Adventure Awaits Along This Drive-Thru Safari Tour In South Carolina
By AnneMarie|Published January 11, 2024
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AnneMarie
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South Carolina has been home for AnneMarie since 2001. Her favorite part of the state is Lake Jocassee. An App State alumna, it's always the mountains; the lake bonus makes it heavenly. When not writing about the state, she may be spending time with family, relaxing by the pool, or out somewhere enjoying nature.
Did you know there are bison in South Carolina? No, we’re not even joking! How cool is that? And even better, you can take a drive-thru safari tour and see the bison herd at Tatanka Bison Ranch in the town of York. Come along for a little preview of what this experience will be like! It’s certainly one you will not soon forget, one of the most unique things to do in South Carolina.
Tatanka Bison Ranch is a beautiful 215-acre holistically-managed ranch located on Kays Drive about seven miles south of downtown York. Its motto is, “Preservation, Education & Agritourism.”
The ranch is home to over 40 bison that started out with just 18 animals in 2015. At that time, the property had been abandoned but was the perfect place for the retirement dream of Tatanka Bison Ranch Founder, Fred Ilse.
The Safari in South Carolina tour is suitable for four adults or up to three adults with two children who will travel in the 6-seater, 4-wheel drive UTV to see the ranch and bison handling facilities and end with a close-up viewing of the majestic bison herd. It's a safari-like experience that's perfect for everybody interested in learning more about our National Mammal.
The Bison Buggy Wagon Tour accommodates up to 20 adults and children, and the Red Dog Tour utilizes a covered 1994 Japanese firetruck that seats up to nine adults or up to 11 people including children and can accommodate a wheelchair up to 23 inches wide.
They are a matriarchal society run by females (cows), just like elephant herds, which is demonstrated in this photo showing four mama bison with their calves (daddy is following to their left). Bison are very protective of each other, a unity believed to be the reason they have survived for all these years.
Along with tours, Tatanka Bison Ranch offers an annual farm-to-table dinner you can attend to enjoy a delicious meal while watching the bison in the pastures adjoining the visitor center barn.
The humanely raised grass-fed and grass-finished bison herds at Tatanka provide premium, healthy, and tasty bison meat, which is dry-aged for up to three weeks for tenderness and USDA-inspected and certified. Meat is available for purchase at the ranch (as well as the Charlotte Regional Farmers Market in N.C.).
