There’s almost no better way to break up a road trip than popping into a strange, offbeat roadside attraction. But this famous destination on Interstate 35 north of San Antonio is the king cobra of them all. I don’t suffer from ophidiophobia (the fear of snakes), but even I was nervous stepping into a building full of the world’s most venomous vipers.
Since it opened in 1967, the legend of the Snake Farm has grown far and wide, helped along by the well-known Ray Wylie Hubbard song that it inspired in 2006. Based on the lyrics, I was expecting a “nasty” and dimly lit den of danger.
What I discovered was a full-blown zoo with more than 500 species of animals ranging from mambas to mammals. It turns out that the owners who took over in 2007 had a new vision and a new name: Animal World & Snake Farm Zoo.
I started inside the front building, staring down the likes of death adders, rattlers and one of the world’s deadliest snakes: the inland taipan. If you come for slithering serpents, you won’t be disappointed as this zoo boasts hundreds.
The real surprises came when I wandered outside and past habitats with some of the world’s most curious creatures. I said “howdy” to a pair of white lions and even got to feed the resident bison. There were otters and jaguars right next to monkeys and hyenas.
But nothing entertained the crowds more than when a staff member jumped into the gator pit with more than a dozen hungry alligators chomping for the raw chicken in his hand. I’m not sure if that was bravery, negligence or just good old-fashioned showmanship.
The best roadside stops provide visitors with a dose of the unexpected, and this one certainly delivered.
