My wife stumbled across Wandering Llamas while researching things to do during our annual spring…read morebreak adventure. We spent two nights in the fox den treehouse which is located in one of the llama pasture areas. The "treehouse" is a elevated wooden shed like structure that has been refurbished into a pleasant little hideaway in the Smoky's. The treehouse has a nice deck to sit and enjoy the mountain view. There's also a nice swing chair and firepit to enjoy as well. The treehouse has electricity with a small electric heater to take the chill out. The treehouse was very clean and the bed unbelievably comfortable. The treehouse is a one and only. If you are renting here you have the treehouse and llamas all to yourself. The property owner and host (Sandy) lives on the property and is available if you are in need of anything. Sandy is very personable and will spend time sharing of herself with her guests. On the llama walk each person usually gets there own llama to walk with. Sandy accompanies you and can answer any llama related question you may have. The walk is at a very leisurely pace and lasts about two hours. The llamas are easy to walk and well behaved. Contrary to popular opinion of some the llamas did not spit at one another. One thing to be aware of if staying in the treehouse is there is no running water and only a fancy bucket of a toilet in an outhouse under the treehouse. This didn't bother us, but for some that don't care for "roughing it" I could see it as a drawback. (There is a gas station about a mile away that we used the bathroom at. We are members of the YMCA at home. There's a Y a few miles away and with the Y reciprocity program we were able to go there to take a hot shower. The Wandering Llama was an awesome get away experience for us and Sandy is a great host. We appreciate her sharing her llamas.

A super fun, unique outing if you are spending time in the Smoky Mountains, about a 1.5 hour drive…read morefrom our cabin in Sevierville. We booked the 2-hour wine and cheese tour because it was the only tour that had open spots left (we booked about a week ahead). We skipped the wine and cheese part due to our concerns about COVID (the food is served in their open gazebo, so it's relatively safe - we just prefer taking extra precautions and had already eaten lunch just before we got there), but the llama hike alone was well worth it. The walk, about 1.5 hours total time, is along the gravel road, which is a little hilly, but manageable if you're fit (not so much if you have small kids that don't do a lot of walking). Most of the time was spent relaxing in an open field - very socially distant from the other eight people in our group - where we fed the llamas and took lots of pictures. The llamas are super friendly and so soft! Though Sandy (the owner) provides animal crackers and strawberries for the llamas to enjoy during the middle of the hike, definitely bring your own -- we brought graham crackers and sliced apples to feed them throughout the walk, and the llamas LOVE to eat! Sandy is very friendly and welcoming and took pictures of everyone during the hike, which she emailed to us later. A great highlight of our trip!

Well I do have to address the issue with the cost as I see someone left a 2 star review because of…read morethe pricing. I definitely think that $21 a person is extreme especially since minimum wage is $7.50. So this is kind of a tourist trap. But they should definitely do something about the pricing. I understand that they have to feed the animals but a lot of people would look ar the price and leave. Was 3 of us and Ive been to others like this in Montana with Bears and another wildlife one.... but prices were better. So you park and pay and can buy a pail of feed for $5 then drive the property. You can go more than once if you want. The first 1/3 had no animals, so not sure where they were hiding or if there were any in that area. You take your time because some animals want to walk right in front of your car and wont move. One donkey was a smart cookie, he kept walking beside our car as we were moving slowly, then he went and stood in front of the vehicle, we slowly started backing up thinking he would move if we moved... he ran to the back of the vehicle.... lil twerp. Cute animals.... cows, zebra, buffalo and donkies were all hanging out in the same area.

I had sticker shock at $21 per person, not a per car price. I'm glad I went though. We got the 3…read morebuckets of food for $12. They were nice sized buckets so I didn't feel gouged. The animals were very "friendly" and would put their heads into the car window to get food if you let them and weren't quick enough to feed them. I was practically nose to nose with a bison, fed an ostrich, and my daughter loved the young zebra. Staff were pleasant. I had to get a car wash afterwards, but it was worth it.

We had a fantastic baby shower here. All the guests thoroughly enjoyed it. Afterwards, everyone got…read moreto tour the zoo. Brenna, our party coordinator was outstanding to work with. Definitely consider for your next event.

Stopped here as an afterthought because when I planned the trip I didn't know this was a small zoo…read more I'm so glad that we stopped. Small zoos are sometimes the best. This zoo has a lot of fenced animals which are not good for photo taking but I was very impressed that a lot of the exhibits had partial glass viewing areas for better photos. Very nice exhibits and animals were moving a lot. Definitely worth the stop!! It's a great little zoo!!

Despite the colder than expected weather and the wind, my wife and I had a great time exploring…read moreGrandfather Mountain. The park is so nicely maintained, well mark, and cleared hiking trails for all skill levels. The Wilson Center for Nature Discovery is an amazing add on with so much fun, and educational info for all ages. The Wilson center also has a cafe, offering reasonably priced "ball park" cuisine, well maintained bathrooms and a souvenir shop. Next to the Wilson Center is the Mildred The Bear Environmental Habitats where you can get up close and learn about some of the species that call this area home. Consider it a miniature zoo with habitats for some animals needing rehab. We were able to see some bears, bald eagles, river otters, and elk, OH MY! Each area had signs posted for ranger talks, which we caught for the river otters. They tell you about the animals, and and answer any questions people have. After exploring the Wilson Center and habitats, we continued our trek up on the mountain to the swing bridge, and that's when the wind really kicked in...with wind gusts, the temp dropped quickly, with a wind chill of -9degrees, but we trudged on, and made the most of it. In the end, we had a great time, and look forward to returning to explore more of the trails. Based on other reviews, some may feel that the $35 ticket price per person may be a bit much at the main entry, but it's a small cost of maintaining such an amazing resource. If you enjoy being outside, hiking, and exploring, this is a must visit NC destination

