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Garlyn Zoo

4.5 (36 reviews)
Closed 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Updated 1 week ago

Garlyn Zoo Photos

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Isaac A.

It's a great stop for the kids after you cross the bridge. The entrance is easy to find, the price is reasonable, and it's not too far from Kitchitikipi and the Paul Bunyan statue if you keep heading West into the UP. We all had a lot of fun and left satisfied. You can do the zoo in 1-2 hours and they have a great variety of animals: lions, tigers, a bear, wolves,a skunk, a sloth, and free-roaming chickens and peacocks. The exhibits are close, so you aren't walking a long distance (great for small kids and if you plan to keep driving for a long time afterwards). Most of the animals were in what I would call older-style exhibits, and all of them looked to be healthy and content. The kids really enjoyed it and it was a welcome break on a 10 hour drive. There are picnic tables at the entrance and there was a good food truck there (Erben Street Grill) selling BBQ. We grabbed some Dippin' Dots at the gift shop on the way out to cool everyone down after walking.

Entrance
Jameson J.

This is a hidden gem. The zoo has a large variety of animals some I'm sure you haven't seen before in captivity. Many if the animals are rescues. The zoo organized with a defined walking line that allows you to see all animals. One unique feature is the you get to feed some animals. You can purchase apples to feed the bears and an assortment of nuts and grains to feed the goats, lamas and other animals. The only strike is that there is no outdoor plumbing, the bathrooms are outhouse style. I'd suggest a bathroom break before you get here. Other than that the animals are very interesting, the zookeepers are kind and knowledgeable about the animals. I'd recommend this to any family or animal lover.

Hannah F.

We stopped on our way home and it was very much worth it. You can feed some of the animals which was nice. Also the animals seemed happy and well taken care of. Glad we stopped !

Annie M.

We visited the Garlyn Zoo last year while visiting family in Michigan and returned this year because we like it so much. You get a different zoo experience here, up close animal encounters and lots of opportunities to feed.

Valerie S.

We loved this place! We happened to come at feeding time for the big cats! We watched the tigers jump into the trees for their food. My husband said this is the best zoo he's ever been to in his life. It's all natural on the grounds which is a nice contract when comparing to Detroit zoo. They also give the you option to buy food for some of the animals at a decent price. Soooo fun!

Walter S.

Rainy days dampened some of our time in the U.P. But a few hours spent checking out the animals was a good time. The girls were ecstatic to go and had a great time. It's what you would expect from a small local zoo. The animals seem to be well cared for and fed. I'm not a huge fan of caged animals so 3 is a 5 in my book. I would recommend a stop to anyone in the area with kids. I did spy a smoker in the parking lot but unfortunately they didn't have it going.

Karolcia H.

This is a great place to visit for the whole family! We had a great time. It is much smaller than a regular zoo but packed with wildlife and rescued animals. You can buy pellets/apples to feed the animals which is a great experience for kids. All animals appeared to be in good spirits and well taken care of. Proper precautions were followed and several hand sanitizer stations were available. I highly recommend visiting the Garlyn zoo!!!

Jessica K.

It took us about an hour to see everything, the zoo was clean and the employee's were very friendly. My kids loved it!

Mara W.

We were looking for something to do other than the touristy stuff while visiting Michigan and ran across this neat petting zoo. We are huge animal lovers and this place exceeded our expectations by far. The price is cheap, the zookeepers were friendly, the animals were all happy. Our favorite part was getting to feed the bears. I would recommend those looking for a fun activity to visit the zoo! My only negative about the location would be the restrooms, as they are porter potties.

Super close to the animals!

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3 years ago

We visit the zoo every time we travel up to the UP just a really cool place. Our grandkids absolutely love it here!!

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4 years ago

Healthy animals. Clean walkways. Staff present and caring for animals. Interactive exhibits.

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8 years ago

Very nice family run zoo. Took us only about an hour to walk around. No indoor facilities, two port-a-potties outside.

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Ask the Community - Garlyn Zoo

Review Highlights - Garlyn Zoo

Tons of fun, one of our family favorites and a Must-Stop and See if you're on US-2 crossing the UP!

