For what it is, Oglebay Good Zoo really is a good zoo. Is it a great zoo? I think it depends on when you visit and what you do. If you do one of the animal encounters like my family and I did, then your experience will definitely be great. We got to go into the area where the sloth and tamarins live and feed them treats! We also got to gently pet the sloth, and watch the tamarins scurry around their living area. Tamarins are super curious and playful creatures -- they kept wanting to dangle over our heads, and they also have toys that they play with. The sloth moved about, too, but very slowly, as a sloth is wont to do. I think it's cool that two different kinds of animals, sloths and tamarins, can live together peacefully. I felt very honored to be allowed into the home they share. You can also do animal encounters with porcupines, cheetahs, bobcats, maned wolves, red pandas and other creatures. Afterward, we walked around the outdoor part of the zoo, which is on the small side. Some of the animals were out, like a pack of wolves just kickin' it in the late afternoon sun. For the most part, though, the zoo was deserted. The train was not running, the activities were closed and none of the concession stands were open. We visited in the off season, though. So if you visit during a month that is not warm, expect a desolate outdoor experience. The indoor part of the zoo is very fun for kids, though, especially young kids. There are lots of animal exhibits to see (this is where the red panda lives). There are also just lots of fun activities and toys to play with indoors. It would be a nice place to visit on a rainy day if you have a young child. read more

My family had an incredible time here when we visited this week. The Good Zoo is unlike others, in larger cities, I've visited before. There are many hurt or endangered animals here, which makes this place so special. Have you ever heard of the Maned Wolf, Patagonian Cavies, White-naped Cranes, or Pallas's Cat? There's a decades-old theatre with laser light shows which is a unique experience in itself, animal interactions if you wish to pay and register, a train to ride, and more unique parts of the experience you won't find elsewhere. The employees were all very friendly, and you could tell they truly care about the work they do and the guests they support. I'd return! read more

Oglebay Good Zoo - Zoos Near Me - Wheeling, West Virginia

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This is direct to Courtney. Courtney was our animal care specialist who let us through our red panda encounter. Thank you thank you thank you thank you. You gave us the right mix of exposure to the pandas with information about their health, their diet and just anything else we wanted to know. It was so far remove removed from " here, pet this animal" thanks to Courtney and Oglebay. It was something we remember for a very, very long time. Thank you for being patient with us.... Thank you for answering our questions..... and thank you for a memorable day for my wife Katie who is a red panda number one fan. Well done. read more

I was waiting on a concert so decided to visit the Good Zoo. What a cute zoo! It has enough animals and attractions for everyone. It was a good walk for me, but many too the train around the zoo. I saw some people with up-close animal encounters... The weather was cooler so the animals were all moving around and very enjoyable. I would recommend read more

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A fantastic little Zoo experience with Snow Leopards, monkeys, wolves and a couple of Red Pandas. It is a great zoo for younger children! read more

Oglebay Good Zoo - Zoos Near Me - Wheeling, West Virginia

We came here for a Red Panda encounter. I cannot stress this enough, this is a small zoo that is accredited by the AZA. The people here are incredibly kind and work very hard to keep this small zoo at a level of many much larger. If you are in the area, please spend your money and visit this zoo. It's full of good people doing wonderful conservation work and they deserve a ton of credit for the work they put in. read more

Small zoo but lots of fun and lively animals. This is can easily be done in under two hours. There is an indoor section with a play area for kids. Outside there is a loop that you follow to check out the animals. They had a farm area where you can feed goats. They had a several animals that we had not seen before so the kids enjoyed that. Their favorite part was the kangaroo area. The animals seemed very happy and were active eating and playing so it was a great experience to be able to see. Since it was during the Christmas season the zoo is open late and although most animals are at out you they have Christmas lights throughout the zoo. read more

Was very overpriced, payed $121 for 5 adults even though were under 18, while people who looked over 18 got in for kid price. You barely see any animals in the enclosures or within the train ride. They also implied the hot coco and s'more's were included instead they were extra and not to mention also overpriced. When addressing the workers with these concerns I was simply shot down. Lastly there is a 20 minute light show that you have to wait a whole hour for. Come here if you're looking to be scammed while you freeze your ass off. read more

