We decided to check this place out as an impromptu adventure to celebrate our anniversary. I have…read morebeen curious about this place for years as we always pass by on our way to Frankenmuth. This was well worth the stop!!! This is a tiny zoo (If you have ever been to Potter Park Zoo in East Lansing, this would be a decent comparison) with a great variety of wildlife. We were impressed with how many species they had. All the animals were very up close and active, so viewing them was truly enjoyable. The animals all looked healthy, enclosures and overall zoo were well kept. Lots of "snack" boxes that you could get a handful of feed for 25 cents or you can buy a cup of carrots for $5 when you buy your admission. Every animal is in an enclosed pen with a perimeter fence so some of them are impossible to feed. They also have pay options for special encounters but i'm not sure what that entails as we did not do that. My only issue is that the enclosures should be bigger. They are a nonprofit and they seem to take on animals from other zoos or at least that is what I was told. As a nonprofit, I'm sure funding is a challenge. This place really was a hidden little gem and we would highly recommend! We look forward to another visit.

Disappointing Visit to Wilderness Trail Zoo…read more What a bummer this visit turned out to be. We took our son to the Wilderness Trail Zoo in Frankenmuth on his day off, and we were surprised by the price of admission for two adults and one child. We've visited the zoo many times over the years, but this experience was different. It had been a couple of years since our last visit, and while we understand that changes and updates are part of running a zoo, we left feeling disappointed. One of the biggest letdowns was that so many of the scheduled activities and animal encounters were unavailable. The reptile enclosure, butterfly experience, and bird-feeding experience were all closed. It seemed like nearly everything required advance scheduling or wasn't available at all. I understand that operating a zoo is difficult and expensive, and I appreciate the effort that goes into maintaining and updating the facility. However, when you're charging these admission prices, visitors should receive more than just general admission, especially when so many of the attractions and experiences are closed. My biggest suggestion would be to offer reduced off-season admission prices when many of the attractions and animal encounters are unavailable. Visitors shouldn't have to pay full price for an experience that offers significantly less than they might reasonably expect. We've enjoyed visiting in the past, which makes this visit all the more disappointing. I hope the zoo continues to improve, but based on our latest experience, the admission price simply didn't match the value we received.

First time visit at the Petting Farm at Domino's. We took a Grandbaby for an outing today. It was a…read morebit chilly (just above 40 degrees and the wind didn't help matters much). As many times as I had driven past Domino's along Route 23, I never knew there was a petting farm nestled back in there! Very well kept, animals' pens were clean, animals all looked very healthy and well cared for. The grounds were also well maintained. Sheep, horses, goats, rabbits, chickens, peacock, donkey, alpaca, geese, etc. In various pens inside and outside of the barns. Animals outside of the buildings also had coverage areas built for them. An aged stationary tractor is on display for children to climb up onto the seat and play "Farmer John" for a while. There was also a playground area as well as an oversized doll house for children to experience. A poll barn is used as a gathering center for birthday parties, etc. Great idea for children to go and experience farm animals up close and personal. Fun afternoon.

I came here with my 1-year-old daughter for a birthday party a few weeks ago. This was my first…read moretime here - I believe generally there may be an admission fee, though I'm not entirely sure about that, but because we were there for a party, it was free. My friends had rented out their pavilion and were supposed to have it from 10a-12p, but they got overbooked so had to be out by 1130a. They had pizza delivered and there were plenty of tables for kids and adults to sit. We got to walk through the petting zoo, and carrots were provided to feed the animals, and also did a tractor ride. I was surprised there was only one barn with animals, although there are cows, pigs, and more on-property that you can also see. The animals were all cute and happy to gulp down the carrot sticks. I don't live in Ann Arbor anymore (I'm a UM grad) and it's a bit out of the way, so I don't anticipate coming here that much - it's a cute place for kids but I guess I was expecting it to be a bit larger or something.

Gosh, this was a blast from the past. Couldn't go to East Lansing without stopping by Potter's…read morePark. I used to take my two oldest children here frequently. It's a great little Zoological Park! It's accredited by the AZA and offers amenities like stroller rentals, a quiet room. The hours depend on the time of year and admission cost is based on if you live in the county or not. They do offer discounts for senior citizens and military personnel. They maintain over 300 animals with popular exhibits like penguins, lions, and giant anteaters. They provide wheelchairs, strollers, and wagons for rent, plus a quiet room and sensory-friendly bags. This zoo is one of Michigan's oldest continuously operated zoos, with a history dating back over 100 years. My husband and I found it very enjoyable.

