Keystone Safari Open for Daily Drive-Thru Tours
GROVE CITY, Pa. — To keep with current social distancing restrictions, Keystone Safari is opening for daily drive-thru tours.
With Mercer County remaining in the yellow phase for another week or more, Keystone Safari has temporarily switched from a walk-thru tour, which opened in late 2018, to now a vehicle-only tour until Mercer County goes green. Business hours will be daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Guests are not permitted to exit their cars except to use the restrooms or visit the gift shop. Social distancing protocols are in place.
“The park was designed over the past several years with an emphasis on large and open spaces,” says director and designer, Adam Guiher. “We initially planned big for the benefit of the animals but also for safety and accessibility reasons. Now we can use that infrastructure to provide a fun and educational family activity while most family activities remain closed.”
Guests are encouraged to purchase tickets on the park’s website, KeystoneSafari.com. Online sales help limit points of contact. Currently there are 30 species including giraffe, lions, zebras and many more that are viewable without ever leaving the car.
In response to the coronavirus pandemic, the park is preparing to open a full new section with 90 acres of wooded and open spaces for guests to tour beginning sometime in June. There will be some 25 additional species including those guests can feed such as bison, wild cattle, deer, antelope and domestic species.
The plan had been to wait to develop the safari ride in full for 2021, Guiher says, but with COVID-19 changing the way families spend their time together, the park will be the only free-range drive-thru safari in Pennsylvania.
With 144 acres, the park is larger than the three closest city zoos combined and will be sure to leave everyone breathing room, he says. The safari experience creates safe and unique options for guests to see and learn about animals. The ride will be close to two miles and includes three exhibit areas.
Many events and activities at the park will wait to resume until Mercer county enters the green phase, but the new driving tour is open now. New information for Keystone Safari can be found on the website or by following the Keystone Safari Facebook page.
Image: Keystone Safari
Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
