Natural Bridge, Virginia: Natural Bridge Zoo Elephant Rides
A real elephant you can ride, and a fiberglass elephant in the parking lot.
- Address:
- 5784 S Lee Hwy., Natural Bridge, VA
- Directions:
- US Route 11 off I-81 between Exits 180-A and 175.
- Hours:
- M-F 9-6, Sa-Su 9-7 (Call to verify) Local health policies may affect hours and access.
- Phone:
- 540-291-2420
- Admission:
- $12 Adults, $ 8 Children 3-12
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From the moment we pulled up beside the giant fiberglass elephant in the parking lot, we knew this wouldn't be your common zoo. They had a surprising number of exotic animals (almost all with babies - the crazy monkeys making siren noises were highly amusing), and to our surprise was offering elephant rides!
The elephant ride only lasts about a minute or two since he just goes in a circle, but it was still cool being so high up and being brushed by his monster ears along the way. I'm guessing he was rescued from a circus, because at the end he posed for a picture. Great fun!
They also offer getting your picture taken with baby tigers (the one we saw was the size of a house cat), and you can pet and hand feed goats, llamas, deer, camels, giraffes...
The place was a bit larger than expected, but we breezed through it in less than a couple hours.
[Sir, 07/14/2010]Nearby Offbeat Places
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