Travel Piece: The Yellow River Game Ranch

April 18, 2012                                                      Possible Publication: Georgia Traveler

Travel Piece by, Cameron J. J.

The Yellow River Game Ranch

            Located two and one-half miles east on Stone Mountain High Way and planted on a hill, is the Yellow River Game Ranch, a place who Stephanie Ponteau, a previous customer of the establishment, describes as “Providing a zoo-like experience”.  At the YRGR, families travel along a mile long trail of 24 wooded acres and can physically interact with over six hundred animals indigenous to the state of Georgia, through what employees at the ranch call, a “nose to nose” basis.

             This means you can touch, feed, and pet all the people-friendly wildlife, from black bears to white-tailed deers, to bunnies. It  is fine for people to feed the animals foods such as saltine crackers and carrots, but the establishment asks that people do not feed the animals foods such as marshmallows and bread. Ponteau also stated that “the larger, more dangerous animals were in cages”. Aside from bringing food for the animals, customers can also bring their own snacks for themselves, which makes the Yellow River Game Ranch more economical.

             

                     Being there is scenic, but the beauty of being able to interact with animals people normally would not be able to interact with on a friendly level is so much more photo worthy than a zoo. It is highly encouraged for people to bring along their cameras and camcorders, as the experiences and feelings experienced there are going to create some priceless memories.

_________________________
      "Interact with the animals
         on a nose-to-nose basis"              
_________________________  Open seven days a week from ten in the morning to six in the evening, the convenient prices also make this place an excellent place to visit for a day. With the YRGR being wallet friendly, a mere seven to eight dollars a person, a family can go there and really get their money's worth. According to Aisha Newsome, former employee of the establishment, “Some people who were first time visitors at the YRGR were nervous about being so up and personal with the animals”. Ponteau, however, stated that she was “excited to see what it was all about and it turned out to be fun, inexpensive, and my kids enjoyed it”.

photo provided by Yellowrivergameranch.com

The Yellow River Game Ranch also provides other attractions, such as a playground for the kids to play on. The establishment is open year round, except for Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Day. This provides another level of convenience for people who have busy and hectic schedules. For more information please visit the YRGR main website, at “yellowrivergameranch.com”