Drive-Thru Zoos on the East Coast
Take the whole family out on an animal-filled experience with some beautiful drive-thru zoos. Enjoy a wide selection of everyone’s favorite critters, goats, llamas, and majestic ones like lions, tigers, elephants, rhinos, etc. An amazing weekend getaway for the kiddos! For those with a longer trip down, the weather and the gorgeous Jersey greenery make for a relaxing scenic drive. There are some must-visit getaways in the tri-state too.
Please make sure to call and confirm each zoo before visiting as availability can change daily.
Six Flags Safari
1 Six Flags Blvd, Jackson Township, NJ 08527
Six Flags Wild Safari Drive-Thru Adventure is now open from the comfort of your own car! HOT TIP: Plan your visit on a weekday for the best reservation availability. You will have to make an online reservation before your visit, of course. Six Flags Safari boasts 1,200 animals from all parts of the world. The drive itself takes you very close to the animals while being entertained and informed by guides the whole way through. Safari Off Road Adventure is a must-do and best done in the first half of your visit to the park. It offers opportunities to see exotic animals up close. This kind of trip is bound to be a great bonding experience for the whole family, regardless of age.
Space Farms Zoo Museum
218 County Road 519, Sussex, NJ, 07461
Space Farms Zoo in Sussex, NJ, is home to over 500 live wild animals. Explore the most popular zoo animals. Space Farms Zoo is home to many big cats: African lions, black leopards, South American jaguars, cougars, lynx, bobcats, and Bengal tigers. They have the largest private collection of North American animals in their natural surroundings in the United States. You have to reserve in advance on their website. They are mainly a walk-through zoo, but have a drive-through on one day of the week. The tickets are $26 for adults, with discounted tickets for kids and seniors. You can also opt for a season pass for $52 per adult. The season passes are valid until October and pay for themselves in two visits to the zoo.
Lake Tobias Wildlife Park
760 Tobias Rd, Halifax, PA, 17032
At Lake Tobias Wildlife Park, there are plenty of options for family fun. It is around 3 hours away so you can make it into a fun weekend getaway! Their self-sustaining, family-owned park is committed to introducing you and your family to a wide variety of exotic and familiar animals that you can observe, touch, and even feed during your visit. Additionally, enjoy a safari across 150 beautiful acres of rolling hills, pasture, and woodlands, where you’ll see rare and exotic animals from around the world. Parking is free.
Guided Safari tours are offered during our regular season, May 1 through October.
2026 Self Drive-Thru:
April 11, 12, 18, 19, 25, and 26
November 1, 7, 8, 14, 15, 21, and 22
Guests who wish to enjoy our safari tour from the comfort of their vehicles can do so with our self-drive-thru option. Vehicles with hard doors and hard top roofs only. Those interested in this experience should first read the Self-Drive-Thru Rules to ensure their safety and the well-being of the animals. You will be required to sign a vehicle waiver before entering the safari fields.
Action Wildlife
337 Torrington Rd, Goshen, CT, 06756
Action Wildlife Foundation is about 2 hours away from Jersey City. Your safari section is 18 acres of open land where different animals roam. It was created so that the animals in this area would have a nice open space to act as naturally as you would see them in the wild. As you drive around the outside of the fenced-off area, keep your eyes open for our herds of Fallow Deer, Japanese Sika Deer and white-tailed deer. They like to hide among the tall grasses, in between the rocks and trees, and near the fences. Sometimes all you can see are ears flicking or antlers sticking out of the grass. Keep a lookout for the Emu in this area as well. They love to play and chase each other.
A drive-thru zoo experience is right up there on the top things to do in the summer months. With the schools closed, it is a constant challenge to look for activities for the kids to do with their families. As much as possible, people prefer to spend the days outdoors but sometimes, due to weather-related issues, you might need to look for indoor activities. If weather and time permit, you could go camping, biking, and hiking, or go to some of the water parks or sprinkler parks. If a safari is not what you are looking for and you still want the kids to interact with animals, a visit to the petting zoo is an alternative option. Visiting a lake nearby or going for a swim is also a good way to engage the kids. With so much to do, this summer is one to enjoy.
Updated 2 July 2026
