Circle G Ranch. The Frisky Yak.

Ok I’ve been talking about our trip to Tennessee in October. I told you about the cabin we rented through Fireside Chalet and Cabin Rentals. The weather was kind of yucky the entire time we were there but we did get to do a couple of really fun attractions like the Titanic and Circle G Ranch. I’ll have a post about Titanic: Pigeon Forge later this week. It was amazing!  The Circle G Ranch was an adventure in and of itself!

Circle G Ranch is a drive-thru Safari adventure in Strawberry Plains, Tennessee. It is large ranch with over 500 animals in several varieties including but not limited to yaks, water buffalo, emu’s, camels, zebras and more. This is a self-guided tour. You drive through the ranch in your own vehicle or you can rent the guided safari truck tour or Camel Safari (reservations required for that).

You can purchase buckets of feed and the animals literally walk right up to your vehicle to be fed. You toss the food out to them. They make a point of telling you to NOT feed them by hand because this will cause them to associate fingers with food. So just toss the food out to them. You can still pet them as they walk by. And in our case, as they attempt to climb in the van with you!

We had so much fun. But a Yak a Camel and a Water Buffalo got a little too close for comfort with my Hubby, Clay. He almost had a mini make-out session with a yak and then a camel. The yak stuck its head and what had to be the longest tongue I’ve ever seen right in the driver window and in Clay’s face! Can you say major wet willy! lol

After the yak tongued his way around our van, we drove past the camels which were behind a closed fence… or so we thought.  There was a slit in the fence where you can toss food to the camels. And evidently where they can stick their heads through. I SO WISH I had my video camera on during this point because it was hilarious! Clay’s driving through thinking he’s all safe a sound now that he’s past the yak attack. He is glancing out my window and I am laughing hysterically. He turns to see what I all the fuss is about and two camels have their heads in his window ready for a smooch! He jumped right off his seat! Poor hubby.

Then a Water Buffalo decided to get frisky with him. When the yak stuck its head in the window, my nephew and I tried to toss some food out hoping it would go after the food. Unfortunately, the pellets landed in Clays lap! So after he got away from the yak, and we came upon the water buffalo, he was a hot mess. And that water buffalo, well…

It was love at first sniff! Isn’t he cute? My hubby isn’t bad looking either. hehehe

So Clay got some extra lovin’ and the kids and I had a blast. This had to have been the funnest adventure we have ever taken. Clay and I agree that we want to go back to Circle G Ranch every time we go to the Smoky Mountains. It has got to become an annual tradition. It isn’t too pricey. It is an attraction that you can actually afford to do each time.  $9 for adults – $7 for kids. And it is great for the entire family. You drive through at your own pace so it is so enjoyable.

OH and there is a petting zoo and camel rides too! After you go through the ranch, you come back to the barn and there are camels and a duck and those cute little Hedgehogs I mentioned awhile back. There is a baby camel in the barn and I just read on Circle G Ranch’s Facebook page that they just had a new baby zebra. It is so sweet. So there really are loads of animals to see.

Here’s a picture of that darling Hedgehog named Sonic.

I have a photo slideshow below with more pictures but these four are my favorites so I wanted to show them and tell you a little about the ranch. If you ever head to Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg, Tennessee I HIGHLY recommend visiting the Circle G Ranch. They are open year round. In face they are OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK FROM 10a-5p.

About Circle G Ranch:

Circle G Ranch is a private, licensed USDA facility.  We take pride in caring and maintaining the most natural environment to over 500 of our indigenous and exotic animals.  We dedicate our lives to wildlife conservation giving our animals over 100 acres to run freely with as much enrichment mother nature has intended.  Our goal is to share our knowledge and love for animals with the hope of educating our future generations about their importance, as well as, providing a unique and memorable experience for your family and friends.

So, the next time you’re looking for an adventure, I suggest visiting the Circle G Ranch in Strawberry Plains, Tennessee. Chem them out on Facebook too!

Disclosure: This post was not compensated in any way. This is NOT a sponsored post. My family and I enjoyed our trip to Circle G Ranch and wanted to share.

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