This is a cute little zoo. Agree with other reviewers that you should come in knowing what to…read moreexpect. It has a modest number of animals, but a lot of charm. We came in the morning on a weekday. Unfortunately, a lot of the animals were napping (lots of nocturnals) but we still have a nice time. This zoo is in a park and there are a lot of trees and shades -- it doubles as a walking path. I noticed that there were lots of benches throughout, which is nice. There was also cute decor like gnomes, fairy gardens, and animal statues. Standouts were the sand cats, penguins, lemurs, and red pandas. There were wolves, arctic foxes, and lots of other neat critters. At the front there's a petting zoo with sheep and goats, and you can feed them if you buy a cup of chow from the gift shop. In the gift shop, I noticed they sell art prints made by the animals, which is super cute! I noticed a bus stop across the street, so it seems accessible by public transit. The park its within has a lot of really neat play features too, so you could definitely make an afternoon of it. The price is right. It's only about $10 a ticket for admission, and like $2 - $3 for petting zoo food. Which, in this economy especially, is fantastic. Cute place. Worth checking out!

An incredible zoo experience for all! An extensive variety of exotic species, each within close…read moreproximity of the viewer. Super antique and cutesy feel to the entire property. There are high quality informational plaques as well. For those with limited mobility- the exhibits are along a relatively steep hill. Come prepared for a bit of an incline. Overall a wonderful experience!! Would rate higher than any large zoo I've been to.

We went for my Godson's 2nd birthday. WOW Im glad we did! I have been to a few zoos, but never one…read moreas interactive as this one! Especially for a child his age. He loved every second of it! I do regret not upgrading to the big bucket, so that we could feed the giraffe.

Full disclosure, I am a previous employee, so take that into account…read more Staff is very nice and friendly, although sometimes can feel limited in the information about the animals. Compared to other facilities you can definitely tell that this is a for profit place. It feels more entertainment than education, especially with the push to sell food and feed experiences. The infrastructure is newer and nice, although I do believe some habitats could be more visually appealing. You definitely can tell that a lot of it are more enclosures/pens built in a field and not habitats built to mimic their natural habitats. Animal care I think does a decent job, however there are things that I would change, although they are "young" in terms of a zoo so they are learning and growing and the people there seem to want to learn and grow, which is a big plus. A lot of people come for encounters as you can get closer and more hands on with animals than other facilities, personally I think this can be a fantastic tool for education but at times it seems more like a money grab than anything else. The winter light show is great and gets better every year, but know you will be pushed/upsold to get animal food. The "preserve" side is wonderfully done, although I have no experience at other self drive through safaris Overall I think the pricing is a bit high and the push to upsell food tickets and feed encounters and Aussie encounters is a bit much. It makes it seem like their more concerned about money than wildlife at times They also have live streams of some of the animals, they embrace the world of the internet that we live in (something nearby faculties don't do as much of). I think it's a great way to attention in the world we live in Overall I would say they are on the right track and still in their "infancy" as far as zoos go, so I think they could really do fantastic things in the future. But at times I think they need more of a push for education and conservation and less for profit mentality (but conservation work is a balancing act and a hard one at that, you have to balance people, animals, engagement, education, opinions, etc.)

Be prepared for animals in your car ! We were visiting from MD and after the park, we decided to do…read morethe drive thru Perserve, mainly because Taj the giraffe (Aprils son) was there and he was one of the main reasons we even came. We got discounted tickets because we went to the park first. We drove up to the entrance and the staff were super friendly and explained all the rules and sold us buckets of feed. Although we were warned about the animals and what they would do, we were not fully prepared for the greediness of every animal! It was fun don't get me wrong but it got to be a little overwhelming . They will run up to your car, stuck their head in if your windows are down and gobble anything they can reach. Two hands on the bucket at all times. Some cattle even trotted next to the car once we were trying to move on. There are some pull off areas that you can stop for longer and cars behind you can pass if they want which was nice. The only time I felt uneasy was when a bison (was protecting her baby) and almost body slammed a llama or alpaca into the side of our car. You're clearly made aware that it is at your own risk, but it still shook me a little. A slight annoyance was the Car in front of has had little kids (like 5 years old) hanging out of the sunroof and windows, feeding the animals food they clearly brought from home and the employees didn't say anything. We felt that was really unsafe for the kids and the animals and someone should have said something . The best part was at the end are the giraffes (Taj!) and you can park and get out of your car to go see them and feed them. Linda at the giraffe stand was incredible and got them to come over to see us after maybe about 5-10 minutes of them ignoring us lol. All in all, We really did enjoy the drive and the animals and would definitely do it again.

