A Glamping-Style Safari Resort Has Just Opened… in New Jersey

Forget Africa. A new luxury safari resort has just opened in New Jersey. 

Six Flags Great Adventure, a 510-acre amusement park in Ocean County, is adding another attraction to its Wild Safari Adventure—a hotel. The company is getting into the hospitality game with the launch of the Savannah Sunset Resort & Spa, an upscale, glamping-style retreat, Bloomberg reported. The property, which opens on June 14, features tented suites akin to what you’d find at wilderness camps in the Serengeti or Kenya—not the Garden State.  

“We needed to really deliver things that were special,” Edithann Velez Ramey, chief marketing officer at Six Flags, told Bloomberg. The hotel is nestled within Great Adventure’s existing 350-acre safari park. Here, you can go on a 45-minute game drive through the grounds where everything from lions and giraffes to wildebeests to black bears roam.  

The lodge itself features 20 suites that can sleep anywhere from two to six people depending on the size. Of course, there are tons of safari-esque amenities and experiences for guests to enjoy like close-up animal encounters, daily giraffe feedings, and opportunities to explore the local watering holes. Savannah Sunset will also have an on-site restaurant, Mahaba Grill, and an on-site spa.  

Suites start at $599 per night during the summer season and require a two-night minimum stay. Each reservation includes multi-park admission, private transportation, and daily breakfast. Plus, hotel guests get the bonus perk of bypassing lines for roller coasters and water slides at Six Flags Great Adventure and Hurricane Harbor. If you’re planning a family trip, the resort does have an age restriction. According to Bloomberg, all guests must be at least 5 years old. 

Six Flags Entertainment Corp. is close to merging with its competitor, Cedar Fair Entertainment Co., in a $1.9 billion deal. Up until the announcement of Savannah Sunset, the company only had Great Escape Lodge, a 200-room hotel in Queensbury, New York, under its belt. The concept of a luxury resort was initially introduced by CEO Selim Bassoul, who signed on in 2021, and is reportedly part of the company’s strategy to encourage higher spending. “It’s one of our biggest, largest properties, so we knew we wanted to invest,” added Ramey. “And we’re thrilled that it’s happening in New Jersey.”