In the theme park world, attractions come and go based on what's trending to participation levels to just plain-old aging out. An "immersive experience" used to mean walking through a living habitat; today it's often a headset and a soundtrack. At Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey, the goal wasn't to replace the 350-acre Wild Safari - home to roaming herds of giraffe, antelope, and other species - so much as help people feel the thrill of it all again: quietly, up close, and overnight.

In late 2023, safari director and lead veterinarian Dr. William "Doc" Rives reached out to Senior principal Richard Maloney at Colliers Engineering & Design and assembled a team. The landscape architecture concept - led by senior Landscape Architect Zachary Rohde, PLA, and discipline leader Christopher Gammons, PLA, LLA, ASLA - set the direction: let guests sleep inside the park and wake to the first light rolling across the grasslands. Maloney and Doc had worked together before, but this was unlike anything they'd ever tackled, with nine months to proceed from initial concept to open doors and happy campers.

"This wasn't just another project - it was a race against time that I didn't think was possible," Maloney recalls. "But the team said it could be done."

From Vision to First Light
The resort reuses a previously developed camp inside the safari, keeping the footprint light and the large trees standing. Existing service corridors carried much of the load; new work was sized to what the place actually needed. From there, the plan organized itself around views - an approach led by Rohde and Gammons, who positioned each tent for proper sightlines. Some tents angled west to catch the evening glow, others turned toward the small commotion of morning when the herds begin to stir. Tent footprints were adjusted to preserve the views, and structural engineers refined the foundations and anchorage. The decks are raised just enough for sightlines and drainage while paths stay legible and simple, branching off to fire circles and quiet places to take it all in.

The rooms were sourced from Bushtec Safari Tents in South Africa - made of canvas and timber, with long horizons instead of fuss. Their assemblies use a four-layer roof: a protective shade-net flysheet for UV and debris protection, a PVC rain flysheet, the vendor's proprietary South African canvas - specified as double-layered and insulated for comfort - and a bull-denim cotton ceiling liner that elevates the interior feel. The doors were fabricated in a Mexican factory to accommodate the required, larger electronic lock specifications. Outdoor seating was crafted in African teak by a firm in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, with additional custom furniture fabricated in Mexico. All this was brought together to provide comfort without stealing focus from the savannah just beyond the rail.

 
Materials You Can Feel Underfoot
The completed resort relied on durable, natural materials chosen to perform in a high-traffic, wildlife-sensitive environment. The primary walking surfaces at key locations - including the lodge and fire pit terrace - use blue flagstone. Where a stabilized, accessible surface was needed, the team specified fine crushed stone with a stabilizer. Residential tent decks, the spa deck, the lodge deck, the giraffe platform, and other walkways were constructed from Tigerwood - a warm, dense Brazilian hardwood selected over a proposed composite decking material to provide greater durability and a natural aesthetic consistent with the safari environment. Vertical hardscape elements, such as steps and low walls, are constructed of South Bay Quartzite with limestone treads and wall caps, providing high-contrast tactile
and visual character.

Planting the Edges of a Living Landscape
The resort's landscape strategy - built around native, thematically organized plant communities using massing and structure to define spaces - was developed to reinforce the character of the surrounding grasslands while thoughtfully managing viewsheds. However, the accelerated design timeline, early opening date, and seasonal limitations meant that the contractor had to pivot to use plant material that was available, familiar, and within budget. This meant that the resulting aesthetic differs from the ecologically driven planting palette originally specified in the project's construction documents. Future adjustments will be made as needed.

A Multi-Disciplinary Race
The accelerated schedule demanded cooperation at full tilt. Colliers Engineering & Design pulled in multiple internal disciplines - architecture, landscape, structural engineering, ecological, wastewater, mechanical/electrical/plumbing, and surveying. Crews were out daily, staking in the afternoon what was sketched only that morning.

"Every discipline came through with creative thinking, hard work, and cooperation," states Maloney. "From designing ADA-compliant bathrooms in tents to making sure giraffes couldn't reach over the railings, the team handled it all."

Fitting Canvas to Code
Luxury tent canvas doesn't fit neatly into prescriptive codes, so the team coordinated early with state and local officials. They tucked fire sprinklers into fabric ceilings, protected anchor points and penetrations, and proved the assemblies could handle hurricane-class gusts. The rest was straightforward: safe walking surfaces, clear exits, and lighting guides without washing out the night.

Sharing the Savannah
Designing among wild, curious neighbors demands a lighter touch. Rails, gaps, and overhangs follow how animals actually behave, not just what a table allows. Plantings near fence lines avoid anything too tempting for the animals while groundcovers keep dust down and materials from wandering. The night lighting stays warm and shielded to match the animals' rhythms, and back-of-house routes allow staff to move discreetly without crossing guest spaces. Everything is designed to make the guests feel part of a living landscape, and the animals should barely notice the change.

Making the Impossible Routine
Weekly design meetings with Colliers Engineering & Design, Six Flags, and contractors kept the pace moving along. Customized fire suppression, wind reinforcement, under-deck routing, and insulation each had to be solved fast and built faster. By opening day, twenty tents were online. The resort sold out its first two seasons - a clear signal the idea had landed. For the park, the project increases guest engagement and offers a new way to experience a familiar landscape. For the team, it establishes a repeatable framework - reliable materials, practical clearances, thoughtful lighting, and a code approach tailored to this building type.

A Different World
At Savannah Sunset Resort and Spa, guests can feed giraffes, meet animals with staff, and walk quiet spurs off the main path. After dark, it narrows to firelight, the rustle of grass, and a sky that seems larger than New Jersey. Doc has nurtured the park's animals for more than thirty years. "I've spent nights here during storms to care for them," he says. "It feels like a different world, especially at night. We wanted to give people that feeling."

In a business where attractions come and go, this one did something rare: it evolved into something extraordinary. With enough vision, expertise, and a dash of wild optimism, the impossible turned practical. As the sun slides off the plains and the distant roar of lions carries through the New Jersey night, that "completely different world" stops being a metaphor and becomes your next night's stay.