Mentioned in 5 reviews

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Oswald's Bear Ranch

Oswald's Bear Ranch

4.0(88 reviews)
27.0 mi

My son is absolutely obsessed with bears and asked me if they were real...so of course, we had to…read moretake him! The experience overall was memorable for the kids. They loved feeding apples to the bears (it's $4 per bag) and were thrilled to do the penny souvenir machine! Bring quarters and pennies for that! One of the highlights was getting a photo with a bear cub, where one person in your group holds a spoon of food to get the bear's attention. The photo is $10 per group (I believe up to 9 people), and they use your phone or camera, which I appreciated. Yes, you get to pet the cub! A few helpful tips: * It's cash-only to get in ($30 per car), though the gift shop accepts cards with a 4% fee. * There is an ATM on-site, despite what the website says. * Wear bug spray and good shoes! It's in the woods and parts are sandy. Unfortunately, not all of the staff were friendly. The women we interacted with were very kind, but the men we encountered weren't. We overheard one male worker speaking rudely and using inappropriate language about a guest (and guests in general) after she asked a simple question about the cub schedule. Not okay...especially with children around. It made it a bit awkward. All that said, my kids had a great time, and if you come prepared, it's a unique experience for little animal lovers!

Leading with the positives, seeing the black bears so up close felt good. There were no kids in our…read moregroup but I enjoyed seeing the kids so thrilled to watch and feed bears. The refuge area ( separate for adult males, adult females and cubs) seems large and natural enough to provide a comfortable refuge to the bears. There is a beautiful serene lake on the property and felt very peaceful spending some time there. Though we enjoyed watching the bears, the experience seemed overpriced and a little unfriendly. We paid $30 for the car( only cash allowed) and then there was additional $4 for the bag of apples and $10 for the photoshoot with the cub.for the area the ranch covers and average time spent there , I feel at-least one pic or the bag of apples could be included in the $30 ticket price. The instructions at the photo-booth about the cost of recapturing a pic seemed borderline rude to me. I understand that people can get particular about their pics but I am sure there are friendlier ways to get your point across: Most of the trails around the bears enclosures do not have any signs, and we only found text about the ranch and the bears at the very end. All in all, can be a good spot for kids and bear enthusiasts. Nor for people who are looking for a safari kind of experience.

Photos
Oswald's Bear Ranch
Oswald's Bear Ranch - Gift shop

Gift shop

Oswald's Bear Ranch

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The Original Butterfly House - Butterflies

The Original Butterfly House

4.2(47 reviews)
37.7 mi

Why not have a butterfly greenhouse on an island that's only accessible to visitors for half of the…read moreyear? You might as well. I'm kind of jealous of these butterflies and insects that live at The Original Butterfly House. They get to flit and walk about, undisturbed, from November through April. But come May, they have to dust themselves off and fluff their hair, because visitors are coming. Mackinac Island's busy times are late spring through fall (late October), and I imagine that's when the butterfly house is also busy. We visited in fall, the week before the island started closing up. We got to see lots of butterflies in the greenhouse (apparently, there are hundreds!), plus the resident insects and even a hedgehog. At certain times of the day, some of the animals and insects will be taken out of their containers, and a docent will display them and talk about them. The hedgehog was super cute, but we didn't get to touch him -- just look at him. You experience lots of live butterflies flying and landing on you in the greenhouse. Some people (me) think that it's cool to have a butterfly land on you. Other people (my youngest child) do not think it's cool, and they are grossed out and it makes them scream. Your mileage may vary! Fortunately, if you ain't about those winged insects, you can keep it moving and just visit the other exhibits, which feature insects that live safely behind glass. But if you ask me, the greenhouse is a nice, peaceful place to sit and enjoy looking at butterflies and tropical plants. This is a small attraction, but your admission price grants you access all day. So, come and go as you please!

Oh my goodness--all the butterflies!…read more We absolutely adored our visit to The Original Butterfly House. We came here after finding them on Yelp and really on a bit of a whim and then ended up spending more time than we had intended as we got so completely lost in the butterfly magic. After purchasing your tickets, when you first walk in, you can stop first and see a collection of live chrysalis, some with butterflies beginning to emerge and some butterflies having just emerged. It was magical and we were completely mesmerized. Then you enter the butterfly sanctuary that's rich, green, and teeming with butterfly life, It's relatively small but we so enjoyed wandering through and then eventually found a seat (careful not to disturb any butterflies, of course!) on one of their benches and just sat and enjoyed the fluttering scenery. Amazing! Get to it!

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The Original Butterfly House - More butterflies

More butterflies

The Original Butterfly House - Turtles and other friends

Turtles and other friends

The Original Butterfly House

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Garlyn Zoo - zoos - Updated May 2026

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