I was pleasantly surprised at Potter Park Zoo - for some reason I thought it would be small and not…read moreas interesting, but I was wrong. Nate and I met with some friends at this zoo recently and got to take advantage of our reciprocal John Ball Zoo membership to get in free. Parking is $7 per car for non-residents. The zoo is larger than I expected, with plenty of very active animals despite the heat. My favorite animals were the Pallas's cat, the black rhino, and the binturong. We walked around for a couple of hours and enjoyed the plentiful shade, and relatively flat paths (way fewer hills than our zoo). It was fun seeing some animals that I'd never seen before! This zoo is open year-round, which is really nice. If I lived in the area I'd probably get a membership. As a visitor, I don't think I'd need to go back again soon, but I'm glad we got to check it out.

Best children's zoo around. It is smaller than the Detroit zoo but this is a lot cheaper too. Rides…read moreon the train and carousel are only a buck or s unlimited day pass for $5.00. Can't beat that. The kids prefer this zoo over all the rest. I think because if us smaller they do t get as tired as the Toledo or Detroit zoo. They also like that they can see animals better and even touch some. Lots of hands on activities. We drove 2 hours to get to this place and it was worth it. Will def be back soon.

It was a great way to spend the day with family without breaking the bank. Highly recommended!!read more

What a beautiful day for the annual St. Jude Walk at the Detroit Zoo. It's a perfect leisurely walk…read morewhile taking in all the sights and animal habitats. The Kidney Foundation uses the Detroit Zoo also for their annual walk. This was a great time seeing all the animals. There have been times that the animals have been hiding or sleep in the past. Today was the day that they were all up and at them for all to see. "Lions & tigers & bears, oh my!" We got to see the African tiger, lions, rhinos, grizzly bears, peacocks, buffalo, ostriches, monkeys, etc. Everyone was out for a photo op! If you haven't gone in awhile, you owe it to yourself to treat you and your family to a wonderful outing. The holiday visits in December is another great time for families.

We recently attended Zoo Boo at the Detroit Zoo, and unfortunately, the experience was just okay…read more We were looking forward to a fun Halloween outing, but it definitely fell short of our expectations. One of the biggest disappointments was not being able to see many of the animals like you normally would during a daytime visit. The candy and small gifts being handed out were mediocre at best, and some were downright disappointing. Nothing really stood out or made the experience feel special. The food prices were absolutely outrageous, especially considering the poor quality of what was being served. To make matters worse, there were long lines everywhere! The entire event could have been much better organized and managed to make things run more smoothly. For the price of admission, food, and everything else, I expected a much better experience. Unfortunately, Zoo Boo just didn't deliver. It's a shame because this event has so much potential. Overall, it was underwhelming, overpriced, and poorly organized. We definitely won't be rushing back anytime soon.

The Sea Life Michigan Aquarium is a nice place to visit. It is clean and staff are friendly. It is…read morea smaller scale aquarium if you are comparing to others; however, for being built within the mall and in Michigan which has Great Lakes I would say they offer a wonderful assortment of aquatic animals. Sea life is one level, they offer a picture on entry that can be viewed at the end. There are small, medium and large size aquatic fish and aquatic animals. I brought my nephew who was intrigued with the entire setting, some areas a little darker but it helps with the setting to see the fish. There is a show and touch area where you must wash your hand to keep the coral safe. The tunnel walk through and seeing the sharks, sting rays and turtles were cool. At the end there is a small gift shop. They do offer behind the scene and different packages. This is my second time here as I enjoy aquatic life and we want to bring the family.

Y'all, they are wrong for this one. This place should cost $10 to $15 at most. They are charging…read more$29, and I'm still trying to figure out whyyyyy. The place is very small and, although it does have a few highlights like the petting area and the overhead aquarium, it is definitely not worth $29. We were done in less than 30 minutes, and I'm still a little salty about it. I would not recommend it. Save your money and just find an area with some clear water, look at the fish, and keep your $29 and 30 minutes of your life.

