Walt from Walt's Adventures adventuring at the Menagerie Hill Ranch in Vacaville, California. Life can be interpreted as more fulfilling when filled with adventures. It is wise to step outside your environment and, in the case of this current venture, go visit an Alpaca farm. The Menagerie Hill ranch has beautiful animals. The host was awesome and knowledgeable. We increased our knowledge of the animals and of the farm but also got to feed them. We also had the opportunities to get close and personal with them for pictures. They were all friendly and fluffy. I recommend this unique experience for all because if you do not just break your usual pattern to stop and smell the roses or to pet and feed an Alpaca, life will pass by before you know it. Put your life on pause just for a few hours and go see the Alpacas. They would like to share peace with you. You can find them at the Menagerie Hill Ranch read more

Menagerie Hill Ranch - Elpacas - Tours Near Me - Vacaville, California

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This was a memorable trip. We were originally slated to visit in late June before my birthday but both Deb and Kirk were recovering from surgery. We stayed in touch over the next several weeks before settling on an August date. We braved the high temps and winding roads to arrive at the ranch. It's a beautiful space on a hillside and you can see the herd and their guardian llama as you pull into the parking lot. We learned a lot about the alpaca life cycle, fed the boys, and my daughter got to hold and carry a cria. We bought two cute alpaca shaped soaps. I didn't experience any of the negativity others have complained about. It is a working ranch so it's not a petting zoo or a tourist attraction. Go with the flow and you'll have a great experience. read more

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Ive been here a total 3x and its been a great experience. Id totally recommend coming here for the experience and knowledge. Such little cuties there read more

This is definitely a great once in a lifetime bucket list activity to take an animal lover. My husband and I came on a tour and enjoyed the alpacas so much! So humbling to see such beautiful and delicate animals. We were able to feed, touch, heard, hug & hold the alpacas. Thank you Deb! read more

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The one good part first - the alpacas were cute and we got to hold a new baby, which was cool. The alpacas looked well taken care of and the land was beautiful. I am not sure if Deb was having a bad day because a lot of these reviews say she was nice but she wasn't friendly AT ALL to us. I would think a tour guide would be smiling and friendly, this chick did not smile ONCE. Not once. She did tell us about how her husband over fed the animals and some other stuff he didn't do properly so maybe she was mad at him that day or maybe someone else was supposed to do the tour and she was stuck with us that day. Who knows. She gave us the bare minimum info on the alpacas and was extremely snarky when we asked questions. Example, my friend asked "I've read on the internet that alpacas like to spit on people is that true?" and she responded verbatim, with a very sour look on her face "Do you believe everything you read on the internet?" She then said "do you get bitten by every dog you see or scratched by every cat you see? No. Its the same." I wanted to say "that's why she's asking YOU lady" and "well the answer is yes they do have the capacity to spit on us" but I decided not to, I didn't feel like arguing with this person. I asked her (because it was silent again for a few minutes with her brooding and I wanted to cut the tension) "hey how come that alpaca has super curly fur at the top of his head and the others are straight" and I kid you not she looked at me like I was crazy and said "because they are different why do you have curly hair and she has straight hair?" and it wasnt just the words, it was the delivery and her expression like she was talking to the dumbest person on the planet. Which to be fair makes sense yes alpacas are different, but if you are in the business of giving a tour you might want to be a bit more friendly with any question you may get. She snapped at the 2 teenage boys (16 and 17) we were with, one of them didn't stick his hand over the fence far enough to feed the alpacas "PUT YOUR HAND IN FARTHER!" and one was about to step over a very small bush to get to the alpacas to feed them "DONT GO THAT WAY! GO AROUND." Fine if you want them to do something different I get it but why start out by biting their heads off for something so minor. It was just so over the top. And did i mention that she did not smile ONCE? Not once. It was so uncomfortable. 45 min into the "tour" she asked us if we wanted to look at the gift shop. Since I told myself 2 min into this debacle that I wasn't going to confront her because it wasn't worth it I said sure. We were in there about 3 min. I left first and just walked to the car, my group followed about a min later. Didn't say goodbye. We discussed her attitude all the way to lunch, at one point my son said "I wanted to buy something from the store but decided I didn't want to give that lady any of my money." Me either, kid. Me either. Before Deb writes a response to this review and says "I am sorry you feel that way" we all felt that way. If you were having a bad day I'm sorry that you were but there is no excuse for treating paying customers rudely and just generally being sour and annoyed with us. This is what you make money to do. If a bad day affects you this much, don't do tours. Edit to respond to owner: dry sense of humor isn't what that was. But ok. read more

