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    Wild Encounters Cafe

    4.4 (8 reviews)
    Closed 3:00 pm - 10:00 PM

    Wild Encounters Cafe Photos

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    Capy
    Mindi F.

    Great experience! The cafe is really cute and has a Japanese theme. We asked why since capybaras are from South America. Apparently, Clay Cafes are big in Japan. The hosts/educators keep everything on time and running smoothly. They are also very knowledgeable and share a ton of info. The capybaras are so chill. They just hang out, let you pet them and eat snacks. That's the life I want! The sloth encounter was fun too. 3/4 are named after Golden Girls.

    Cute place!!!
    Sue P.

    This place is so well thought out and makes for an amazing opportunity to engage with capybaras and sloths. Had such a great time interacting with the animals and their staff. Animals welfare seems to be their utmost concern which was awesome to see!

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    2 months ago

    Helpful 3
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    4 months ago

    Helpful 0
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    9 days ago

    Helpful 0
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    16 days ago

    Helpful 0
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    23 days ago

    Helpful 2
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    2 months ago

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    30 days ago

    Helpful 1
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    2 months ago

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    Zoo World - Feed the giraffe (Tony)

    Zoo World

    3.8(189 reviews)
    0.1 mi

    They have a new very young giraffe named Dorothy that came from Kansas, she is so sweet and gave my…read moredaughter all the licks!!!! This zoo is still one of our favorites, I love how close up the animals are. It is so intimate! They offer animal encounters as well. Staff will walk around with reptiles to pet. They have a small concessions stand that sells cold drinks, popcorn, pretzels & nachos. They sell bird feed sticks, goat feed, alligator feed & lettuce for Dorthy. We have memberships. Unfortunately, there is NO member line. So when there is a LONG line, yes you have to wait for anyone who is buying tickets to enter. Hoping they can change that in the near future. We absolutely loved our alligator encounter! So many baby alligators! Staff is so knowledgeable and take great care of the animals here. We learn so much from the staff. I love their enthusiasm for teaching the public about the animals. Definitely come support this amazing small zoo, you won't regret it.

    This is not your typical big city zoo. It's small but well maintained. They still have plenty of…read morecute animals to go around. They are known for their 15 min encounters with different animals. First time I visited I did the sloth encounter and it was amazing! To be so close and feed these guys was something else! I went back in May of this year (2025) and was sad to discover their enclosure was being remodeled and the encounter for them was unavailable. Im sure it will be nice when their new home is done! The birds were hilarious but be prepared they may land on your head! The gift shop was nice and the parking was free and plentiful

    Photos
    Zoo World - Tanya and my Bradley

    Tanya and my Bradley

    Zoo World - Tony!

    Tony!

    Zoo World - Giraffe

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    Giraffe

    Emerald Coast Zoo - Crow

    Emerald Coast Zoo

    4.7(58 reviews)
    55.7 mi

    Every time we go on vacation, we have to find a zoo. The Emerald Coast zoo did not disappoint. You…read morecan tell the animals are well cared for and the zoo grounds are extremely clean and well kept. This does not seem to be the norm with many small family run zoos in the US There is a large variety of animals some of which we've never seen in enlarged shoes and this is one of the few zoos we've been to where the animals are active and almost interact with visitors. While we were there, the lions that are penned together or playful and seemed interested in the humans on the other side of the fence. We fed the giraffes which include a young one who is very adorable. We also had a nice interaction with one of the zoo staff who was cleaning out the porcupine pen. She was very informative and was willing to answer questions about the porcupines and gave us some information about other animals that we would encounter in the zoo. Overall, it was a good experience and we would highly recommend the zoo to people who enjoy learning about animals or just want something different to do. On a fun note we appreciated that the signage told us the names of some of the animals like two emus named Karen and water buffaloes named fast and slow, if you're a fan of Veggietales, you'll get that last reference.

    Great small experience zoo, this isn't your big zoo where they really push spending on you and…read moreeating places. 1/4 of it is designed for you to feed all sorts of animals and have an alpaca cut all the other animals off when feeding them lol. The giraffe feeding was fun and they have a great small display of all sorts of animals. If you want a quick 2 hours zoo and have some kind people to talk to where your time is yours alone. This place is perfect and local.

    Photos
    Emerald Coast Zoo - Spending the day with my friends.

    Spending the day with my friends.

    Emerald Coast Zoo
    Emerald Coast Zoo - Kookaburra

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    Kookaburra

    Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park

    Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park

    3.5(290 reviews)
    50.3 mi

    Here's an updated version with your added feedback included:…read more We visited Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park in Fort Walton Beach and really enjoyed the self-guided walk through the park. We saw stingrays, dolphins, penguins, manatees, turtles, crocodiles, pelicans, snakes, lizards, frogs, and many other animals. Even though we missed the scheduled shows, there was still plenty to see and enjoy at our own pace. One of the best parts was learning that they care for many rescue animals and help rehabilitate and release them back into the ocean when possible. It was great seeing a place focused on marine animal rescue and conservation. The park was family friendly and easy to walk through, with lots of close-up animal encounters. The reason for 4 out of 5 stars instead of 5 is that some of the animal habitats and viewing areas were not very well maintained. A few tanks had noticeable algae buildup, which made it difficult to clearly see some of the animals. Overall though, we still had a good experience and would recommend visiting if you are in the Fort Walton Beach area.

    we're local here and came down to visit the aquarium to check it out. we had a great time and they…read morehave quite a bit of exhibits for land and marine. the dolphin and sea lion show was great! trainers were kind and professional, as well as the staff. it is a small aquarium but have a variety of animals. we definitely recommend to anyone visiting destin to check it out! they also offer military discount as well.

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    Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park
    Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park
    Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park

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    Buccaneer Pirate Cruise

    Buccaneer Pirate Cruise

    4.6(134 reviews)
    45.6 mi

    An interactive, fun experience for families that have young children. I even noticed preteens…read morehaving a blast. Unfortunately, for myself and my family we were sold on this idea of a pretty cool pirate ship that tours the island of Destin. Not at all with this ship does. This cruise is solely intended to entertain children while you explore a small area of the waters for example passing crab Island starting just a short distance away from Harbor Walk. We were lucky enough to see a dolphin take a quick flip above water, but if you blinked and missed it, which some people in my group did, then you missed it but it's not advertised as part of the experience so for those of us that saw it, we were lucky. I do find that there are many dolphins and you get to see them probably any day you're on the water. The ship is exceptionally clean, and I loved the laboratory facilities. Not your typical tiny bathrooms that you find on a boat. We did order the fast on boarding Tickets, which I did not feel were necessary. No one asked us for it and when we got to the ship, we were instructed to walk to the front just like everybody else and had to wait for one family to board ahead of us as they only board one group at a time. In my mind that family did not have a fast on boarding, however, who knows. We were not asked for the Pass and there was no line or sign to indicate what side to stand on if you had a fast on boarding. Maybe this is more valuable during peak season but definitely not now.

    We had a great time on the cruise! Brought the family to Destin and my girls wanted my grandson to…read moreexperience a Pirate Cruise like they did when they were little. It was outstanding. The staff were all helpful and entertaining to all onboard that I saw. Interacting with as many guest as possible. Cracking jokes, dancing with the kids, training them to be a "Pirate". I would highly suggest this place for more than just the cruise. They are outstanding believers in Jesus Christ and also support missions. I am sure your family would enjoy everything about it.

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    Buccaneer Pirate Cruise
    Buccaneer Pirate Cruise
    Buccaneer Pirate Cruise

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    Wild Encounters Cafe - zoos - Updated May 2026

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