This place near Calistoga is called Safari West and runs bona fide Jeep safaris all day through its Africa-like outback.
Their mission is to “teach kids conservation through education,” and I think that’s pretty cool, as far as the subjugation of animals goes. Not a zoo, Safari West is a wide-open preserve with hundreds of acres of perfectly-manufactured habitat for the zebras, buffalo, giraffes, warthogs, waterbuck, lemurs, impalas, kudus, wildebeests, antelope, ostrich and all sorts of other birds. The staff is devoted to caring for the animals the minimal amount and letting them do their thing with as little hassle as possible. Take your kids here. They won’t forget it.
