You can decorate pumpkins and explore pumpkins in what feels like Africa, right at home in The Sunshine State.
"I have never really seen anything like this anywhere in the country,” said Emily Jaffe with Safari Wilderness in Lakeland.
The big game preserve is not your average pumpkin patch.
"They're currently scaling the tripod right now,” said a concerned Emily, while looking past the camera towards a troop of ring-tailed lemurs.
The natives of Madagascar are ready for Halloween.
"And that is part of what we're doing with the pumpkin safari right now,” Jaffe said. “You're able to give our animals enrichment. Which is anything new or interesting, like this tripod.”
The tripod supporting the television camera became a jungle gym for the small mammals in the middle of the interview. The ring-tail lemurs easily climb the camera's tripod between takes and stop only to feast upon grapes.
"I am going to cut this in half so we can share it,” Scott Fais said to five lemurs at arm's reach.
“Oh look! Now there is more to go around for everybody!" Scott said.
"The fun, fall-themed twist to this event is we give them pumpkins, and pumpkin guts, and pumpkin seeds, for them to play with and explore,” Emily explains.
Yet, there is more to explore in the middle of Polk County than just lemurs.
"We're going to go over and feed these guys,” says J.J. the safari bus driver.
The 260-acre Safari Wilderness could double for the plains of Africa. Just north of Lakeland, guests leave the outpost check-in behind and climb aboard safari rovers for what feels like an authentic ride, including the bumps.
"No two zebras out here have the same stripe pattern,” JJ said while passing grazing zebras before heading over to feed water buffalo by hand.
In all, there are close to 500 animals from six different continents, including the unforgettable lemurs.
"They've even figured out they can lick the stems the grapes come on,” Emily concludes.
NOTE: The pumpkin safaris take place on weekends through Halloween. Feeding the lemurs will cost extra.
Safari Wilderness is open to the public by reservation only.
For ticket costs and full details, head to the Safari Wilderness website.
Tankful on Television
You can catch new Florida on a Tankful stories each Thursday and Saturday on News 13 and Bay News 9. New editions play at the end of each hour starting at 6 a.m. Classic Florida on a Tankful stories can be found each Friday and Sunday on Bay News 9 and News 13 at the end of each hour starting at 6 a.m.
Scott Fais joins Travel Monthly
Catch our own Scott Fais as the Florida Correspondent on the On Demand travel magazine, Travel Monthly. Each month, Scott joins other travel reporters from across the United States as they showcase a wide variety of attractions, diners, parks and landmarks from across America. See Travel Monthly nationally on Time Warner Cable channel 411. And here at home on Channel 999. Or see more of Travel Monthly here, courtesy of NY1, a service of Charter Communications.