FLORIDA PLACE TO EXPLORE
Giraffe Ranch
Pasco County · Gulf Coast
Forty-seven acres of private ranch near Dade City where visitors feed giraffes from a safari vehicle, a camel or a Segway, by reservation only.
ABOUT THIS PLACE
The ranch sits on 47 acres in east Pasco County next to the Green Swamp, about 45 minutes north of Tampa, and has been family owned and run for more than twenty years. It is licensed as an agritourism operation with the United States Department of Agriculture and regulated by the state agriculture department and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The animals come from Africa, Asia, Australia and the Americas: a breeding tower of giraffes of different ages, along with camels, Brazilian tapirs, pygmy hippopotamus and llamas among others. Five ways to see them are offered. A drive-through runs hourly with narration over the car radio, though no feeding. A guided tour uses a four-wheel-drive vehicle with tiered seating under a canopy. There are also guided rides on camel back, off-road Segway treks, and walking tours accompanied by llamas. Most of them include hand-feeding the giraffes. Everything is by advance reservation and walk-ins are not taken. Up to 200 sandhill cranes roost on the property at night
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