I came here because I saw that they had alpaca hair that was spun into yarn. My friend knits and I wanted to get this for her. I had a great experience because the store is appointment only. I emailed the owner the same day and was told I can come in the afternoon. The communication was prompt and I appreciate that a lot. When I arrived I met blue and leo the alpacas. Then I met the owner who directed me to the little corner where products are sold. They had alpaca keychains, socks, beanies, and yarn for clothing or rugs. I was pleasantly surprised to find they also sold eggs. I bought some and they were a beautiful brownish peach color. The service was good and I would come back again. read more

Menagerie Hill Ranch - Tours Near Me - Vacaville, California

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We visited the farm on their annual National Alpaca day weekend and it was amazing. We were able to go into the "maternity " enclosure and meet some baby and momma Alpacas. The staff was very friendly and knowledgeable and we even got to feed some of the alpacas and even the Llama. read more

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Edited to add: This review has been long overdue as I visited the place two years ago. I usually do not post negative reviews, however, someone asked about the place and I remembered that I should share my experience as it was not welcoming at all. So, I was in the area, stopped by to find out the charges of the tour so that we can plan something with family. The owner was outside and I, very respectfully greeted them with no response in reply from her. I asked two questions about the tour (price and age restrictions) and the response from her was extremely rude. I responded with a 'thank you very much' and left the place immediately. I told my spouse 'never again'. Only after leaving the place , I saw the Google reviews and regretted to why I even stopped by to see the animals. Unfortunately, would like to give this business zero stars. The owner is like one of the most rude people I have met in the United States lol. In fact, I believe I have never met such a business owner in my entire career and life! Animals are cute but it's not worth the visit because of the human behavior. Very unfortunate business. read more

We got 3 young alpaca from Deb and Kirk and they were beyond helpful and knowledgeable. They have the alpacas best interest in mind at all time. Absolutely love this place! read more

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Me and my wife visited the Menagerie Hill Ranch when she found out that it was a special World Alpaca Day at the ranch for the weekend of September 24-25 and entry was free of charge. Parking was close to the ranch and the workers at the ranch were very friendly and welcoming. You were permitted to enter the corral that contained younger Alpaca which could be petted. We were instructed not to touch the top of their head and you were permitted to take photos with the animals. There were workers who assisted in the process and permitted you to either hold them by their reign or hold them around their neck which seemed to control them better. Very docile and not skidish, seems they are pretty well domesticated since many are raised there on the farm. There is another section with adult Alpacas and a llama that you may feed hay/grass to and they are also pretty tame but they are in a pen but you could feed them through the gate. It was a nice experience and the animals all seem happy and well taken care of. They do have a shop for refreshments and souvenirs. Kids were all very excited to get the opportunity to feed and pet the animals. Good for small children. Nice time. read more

Unbelievably bad experience. I have no idea why you'd open your ranch to tours if you hate people as much as you clearly do. Absolutely NASTY woman came to meet us. No hello, no welcome, no introduction. Within 5 minutes she had nastily snapped at everything we said or asked. Turned around and walked out. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY. read more

Deb was so kind to book a tour for my mom and her friend When our daughter and grandchildren came to visit it was a very special treat Very clean Great host and hostess Loved picking up items in their gift shop read more

I visited this ranch for the ranch tour and had the best time! It's an experience I'm constantly recommending for animal lovers. Honestly, how often do you get to hug an alpaca?! Deb is incredibly sweet, she hosts farm tours on the weekends. My boyfriend and I were the only ones on our tour group and our experience lasted about an hour and a half. If you're coming here know that it's not a petting zoo. You're not going to run in there and be petting alpacas and lamas left and right. You do get to do that once the alpacas warm up to you. Alpacas are a lot more like cats than dogs and don't come running over to you to see what's going on. I learned a lot from Deb about breeding alpacas and the guard lamas. She took us around each of the fenced areas and explained what alpacas were currently in what areas and why. We then got to feed the male weanlings with hay. My favorite part was when we got to herd the alpacas into a smaller enclosure and I had over 6 alpacas around me! Deb literally picked the younger alpaca up and handed her over to me to try and hold. TLDR: This farm is cute, the alpacas are even cuter. Deb is great. Bring some $$ for her gift shop to support the farm! read more

