Fossil Rim & BBQ Adventure
Our adventure in Glen Rose, TX originally sprang from a collection of fragmented childhood memories. A few weeks ago, around a large brunch table, someone brought up visiting a wildlife park in west Texas as a child. Visitors were allowed to drive through and feed the animals from their car windows. I remembered the same place and so did others. In our minds it was wild, untamed, and completely free. Somewhere in the far, far West, goats, deer, zebras, and even giraffes were allowed to roam without fences, walk right up to your car, and eat out of your hand. Was it possible that they really allowed people to do that? Had our young, excited minds simply exaggerated the wildness of it all? And, if this park had existed, what were the chances that it would still be there?
The wildlife park came up again later and someone looked it up: Fossil Rim. It was real, still open, and (surprisingly) not as far as we had thought. So over the weekend, we loaded up and made the 1 1/2 hour drive southwest to Glen Rose, TX.
We were excited, not knowing what to anticipate, when we pulled off the highway down the gravel road towards the park. When the moment of truth came, we were not disappointed. The only word fitting to describe it? Awesome. I think it’s slightly more regulated than it was before with rules like ‘one bag of feed per car’ etc. but for the most part, it’s as sprawling and free as it was when we were kids. Cute (and sometimes a little scary) animals came up to our open car windows to get a treat. We fed giraffes out of our palms, dodged the threatening looking ostriches, and threw handfuls of dry pellet food at deer to get them to move out of the car’s path. My favorite animal by far was the zebra.
Skipping the Fossil Rim’s Cafe, we waited until after leaving the park to find something more fitting. Feeling inspired by the rural atmosphere, we thought barbeque would the the best choice. Driving down highway 67, we looked for something authentic looking. Hammond’s BBQ’s red barn exterior caught my eye, as did their very full parking lot.
As far as authentic barbeque goes, Hammond’s really has it going on. We sat on picnic benches. We drank sweet tea out of mason jars, and we enjoyed some really good barbeque. Their chopped brisket was deliciously tender; their fried okra crisp and fresh. Their potato salad is the classic Southern mustard-style and was too sweet for my taste, but their barbeque sauce made up for it. It was very mild, which usually isn’t my first choice (I like it spicy). However, the sauce had such a wonderful flavor, its mildness didn’t matter.
I wasn’t quite ready to hand it a blue ribbon for best BBQ, but if you’re ever in Glen Rose, it’s a fantastic place to stop. The combination of Fossil Rim, good Texas barbeque, and even a stop by Dinosaur Valley (if you’re up for it ) a fun day trip for a group of friends or family. It’s especially good for small kids, because from my experience I can promise you it’s something they’ll remember for a very long time 
1106 N.E. Big Bend Trail | Glen Rose, Texas 76043
254.897.3008
You can find more crazy animal pictures here.
Your photos of the animals are lovely! I finally invested in a Canon Rebel XTI so hopefully my photos will turn out better from now on. But there’s a big learning curve with this camera before I fully realize how to effectively use it, I think
yeah! great photos of a great adventure time. if only there were forty foot dinos nearby, but that would be ridiculous.
Brings back memories of my own trip to Natural Bridge Wildlife Park in New Braunfels earlier this year. Those zebras can get mighty aggressive!!!
Oh man, talk about memories, I used to go there in Jr Highschool, we went to Glen Rose for week each year as since we were an “Environmental Science Academy” read “Geek training ground” I think that food was the last thing on my mind back then. But those images make wonder now. I think that would be great to take my neice to so I can relive my childhood again, I mean so the city girl can see nature.
The Ranch House BBQ down the street is worth a try if you’re ever back down there.
I think that was our first stop but it was ‘Closed for vacation’.
Wonderful fun! My husband took me there as a surprise when we were first dating. I had worked at the wildlife park in Grand Prairie when I was in high school. I can’t believe Glen Rose’s park is still open. Now I’m dying to go! We go to Glen Rose every year for “Fossil-mania”. Maybe this year we’ll skip the fossils and go see the animals instead. Oh, and yes, we eat BBQ every time we go there.
Margie, you worked at the one in Grand Praire? how cool is that! Fossil Rim is sooo close to the fossil park. It’s literally down the freeway. You should definitely go
International Wildlife Park! That was in Grand Prairie. I went went I was little. Fossil Rim is very much like that. Hammond’s is delightful. If you want to go all fancy, try Rough Creek Lodge, also in Glen Rose.