This place is SO wonderful as well as everyone working there! I don't think you'll find a better or more affordable animal encounter experience anywhere. The owners and staff absolutely love their animals, they take such great care of them and the facilities are just beautiful. And ,best of all, they do it all to share the love of Jesus with every person who comes through their gates. Amen to that! read more

I discovered Ocoee Riverside Farm through a suggestion on TikTok. When I saw all the interactive meet and greets with the animals, visiting this place was nonnegotiable, lol. You can come experience the farm for a few hours featuring 30 - 60 minute guided tours and animal encounters. Or.... You can stay in accommodations on the grounds of Ocoee Riverside Farm. It's a nice retreat away among the flatland plains of Tennessee. They offer old fashioned farm cabins, wagons, lofts, condos and glampsites. Prices range anywhere from $100 - $200 per night. I was exclusively here to spend time introducing myself to the farm residents. The most popular option offered to visitors is the $19.99 Farm Tour & Animal Encounter. The tour lasts 75 - 90 minutes. Now...when choosing this tour, they offer 50% discount add-on experiences to entice guests to stay and play longer. There's the Kangaroo Encounter - $14.99 (normally $29.99) for 30 extra minutes saying hello to kangaroos. There's the Camel Encounter - $9.99 (normally $19.99) for 30 extra minutes learning about the two camels living on the farm including riding on their humpbacks. So...right there w/ the basic Farm Tour for 75 - 90 minutes and including the Kangaroo and Camel experiences, that's 2.5 hours of fun at Ocoee Riverside Farm for a total $45. I think that's a total bargain. And...they plan activities to coincide with each other so visitors aren't standing around waiting for their next interactions. But.... Ocoee Farm offers even more chances to get up close encounters with their animals. For extra $$$, everything is on the table, lol. More add-on animal meet and greets including.... - Sloth/VIP Encounter - $99.99 - two 30 minute sessions. - Baby Kangaroo Bottle Feeding - $29.99 - 30 minutes. - Sloth Cuddles and Snuggles - $119.99 - 30 minutes. - Hug -A-Highland - $19.99 - 30 minutes. - Horseback Riding - 20, 45 and 60 minute rides. - Fennec Fox - $14.99 - 30 minutes. - Baby Llama and Alpaca Feeding - $14.99 - 30 minutes. There's even more farm experiences guests can pick from... I added the Hug-A-Highland and Baby Llama and Alpaca Feedings for $14.99 each, which brought my total to $75 plus taxes and fees for 3.5 hours on a weekend day. The Farm sent me a confirmation email with a list and itinerary for the a-la-carte experiences I signed up for. They instructed me to arrive at 9am. I departed the farm by 1pm. Extra highlights... - With all the various animal interactions and guided tours, every staff member was ultra friendly and went out of their way to ensure guests left with wonderful memories. Fallon, McKenna, Michael and Vladik were knowledgeable about the animals and they kindly offered to take pictures and videos for visitors. - Included in the Farm Tour is the Petting Zoo where they provide a bag of pellets to feed goats, sheep, donkeys, llamas and alpacas. After the Petting Zoo, visitors step inside the Barn to greet...iguanas, parrots, an anteater, hedgehog, lizard, mouse, baby camel and adult camel. - Lastly, I met John, the owner. He shared stories about his life before Ocoee Riverside Farm, his time in the armed services and how he and his family are 100% committed towards giving their farm animals the best possible lives. I had a wonderful experience at this tucked away hidden gem in Benton, Tennessee. If you're near the Chattanooga, TN area, Ocoee Riverside Farm is a quick 40 mile drive east. Thank you for having me. read more

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We had such a wonderful time at Ocoee Riverside Farm! The tour guides were incredibly knowledgeable, friendly, and so great with the kids. You can tell they truly care about the animals and love sharing what they know. There was such a great variety of animals, and everything was very family and kid friendly. We especially appreciated the Bible references woven into the presentations about the animals -- it made the experience feel even more meaningful and unique for our family. So thankful for the time and care everyone put into making it such a fun and memorable visit. We will definitely be back! P.S. We added the kangaroo encounter and Mama's dreams were made! It was a sweet, intimate experience and we learned so much! Definitely recommend adding that on and meeting the "Friends" crew! read more