Good Zoo? Try Great Zoo! Starting off with a lame play on words doesn't make for the best review, but it's true anyway! Came here on one of their wristband special days where you get all the major Oglebay attractions included for one low price, and it was worth it! This is the best zoo in the area and had plenty of sections to check out. I particularly liked the wallaby enclosure, and you can get surprisingly close to the animals at this exhibit. The little train ride is a lot of fun too, and included in zoo admission. The food kiosks have common zoo fare for surprisingly good prices, and you won't break the bank if you decide to have your lunch here as well. Plenty of places to sit and just enjoy the nice day, as well as lots of fun activities for families. Plenty of parking spaces nearby, so you shouldn't have any trouble there. While the park admission is a little steep at normal prices, if you make sure to time your trip when they are running a deal, you will definitely get your money's worth. Check it out! Overall: 4.5 stars ---- Pros: - Beautiful zoo with plenty of great animals, including a cool wallaby exhibit. - Good food options at fair prices. - Value is good when you go on particular days. - Train ride is fun, make sure you make time for it! - Lots of easy parking. Cons: - The regular price is a bit much. read more

We asked about accessibility when we arrived at the zoo because my daughter recently lost her leg and is in a wheelchair. They told us that the inside is fly accessible and offered a golf cart to take us around the hilly outside. A bit later, Declan found us tiring the inside exhibits and took us to see the rest. He was so knowledgeable, and my daughters and I thoroughly enjoyed the tour and learned so much. read more

Oglebay Good Zoo - Armadillos are really odd - Zoos Near Me - Wheeling, West Virginia

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The good zoo is a great place to go if you want to see animals because there are so many animals. Some of the animals at the Oglebay Good Zoo are a white alligator, red pandas, turtles, and snakes. This is a great place to go to see rare animals taht you normally don't see read more

Oglebay Good Zoo - Red panda who is sleeping and snuggled up in his sanctuary for the night on a log - Zoos Near Me - Wheeling, West Virginia

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For our anniversary, I surprised my partner with a red panda experience. It was pricey and I had to book four months out, but it was incredible. For the two of us, the event was $180; this included free parking and zoo admission. We live in Columbus and took the two hour trek on a cold and rainy day in October. As a surprise to us, the park was also having its annual Oglebay Fest, so the surroundings were a bit crowded. We got to the zoo early to use our free admission. It was nicely kept, but very, very small. It took us maybe 20 minutes to tour. I would absolutely go out of my way to do the animal experience, but not to go to the zoo itself. We did pay a few bucks to feed the birds and really enjoyed that! The actual animal encounter was magical. We did about an hour and gained so many knowledge. We also go to hand feed the the cuties! They grab your hand and hold it to get the food!!! It was magic! The young lady that was our guide was really personable and had a strong bond with the red pandas. As a side note, we were lucky and it was just us. They can book up to 6 I think? The price also might be steep, but I think you can add up to two others for $15 additional each. I'm already considering another experience in the future! read more

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Visited the Good Zoo at Oglebay Park for the first time during Boo At The Zoo. Admission is not cheap and there is an upcharge to take a train ride around the park. The event was enjoyable for kids and adults alike, many of whom came in costumes. This being West Virginia there are some fairly large hills to navigate, so comfy walking shoes are a must, even while in costume. Along the route, which is just over a mile by my tracker, treats are given to all participants regardless of age. Ten treat stations were spaced along the trail and gave out packaged cookies, granola bars, suckers, chips, candies, and a can of soda. If those aren't enough, about half way through the walk there is a short detour up a steep hill where beer and pretzels may be purchased. Although they do not have a large collection, many of the animals are visible outside. There is also a small petting area with pellets available for purchase to feed goats and llamas. A spooky laser light show in the planetarium caps off the entertainment. Not as elaborate as similar events at larger zoos but nonetheless a good time with the family. read more

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Though the zoo is a little on the small side, it does have a decent amount of exhibits. The best for young kids was the interactive indoor areas. Where the kids can play like they are a zoo vet fixing stuffed animals. Also, their indoor exhibit of the red pandas and sloths were very well done. We went during the holiday time and enjoyed the beautifully done lights and decorations. As a tip, when purchasing tickets, check to see if your local zoo membership is accepted, we were able to get 50% off tickets. read more

On 6/20/2023, I brought my family(children, husband and dog) to walk through the Zoo. We drove 40-50 minutes to get there. After paying and getting ready to walk in, I was stopped by an employee and told I couldn't bring the dog in unless he was a service animal. I told them I checked the website before bringing him along and it said "pet friendly" she asked me to show her, I did and she told me the website is wrong and he's wasn't allowed. Other employees stopped and talked us while walking in the park and never said anything about our dog. We watched other families with dogs entered the park. The only thing on your website about pets restrictions for the pool/restaurant and spa which I totally understand. I'm not sure why my family and I were singled out. He is small/medium sized, very well trained, friendly, and quiet. Employee was very rude. read more