Nice park and mountain, but $37 PER PERSON? With NO…read moresignage/pricing posted anywhere ... yikes I could understand for something like Yosemite or Yellowstone, but just a state park ...tough pill to swallow especially when it's not posted anywhere. I was planning to hike with some friends and we were going to start at one of the other lots but the roads were closed leaving us no choice but to enter the park. I really just wish the pricing/fees were posted somewhere-anywhere- because they weren't online or on the park signs out front. Had to pull up to the gate/window and even then the park ranger seemed to want to withhold that information as long as possible. The actual park is beautiful and well maintained- and you do get an audio guide plus map upon entry. But the lack of transparency here is a hard no for me. @azfitfoodfun

We went awhile back to see Charlotte and were sorely disappointed. Hearing of her death today…read morereminded me I had forgotten to write a review. This location is privately run and not for educational purposes. More like going to a friends house to see their pets. Please consider going to an aquarium run by scientists for educational purposes.

I want to say this has been one of the highlights of my family trip. When your 16 yo his 17 yo best…read morefriend and wife all agree on this fact it says something. As adults we have this tendency to say "if I knew then what I knew now, I'd have paid more attention in school!" Well here's your chance. This tiny aquarium will impart more knowledge in a short visit than you probably take in most months if you take advantage of it. The interns and owner (a former teacher) are committed to answering questions. The things they are studying and sharing are amazing. If you go in and you want to learn and ask questions this will be an experience you won't forget. Think of the best science teacher you ever had, having an opportunity to show the world what she loves to talk about... and that is what you have here. Do yourself a favor, go, enjoy and learn!!

Great place for children of all ages. If you grew up around barn animals this farm would be…read morefamiliar. Started out with a visit to the pot bellied pigs. Then an in-depth presentation of the Alpacas and Llamas. Complete with petting. Next a stroll past several apple trees. Next their affectionate donkey, Dominick. A gorgeous view of the valley and mountains in the distance and finally goat feeding and their cows. Well worth the drive the time and modest fee.

If you have NEVER been to any sort of farm this may interest you. We were not impressed and…read morehonestly a little bored. Maybe it was the young female guide that seemed bored to be there. She was a nice girl and was not rude she was just not very informative about the farm - she told us more about a mule passing gas than she did about the history of the farm or the alpacas - many people had to ask questions to get any information. There were alpacas - couldn't touch them that day, there was a pot belly pig, lots of goats, one cow and 2 horses. The tour consisted of more walking around the farm than learning. I'm sorry - I just thought for the amount of time it took to get there and at 20$ per person it would be more informative.

This was a fun outing for kids - it was just exceptionally hot when we went. Workers were all very…read morefriendly. You get pretty large cups of feed to feed a nice variety of animals. Going in with the deer is a fun experience - kinda overwhelming because they can get a little pushy. The pony ride was the highlight. You get to go around 3 times, and its parent-led, which was nice to have that experience with your kiddos. The animals seem so well taken care of here. Great experience, just know it doesn't have much more than an hour or so worth of time.

My two kids enjoyed the day (age 2 and 8). I recommend this place. There arA lot of games for young…read morekids plus animals for hours of fun.

I finally visited today for the first time with a girlfriend, and we easily spent four hours…read morewalking around and seeing the different animals. Some of my favorites included: the red pandas, gibbons, great apes, otters and tigers. The zoo was especially busy today because of Spring Break week, but the great thing was that we never felt crowded or claustrophobic. There were places to purchase food like Beastro's Cuisine and Safari Smoke House, but we brought snacks and beverages to hold us over for our visit. I highly recommend the Knoxville Zoo for anyone looking for something fun to do when visiting our scruffy little town. Know before you go: 1) Tickets are $26.95 per adult, $21.95 for kids ages 3-12, seniors, and college students. Free for active military/veterans and children (2 & under). 2) A $2 ticket fee is added to all in person ticket sales. Save time and money, by getting your ticket online. 3) Parking is available in upper and lower lots. Handicap parking is available as well. All parking is $5, or free for membership holders. 4) Everyday they have animal encounters at different times where you can personally meet the animal ambassador and caretakers and get to chat with them. My favorite was the red panda encounter which is at 3pm everyday. 5) They do have a greatly curated gift shop with something for everyone including magnets, hats, clothing merch, and stuffed animals.

This is such a great zoo! The animals were incredibly active and we loved the red pandas. They have…read morea military discount as well as AAA. We ended up spending most of the day here and enjoyed the selection of animals.

Overall decent place. Wouldn't say it's a stand out attraction, but it does ok to see. 1 thing to…read morenote if you use your GPS, it will take you to an abandoned building parking lot. We went down the road/hill and found it. It's a nice exhibit, they do have animal shows a few times a day, you can easily spend a few hours here, the animals your aloud to touch that I saw were Guinea pigs, and a handler walked around with a boa. Nice little gift shop at the end

Great indoor activity for the kids. We saw lots of lizards, birds, turtles, poison frogs, snakes…read more The highlight for my girls was feeding the goats, llamas, and guinea pigs