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Pros: The grounds are beautiful, animals well taken care of, and the staff is nice. We stayed Mon-Fri and did several of the animal encounters, which my young kids loved. Cons: The wagon is cool, but not large enough to accomodate 4 people plus luggage. So make sure you have a car or somewhere to store your belongings Upon checkin, we noticed there was no air conditioning in one of our lodgings. They were able to get a window unit, but it took several hours, which interrupted our time relaxing after a long day of travel. They apologized about it and we didn't make a fuss because things happen. We also thought the bathrooms were adorable and loved that they are air conditioned, but the first time I used the toilet and pulled the chain down to flush, it broke off halfway down. It was just one of the loops was open too far. I set it aside since I didnt have a simple pair of pliars to fix it. I wasn't annoyed.. things happen. The issue we have is that we received a post check out fine for $50 for the place being left "dirty" and for 2 things in the bathroom "broken". First of all, while we are a family of 5 with young kids, we are not reckless or messy people. We teach our kids to respect others' property and we tidied up after ourselves all day every day. Unfortunately, it rained all week so it was definitely muddy. We had rain boots which we kept outside, but its possible some dirt was tracked inside the wagon, mainly on the last day when we were packing up and the kids were going in and out. We did lose a VIP stuffed animal and moved all of the sheets and blankets to one bed as we searched high and low for him. I mention that because I personally shook out and looked through all the bedding on our last day and it was used but certainly not dirty. Absolutely not excessively so. They claim we had markers, which we did not but I can't prove it. Apparently there were marker marks on the ground & the glass table? Again, we didnt have any. They also charged us for the pull chain on the toilet coming undone... I literally used it when we first arrived and it came apart. I don't agree that is something a guest should have to pay for unless I used excessive force or was reckless. Oh, and the barn door in the bathroom was allegedly off the track, which I can confidently say it was not as I was the last to close it before we left. I did a walk through before we left to make sure we left the accommodations in good condition & my children are not allowed to destroy property. So, while I wholeheartedly disagree with these fines, they were not willing to remove them. That was extremely disappointing. This is more of a camp ground type place and with the weather, they should expect some mud or dirt. They are steadfast that we were excessive and "the only ones with a fine" after a busy holiday week. We're not perfect, but I absolutely would never leave a place in disarray or disrespect their property in such a way to warrant a fine. I did learn to take photos before checking out from now on, though! Disappointing. Beware before bringing young kids and be prepared for a $50 fine that they will not remove. read more

Words can hardly capture how incredible this place truly is. From the moment we arrived, it was clear how much the staff genuinely cares--about the animals, the beautifully maintained grounds, and even the guests. On a warm day they noticed we were hot and surprised us with popsicles, which was such a thoughtful touch! The owner, John, gave us what felt like the most magical tour of the property. Learning about each animal was fascinating, but getting to actually interact with them was pure bliss. The sloth cuddles were absolutely unforgettable, but I have to admit--the baby camel, Prince Allie, completely stole my heart. One day here simply isn't enough. I'm already planning my return, this time to stay overnight in one of their charming covered wagons. Today's experience meant the world to me, and I'm beyond grateful to Ocoee Riverside Farm for opening their home and hearts to us. Truly a heavenly place on earth! read more

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My husband gifted me two sloth cuddling experiences here for Valentine's Day. We drove from NC to Tennessee, stayed in their cabin overnight, and was able to cuddle with Zoey and Dash! The staff is amazing and the experience was awesome! I would recommend staying on grounds for the experience. It was well worth it! read more

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This place was awesome!! We did the Monkey Experience and the Baby Sloth Cuddling Experience. The animals were so sweet! They location and the property are gorgeous. The staff was very friendly and helpful especially the ones doing the animal encounters. Would definitely return. ​ read more

We really enjoyed this place and all of the animals we got to interact with. The sloths were so sweet and the baby Kangaroos were fun. The glampsite was comfortable and shower room was nice and clean. Tatum was our favorite staff, she is very nice and personable. It was really cool to be able to see the zebra and camels right outside our lodging. The only thing we didn't like was that in all the emails (and there were several) we couldn't find directions were to go for the encounters themselves. All the other directions were very clear and well explained so we found that a bit odd but, we might have just missed it. The other 2 groups there didn't know where to go either though and asked us(we were already there a day when they arrived). There was a very helpful housekeeper that told us were to go. Thomas was adorable and it was fun hanging out with a turkey by the campfire. Everyone was so knowledgeable and answered my million questions easily. read more

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My grandchildren and I participated in Hump Day at Ocoee Riverside Farm and had such a wonderful time. The children had a pony ride and a camel ride! They had such fun feeding the goats, lambs and pigs and petting the sulcata tortoise. They helped their grandpa give the pot bellied pigs a shower. The children enjoyed seeing many other animals and hearing stories from out guide about each one of them. Our tickets were for an hour and that was just perfect for our experience. read more

had my grandsons birthday party there in the pavilion and did the petting zoo Donna and family could not have been nicer and the experience was wonderful. the adults enjoyed it just as much as the children. I highly recommend them. read more