Super nice family-friendly place to grab delicious cider and donuts…read more For my first foray to Porter's, I took a trip out this way to visit their location in Goodrich (we have a Porter's kiosk at the Flint Farmers Market downtown) with my husband during a weekend that we toured several similar cider mills/orchards, some we've been to before and others that we hadn't yet tried. I guess we could call this our version of a cider mill crawl as opposed to a pub crawl or something! Anyway, that particular trip marked our first to Porter's and now I can't understand why we had never been out here before, even though we've both stopped by the Porter's stand at the farmer's market and enjoyed the cider a few times. Since then, we've hit this orchard up again to grab donuts and cider because it's the perfect way to spend a nice fall day. I was immediately struck by how charming the grounds were. It felt like an authentic, small-town cider mill that wasn't trying too hard to be something that it wasn't. It looked and felt like the "real thing." Something about Porter's just screams fall. It looks and feels like a place you want to come hang out once the temperature dips a bit and the leaves turn to gold. Yes, there was a family-friendly vibe going on with the small petting zoo and adorable animals in the back, as well as hayrides and other activities for the little ones to keep them occupied, but it wasn't too family-friendly, as in adults could still enjoy themselves without some over-the-top romper room action in the background detracting from the experience. In other words, if you were an adult that didn't come with a six year-old in tow, you'd still be able to enjoy the orchard and grounds and feel like you had a great experience and if you did have children with you, then the entire family would probably love the place, too. I know that I truly enjoyed it and can't fathom why I didn't make the trek out here sooner. As for their cider, it was some of the better cider I've tried. I don't know if it was the absolute best, but it ranked up there for me. They had several varieties, all reasonably-priced. What might be the best were the donuts. Seriously, their cider donuts, as well as the cinnamon variety, were impeccable, moist and fresh from the fryer and not too greasy. A six-pack cost $4.50, which is average for donuts from a cider mill/orchard in the area. Aside from the cider and donuts, they had a nice selection of fresh, seasonal items (apples, pumpkins, etc), as well as honey, syrup, seasoning, and, of course, caramel apples (the selection of Cortland apples was quite nice). Prices across the board were reasonable and not out of line at all considering the quality. Oh, and they love giving out generous samples of their cider and donuts, too, in case you want to sample the wares first. The service couldn't have been better. Everyone was friendly and smiling and the lines tended to move at a brisk pace despite the store being somewhat crowded.

I was here about a year ago and i didn't rate it then, because i didn't have help so let me explain…read morewhat happened. So we got apple cider and donuts, the apple cider was great and the donut was good. The play area has a train, and zip lines! My favorite part about porters is the zip line. The issue that happened was on the hayride... in the middle of the hayride, THE STEP PIECE FELL OF MID RIDE! My family and i, alerted the driver but he couldn't hear us and then he finally heard us! We finished off the ride. We were the last ride for the day due to that incident. Ps. If you want to go to a good hayride, don't go to this cheap one!

It's only open during spring and summer but this is my favorite destination to go to in…read moreFrankenmuth. it actually is our first stop. it is a working farm where grandpa Tiny can take you on a tractor ride through the fields tell you his little folk stories, and get your children's imagination story with the trolls under the bridge. and alligators in the pond. you can take a tour in the chicken coop or hold a little bunny or of the chick in Spring. There's a beautiful milking cow there that likes to push my daughter out of the way. and it seems like they have new baby piglets Every Spring not to mention the beautiful draft horses. you also can learn how they process the corn and make flour it's a very cool place to take the kids and is an actual learning experience for them . They also sell peacock feathers for only $1 and t-shirts and coloring books. I feel great when I go here because I can support something that is not zender's owned dominated and taken over like everything else in Frankenmuth.

Cute little reindeer farm. The event was tailored to children, but overall a good experience…read more Only complaint was the lack of urgency to open at noon, as the tickets stated.

Me and my kids enjoyed seeing all the animals and all the staff was very knowledgeable about the…read moreanimals and they were very helpful with any questions or concerns we might have .

The Creature Conservancy is pretty awesome! I pass by it all the time but finally had a chance to…read morevisit during open hours on a Sunday. It was pretty delightful & the staff were super friendly and interacting with the animals. The CC was started 20 years ago with Al the Alligator! He was dropped off at the Vet clinic and they started CC all around him. Pretty awesome. It's not a massive space so it was perfect to get there at 3:30pm - in time for the 4pm show which is followed by an Al the Alligator feeding! We checked out all the habitats on the outside as well. Super cool experience - I'd love to come back for one of their turtle yoga, 18+ paint nights, etc. They always have pretty cool themed programming. Also follow their social media - they post the best content!