I cannot say enough good things about Canterbury Creek Farm School. Our family is still new-ish to…read moreGrand Rapids -- we moved here two years ago from Chicago -- and Farm School quickly became like a second family to our 3.5yo son. Born a COVID baby, he has always loved to play independently, but struggled in group situations. The staff and owners are incredibly compassionate and caring -- encouraging our son to play with others, but at his own pace. He has completely come out of his shell over this school year. It has been a joy to see the daily updates on the Brightwheel app (which teachers update during the school day), so that even when I am at work, I can relish in the absolute joy of a time our son is having at school. Time spent outdoors and with the animals is not only great for our high energy boy to blow off steam, but teaches so many life skills (outside of a classroom) that are so necessary to early childhood development. Their approach to early childhood education is incredible -- keeps all the content fun for kids, but with incredible impact. To compare his self-portrait and handwritten name from the beginning to the end of the year is insane! His end of year book brought me to tears -- and made me feel even more blessed to be a part of the Canterbury Creek family. In fact, this morning on our way to drop off, he told me he was so sad that school was over and that he would miss it over the summer. Good thing we will be back for Summer Camp and next school year. I cannot wait to sign up my 2.5yo daughter next!

We love Canterbury Creek. Its so cool that the kids get a full education here not just for…read morethemselves but for the animals too, it' so important at an early age to make sure kids have respect for all lives and they do with their interaction, feeding and caring for the animals here. Totally unique school, wonderful education, loving and caring instructors and overall a great, first class school all the way around. Our 4 year old daugher was at preschool there and will go again for young fives next year. We will do two summer camps with her and 6 year old sister.

This is THE BEST PETTING ZOO/learning farm I have ever seen. Critter Barn animals, staff,…read morevolunteers, and property all exceeded expectations. Very reasonably priced, tons of handwashing stations and a wonderful experience all around. My kids both want to volunteer here now. Worth the drive and the price of admission--without question one of the best attractions in the area.

This is a must see. We have come back year after year. This is great. Please go and enjoy. Feed…read moresome animals and enjoy the farm feeling. The new space is fun and way more room and more animals.

My nephews and I had a great time. The entire staff was more than helpful and incredibly kind…read more Definitely recommend -- great bargain for first timers, too!

Would be such a cool place if they tweaked the way it is ran just a bit. Their learn to ride…read moreprogram has many people obviously not learning to ride, dominating the turns in the line so kids that are there for their first or second time only get a couple of turns making the price not worth the visit. If they could have a couple cables and a separate line for the true beginners it would make the price much more worth it, and us along with others I know would be more likely to visit many more times. Only one staff member was truly teaching my children how to actually ride, the other girl there was clearly not into the job and just kind of there. The kid that was helping was very impressive and I was thankful that two hours into being there, on their 3rd try that they finally got some sort of direction for their last two tries. Almost 3 hours of being there and kids only got 4 turns, that equated to them literally falling in the water until the other staff member took over. One of the kids in our group got injured and not one staff member asked if she was ok, truly a learning experience for staff to be a little more vigilant and at least pretend to care. Other than these things my kids had a blast and it is such a bummer to know they would not get enough turns to make the hour drive to this facility worth it to come back.

What a really nice nature center. Four miles of beautiful hiking trails and it doubles as a kind…read moreof sanctuary for wounded animals. I saw more owls then I have in my entire life. They also have a school for kids that seems to be rich in programming. Three bucks to get in and the staff was very helpful. Only thing that would help would maybe more signage around trees. But that's pretty minor. A total gem!

We came on Saturday at 11:00 in the morning. This is a Michigan must do! Going in, we purchased our…read moretickets ($3 per person) and got to visit with some of the animals they are rehabilitating/giving a better life. Our hearts go out to the animals in their center and the struggle they went through, and we are glad to see them living their best lives now in peace and safety. We walked and hiked around-there was so much to see! You will need some good shoes to walk in, but the hike/walk was not a challenging one. We enjoyed our time in nature and exploring the area. We wished we could have stayed longer than 2 hours. Don't forget to visit their gift shop and make them a generous donation. Their merchandise is wonderful and there is something for everybody. We would have happily paid more for admission-the money goes to such a great cause. We WILL be coming back to this.

Great place! Patrick the manager is an amazing guy! I highly recommend going to the Optimist club!read more

"I like the icas nobody likes us we're the kids from Camp O! Alway grin'n, always a win'n, always…read morea-feeling fine. Aye Aye Aye!!" I always remember the consolers and buss drivers drumming up the day campers on the busses singing this song on the way into camp everyday during the summers of the 1990's. I attended this camp as a child for about 3 yrs and leared so much about being outdoors in nature, arts and crafts, archery, skits and how to be a kid. I still to this day remember ALOT of the camp songs sung in the early morning hours at the chapel we sang to wake up and moving for the day. "Good Morning Mr. Zip Zip Zip" was one of those songs. I started teaching my own children these camp songs that I had so much fun singing 30 yrs ago. I remember the, "Herman the worm" song very well and started teaching my daughter, loves it. Camp O was the first place I leaned to shoot a BB Gun and as the years progressed we moved up to learning to shoot .22's, that was fun alog with many of horseback riding in the woods and around the farm across the road from the camp. During the end of the summers they did overnight trips to a Yurt on one of the local farm field across from the camp. It was great stargazing late at night around the fire and hunting for that ever elusive Snipe.lol. **Overall, I cant say its the same Camp O than that it is now, but I have TONs of great memories here as a young child. I would send my child here anyday!

Amazing summer camp for kids. Focus on leadership, adventure, and teamwork. Gorgeous pristine…read morelocation, enthusiastic well rounded staff, safe well equipped facilities. Our kids go year after year!

To begin: big applause for the chefs who made a ratatouille that was very enjoyable, and a lentil…read moresoup for which I would love to get the recipe! Terrific meal service! The camp has many housing offerings, and locations. Nice. This is camping and not at all glamping. No wi-fi nor mobile service for most cell phones. One can really get away from it all! I went to the Sierra Club Retreat, and we had many choices of lectures, craft offerings and animal observation opportunities. There was also an astronomer on site with large equipment to view the heavens both morning and evening. There is addition boating and tubing on Stoney Lake and River. The dorm rooms were clean, the shared facilities were also clean. The management pays attention to many cleanliness and activity details. Bravo!

My child goes there every summer coming back how she had so fun and made new friends. My older…read moredaughter is a counselor there and she has so much fun.

This camp is the best! My husband went there as a boy and now my 4 kids have attended for 5 years…read morein a row. It is the highlight of their summer. They have lots of activities for the kids, there is never a dull moment. They can do everything from horseback riding, to high ropes and hiking, while teaching values. The perfect opportunity for your kids to "unplug" from video games and tv! I highly recommend!