowest number got to pick where they sit first. The driver guided my boys to the front of the tram where they had kind of a shelf they could sit on criss-cross applesauce. I sat on the bench by the shelf.
Once the tram started the tour we enjoyed approximately 30 minutes of meandering around the 80+ acre park. The driver was fantastic with great information about all the animals. Fun and education, it just doesn't get any better than that. Anyway, as we toured the land and listened to the interesting facts, we were greeted time and time again by wonderful animals. We saw up close and personal lots of deer but we also saw emus, ostriches, a longhorn and camels. From the tram we came close to, but not personal, zebras and water buffalo. We saw from a distance a rhino and wildebeest. Safety tip, don't try to feed the animals from your hand, hold out your bucket but definitely hold your bucket with two hands. One large cattle creature took the bucket right out of the hands of one of our boys. The animals appear very docile. The only aggressive animal we saw was an alligator, who was guarding her nest of eggs, within a fenced enclosure.
I had four boys with me that day and everyone of them said thank you and asked to come back.
Trip Stats:
- Who: Mom, three 10 year old boys and one 5 year old boy
- What: Bayou Wildlife Park, http://www.bayouwildlifepark.com/
- When: late morning, on a Monday
- Where: South of Houston headed towards Galveston (about an hours trip from northwest Houston)
- Why: outdoor education about wildlife and fun
- Costs: $16/adult, $6/child and $8/bucket of feed. Tip on the feed: you really need to go ahead and get a bucket for every person who wants to feed. The animal walk right up to the tram and take a nibble out of every bucket hanging out. We had two buckets for four boys. It was a challenge to share.
- Food & Beverage: There are plenty of picnic tables, but no concession or snack stand. Bring your own food and beverages. There is a very small gift shop that was not open the Monday that we went. We did see a vending machine for drinks, but we had our own so not sure how much or what kind.
- Creature Comforts: The bathrooms are good. But be prepared for heat. There is no air conditioning anywhere. You can wait inside a very large shaded barn area, but unless there is a cross wind, there is no air. The tram has open sides so you can feed the animals. The tram does have a rooftop to shade you from the sun. The tram also travels through a lot of trees so the trip is quite comfortable besides you will be too excited about all the animals to worry about the temperature.
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