NATURAL BRIDGE, Va. (WDBJ) – Nestled in the hills of the Shenandoah Valley, you’ll find the Virginia Safari Park. Opened by Eric Mogensen on March 5, 2000.
“They have manicured this park to truly be what it is 25 years later. Their kids are now grown up and branched off and have opened their own parks. We also have a much larger company. We have four parks now within our own company and that’s not including their kids own separate parks,” said Virginia Safari Park Assistant Director and General Curator, Sarah Fitzgerald.
Mogensen is the founder and CEO of Zoofari Parks, which owns and operates the Gulf Breeze Zoo, Virginia Safari Park, Alabama Safari Park and the Texas Zoofari Park.
At the Virginia Safari Park, guests will find antelopes, llamas and bison… OH MY! Visitors can feed and observe animals in their natural environment from the comfort of their vehicles during the safari drive thru or explore the park’s village on foot. This family friendly park spans 180 acres and is home to 1200 endangered and rare animals. It’s the only place in the U.S. to see the rare king cheetah.
“Its been awesome. Lots of animals are out and about. They come up to the cars and the ones that you walk around and see, they come up to the fences. Its just been a really nice day we’re glad we came,” said Visitors, Penny and Bernie Adams.
New this season are penguin, sloth and rhino encounters. Guests can feed, touch and meet the animals up close while learning about each species from the zookeepers who care for them daily. Beyond providing memorable experiences, the Virginia Safari Park is committed to conservation work, reaching 120 countries world-wide.
“We really do support a lot of different conservation programs. Through breeding, financial support, education. Every animal here at our facility acts as an ambassador for their wild counterparts. So having guests be able to come in and see these animals’ hands on, that is what helps them want to care for the ones in the wild,” said Fitzgerald.
Fitzgerald has a personal connection to the park, having visited as a child with her family, from Maryland each year. Now as an employee for the past 11 years, she has witnessed the joy that families experience as the park continues to flourish with care.
“There’s always something that happened out in safari or they saw something cool. Especially during the summer. Our guests see llamas being born all the time out in the field. It’s truly a unique experience because this is as close to the wild as you’re going to get in Virginia,” said Fitzgerald.
The Virginia Safari Park has once again been nominated as one of the top safari parks in the United States in the 2025 USA TODAY 10Best Reader’s Choice Awards.
“We’re thrilled that 10Best recognizes the Park’s commitment to provide exceptional visitor experiences, whether through the safari feeding experiences, from our unforgettable animal encounters in the Safari Village to our extensive conservation efforts,” said Rick Mogensen.
The park is open daily from 9am-5pm.
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