Thursday, October 1, 2026
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Shelby, NC (WNN) - With this attraction on the outskirts of Shelby, you can take a safari without leaving the comfortable NC climate. Circle M Safari Park was founded by Colton Morris and operated in conjunction with his partner, Meg, and their young son, Vance, who is noted as the hardest animal to care for at the park.
Meg, Vance, and Colton Morris interviewing with WNN - Circle M Safari Park - March 31, 2026
Mason Beam (WNN)
Morris grew up with a family collection of alternative livestock and exotic animals. When asked to try to recount his first exotic, he couldn’t because he had been around them since his earliest memories. Originally, Morris had transported his private collection around the country to zoos, but he grew weary of the traveling. While he hadn’t originally planned to use the property in Shelby for Circle M, in October of 2023, the park opened its doors. Since then, it has grown to a collection of over 300 animals, with Morris selecting for friendly traits. The park focuses on educating visitors about the various animals through plaques, guided tours, and demonstrations when it's open. This has all culminated in an experience where it is safe to get close to various exotic animals in ways you may not in the wild. Nowadays, the park employs several staff members and even offers internships for those interested in learning how to care for exotics.
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The park offers several ways to experience the animals. The first is the safari part of the experience, with a guided tour via a wagon ride through the park's larger area. The park’s employees explain facts about animals such as wildebeests, water buffalo, zebras, gazelles, emu, ostriches, and various deer. With a properly sized space, each species has room to graze, allowing them to coexist peacefully in the enclosure. The animals, fully aware that the trailer means food, flock to the sides and follow it through the park during its three stops. Some animals, such as Cardi B, are crowd favorites for their big personalities, while others, like Benji, are loved for their cuteness.
In the main area of the park, there are a species specific enclosures for animals. This includes primates, tortoises, kangaroos, camels, and cappybaras. Our crew was allowed to visit the kangaroos in the enclosure, and Moby's affection shows the care put into them. As with many animals, Moby was raised at the park from an early age and doesn’t spend much time being shy. After a quick investigation, he shoves his head into a new person's hand, showers them with licks, and demands to be pet. The camels look on, waiting to be fed from the raised platform where they can be visited. While the cappybaras laze about, leaving one thing certain. These animals are comfortable right where they are.
However, the last set of animals may be a little more typical. These are the farm animals you may see on a regular day, such as goats, sheep, pigs, and cows. These are just as eager to interact as the rest of the animals, with even the youngest sticking their heads out of the enclosure, demanding you hand over the contents of your food bucket. Of course, the last set of animals isn’t in an enclosure at all! It would be hard to contain the various guineas, hens, and roosters that roam freely across the farm, from the building's roof to the enclosures.
One of the guineas getting a bird's eye view of the happenings at Circle M Safari Park - March 31, 2026
Mason Beam (WNN)
The park has already hosted one weekend event this year for Easter, but it's not too late to attend, as it will be open with special activities from April 3, 2026, to April 5, 2026, as well. There will be sack races, Easter egg hunts, photo opportunities with both the Easter Bunny and live rabbits, and prizes for children. The egg hunts will be every hour on the hour, and regular park activities will also be running. They will also host food trucks such as Chick-fil-A on Saturday and Mustache Food on Sunday.
Admission to the park is $15, and it is located at 117 Doris Dr, Shelby, NC 28152. The park is open Friday through Sunday from 10 AM to 5 PM.
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