Menagerie Hill Ranch - Tours Near Me - Vacaville, California

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Review TLDR: unpleasant feelings after the visit, rude service, not an exciting tour, not for kids under 5 years old. We were excited to visit the alpacas; it was our two-year birthday gift for our son, who adores animals, especially alpacas! Unfortunately, the experience was terrible; from the start, the woman did not say hello and did not introduce herself, but told us to hold the baby in our arms all the time, and if he made noise, leave. Ok, we promised to do it (it makes sense since animals are not a toy, and you need to respect them), but she was rude, slow, and looked like we didn't pay her $70, but like if she paid us. We have been before to some animal farms and have never experienced such uninteresting tours. Our little one was upset because he couldn't touch the alpacas, when he tried to feed alpaca, the woman said that babies are stupid and can't do it right. We felt ridiculous, as if we went into someone else's house when we were not invited. We drove for almost 2 hours and paid $70 for terrible service and experience. And even after that, we went to the store and wanted to buy a small toy for $27, but she did not wish to accept a credit card, and there was no cell service, so we could not use Venmo. I will never recommend this farm to any of my friends. But alpacas are extremely cute , I at least I was able to hug some of them (unfortunately my baby couldn't). read more

Cool alpaca tour. Very informative and fun. Got to hold a baby and feed a few by hand. They have a couple llamas as well. read more

So behind on this review but love love love this ranch and the lovely couple that runs it. I love alpacas and as soon as I found out they had some so close to me I knew I needed to visit. But since it is a working ranch I didn't want to just show up like it's a zoo. So I convinced my fiancé to have have a funny holiday card and contacted the ranch to see if we could do it. Luckily they said yes! Deb (the owner) even asked if there was a specific alpaca from their site we wanted to use. Luckily for us the two that they use most for photos, Blizzard and Legend, were the exact ones we wanted. When we arrived early in the morning we got to meet both Deb and her husband, and they gave us background on their ranch and showed us all the animals before we started. They let us bring scarves to dress up Blizzard and Legend and taught us how to walk/handle them and showed us the best places around the property for photos. They were so patient and the alpacas were so much fun. After everything we got to feed their other llamas and see the babies. They even have a small store where you can buy products made from their fur! We picked up the cutest ornament for our tree. Everyone got a kick out of our holiday card and I got my alpaca fix. They even do weddings! We'd love to have them at ours but our venue is just too small. Few things to note: Need an appointment to visit to contact them. Remember it's a family run business you may not always get your first choice/time slot but they are extremely accommodating. They let us come real early in the morning. There is a fee to visit. Overall go visit!!! read more

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Who needs to go to Peru when you can see Alpacas? Thank goodness for Google that I was able to find this Alpaca farm near Vacaville. I scheduled a tour with the owner, Deb, who was very flexible with scheduling. Keep in mind the tour is 90 minutes and the drive may be a bit much if you're coming from the Bay Area. ($10 tour) Anyhow, we arrived at the farm and was greeted by Deb. She explained each group of alpacas as they were grouped according to their age, gender, etc. She did a great job with assisting with all the questions I had and making sure this wouldn't be my last experience. Of course included in the tour was the petting of the Alpacas. Little did I know that they dislike being petted, so trying to pet and hug one was pretty difficult. Nevertheless, once you catch one, hold a firm grip and you'll never want to let one go. Their fluffy fur coat is sure enough to keep you warm through the winter. At the end of the tour, you get to see all the different Alpaca goodies. I left spending more than I anticipated, but to support family owned businesses and precious Alpacas, it was nothing. A beanie, a pair of socks, and two Alpaca ornaments were a good buy. Overall, it was a great experience whether it's a simple shopping trip or a full ranch tour. read more

