Buffalo Beal’s Animal Park: An Exotic Journey

Have you ever considered going on safari? Well before you book passage to Africa, the Australian Outback, or South America, you may want to check into going on safari in Maiden (don't call your travel agent for roundtrip airfare to Maiden because they'll probably laugh you off the phone), That's right, I said Maiden, North Carolina, where you'll find an exotic animal park named Buffalo Beal’s. Why go halfway around the world to take a camel on safari when you can just take the minivan?

Buffalo Beal’s animal park is the brainchild of Terry and Kim Beal. Avid animal lovers, Terry and Kim began collecting animals long before they decided to open an animal park. They feel that children should have the opportunity to get up close and personal with all kinds of animals. Most zoos only let you look at the animals from afar. Have you ever petted a giraffe at a zoo? Well, you can at Buffalo Beal’s.

Terry, a full-time builder, and Kim, a full-time teacher’s assistant, strive to make their zoo as accessible and educational as it is fun. As Kim's insistence, the Beals' walk-through zoo is also handicapped-accessible so everyone, like the handicapped students she teaches everyday, can share the experience.

The park has been open since late 2000. Each year since, the Beals have enjoyed seeing more and more people come share their passion for animals. Attendance at the zoo has more than doubled since the first season. 12,000 people visited last year alone.

Visitors will be introduced to an amazing array of animals including elk, antelope, camel, capybara, kangaroo, and many others that are somewhat hard to find in the foothills these days. Kim believes their newest addition to the park is also their most exotic — a 100-pound mandrill baboon (but who doesn’t have one of those in their backyard these days?.

Children and adults alike will love spending a day to this park. On a recent excursion with my young children, our journey began at a large petting zoo right next to the parking lot. Children will love petting and feeding the goats, donkeys, and other small animals who are always looking for a handful of food.

Speaking of food, the animals are not the only ones who can enjoy eating at the park. Picnic areas where you can enjoy a quiet meal or a fun-filled get-together are located throughout the park. What kid wouldn’t love spending their birthday at an animal park? The park also has a playground area where your kids can act like animals too.

Terry and Kim understand what it takes to make kids happy because they have three of their own. When their son Cody was in kindergarten, he would talk about of the kangaroo jumping around their house. The teacher, who taught the other Beal children prior to the opening of the park, called the Beals to tell them she appreciated Cody’s active imagination, but hoped he would stop telling stories about wild animals. The teacher was unaware that the animals weren't in Cody's imagination, but in the zoo taking shape at home. The entire Beal family, including Cody, is responsible for every function of the park. Like other kids, the Beals do chores around the house, only their chores just happen to include feeding a baby lemur. A beagle is as exotic as the animals get at my house.

Seeing the unusual animals at Buffalo Beal’s is fun anytime of the year. Before considering a trek through the Amazon to take a peek at exotic animals, saddle up the minivan and take a quick trip to Maiden instead. You will not be disappointed. You'll laugh, you'll learn, you'll be amazed — and most importantly, you'll save your kids college fund by NOT taking that trip to Amazon.

Buffalo Beal's is located at:
3259 Water Plant Road
Maiden, NC 28650

For more Information, call (828) 428-4388 or visit www.buffalobeals.com

Admission:
Children 12 & Under: $4
Adult: $6
Seniors (60+): $5

Hours:
April 1–September 30:
Monday-Saturday: 9:00 am – 6:00 pm
Sunday: 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm

October – March:
Friday-Saturday 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Sunday: 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm

by Leslie W. Cothren