At that time, we had no idea if people could give COVID to the animals. Q: When you reopened, did COVID-19 change your operations?Ī: When we opened back up in May, we did not give guests the opportunity to feed the animals. But we’ve been very, very busy, blessed that one of our biggest marketing tools is word-of-mouth and repeat customers. You did not know if next week everything was going to be good - would you then have a COVID resurgence and you would have to close again? And so you just start to tighten your belt a little bit. You knew that everything was OK right then, but you had no idea what tomorrow was going to hold. Q: Did you increase your marketing budget to let people know you were operating?Ī: We actually decreased our marketing because of the unknown. And it forced families to stop and reassess life and be able to enjoy each other, and we are blessed to be part of that. We had gotten so busy that families weren’t ever sitting down to dinner. But there have been some good aspects about COVID. Obviously, the loss of life is just devastating. There’s been a lot of negative with COVID. We don’t release attendance numbers, but on some days we doubled the number of cars. Visitation has been better than normal for us. We could operate and give people that experience. When we opened back up, we were just very blessed that we could offer that COVID-19-safe environment where people were not exposed to other people. Luckily, we had a cushion so we could afford to feed the animals. How has the wildlife ranch fared in terms of visitors?Ī: We were closed when everyone else was closed. Q: The COVID-19 pandemic has devastated the tourism industry in San Antonio. The following transcript has been edited for clarity and length. Soechting recently talked with the Express-News about the ranch and how the pandemic has affected - and changed - the business. She’s involved in every aspect of the operation. She met Shawn at Canyon High School in New Braunfels.Īfter graduating from Texas Tech University with a degree in animal science, Soechting started working at the ranch full time. Tiffany Soechting got involved as a 15-year-old in 1985, working a summer job in the gift shop and snack bar, and making ticket sales. The animals number 700, with 40 species representing every continent except Antarctica.Ī winding, 4.5-mile road lets visitors drive past the animals at their own pace and even repeat the safari journey if they want. “The driving force was their love for the land, the agricultural way of life, and allowing people to see animals roam free that they had only seen in a zoolike setting,” Tiffany said.Īnimals in the 450-plus-acre compound include giraffes, zebras, cranes, ostriches, lemurs, gibbons peacocks and white rhinoceroses. The experience is rooted in Trudy and Raymond’s desire to allow visitors to see animals on their property in a natural setting and appreciate the beauty of the ranch with its rolling hills, creek beds and live oaks. It’s decidedly low-key in keeping with the philosophy of the Soechting family. On entering the ranch, visitors are given a guidebook featuring the animals they are about to see. Sure, there’s a restaurant and a gift shop filled with stuffed animals and other souvenirs, but you don’t have to enter them to get to the walk-through animal area, which features a large enclosure for giraffes. Those little kids working up to big-Texan style thrills can start with their own age-appropriate adventures at Just Add Children - perfect for the smaller cowboy and cowgirls!Īnd of course, San Antonio is the perfect place to experience history firsthand.Visitors might be surprised once they enter the roadside attraction. Didn’t we say it really was a family friendly park! (No excuses Mom and Dad on those super scary rides!) (In a museum…!? Get out of town!)Īdults and kids can enjoy activities like the indoor amusement park of Kiddie Park PicaPIca, as well as the very splash-tastic Splashtown San Antonio. Museums like the Witte Museum are JUST for kids, with a super fun interactive zone, tree houses and live animal exhibits. Wildlife, museums, theme parks, and animal attractions all ensure that no matter how old, or how young…there are plenty of fun things to do in this very cool Texas city! Ready for Texas-sized thrills and fun? Then get the family ready and head on down to San Antonio!
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |