This small zoo allows you to get up close and personal with lots of cool animals and reptiles. The…read morebaby animal room was the best part and well worth the extra $5. Definitely a hit with the kiddo! We took our 6yo daughter on a Sunday afternoon and she loved it. We saw alligators, capybaras, all sorts of weird fowl, goats, monkeys, a pig, an emu, some zebras (they were far off in an area that wasn't accessible), bears, baboons, roosters, a donkey, a miniature pony, peacocks, and tortoises. Probably the coolest thing outside the baby animal room was the alligator feeding. One of the handlers came out with a bucket of raw chicken and some gator knowledge, and we stood just feet away as these massive gators hissed and jumped and came up out of the water to eat. It was so awesome! In addition to the animals, there was also a small playground with ropes to swing on and climb. On our way out we stopped in the baby animal area and got to hold ferrets, a bearded dragon, two snakes, a baby coati, and a baby alligator. There was also a sweet baby muntjac deer you could pet (but not hold). We took a lot of really fun pictures. It was a great way to end the visit. The only drawback is that the grounds don't seem well-maintained and need mowing and other work. The barns were really dirty and covered in cobwebs. There were giant tortoise turds on the walkway. One of the feeding tubes for the bears was broken. You can tell the place is in need of some repairs. I'm sure it's because all their profits go to the animals and not the facilities. It didn't prevent us from having a great time and we would definitely visit again!

I drove over an hour to come visit this place for my birthday and the main reason of HOLDING a…read moremonkey, so I paid the extra price for that. We choose a specific slot time thinking that it would be myself and my husband with a monkey. Instead we were in a group, which is fine / I understand they made it work because they were understaffed. However, he brought a lemur and a baby monkey in. The baby monkey was extremely cute but we were not allowed to hold it. I was pretty upset inside and I did mention it and he said if I could hang around longer then he could possibly make it work, but it was 1PM and I didn't eat yet.. so we left. I just wish it was a different experience. Still thankful I got to touch the monkey.. & all the staff was extremely kind.

My family and I had an AMAZING experience at Gators & Friends! We did the 7-Line Zip Line, which…read moreincluded admission and animal feed, and it was such a fun and exhilarating experience from start to finish! Trey and Yasmin were incredible guides! They were encouraging, knowledgeable, and made all of our nerves disappear. Their energy and professionalism made the experience even more memorable. Gators & Friends is such a fun place for the whole family, and we'll absolutely be back every time we visit Shreveport! Thank you to the entire Gators & Friends team for an unforgettable experience!

My friend and I had such a great time at this park! We booked a 4-line zipline course and decided…read moreto go a little early to see the zoo. We had so much fun that we ended up staying 5 hours and closed the park down! We got to hold a baby alligator and watched feeding time for the adult alligators. We bought a couple of feed cups and fed the other animals in the zoo. The zipline experience was so much fun that we decided to upgrade and do the full 7-line course. For anyone who can't decide which one to do, I highly recommend doing all 7. The last one is the best! Shout out to Kent, Trey, Julian, and Sierra (my apologies if I got any names wrong). They were all so awesome and made the day so much fun! It's clear they really enjoy what they do and care about their guests' experience. They also do 'Art Days' on Wednesdays and Thursdays for artists and photographers. You can't beat the $5 admission plus a free feed cup for hours of entertainment and a chance to sketch or photograph the cute animals. Unfortunately, we live far away, but if we are ever back in the area, we will definitely stop by again!

Horrible, horrible place. On the surface everything looks okay, but behind the scenes it is…read moreterrible. Dark room where marmosets are in deplorable conditions used as a monkey mill. Went there and it was after 1:00 pm and they hadn't yet been fed their morning meal and the lights weren't even on yet. Research news stories on animals getting out or being killed. Inspectors have to be complicit, because this place should never pass even the most basic inspection. The owner should be charged!

