32 Discover Cocke County 2021
Walk on the wild side at Briarwood Ranch Safari Park By Eric Rhodes
It’s not often you see a zebra in East Tennessee, but Briarwood Ranch Safari has that and much more. Nestled on Briar Thicket Road, less than a mile off highway 160 in Bybee, Briarwood Ranch houses a variety of animals from six continents, right outside your car window. The park offers $3 food buckets to feed the animals from your car, but they recommend feeding directly from the bucket, rather than from your hand, as many of the animals can accidentally nip when eating. Guests can interact with zebras, yaks, goats, ostriches, and other animals that freely roam the property. Guests can even take pictures and videos, and submit them to the park’s Facebook page. “We like to use the guest’s pictures because it lets people know what the experience is like,”said Youlanda “Yo” Haney, the park’s manager. “It is such a unique experience that we have out here, where you
can feed these animals right from your car. Upon arrival at the park, guests will see a large green building, which acts as the ticketing office and gift shop. On the other side of the road, the iconic orange fence mural, painted with silhouettes of some of the animals inside the park, greets guests. The trail that circles through the park is about four miles long. .Just through the gate is a sit-down picnic area, Easter Lilly Park. In this area, guests can see a few of the exotic birds and small mammals that are kept separate from the trail. Unlike a zoo, most of the animals are not confined to specific enclosures. Often, the animals will follow guests’ vehicles through the park, hoping to be fed. At each end of the trail there are penned petting animals like pygmy goats and silkie chickens, but throughout the drive, guests will experience up-close Continue on page 33