Great safari. Very expensive for the experience you get though. Also watch out for the camel, bro…read moretried to eat our cars side mirror. Like literally biting on it and trying to eat it.

What an absolute gem of a find! We were looking for a pit stop on a long drive where we could grab…read morelunch and stretch our legs, and then I saw pictures of Amberations and immediately knew I wanted to figure out how to get there. It took us a couple of U-turns to find the exact spot, but once we arrived, I was so glad we made the effort! The kids absolutely loved meeting the barn animals, while I loved the beautiful riverside picnic tables. We also traded a few books at the little library and took a nice, long walk along the nature trails. We ended up spending much more time here than we expected, but honestly, we enjoyed every minute of it. It was peaceful, beautiful, and had something for everyone in the family. Such a wonderful little oasis that we happened to stumble upon during a road trip. Definitely worth the detour!

Amberations is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to supporting mental health through…read moreinteraction with the natural environment. With almost 50 acres, they are located on the western edge of Onondaga county in Marietta, New York. At their barn site they offer opportunities to mingle with their goats, donkey, birds and barn cats. There is easy access to a small stream, teaming with frogs, minnows, and salamanders. A lovely deck adorns one end of their barn. It's a nice place to enjoy the sounds of nature and occasionally be visited by a Great Blue Heron. This is a wheelchair friendly area. The entrance to this area is a driveway shared with 2231 Amber Road, next to the Otisco Lake Community Center. Look for the small silhouette of Big Joe the donkey! In their upper fields they have built wheelchair paths surrounding a gazebo and are always working on developing gardens. There are also very nice trails through woods as well as through their songbird habitat. This is the best area for taking dogs and walking trails. The entrance to this area is at 2345 Amber Road, up a long gravel driveway. Go left at the top to find the small parking area in the fields. There is also a large pasture with two beautiful horses to visit. Their goal is to nurture relationships with the community they seek to serve. Opportunities abound for getting involved in many capacities. If you like nature, the outdoors, gardening, animals, or helping others, please consider giving them a call and volunteering. I'm a volunteer for Amberations so I can tell you, it's an amazing organization. It was started by two families who wanted to be able to bring nature to people of all abilities. It has grown so much in its 10 years of existence. They've hosted weddings, hold two big fundraisers during the year - their Otisco Lake Bike Race and Mothers Day Brunch in the spring and Fall Festival in autumn - as well as offering glamping, a new pond full of frogs, and their wonderful animals to visit. Definitely a place for everyone to check out, whether you like animals, nature, hiking - whatever you're into, Amberations has something for you.

If you don't visit the Autumn Mist Alpaca Farm when visiting the area then you'll be doing yourself…read morean injustice. There's all kinds of animals to pet and feed around the farm and there was a friendly and helpful nice lady, Diane, This will be the greatest memory we will cherish forever. Thank you again

We found this gem last fall, and drove back there again this summer from Geneva (~45 minutes). For…read more$10 you have the run of the place and get to see, pet, feed bunnies, goats, alpaca, beautiful roosters, peacocks, cats, tortoises, pigs, horses -- and I'm sure I'm forgetting many animals! They have jungle gyms for little kids, benches, a store with alpaca yarn and beautiful products, and the people are SO nice and accommodating. This is an awesome place for a family outing and would make a great birthday party spot. If you are an animal lover, this is a must.

Buck Brook Alpaca farm is such a charming place to visit. It's been a family tradition for us for…read moremany years now as we always spend Christmas at The Villa Roma. For a small fee, you can enjoy a one on one experience with their friendly alpacas, or take a few out on a guided tour along the wintery trails. Perfect to soak up all the fresh crisp air. The farm is free to visit, the one on ones have to be reserved ahead of time and paid for. The farm is home for many animals, goat, pigs and you'll often find a few cats following you round as you explore. There's a gift shop on site, which you must stop in to see. They have lots of hand made items, from hats, gloves, to socks and so much more, most made with the fur of the alpacas. Also, They do have soaps and lotions that are made from the milk of the alpaca's, which is the most buttery soft lotions and luxurious soaps you'll ever use. The visit here is worth while, it's a unique way to spend some time with the animals and in nature.