Beautiful location hiding horror's behind the scenes. Owner does not seem mentally well. The rat…read moreinfestation was worst I've ever seen. Animals attacked owner and staff repeatedly. Owner has forgotten to lock cages several times. Staff has been attacked a number of times due to coming in and finding out owner neglected to lock a cage. An ape has gotten out while visitors were there resulting in a child being bit. Owner has been bit several times in front of visitors

We chose this certain place because of the train ride and got there and it wasn't running. Not many…read moredifferent animals in the safari. Disappointed

This is an awesome Safari and petting zoo on way from Marshall to Jefferson. We saw pretty much…read moreevery animal. I am a zebra fan so you would see lot of Zebra pics, they are so pretty! Entry per person is $17 or something around that. You can take as many rounds inside as you want in the day.. Onsite toilets are available Petting zoo is in a separate section that we didn't do. There are 4 roads that are marked by arrows to follow and we see animals on the way. They are so much used to cars that they stand next to car window to get fed. You can buy feed on-site as well.

I can't even give this place 1 star!! This place is an absolute JOKE! Sure, the petting zoo area…read morewas nice, but do NOT go expecting a drive thru safari where you can feed the animals on the loose. There were only some deer. Everything else was caged and you can't even get close to them. The drive thru loop is smaller than my own 3 acres. We drove almost 2 hrs to see this. My husband voiced his disappointment to the owners because we had read on google that it was 1000 acres. They asked him to show them where he read it. When he did, they made the excuse that it was on Google and they didn't put that on there. The owner literally snatched my husband's phone out of his hand. When my husband got his phone back, the man told us to get the HELL off of his property. I have video if anyone would like to see!!

Great experience ! We took our 7, 8 and 12 yr olds and they loved it!! Animals were engaging and…read morethe staff were very informative and nice. Definitely recommend

Took our 4 and 6 year old grandsons to Yesterland today (as we have done for the past three years…read more)and I can honestly say it was our best experience yet ! They were finally tall enough to ride everything and they didn't leave anything out . Literally every staff member we encountered seemed genuinely pleased to be there and made our boys feel special . We booked our tickets online and felt like the value far exceeded anything we've experienced in DFW. Lines were short, restrooms were clean and plenty of handwashing stations. I would highly recommend driving the hour it takes from DFW to experience this nostalgic place .

It was super cute and fun getting ready for the fall only problem was a lot of the activities close…read moreearly so just make sure to go early !

I saw so many animals all living a peaceful existence . Black Beauty Ranch is worth a special visit.read more

Very educational. Is great to hear the story behind it and see the rescued animals. The guides were…read moreknowledgeable and attentive. Wish they had more tours besides Saturdays.

Must visit! Fun for all family ages! We stayed at one of their cabins and then went to the park. It…read morewas very peaceful and a must stop

From the owner: Encounter Exotic Wildlife Without Leaving Jefferson, TX Plan…read morea trip to our drive-thru zoo There's no need to search far and wide for a place to see exotic animals. Busy B Ranch Wildlife Park, LLC offers residents and visitors of the Jefferson, TX area the chance to have up-close encounters with a wide variety of wildlife. Our drive-thru zoo allows you to remain in the comfort of your vehicle while viewing our animal enclosures. With more than 20 years of experience caring for wildlife, we have the skills needed to keep our animals comfortable and happy. Call 903-665-4093 now to plan your visit to our wildlife park.

This was such an amazing experience! I was honestly was doing this more for my niece and nephew, as…read morethey were in town for the holidays. I think the adults had just as much or even more fun than the kids. Courtney, the owner was a sweetheart. She was personable,, detailed, and you can tell she love what she did. The Safari starts off with the deers and it moves up to llamas and moves up to some of the bigger animals. It was such a great experience. Lots of screams and laughter. There are enough animals for the young ones to enjoy and feed. We are definitely going back. It is a great activity for family and friends with a wide age range that would enjoy it! I am located in Plano so it is a drive but it would be a great event to do for the day and find some cute little restaurants out there to end the day.

We had a blast here! The kids, even mom and dad had so much fun! They have the best looking healthy…read moreanimals! In the shop they had a snake the kids got to hold ! Best safari in Texas!

I thought it was going to be one of those places where you can't really pet anything and mostly…read morejust look at them behind a fence, but there were only a few animals that you couldn't interact with!! My boyfriend and I had a wonderful time here and we will definitely be back soon! Very affordable and all of the staff is super nice, the animals were super sweet too!

Large petting zoo with lots of animal interaction. My nieces loved being able to hold snakes,…read moreiguanas, and ferrets. We all loved the goats the most. We were able to pet them and take lots of pics.