I came to this tiny zoo hidden in the hills of West Virginia for one reason and one reason alone... Red Panda Encounter. Now if you're not like me squealing at the thought of ridiculously cute Red Pandas just nuzzling and eating out of your hand... you might be living in a cave or at least off Reddit. I was lucky enough to have booked an Ultimate Experience of 3 animals to learn about and interact and cross an item off my bucket list. Before I dive into how this encounter went, I'll talk about the actual zoo. it's part of Oglebay resort and so if you're looking to do this experience, search Oglebay. It's called Good zoo because it is named after the family name of a boy who passed away and it is dedicated to his memory. It is a small zoo... quite small with maybe only 50 animals with some of them being common farm animals. I will say that all of the staff here LOVES the animals. It's clear there is a direct concern and interest in taking care of these animals. I was quite impressed with how there is a genuine care for every animal. Even funny things such as a sloth. The zoo is incredibly well kept.. super clean for the animals and also visitors. There are 3 levels of animals encounters you can do... it's mainly based on the number of animals you want to interact with. For the single animal encounter you have 45 minutes and with the Ultimate 3, I was there for a little over 2 hours enjoying every single second and wishing I came with a plan to sneak away with a red panda. We had an AMAZING guide, Sharon (I hope that is her name), who was not only genuinely caring and knowledgeable about each animal. She was incredibly wonderful with us ... coaching us to interact with the animals respectfully to get the most wonderful memories. She also told us some great stories about the animals and how they've been over the years, their species facts and survival, and interesting stories overall. You are able to choose 3 animals from a list of ring tailed lemur (Zoboomafoo!), mongoose lemur, river otter, kangaroo and wallaby, meerkat, or a thing called sloth. I will warn you that some of these animals are booked out MONTHS in advance. Oglebay zoo abides by some sound rules that they dont let these animals become overwhelmed and limit the number of times they interact a week. I think when I was booking, I was told the red panda was booked out nearly 4 months on weekends. If you're booking and looking for the cutest interaction, I found out later there were baby kangaroo being fed by bottles. I still stare at my pictures because I am amazed I got to do this. The red panda interaction was phenomenal. We got two feed both of their red pandas and they were so adorable. If they're in a good mood (and Sharon gauged their mood before we even stepped near them), it's possible they may reach for your hand and pull it into them before nuzzling into your palm to eat. Warning... they're avid tree climbers... they have REAL claws. You could be me just happily grinning ear to ear while not realizing that cute little paw is digging into you. I really wish I could have hugged them but that's not allowed. I will admit the thought of running off with them in my purse was a real idea in my brain. The lemurs were far more active... jumping and climbing among the exhibit as you feed them. It was great to see them leap huge lengths as you set up. They're definitely not as shy as the red pandas and if anything, they're ready to gobble any food you offer them. The one cute scene stealer was an endangered tortoise that shared the exhibit. For me, I really adored him as he sllloooowly made figure 8 around my feet and no one else. Every picture of me had him ON my feet (he's heavy), by my right feet, just off my left feet... even between my feet. We ended our great time here with a dozy sloth who clearly had some fans. I begrudgingly admire how something slow and sleepy be a minor celebrity and live the life. This was a truly an encounter as you're able to hold the sloth as you feed it. Its quite novel as I wasn't expecting this since we were quite cautious in all the other encounter. This was quite funny as you see the sloth slowly munch through her food with their dopey face and then lowering her head on you and falling asleep. It actually happened. Overall, I appreciate Oglebay Zoo for having these encounters to allow me to interact with animals I love in pictures but normally would never had the chance to admire in person. I also admire their care for their animals health and welfare. Now... to only hatch my plan to bring back a red panda! read more

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We had the most fantastic experience doing a sloth encounter at the Good Zoo. The fact that Sweet Pea the sloth was in a good mood and a bit awake and playful was just good timing. That isn't always going to be the case with a nocturnal animal. However, the zookeeper Mindi was so knowledgeable and taught us so much. She didn't rush us out of the room immediately when our time ended but really went with the cues she was getting from the animal. It was a present for my daughter's birthday and we all really enjoyed it. Would have no problem making the drive from Pittsburgh again to do others. read more

Oglebay Good Zoo - Sweet Pea - Zoos Near Me - Wheeling, West Virginia

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This zoo was great! First, we did the animal encounter with the red pandas, ring tailed lemurs and otters. The encounter is pretty much what you would expect with you being in the exhibit with the animals, feeding them and listening to keeper telling more about their habits and temperments. The red pandas were very cute and would walk very slowly up to you and eat from the palm of your hand, the lemurs were very quick and would actually grab onto your hand while you fed them, and the otters would play fetch with the food (no hand feeding was allowed with them) but they would wait patiently until you threw the fish for them. Susan and Mindy were the keepers explaining everything to us and were awesome and made the experience that much more enjoyable. After the encounter we were able to walk around the zoo some more and get really close to the kangaroos (it was hot so they were lying around in their exhibit). Theres a larakeet exhibit where you can feed them and have them perch on your hand. Additionally, some of the animals were out being walked and we were able to pet and get a few more pictures with an armadillo and the llamas. And got to say, there weren't many of the animatronic dinosaurs setup around the zoo, but it was cool to see the 4 or 5 that were around. Definitely recommend this zoo and definitely recommend the animal encounter, its well worth it. Bring your camera and take lots of pictures. read more

