Wilstem

We went there for the first time on thanksgiving. They had a huge buffet. Everything was prepared deliciously. We will definitely go back.

We did the drive-thru safari at Wilstem. My family and I haven't laughed that hard together in a long time! It's surprising how wild animals can bring a family together. The drive-thru safari turned all of our tired, sour moods around.

I love the safari here because you literally do not have to leave your car at all. You pull up to the booth and pay, and then you take off down the path to see animals. No exiting and entering a vehicle.

One thing to note, and the reason why my review is four stars instead of five: The people at the booth don't tell you anything about how to interact with the animals that are outside of your window. If you opt to buy the animal food (which you should), they don't tell you how to feed the animals. But I'm telling you right here. You need to put the container of food out your window and let the animals eat it from the container -- do not put the food in your hand or hold it between your fingers. If you do, you might get your hand bitten/nibbled from a friendly but hungry animal. Just let them eat from the container, and it should be all good.

Once we figured out how to feed the animals safely, it was a fun experience. The animals know to come running when they see a vehicle enter their domain. Car = food. So it was delightful to see the emus running at full speed toward our car to say "hello" (and also "Where is my food?").

As we made our way through the park, we encountered a variety of animals. During the drive-thru safari, you have the opportunity to spot around 50 different animal species. But just like with a real safari or a visit to a zoo, it's not guaranteed that you will see all of them due to various factors such as weather, time of day and roaming patterns.

We visited Wilstem during the early summer months when it seemed like lots of animals were out and about. During our safari, we had the chance to interact with several animals, such as Texas longhorns, zebras, emus, goats, donkeys, deer, alpacas, llamas and bison.

The drive-thru safari experience at Wilstem Wildlife Park is divided into three main sections:

The first section is the emu zone. You're allowed to drive through this section with your windows rolled down, and you can feed the emus if they come up to you. (Note: Feed the animals by holding the feed cup in your hand and letting the animals come up and eat from the cup.)

In the second section, you will see animals like llamas, alpacas, goats and donkeys. You're allowed to feed these guys, too!

The third section is the bison section, where signs instruct you to drive through the area with your windows rolled up.

The fourth section -- Grizzly Ridge -- is also a zone where your windows need to stay rolled up. Here is where the bears reside (safely contained in a pen).

As we made our way through the animal safari, we also saw some animals grazing in the fields a little farther away, such as zebras (not available for feeding because they can bite!), camels and deer.

From start to finish, the drive-thru animal safari lasted about 45 minutes. Timing can vary, though, depending on how long you want to linger and feed/observe the animals, or how many other people are doing the drive-thru safari. Fortunately, there weren't many people also visiting at the same time, so we didn't have to wait too long.

This was so cool! A drive through safari in Indiana that lived up to my expectations for my kid. You get the option to add on feed for the animals and while that is an intimidating experience, it's really cool once you get acclimated. This was certainly the best zoo type experience we've ever had.

Our whole experience at Wilstem was amazing. We did a private elephant encounter and a primate encounter and both were wonderful! Cindy and Vicky (the elephants) were beautiful and it was amazing to be able to interact with them. We spent time in the Roos and Crews barn and fed the giraffes too! The real highlight for my teenage kids though was the drive-thru safari - we went through multiple times! I am sure they will forever remember when a camel stuck his head all the way in the car across the driver side to the passenger side to get some food. We were all laughing and had such a wonderful time! We will 100% come back.

Came here for my 41st birthday today and did the drive through Safari. This was amazing! The animals come right to your car (and peek through your windows lol). Hot tip:You will get food pellets in your car because they are messy eaters (especially the emu's!) The facility was clean and the animals looked happy and well taken care of. I can't wait to come back and do one of their encounters! Thanks for making my birthday unique and fun!

We did the animal encounter where you bathe the elephants. It was overall a great experience. We appreciated the small group size. I didn't appreciate during the second portion being asked to pay for feed when we already spent a hefty amount on the first portion. You also have to have cash for that which we didn't know or bring. I also thought it would be nice if there were better options for photo ops or even a photographer on site.

Great experience. So happy we came. The cabin was wonderful and our whole experience was amazing

A wonderful time. The drive through was great. We did it twice and our kids loved it. We did the elephant encounter and it was amazing. Picture opportunities and feeding opportunities. Tickets are cheaper there, but you risk not getting a time to do the encounter if they're pre purchased.

Went here about a month ago. Purchased the All-Access package, and we were not disappointed. From the drive-thru safari to the various educational encounters with the animals, it was a fun and exciting experience. Staff appeared to be quite knowledgeable and showed extreme care toward the treatment of the animals. I cannot speak to the lodging facilities, but if you are looking for a fun-filled day, I highly recommend Wilstem. Plus they have otters and who doesn't like otters???

We decided to finally check out Wilstem on Earth Day this year. It's one of those places I think about when I drive past on the way to someplace else and then forget about. I'm glad we finally remembered. It was just my husband and but I think our grandsons would love to visit as well. We'll definitely be back.