North Georgia Wildlife & Safari Park Ranks in Best Safari Park Category

Riley Hansen, Staff Writer • April 11, 2026

North Georgia Wildlife & Safari Park becomes the first Georgia park to rank in USA TODAY’s Best Safari Park category as they prepare for Earth Day events for students and families this Spring Season.

Guests have the opportunity to do meet and greets with many of the animals at NOGAWILD, including otters and other exotic species. Photo by North Georgia Wildlife Safari and Wildlife Park.

NOGAWILD, located in Cleveland, Georgia, is home to over 400 animals. The park is open on Tuesdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and on Thursday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. through May 22.

Through community programs, NOGAWILD offers college students a 10% discount on general admission and a variety of volunteer and internship programs. Students are asked to present their college identification at the ticket booth when checking in.

“When you support your local park, you’re supporting conservation that goes way past just the park. You become a part of our efforts to share enrichment globally.” – Hope Bennett, Director & Founder of North Georgia Wildlife and Safari Park

The Safari Park Category was first introduced in 2017, and placed number eight for Best Safari Park in USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards in 2026, in an announcement released on March 18. A full list of the winners can be found on USA TODAY.

Bennett said, “We tend to split up our donations into four different conservation efforts [including] Monarch Waystations, Endangered Species Breeding, Reduce, Reuse & Recycle Initiatives and Plants & Fauna Global Awareness (to the value of both native and global care).”

NOGAWILD offers many volunteer opportunities to prospective students interested in animal care and zoology. Photo by North Georgia Safari and Wildlife.

In April, the park announced the events “Bouncing Babies” and “Bunnypalooza” to celebrate Easter and baby season in the park. The park also offers “NOGA YOGA Sessions” that let visitors interact with park animals in an impactful and mindful way. Past interactions have included capybaras, penguins, and puppies.

Additionally, NOGAWILD offers volunteer, internship and paid apprenticeship programs that aim to prepare students to be familiar with transferable care skills for animals. Through the support tab, students can select the “Volunteer” and “Internship” tabs to learn more about potential opportunities and to submit applications. Internships available include experiences that last 3 months and focus on areas in animal care and animal education. This program requires a minimum of 20 hours of availability per week, including weekends, and is available year-round.

Donate to Vanguard

Your donation will support the student journalists of University of North Georgia. Your contribution will allow us to purchase equipment and cover our annual website hosting costs.

About the Contributor

Riley Hansen, Staff Writer

Hello everyone! My name is Riley, I am currently pursing a B.A. in Writing and Publication with a minor in journalism. I enjoy covering stories that include elements of education and the environment.