Yellow River Wildlife Sanctuary
4525 US 78 Lilburn
Visit the sanctuary, where orphaned or injured wildlife have found new
homes in an environment that strives to benefit animals and educate humans.
Yellow River is home to about 155 animals including the Eurasian lynx, spider
monkeys, wallabies, red ruffed lemurs, servals and more.
“What we are trying to do is about the people and the animals,” Yellow
River Animal Sanctuary Curator Clint Murphy said. “We are trying to educate
the populous to the point we are out of a job, basically. We want to foster that
lifelong love of learning and environmental stewardship.”
Murphy suggests guests don’t miss out on the Lower Trail, a one-mile
walking path that circles the park and runs along the Yellow River. The trail
gives guest the opportunity to see native Georgia wildlife up close, whether
that be insects on the ground or Bard Owls in the trees.
Guest can expect to spend 2-3 hours exploring the sanctuary and will
have the opportunity to get hands-on in the petting zoo area that features
goats and sheep or feeding the deer, rabbits and alpacas.
General admission tickets are $18 for adults and $12 for children, with
discounts available for seniors and military. Children 2 years old and under
are free to enter. Tickets must be purchased online with a reservation.
From left: Elephants Tara, Msholo and Kelly enjoying
the pond in African Savanna exhibit at Zoo Atlanta.
Guest can explore the Scaly Slimy
Spectacular: an amphibian and reptile
experience along with the African Savanna.
Davis said the Savanna is one of the most
popular exhibits and home to African
elephants, giraffes, zebras, ostriches,
meerkats, warthogs and southern white
rhinos. Guest can also make some new
friends over at Outback Station, a petting zoo
featuring friendly goats and sheep.
For the thrill seekers, wild encounters
are available with African elephants, Aldabra
tortoises, giant pandas, rhinos and lemurs.
This behind-the-scenes experience is the
chance to get hands on and feed the animals.
“Zoo Atlanta is an outstanding
experience for families because there is truly
something for everyone,” Davis said. “The zoo
experience offers an opportunity to make
connections with wildlife, explore the diversity
of the natural world around us and to become
inspired by the everyday actions we can all
take to have an impact on the future of
wildlife around the world.”
Zoo Atlanta is open all year long from 9
a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
weekends, closed only on Thanksgiving and
Christmas. General admission tickets are
$26.99 per person Monday through Thursday
and $29.99 Friday through Sunday with
discounts available for children, seniors and
college students. Children ages 2 and under
are free to attend. The zoo has moved to a
timed ticketing system to limit the number of
guests inside the zoo at a given time.
Parking is located in the lot on Cherokee
Avenue and in the new Grant Park Gateway
parking facility on Boulevard. The lot rates are
$3 an hour for a maximum of $12 a day. The
average zoo visit is around 3 hours.
The facility offers rentals on manual
wheelchairs for $12, electric charts for $28
and strollers for $9.
The bison roaming their habitat at Yellow River
Wildlife Sanctuary.
A baby ring-tailed lemur in its habitat at Yellow River
Wildlife Sanctuary.
NOVEMBER 2021 | COBB LIFE 39