Yesterday my son and I joined my brother and his young children for our first visit to Cherokee Trace Drive- Thru Safari. It was my first visit and when I read looked up the business on line, I found the reviews mixed. They were mostly positive with the occasional negative review thrown in, (including by the way, a response to an article written on this very site a few years back). After visiting for myself, I saw none of the problems others did. And by the way, they tended to complain about different things.
In my experience the staff was very friendly and helpful, the grounds were clean and attractive, and the animals were friendly, healthy and active. The kids had a great time. They were inspired to ask questions about the animals, and got to get up close and personal with species they could only watch from a distance at the zoo.
I should mention that Cherokee Trace is a bit of a hike from Tyler. Hopefully they will be able to establish a bit more visibility which would help visitors locate the park, but honestly it wouldn’t be as much fun if it was sitting in the middle of Jacksonville. Evidently by the way, the park is either up for sale or recently purchased. It seemed well run and cared for either way, so here’s to hoping that will stay the same and East Texas will continue to benefit from the safari experience.