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If I could leave 0 stars I would. At first, we did enjoy the alpacas and getting to hug them and feed them. The volunteers were so helpful and pleasant. Before leaving, we went to the alpaca store there to purchase some sort of souvenir. We found an alpaca toy made from its fur and my daughter wanted a soda as well, so we waited behind a volunteer who was also going to purchase a soda. When the volunteer got up to the "lady" (handing her a credit card), the "lady" said very rudely, "We don't take plastic!" and quickly pulled the soda from her. Initially, I thought, wow! She's volunteering - GIVE her the soda. I took money out in an attempt to pay for the volunteer's soda, my daughter quickly asked for the sodas so I can pay for both... BUT the "lady" rudely said to my daughter, "I'm helping someone!" Under her breathe she said to the person she was helping, "Some people just don't get it." Oh, trust me... I jumped in. I said, "ACTUALLY, we were behind the volunteer you refused soda to. WE were next and I don't think YOU get it." I walked over to the volunteer and handed her CASH to pay for her soda and said, "Buy yourself something to drink, that lady was rude and we are leaving." Before leaving, I spoke to someone and asked who the owners were and it turns out... the "lady" was the wife of the owner. I spoke to the owner and told him how I witness the treatment of their volunteers and treatment of their guests. Turns out after speaking to the owner that they do accept credit cards aka "plastic". Wow. Just wow. I will definitely find a different Alpaca farm to visit and write a feature for my magazine. Stay tuned for my recommendation. read more

It was a fun tour and great experience. Thanks so much Deb :) There are variety of Alpacas and they are all been well Taken care of. All the Alpacas are friendly and sweet, my Hubby and I had so much fun with them. Would definitely recommend to anyone who would like to meet this cute animal :) read more

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This is a review for Deb's amazing alpacas and for the amazing experience Deb provides. I threw an alpaca themed baby shower for my bestie and Deb helped us make the event over the top by bringing her beautiful boys Legend and Blizzard to my house in Concord. My friend was in awe and shaking when she saw them in my yard. The shower guests were crazy about the alpacas. Deb set up a pen in my yard and our guests were able to interact with these beautiful creatures. Legend and Blizzard were so patient with all of us trying to snuggle them and take pictures with them. Deb and her alpacas are the best!!!! My friends and I can't wait to tour her ranch and see the rest of the alpacas!!!! read more

Menagerie Hill Ranch - Alpacas!!!!! - Tours Near Me - Vacaville, California

Deb was a wonderful tour guide who showed us the different alpacas on their ranch. I sent her an email about a tour, and she responded very quickly about openings for a tour. It's $10 per person for the tour, and you get to meet a number of different alpacas. You also get to feed them and take a picture with a couple. Be aware that you don't get to go directly into their pens (except for the picture) because they're easily frightened, but they come right up to the low fences because they're curious animals. Would definitely recommend people to come through :) read more

Menagerie Hill Ranch - Picture time! - Tours Near Me - Vacaville, California

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Bring your own enthusiasm and lots of questions on this "tour". I've been to other alpaca farm tours and this one unfortunately is the worse. The feeding part was very strict, owner was not rude but definitely not friendly and we didn't feel welcomed. In my opinion it was very pricey ($25/person), for what they call a tour. read more

My friend and I decided to take our daughters to Menagerie Hill Ranch for their birthday, but it was just as much fun for us as it was for them! The alpacas were so sweet and adorable, and we loved getting to feed and pet them (although alpacas are a lot like cats, as we learned from Deb, and some are more social than others). Deb was a wealth of information and we learned so much about alpacas today! This is a wonderful way to get to know alpacas, as long as you respect the rules and approach them with care. Thank you Deb, for a wonderful experience! read more

We enjoyed our time at this wonderful ranch today. Deb (the owner) was very informative and walked us through the process patiently. We fed the alpacas and played with them. We Absolutely loved our time. Very clean and organized. Thank you Deb!!! read more

It's a really fun and unique experience. The Alpaca's are very well taken care of here and Deb is a very sweet & knowledgeable tour guide. My favorite part was hanging out with all the cria (baby Alpaca) and their mothers. If you love alpacas I would highly recommend checking this place out, you won't be disappointed. read more

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I came here a couple weeks ago to bask in the glory of furry four-legged mammals, and I certainly was not disappointed. Menagerie Hill is a comfortably sized ranch in Vacaville with 29 alpacas and a few llamas. One of the owners of the ranch, Deb, was extremely friendly and scheduled an appointment with us right away when we called. Deb was extremely willing to answer our questions and spent a good 90 minutes touring us around the ranch. With her guidance and cautionary advice, we even got to hug some of the humming furry creatures! I didn't know much about the difference between llamas and alpacas before, but upon leaving, we learned much about their diet, fleece, lifespan, habits, and much more. There is a small store in the ranch containing all sorts of alpaca products, from spun yarn to warm socks to goat milk soap wrapped in alpaca fibers. I bought a pair of socks, which are by far the comfiest socks I've ever owned, and the goat milk soap, which is a delight to use daily. Highly recommend stopping by the ranch if you're an animal-lover, an alpaca fan, or just have a soul in general. read more

