Promising to be “home to the most complete collection of exotic zoo animals and birds in the state of Virginia, and a breeding and rescue zoo for rare and endangered species” is the Natural Bridge Zoo.
In less than twenty-minutes from Staunton, your kids and you can be feeding goats, donkeys, sheep, pigs, llamas and rabbits. Come face to face with giraffes, lions, tigers, bears, ring-tailed lemurs, new world gibbons, mandrills, elephants, Sitatunga, several varieties of cranes, fallow deer, camels, alligators, and several varieties of exotic birds. Take an elephant ride!
Not only will your kids meet and greet these animals, and be able to touch and feed many of them, you will also learn about their natural habitat, what they eat, whether they give birth to live young (such as mammals,) or hatch eggs (such as birds), how many babies or eggs are birthed at a time, how long they live and so much more.
The Natural Bridge Zoo is a privately owned organization that is proud to say it’s never received any federal or state funding. Open since 1972, the zoo has served as a sanctuary for threatened and endangered species from around the world.
Part of their mission is to educate people about each animal. They often explain that while some may feel that these animals are best served living in their natural environment, because their homes have been encroached upon by their biggest predator humans, here at the zoo, they are fed, protected and live very happy and long lives.
A family-friendly place that admits you whether you are as old as 2 or as young as 100, come pet the animals, learn more about the zoo and the people that care for these special exotic creatures. Come home with an elephant or a macaw or an antelope, a stuffed one that is.
The zoo is located at: 5784 S. Lee Highway in Natural Bridge, Virginia. Their phone number is: (540) 291-2420. Their website address is: http://www.naturalbridgezoo.com
Please contact them before coming with a large group of people. Please check their website for hours that coincide with your visit to the area. Their hours change by the season.
Admission is: $12.00 for adult, $10.00 for seniors, $8.00 for children 3 and under and free for toddlers and infants.
Natural Bridge Zoo is located just an hour’s drive from the Virginia Mountain Cabin Rentals at Cabin Creekwood. A trip to this zoo just might become one of your favorite activities when visiting the area.