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Six Flags in NJ will open safari for drive-thru visits this summer

(Photo Provided/Six Flags Great Adventure via Twitter)

(CNN) — You might have to stay away from other people for now but soon, at least, you can get up close to elephants, giraffes and tigers.

Six Flags Great Adventure announced on Thursday that it will open up its safari attraction as a special drive-thru experience, according to a news release.

Visitors can explore the 35-acre preserve in Jackson, New Jersey, from their own vehicles and observe the park’s 1,200 animals in a safe, socially distanced manner.

The experience will bring back memories for anyone who visited the park from 1974 through 2012, when the safari operated as a self-drive-thru experience. It transitioned to guided truck tours in 2013.

The reopening comes as states across the US are finding new ways to safely lure the public back out to parks, shopping centers and other attractions. It follows New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy newly issued executive order allowing drive-thru and drive-in events to resume. The order, part of the state’s plan to reopen, also allows for nonessential construction and curbside pickup at nonessential retail businesses.

The theme park said it was still finalizing safety procedures and has not yet announced the date that the drive-thru safari will open.

Prospective safari-goers will have to register in advance online to protect against overcrowding. Tickets will not be available at the gate, Six Flags said.

But don’t bring your swim trunks — Six Flags Great Adventure’s theme park and water park will remain closed at this time.