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Wilde Manor owners preview giraffes, penguins and safari‑themed B&B ahead of grand opening in Halifax County
Summary
Owners of Wilde Manor (Tarover) told the joint meeting they have renovated the 1854 property into a safari‑themed bed‑and‑breakfast with giraffes, lemurs and penguin chicks on site and plan staged openings that will include school programming and educational visits.
Owners Molly Waller and Nick Rich gave the Halifax County Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors an update on Wilde Manor (the historic Tarover property) and described renovations and animal arrivals ahead of a planned grand opening.
Planning/Zoning Administrator Detrick Easley introduced the presentation and said the applicants had previously asked the county to amend ordinance language to permit exotic animals and a bed‑and‑breakfast at the site. Waller and Rich said they remodeled interior rooms with safari themes, restored floors and prepared a dining room for bed‑and‑breakfast service.
They described several animals already on site: lemurs (including a lemur named Voalohany), a one‑to‑two‑month‑old penguin chick with two more chicks recently hatched, and two young male giraffes — one about two‑and‑a‑half years old and another about one year old — that arrived in a custom trailer and have been acclimating to barn and pasture space. Waller said some animals prefer indoor spaces in hot weather and that the site includes indoor/outdoor enclosures and fencing for animal care.
Waller said the operation will open first as an overnight bed‑and‑breakfast and then expand to include day visits and school programming; she said they have hired a local education manager with experience at Disney’s Animal Kingdom to develop curricula for school groups. The owners also described marketing efforts, visits from regional tourism directors and a local partnership with Berry Hill and Springfield along a “River Road” tourism route. Halifax residents, they said, will receive a booking discount.
No Board action or vote was taken; Planning and Board members expressed appreciation and staff said they would coordinate a visit for the full Board to tour the property.