If you have kids, please do not bring them on this tour. Deb the co-owner of the ranch is extremely abrupt and rude - not a people person. She did not greet us upon arrival and basically permits viewing of the alpacas only thru the gate; she allows guests in the pen with certain alpacas at the very end so that you can pet one alpaca and allows the kids to feed certain alpacas hay through the gate. There are periods of time during the tour when Deb stares into space and says nothing or sharply addresses your children for not standing perfectly still with the group. I have been on several ranch farm tours this year and they have all been wonderful experiences for my 4.5 yr old daughter- this one was not wonderful for my daughter, her 5 yr old friend, or her 7 yr old friend or the two sets of parents who accompanied them on the tour. My recommendations for farm tours are: American Made Miniatures, Charlies Acres, Windrush Farm, - they all have alpacas and many other wonderful animals to interact with. Also would like to give a shout out to Redwood Hill farms in Sebastopol. All have structured private tours geared towards children. This simply was not worth our time & $ today. We made up for it by riding the train in Nut Tree plaza in Vacaville & taking the kids to Fentons. read more

I was really angry and disappointed after my interaction with the staff today. I called to see if I could reserve a tour. As a courtesy, I asked if they allow 2 year olds and the woman I spoke with said it really depends on the child and that some children do fine as long as they're not running around and yelling, etc. That is totally understandable and I honestly wouldn't even be inquiring about a tour if I expected my child to act that way. But then she heard my child crying in the background (because I was on the phone) and decided to tell me that my child would not be acceptable to visit their farm. So now my daughter, who has been taught to be gentle around animals since birth and who tends to be very timid in new situations and most likely would spend the whole tour in my arms, is not allowed to visit. I understand that they have the right to ensure the safety of everyone at their farm, but I've gotta say I'm extremely disappointed that they made this snap judgement off of background noise on a phone call. read more

This was a great experience as we've been wanting to see the alpacas and llamas now be mindful we went to the llama alpaca event and didn't even know there was a difference in the two and what they did or didn't do and what they were used for from the yarn from their firm which felt a lot different than most it is hypoallergenic from what we're told we had to UC Davis students there from the vet program explaining to us the difference between alpacas in Mama's they had a ton of them the one of our favorites was the red alpaca didn't want to see anyone but we got close enough to touch them and then he took off the llama like to lay down and just watch all of us messing with alpacas cause what we were taught as they are there to spit stop and protect the alpacas from coyotes and other predators that come around it's a great experience so if you get the chance to go to this ranch make sure you check it out it's a little deep into the country side of Vacaville and it is a little bit of a hill so try to get there early or you'll be walking up or potentially down to the location they have Porta potty's for the bathroom so if you really have to go in to my Porta potty's make sure you go before you get there make sure the kids are running around because it will aggravate the alpacas and llamas or scare them so for a quite experience and fun take a lot of pictures and go to this place you won't regret it the owner walks around with his wife and they're very friendly and they're very direct but will educate you and help you understand what they are alpacas and llamas read more

This place is off the beaten path but well worth it. Took my wife her who loves alpacas and we were not disappointed. We got to feed them and hold them which was just an amazing feeling. Deb was super informative, in a firm and direct manner. Don't miss interpret her blunt personality because she knows her facts about alpacas. Definitely want to bring the rest of our family here so they can get this wonderful experience. read more

So much fun and super relaxing being around these beautiful animals! Deb was super informative and knowledgeable about the alpacas. We definitely recommend coming here you won't regret it! read more

"Our Alpacas will capture your heart" reads a sign on the gate. I'm actually still glowing a whole day later from the joy the Alpacas have brought to me and my friends. If you love Alpacas go for a visit to this friendly ranch! read more

The alpaca were so cute and we got to carry the one week year old alpaca. We learned a lot of information on them. We got to feed them and the llama. We got hug them as well and the tour is really personal. Also the three dogs were so cute read more