Camping was a big part of my childhood. In retrospect a lot of it probably had to do with the fact that my parents liked to vacation, but we didn’t have a lot of extra money for hotels and restaurants. It was always a bonus when the campground had an arcade, mini golf course or swimming area, but I couldn’t fathom my excitement if we had ever camped by a theme park. In Fall of this year people will have just that opportunity with the opening of Safari Campground at Wild Adventures!

The campground broke ground and the name was revealed in December 2023 with construction now underway for a fall 2024 opening. The campground will offer both RV sites and tent camping sites and will located near one of the largest animal habitats in the park. Sleeping next to wild animals certainly is a huge attraction as down at Disney you’ll pay $500/night for that privilege at the Animal Kingdom Lodge! In addition to all the expected camping amenities there will also be some exclusive opportunities just for campground guests. Here’s the complete description from the park’s press release:

As part of a continuing multi-phased, multi-million-dollar expansion, the adventure gets bigger when Wild Adventures provides families with a one-of-a-kind way to sleep under the stars and next to exotic grazing animals at a new seven-acre campground adjacent to the theme park.

Getting away from it all and away from the crowds takes on new meaning with a private campground overlooking Wild Adventures grazing animals plus an exclusive park entrance just for campers. The full-facility campground will include a camp store and bathhouse, along with a mixture of RV and tent camping with special amenities like a fishing pond, walking trails, and close-up experiences to interact with and learn about amazing animals.

The first phase of the campground will include 50 RV sites and 10 tent camping sites. The campground will be open year-round, and during times when Wild Adventures is not open, campground guests will still be able to enjoy animal encounters and special event programming. Guests will also have the opportunity to enjoy outdoor movie nights, S’more roasting over a communal fire pit, arts and crafts, frequent cookouts, an exclusive Safari Trail attraction only available to campground guests, and more.

https://www.wildadventures.com/campground/

Granted it’s not like you’ll be pulling your RV next to Boomerang or pitching a tent next to Twisted Typhoon, but (similar to my rendering above) there will be some awesome views and experiences. Imagine waking up before the park opens and strolling along the walking trails, fireworks in the evening, sunrise, sunset, the sounds of the wildlife on a quiet morning, the list is endless. It really could turn the “Best Day Ever” at Wild Adventures into the “Best Night Ever” too.

Here’s a little fun fact though, even before the opening of the new campground did you know people have been camping at Wild Adventures for years? The park actually offers an amazing opportunity for scouts to camp at the park during its annual Scout Adventure Weekends (separate weekends for Scouts and Girl Scouts). This past year’s dates were at the end of September and featured two nights of camping, 2 days of theme park fun, unlimited soda, an all-you-can-eat buffet, bonfire and special patch for under $50. My son is now in cub scouts with me and my wife as his fearless den leaders, so we’ll surely be on the lookout for the 2024 dates. It would be the great to add a Wild Adventures patch to add to his collection!

The campground looks awesome and I can’t wait to check it out. Given the mild climate in Valdosta and the fact that it’ll be open year-round, this will be great for Georgia and Florida campers to add to their list of places to check out. As alluded to in the press release (and if you scan things like county records and building permits which I like to do) there are plans for further phased expansions of the campground when it proves successful. It’s especially cool that the campground will be open year round, even when the park isn’t open. If you’ve never done it, it’s super interesting and somewhat zen to walk around places like theme parks, stadiums and other tourist attractions when they’re closed and not operating. It’ll also be a neat way in future years to monitor construction on new attractions coming to the park and other changes in the off season. I only hope the guys below who sleep at the park every night (along with the other animals) will be good neighbors…