Giraffe Ranch, a privately owned, family-run safari experience, located in rural Dade City, Florida benefits from the tourism market of Orlando. Drawing from decades of knowledge and experience in the zoo community, the owners created an intimate and beautiful experience focused on one-on-one interactions between the keepers, guests, and the animals. The high ticket price per person, however, sets expectations very high, and although the experience is lovely, feels like it misses the luxury price point. Focusing on improvements to the core of the facility could begin to address this issue.
Seneca Park Zoo: An East Coast Charmer
County-owned, AZA accredited Seneca Park Zoo is a twenty-acre gem set into Olmsted-designed Seneca Park in Rochester, New York. Unlike many publicly owned small zoos, this one is unique for many reasons. The biggest, and most challenging, lies within the site itself—a long linear sliver of land following the edge of the park and not nearly wide enough for a loop path. This challenge manages to become an attribute in surprising ways.