Everyone is so friendly... except this one goat. He wasn't very nice and the peacock comes off as…read morevery self absorbed lol. I'm just kidding. I love this place and suggest the self guided tour if it's not busy. Since everyone is so nice, they will come up and explain anything to you anyway and you can go about the farm at your own pace. If you are in the area, definitely stop by and make Some new, fluffy friends. You can pet the animals from the neck down, but none of the animals are really in the mood to be petted so just enjoy them for what they are. Beautiful creatures who want your food! Have fun!

it was AMAZING AMAZING!!! i came with my family from…read moreBrooklyn NY - a way of 2 1/2 hours, & everyone understands that is not easy to drive a so long way with little kids, but it was really worth the hustle to come a so long way, my kids couldn't get enough of looking on the animals (& me too...), especially on the lion, giraffe, & the bear, they was so excited to feed the giraffe & the parrots. it was vary interesting to see how the lions playing with a box they found, & the male lion wanted to take it away, but she didn't wanted, & so she started to run away of him... & he ran after her... @ the bear, we saw how the zoo worker puts the food for him into the designated place, & the bear came & tried to take the from inside the box, the box where the food was placed were opened so he should be able to catch the food, but for some reason he didn't found the opening, & so he put his hands into the box & he dragged out the food to himself... & so the time passed over vary vary quickly, & by the time of closing, we weren't even in the entire zoo yet! & the zoo officials must kick us out... because my kids didn't wanted to leave! simple!! they really didn't wanted to leave the place, even when we were already standing outside of the zoo, the were sitting on the parking bollards on the parking lot & they didn't wanted to go home! so much they enjoyed themselves! the zoo it self, have a vary nice & easy layout, although it takes time to get the layout, but as you start going into the zoo, & looking on the zoo map, you get the layout in mind. another thing to take in mind, is that every feeding costs $5, you can divide a feeding between your kids if you want, so you can save money. also the petting area get closed @ 5:30, i didn't knew that, & i missed it, so make sure to get inside early enough so you should can enjoy the goats & sheeps.

We recently took a trip to Claws 'N' Paws and the kids had a great time. I think I'll just go…read morepros and cons for this review. Pros: Jethro the giraffe was so kind and gentle. He would randomly drop down to say hello and it made our hearts melt. When feeding time came around he was the main attraction. Seeing the kids interact with him paid for the price of admission. The kids loved the cockatoo's and any other bird that would talk. Watching my five year old try to have a convo with them made us laugh. They had a lot of gorgeous animals - lynx, cute prairie dogs, male and female African lions, jags, leopards, a tiger, bobcats, etc. The Eagle Owl they had was one of my favorites. What a beautiful animal. Stunning. They have an enclosed reptile area with over a half dozen snakes, lizards and a few spiders. The bathrooms were large and kept up with for the most part. The trails were easy to follow, so I'd imagine it's hard to get lost. The staff was nice, seemed passionate and caring for the animals. Cons: Only one bathroom near the front entrance. It's not a huge park, but it would be nice to have more options. Lack of flat pathways. After days of rain there were lots of puddles and running water because the park is not totally flat. Rocks and roots are exposed so be mindful if you're not steady on your feet. Some of the animals are hard to see because the protective plastic was fogged up. May have been the temp changes. Their food area could use a face lift. They offer food for eat in but we passed and found someplace outside the park. Their retail store had a lot of items (tons of stuffed animals) but we skipped this go around. We would return. The kids enjoyed the park. We spent about two hours there and felt it was worth the money. Remember this is a small zoo in the Poconos, not a large City zoo. Thanks guys!

We had an amazing time! There's no experience needed and if you are nervous at all they talk you…read morethrough everything. They pair you up with a horse that fits your experience so no need to worry about anything. Everyone there is super nice and one young lady even took pictures and gave us a link to all 75 photos of us for only $10 each (seen below). The farm itself is gorgeous and so are all of the animals. Will definitely be back and would recommend!

We had an amazing guide! There was beautiful scenery through the mountains. I would definitely come…read moreback again!

My wife saw an advertisement on Facebook for a lavender and llama event here, so it sparked our…read moreinterest. The event was already fully booked, but I easily found tickets available for the next scheduled tour at 10 AM. We were fortunate enough to have Kate as our tour guide. She is awesome! We all loved the tour and the animals. This is a place with purpose and we look forward to telling our friends and family all about it. Kate told us about the plans for the future and expansion etc. We will also look forward to coming back again.

From the owner: Sweet Farm is the world’s first nonprofit sanctuary addressing the devastating impact that factory…read morefarming has on climate change — from the perspective of animals, plants, and the planet. By joining climate education, regenerative agriculture, farm animal rescue, and innovative technology, Sweet Farm is redefining sanctuary. Sweet Farm offers public tours, private tours, special events, and more! Visit our website to book your visit and learn more about our world-saving work.