Lazy 5 Ranch

[swampfox43]

I am wanting to take my niece and nephew somewhere different this weekend and recently saw the Lazy 5 Ranch in Mooresville, NC on the Carolina Traveler show. Honestly, I had never heard of this place but it looks kinda neat being able to drive your car through a safari of animals like Zebras, Camels, Giraffes, etc. They come right up to your car! On the show, the Zebra even stuck his head in through the cars open window.

Any UP readers ever been there? Is there a better time of day to go when the animals are more active? My niece & nephew are 10 & 12 so I think they would like it regardless but any advice would be appreciated.

[AuLukey]

Yea, I've been there with my family at least three times that I can remember. It is a really cool place to visit because it's the only zoo I can think of around this metro that allows you to feed bison, giraffes, ostriches, as well as many other animals I can't remember the names of. We took my nephew twice and my grandmother once. Both really enjoyed the experience. Make sure to bring your camera because there are always a lot of funny moments while you are feeding the animals. My sister got her hair almost drenched by giraffe saliva while I got it on my face... no lie

Oh yea, and be sure to bring sunscreen and a hat! Learned that one the hard way. You're in the sun for a very long period of time if you take the hayride, which IMO is much more fun.

[guy4charlotte]

Be sure to buy some extra feed when you go in the main gate--they give you a couple of cups full with the admission ticket but those are gone like in the first few minutes--also dont go in a car you don't want animal drool all over---

[swampfox43]

Be sure to buy some extra feed when you go in the main gate--they give you a couple of cups full with the admission ticket but those are gone like in the first few minutes--also dont go in a car you don't want animal drool all over---

[guy4charlotte]

So I guess I should keep the sunroof closed then, LOL!

My only fear is that we're gonna get there and all the animals will be asleep or non-active like whenever I go to the Ashboro Zoo. Doesn't sound like either one of you had that problem during your visits.

Well, this sounds like fun. Thanks for the tips.

[Charlotte_native]

I LOVE the Lazy 5. I've been a couple times, never have the animals been non-active. Its funny, the variety there, we were driving along feeding everything and at one point looked back and took a picture of pigs, a zebra, a horse, emus, a bison, and some other african herd animal all walking together behind us. The giraffes are in a pen, but you can drive right up to it and one even ate by towering over the top of the pen and dipping down into our sunroof.

Worth the trip without a doubt. You just reminded me its been too long since I've been there...

[queensguy06]

A long time ago I went with my family. The animals are fairly agressive at times for the food - we took the mini-van and my mother had the side door open and an osterich decided to come in really close to try and get some food. My mother screamed and slammed the door shut nearly on the bird's head. Quite and interesting trip. It really is fun and something different to do in the Charlotte area.

[Charlotte_native]

A long time ago I went with my family. The animals are fairly agressive at times for the food - we took the mini-van and my mother had the side door open and an osterich decided to come in really close to try and get some food. My mother screamed and slammed the door shut nearly on the bird's head. Quite and interesting trip. It really is fun and something different to do in the Charlotte area.

[Raintree21]

A long time ago I went with my family. The animals are fairly agressive at times for the food - we took the mini-van and my mother had the side door open and an osterich decided to come in really close to try and get some food. My mother screamed and slammed the door shut nearly on the bird's head. Quite and interesting trip. It really is fun and something different to do in the Charlotte area.

[mpascar]

Lazy 5 Ranch is one of my families favorite finds since moving to the area. I would recommend riding on a horse drawn wagon rather than driving your car through. You have better access to the animals, you can get better pictures and you don't have to worry about washing the car afterward! Also, you get an entire bucket of food instead of a cup or two. It's a bit more expensive, but well worth it. You need to call and reserve a time to do this. Enjoy!!

[swampfox43]

We decided to drive through the safari although the wagon looked like fun. This is really a gem of a park. If you just want to get away from the hustle & bustle of the city and get face to face with some great looking wildlife, I highly recommend the Lazy 5 Ranch. Most of the photos below were taken from the car as we were driving thru the safari, but there is also a nice little zoo under the large oaks and lush tropical landscaping where you can walk around see other beautiful animals.

[Raintree21]

Whoohoo! The Lazy 5 Ranch is adding Kangaroos, Lemurs, and a walk-through aviary.

[AuLukey]

Kangaroos will be aussum (sorry, had to do it.) I went to a zoo/animal park in Cairns, AU and they had where you could interact with the younger kangaroos in a playground setting and with older ones from behind a fence. I'm assuming this will be similar to how Lazy 5 will set it up as adult males can be extremely aggressive. On the other hand, those ostriches and bison there could be too if they hadn't been somewhat tamed so I figure these guys know what they're doing.

[Charlotte_native]

Kangaroos will be aussum (sorry, had to do it.) I went to a zoo/animal park in Cairns, AU and they had where you could interact with the younger kangaroos in a playground setting and with older ones from behind a fence. I'm assuming this will be similar to how Lazy 5 will set it up as adult males can be extremely aggressive. On the other hand, those ostriches and bison there could be too if they hadn't been somewhat tamed so I figure these guys know what they're doing.