Definitely a seasonal thing. Have to time it up with how hot it is going to be in the summer. If it's too hot ur wasting ur time because most of the animals won't be out. If it's a cool summer day. I recommend it completely. It's a fun experience overall. read more

Great place to spend an afternoon. They have a variety of rare animals and a train ride that circles the zoo. Reasonably priced too. read more

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It's a fine zoo. It's nice to have in the wheeling area. Good selection of animals for the size zoo it is.

I've been coming to Oglebay's Good Zoo since I was a tot, and there's not a lot that's changed. That's kind of ok, because the place is big with the nostalgia factor -- at least for me. Back in the day, the zoo had a tiny planetarium, a barn with a slide, a playground with rolling things that pinched your fingers, and a train that drove through a field of bison. It also had a dungeon full of snakes and a petting area with about 30 goats. Today, the planetarium is bigger and way different; it doesn't run first-person roller coaster movies. The slide is gone from the barn, but the llamas sort of make up for it. I loved the hell out of the rolly playground equipment, but safety has prevailed, and now there are short climbing towers with cushy stuff underneath. The snakehouse sort of still exists, but it's been gutted to share time with birds and other animals. The train still takes the same route, but it now goes through a lonely field of ostrich. The zoo does have cute animals, many at good eye level for the kiddos. The otters usually are playful, the things that look like sloths with vampire eyes are adorable, and the kangaroos are pretty cool. There are plenty of opportunities to feed the fish, ducks and goats with zoo-approved food -- for a quarter, you can still get it out of old-timey bubblegum-style vending machines! In addition to the animals, the zoo has an indoor model railroad exhibit. The tracks are set up around hills and shops that echo how the Wheeling area looked many years ago. It's pretty elaborate, so be sure to take the time to peek in all the tunnels and look at each scene. Several trains are running at the same time and often criss-cross each other. Admission still is a good deal -- $7 for adults. A ticket for the train is $2. It's a good attraction in a great park, and it adds to a fun day of family time. read more

What a great little zoo! We happened to run into Dr. Joe, a Zoologist at the zoo, and he went above and beyond in explaining current zoo populations, exhibits, and future zoo plans! He even walked us to an exhibit that we had admired and entered the enclosure to bring the animals to window so that we could get a close up view! Definitely recommend this zoo! read more

After having something happen to me at home to get me down in the dumps, my mom surprised me by getting me a Keeper For a Day program at the Good Zoo. After a 9.5 hour drive, it was definitely worth it. Beautiful animals! I was able to feed the lemurs, red pandas(which were my favorite! Dan, our keeper, gave us a lot of extra time with them :) ), meerkats, and barn animals. We also cleaned some enclosures, prepped animals good and saw a lot of behind the scenes areas! Anything we wanted to do really! I took so many great pictures and I will treasure this experience forever. If I lived closer, I would love to work there! Beautiful zoo! read more

nice fun place for kids. kinda smells. boo at the zoo is always fun. i love the pretty animals. very nice place. animals are taken care of. nice people working. read more

This is the best small zoo I have visited! I am here for the Oglebay Antiques Show and am thrilled to be at Good Zoo, Wheeling, WV. (It's one of the few opportunities I have to study up close species of which I sell 17th, 18th and 19th Century engravings and lithographs of). There are several endangered species here, with breeding programs, so everyone, like myself, can enjoy them for future generations. Hopefully one day they can be reintroduced to the wild. The animals appear happy and very are social, mentally enriched with attention from the staff. read more

This is a small zoo, however it offers and activity room and train room that kids will love and want to stay in for hours.

Visited the zoo this month, and was disappointed by the lack of animals an interesting exhibits. I often visit zoos in my travels, so I often can compare one with another. Maybe because of the "inflationary" trends in today's zoological parks in making them spectacular and very stilish, but I was definitely expecting something much more pleasant to the eye and mind. I think the first problem is that for a zoo of this size (small), the walking distance between the exhibits is long. In other words, the exhibits are not packed close to each other. The place really looks more like a park with trees and lawns, and occasional exhibits spotted along the asphalt paved road. From a botanical and landscape point of view, the zoo park really lacks in showing interesting flora. Given the admission prices, a much better experience can be found in the nearby city of Akron, Ohio. On the pros, the model trail display is spectacular, and particularly interesting in having a slant towards describing transportation in the coal industry, a staple of West Virginia economy. read more