This was my first time at Fort Rickey, and it was a perfect day! All of the animals were active,…read moreand it was so cool to see them up close. Our capybara-loving kid was over-the-moon to get to feed the capybaras, and I think a piece of me was healed after snuggling with baby goats. The admission prices were very reasonable, especially with so much to do. We could not have had a better experience, from the friendly bird who played with us when we checked in, to all of the animal presentations and encounters. You can tell the animals are well-taken care of and happy, and the employees are, too. We were really impressed with how knowledgeable the employees were, and how great they are with the kids and families. They explained all of the safety rules clearly, and they had great enthusiasm and patience. To top it off, our kids loved getting to play on the playground, in the play place, and on the massive trampoline. Pro tip: bring a little extra cash and quarters to get some extra food for some of the animals. Core memories were created for sure, and we hope to come back on our next visit.

The Fort Rickey Discovery Zoo is fucking AWESOME…read more We needed a place for a stopover with the kids to break up a long drive. We looked into activities in Utica and area, and someone suggested this place. We had no idea what to expect and pulling into the parking lot, were prepared to be underwhelmed. We were so wrong. Think your typical, big city zoo, and take away all the stuff you don't like, and add in more of the stuff that you do like. For example, make the size of the zoo manageable for kids to walk around. Instead of having 11,000 species of animals that most people don't care that much about, have a smaller place where you really get to be up close. Then add in more interaction - literally every 30 minutes there is something on the schedule for kids to go play with goats, or touch a porcupine. And then throw in a kids play area, and clean bathrooms! Skip the Utica Zoo and come here. 10/10 would recommend for families looking for a fun way to spend 3 or more hours of their day.

Conveniently located downtown Oneida, walking distance to everything. Dog and child friendly…read more Gazebo for use in the park.Size is small but enough room to take a stroll. Christmas decorations are adorable tree hanging Lollipops.

Absolutely great stop at Chittenango Falls State Park. Beautiful Scenery, Huge Waterfall and a nice…read moreshort hike around the falls. There is a $5 parking charge. Highly Recommend stopping if your in the area. Several other beautiful waterfalls and parks nearby as well. Love Beautiful Upstate New York !!

Cute NY State park with a beautiful and accessible falls overlook without strenuous hiking…read morerequired. However, I recommend a partial climb downward to a mid- overlook to view the entire falls without obstruction. Bathrooms, picnic tables, playgrounds are provided and relatively clean. Bring your own food/drink as their are no concessions.

Was out for celebration 250 events including a craft fair. Love coming to Sylvan Beach was is a…read morequaint lakeside tourist town which tends to be more of a season based local. This is a lakeside beach community located on the Eastern shore of Lake Oneida. They have an amusement park and always seem to have lots of outdoor events. Walkable downtown area and a number of great restaurants.

I litterally watched a parking meter officer ticket three cars, the owners of which had no idea…read morethere was a parking fee because they didn't see the small sign at the end of the parking lot (a fourth person just happened to see the sign at the last minute). In at least two of the cases, the officer could have easily told the drivers there was a fee but instead waited for them to turn the corner and then went and ticketed the cars. My guess is that this is the way the town survives financially. On a positive note, the outdoor seating and wait staff at the Lakehouse were very good.

It looks like the amusement park from Scooby Doo, but in the best way possible. Some of the rides…read moreare legit from the 1950s and are among the last of their kind still operating. A literal blast from the past and a thing that I hope continues for more generations to enjoy/investigate. Highly recommended.

Our Vrbo is right across the street from this amusement park. And luckily it opened the weekend we…read moreare staying here. Opening night was Saturday. We rounded up our adult children and made them come with us to check out the park. To be honest, this amusement park is far from it's prime. I'm sure back in the day when it first opened, it probably was so much more exciting and fun. The amusement park looks really run down. Some of the game stands were looking pretty sad. There were a lot of arcade type spots, some were nice and some needed some tlc. There were a few of the rides that were open and operating. Some were still down. The roller-coaster gives you some butterflies while riding it but it's still very tiny. It's about 8 bucks for a very fast ride. So, you're really paying for the core memory of the ride and not the ride itself. I can see this joint being fun for kids and teens. They don't know any better. The bright lights and arcade games is exciting for them. For my older kids who are in their early 20's, we were able to distract them with a few games for some tickets but the interest didn't last long. For a smaller amusement park, it does it's job. It would be a fun date night just to walk the beach, share a fry bread and ride the roller coaster. I'm happy I got to check it out with my little family tonight. It wasn't the most exciting but we got to share time and create some memories together hanging out at the amusement park tonight.

Totally blown away by the architecture in this area. I don't know why I've never taken the time to…read moretake a walk when I'm around here but my mind was blown. Everything is beautiful as the leaves are changing colors with the temps are dropping. The area is a little sketchy with quite a few people acting odd. Some of the streets around the area. I even found a few places that were serving food but due to Covid none of them allowed dine in.

I cannot stress enough, how much me and my family enjoyed this zoo! We came here Saturday morning…read morevisiting my aunt who lives nearby. The entire zoo is immaculately clean. As soon as we went through the doors after the ticket counter we saw some happy Gibbons swinging around, and they even started talking. We then made our way over to the lions. The area where they have the three lions (who are all siblings) is large and has a walkway that you can walk almost 360° around to get a good glimpse of them no matter where they are. The zoo looks small, but as we made our way around, we felt like it was much bigger than it first appeared. We saw a bald eagle, zebras, ostriches, emus, alligators, and quite a few reptiles! Every time we thought we saw everything we saw there was more! We made our way back over to the lions and caught the end of one of the zookeeper talks. They have three talks per day and if you're around for one it's definitely worth catching one. We learned the names of the three lions and that they were all siblings. The zookeeper asked us if we had any questions which, of course we did. He told us about how they fed the lions safely, what their diet was, and a little bit about the personality of the lions. (No spoilers, you'll have to go yourself to find out!) Everyone that works there was extremely kind, friendly, and knowledgeable. This was such a great zoo. I would highly recommend it to anybody visiting the area or just passing through.

This is not your large city zoo, it is small and 90% outdoors, so a snowy winter day not the best…read moreidea, haha. That being said for small children it's perfect, a nice walk, easy to see the exhibits. Personally I think the areas are too small for the animals and wouldn't visit again. Price point and membership options do make it affordable for families.

What a great park! We were driving through the area and I wanted our toddler to be able to get out…read moreand run around so we came here. It is a bit off the beaten path (unless you live in the area) but well worth searching for. There is plenty of parking. Upon walking in, you see many pavilions offering shade and areas to sit down and eat a picnic lunch. There are multiple playground areas on spongy rubber ground, with one for 2-5 year old kids and another for older kids. Of course, they can mix and match (with parental assistance). Swings, slides, jungle gyms, monkey bars, round-a-bouts.... nearly everything imaginable to keep them busy and safe. Everything seemed newish, as in built within the past couple of years. It all was in good condition. There were bathrooms nearby, but they were locked. Not sure when they are unlocked. I saw no drinking fountains available. Note: the address listed in Yelp was taken from their website and it is very near the park, but I would recommend going to the end of Lansing Street to find it easier.