virginiasafaripark.com

What is Virginia Safari Park?

Virginia Safari Park is a drive-through wildlife park in Natural Bridge, Virginia, where you stay in your own vehicle to see and feed animals across 180 acres, then continue on foot through a walkable area called Safari Village. It also offers behind-the-scenes encounters with animals such as sloths, rhinos, and penguins. The park is in Rockbridge County, just off exits 180/180-B on I-81, and is open seven days a week with seasonal hours and last-admission cutoffs.

Ways to visit

• Safari Drive-Thru: The main draw. You interact with animals from your car, so expect a slow, self-paced loop.
• Safari Village: A walking section for guests who want to stretch their legs and see exhibits on foot.
• Feeding Aviary: A hands-on stop for feeding birds.
• Special encounters: Behind-the-scenes experiences with sloths, rhinos, or penguins, typically booked separately from general admission.

Who it suits: Families with kids, road-trippers on I-81, and anyone who prefers animal viewing from a car over long walks. If you want a quick stop, the drive-thru alone can fit; if you want a full day, pair it with the village and an encounter.

Practical planning: Advanced ticket purchase is recommended, and hours vary by season. Check the park's full hours page for last admission and holiday closures before you go, and use the park map to plan your route around exhibits, dining, restrooms, and play areas. Address: 229 Safari Ln, Natural Bridge, VA 24578. Start at Virginia Safari Park for current hours, tickets, and event details.

How do I buy tickets and what are the opening hours?

Buy tickets online in advance through the park's own website; the park recommends advanced ticket purchase, so booking ahead is the simplest way to secure your date. On the site, look for the "Buy Tickets" call to action on the homepage and follow it to the ticketing page. If you prefer to decide at the gate, arrive early — the park notes that advance purchase is recommended, which suggests walk-up availability can be limited on busy days.

Virginia Safari Park

Opening hours at a glance

The park is open seven days a week, but hours are seasonal, so check the full hours schedule before you travel — it also lists last admission times and holiday closures. Note that the "last car out" time is later than the posted closing time, which matters most for the drive-thru safari: you drive your own vehicle through, so you need enough time before that cutoff to complete the route.

A practical plan

Decide first whether you're doing the drive-thru safari, Safari Village on foot, or both. The drive-thru rewards an early arrival, since animals tend to be active and lines shorter right at opening; Safari Village and the walk-through areas fit comfortably into the middle of the day. If you want a behind-the-scenes encounter with sloths, rhinos or penguins, those are separate add-ons, so book them alongside your admission rather than assuming they're included.

Before you go, download or open the park map to locate exhibits, dining, restrooms and play areas. The park sits in Rockbridge County just off exits 180/180-B on I-81 in Natural Bridge, Virginia — a straightforward drive that pairs well with other Shenandoah Valley stops.

Next step: open the full hours page, confirm your date isn't a holiday closure, then buy tickets for that date and save the park map to your phone.

What can I do at the drive-thru safari versus Safari Village?

At Virginia Safari Park, the two main experiences differ by how you move and how close you get: the drive-thru safari is done from your own vehicle, while Safari Village is a walk-through area. The drive-thru lets you stay in your car and interact with animals as you go; Safari Village is where you park and explore on foot, including the feeding aviary. The park also offers behind-the-scenes encounters with sloths, rhinos, or penguins, which are separate from both the drive-thru and the village walk.

Quick comparison

A practical way to decide: if you have limited mobility or young children who do better in the car, start with the drive-thru. If you want to linger, feed birds in the aviary, and set your own pace, plan extra time in Safari Village. Many visitors do both in one visit.

Next step: check the park map before you go so you can locate exhibits, dining, restrooms, and play areas, and confirm the day's hours and last admission times on Virginia Safari Park.

How do I get to Virginia Safari Park from I-81?

Take Exit 180 or 180-B off I-81 in Natural Bridge, Virginia, then follow the signs to 229 Safari Ln, Natural Bridge, VA 24578. The park sits in Rockbridge County, just off the interstate, so the drive from the exit is short. The same page suggests using your usual map app or GPS, which is the simplest way to handle the final turn.

Before you set out

• Enter the street address, not just "Virginia Safari Park," so your GPS routes you to the entrance rather than a nearby landmark.
• Check the hours page for that day's opening time, last admission and any holiday closures, since the park runs seasonal hours seven days a week.
• Buy tickets in advance when you can. The site recommends advanced ticket purchase, and it saves time at the gate on busy weekends.

A practical example

If you're coming from the north or south on I-81, plan to arrive near opening rather than mid-afternoon. Drive-thru traffic and walk-through areas both take time, and the last car out is earlier than you might expect. Build in a buffer so a delay on the interstate doesn't eat into your visit.

For trip planning, the park's own Virginia Safari Park site has directions, hours and a park map. If you want to compare with other regional attractions, Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources covers wildlife-related outings, though it won't have this park's hours.

What behind-the-scenes animal encounters are available?

The park lists behind-the-scenes encounters with sloths, rhinos, or penguins, in addition to its drive-thru safari and walk-through Safari Village. These are separate, up-close experiences rather than part of general admission, so they suit visitors who want a more focused animal interaction than feeding from a car or strolling the village.

For a practical next step, use the park's own pages to check which encounters are running on your date and how to reserve: the main site at Virginia Safari Park and its plan-your-visit section. Because encounters often have limited slots and may sell out, booking ahead is the safer choice if a specific animal is your priority.

A quick decision guide:

• Want to stay in your vehicle: Choose the drive-thru safari.
• Want to walk and feed animals: Choose Safari Village and the feeding aviary.
• Want a scheduled, close-up session with a keeper and a specific species: Choose a sloth, rhino or penguin encounter.

If you are visiting with young children or a group with mixed mobility needs, the drive-thru and village give you flexibility, while a behind-the-scenes encounter works best for one or two people willing to commit to a set time.

What events and seasonal activities does the park offer?

The park promotes seasonal celebrations and special themed days as ongoing programming, with a dedicated news and events section for current listings. Because these rotate through the year, the specific lineup changes — so treat the events page as the authoritative, up-to-date source rather than any fixed annual calendar.

Virginia Safari Park

How the park is structured

Three ways to experience the animals shape what a themed day actually looks like:

• Drive-thru safari — you stay in your vehicle and interact with animals along the route.
• Safari Village — a walking area, including a feeding aviary.
• Behind-the-scenes encounters — up-close sessions with animals such as sloths, rhinos, or penguins.

Special events typically layer onto one or more of these, so a themed day may change crowd patterns in the drive-thru or add demand for encounters.

Practical planning points

• The park is open seven days a week with seasonal hours, plus last admission times and holiday closures listed separately.
• Advanced ticket purchase is recommended, which matters most on event weekends.
• It sits in Rockbridge County, Natural Bridge, Virginia, just off exits 180/180-B on I-81 — a straightforward add-on to a Shenandoah Valley drive.
• A park map covers exhibits, dining, restrooms, and play areas, useful if an event draws you toward one section.

Next step

Open the events page before choosing a date, then cross-check it against the full hours schedule — an event day with shortened seasonal hours or an early last-admission cutoff can compress your visit more than you expect. If a sloth, rhino, or penguin encounter is the priority, confirm it is running on your date rather than assuming it operates daily.