We took my five-year-old to Bee City Zoo and honestly... I was amazed by how many animals they had and how huge the property is. They do offer a military discount, which was a nice bonus, and you can purchase food throughout the park to feed different animals. My daughter's favorite part was getting to feed the monkeys -- such a fun hands-on experience for kids. There are so many opportunities to interact with the animals up close and really enjoy the experience. The Siberian tigers were HUGE and absolutely beautiful. They also had giraffes and so many other animals that we honestly didn't even get to see everything in one trip, so we'll definitely be back. They also offer a truck tour around the property, plus there's a playground area for the kids to enjoy. It does get pretty crowded, so I definitely recommend going early, but parking was plentiful. If you have children and you're looking for a fun family-friendly experience near Charleston, I highly recommend checking out Bee City Zoo. read more

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I felt sad walking through most of this zoo. I believe the intentions are good but the execution just isn't quite there. I will start by saying all the animals appeared to me (non-animal professional in any way) to be healthy. In general the whole place just seemed a bit ignored as far as being maintained often. In the reptile room many of the enclosures had wallpaper peeling off, information that had been written on the glass was scratched/wiped off, and it overall didn't look very well kept. Some of the monkey's had lots of space and and some just had small, mostly concrete, metal cage enclosures to move around in. The bigger animals (tigers, camel, giraffes, etc) also had considerably small enclosures for the size animal they were. The penguin's and otters' little pools were barely filled with any water so swimming wasn't an option if they wanted (it was a pretty hot day) and had gross water. They weren't big enough pools for you to convince me they can't be drained and cleaned regularly. The penguins and otters also had lots of concrete for their habitat. The lack of enrichment was also really disappointing to see for most all the animals. It seemed like the patrons were the only enrichment most of them got to look forward too. Maybe this is a bit ridiculous but it annoyed me that Christmas music played at the excavator activity...its March. Again to me just a lack of attention to details. Overall it seems like they are trying to do the things for the animals but at a very bare minimum standard. The gift shop seemed to have the most investment into it of the entire park. Do better for these animals please, most of them, as your signs indicated, are endangered. read more

Cute little zoo in Cottageville - right outside of Summerville. Easily accessible, plenty of parking. Offer military discounts! Always a plus for us. Staff is extremely friendly and helpful! Animals seem really taken care of. You are able to feed almost all of the animals which makes it even more special for kids! Pretty good prices for human food- offer a discount if you pay in cash! Do think that the cost of food for animal encounters should be included in the admission price. $19 for kids and adults admission and then another $12 for food adds up- especially considering it's relatively small. read more

First time here was during it's Christmas lights experience. we had reservations for the hayride and there was a ton of people there, so the crowds were crazy! It definitely took a while to get through the line to get inside, but we were able to see all of the animals, feed the monkeys, goats, zebras, and giraffes. Sadly, because we went later in the evening (for it to be after dark), the animals weren't all hungry, but we goats will always eat, so we were able to get through all of the feed. The lights were beautifully done and they did a fantastic job. Staff was friendly and there was plenty to see and do - even got a funnel cake while there! Haven't been during the day for a regular experience, but definitely worth a visit! read more

Bee City Zoo - Petting Zoos Near Me - Cottageville, South Carolina

All of the employees were amazing, helpful, adding additional information about the animals and ways to enjoy our experience. Loved being able to pet and feed so many different animals read more

This post is a little late with how busy I have been. I have been here quite a few times. My little one loves going here. You can get closer to some of the animals than at most places. Yes I do wish the enclosures for the animals were bigger. With that being said, when I went this last time, there were some renovations going on and a new penguin enclosure was being constructed. I spoke to one of the employees who informed me that they are going to be doing some other renovations throughout the zoo. I was a little disappointed this time because of what time the kitchen closed. read more

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While you can have some cool experiences here, you'll probably feel yucky about them. They have some animals here that should not be kept here, especially in such conditions. Wild cats for example. Or what they have going on with the giraffes. Some really wacked monkeys as well. Farm type animals may be fine but wild creatures in such small, unnatural habitats should be illegal. I wanted to check it out but no thanks, wouldn't come back. Sloths in basically a closet to be sold for hundreds of dollars so people can interact with them. If you love animals, do better than this. My heart broke for most of the visit read more

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Had an unexpectedly amazing time at Bee City! Staff were very courteous and knowledgeable, it was easy to find food to feed all the animals. Feeding a giraffe is something our family will never forget, along with the Monkeys, Kangaroos, and birds. Great value for the price of admission and food. read more

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Such an amazing place and it is quickly becoming a family Holiday Tradition. Get the holiday night package with the ride. Feed the animals before sundown; talk with the amazing lady in the Bee House. Buy great local Bee products in the gift shop . Take your children & grandchildren on the best lighted display ride in the USA. read more

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I recently stopped by this "zoo" while traveling through the state and was very depressed by what I saw. Animals in enclosures/cages that were too small for the number of animals and/or did not provide space to get any type of exercise. This includes two or three Siberian tigers, two Eurasian Lynx, and many species of monkeys. The water in the otter and penguin exhibits was filthy and there was no visible means of filtration. One area of the "zoo" was closed to the public the day I visited, but I understand there are giraffes and camels in that section. I searched the Internet and their website after the fact and can not find anything that shows they have an accredation from any zoological or animal welfare organization. read more

Perfect place for little ones! I wish the enclosure were bigger for the animals but my little one loved it and so did I. Staff was super friendly I wish there was an option to buy more honey o for the monkeys and lemurs. Not too much shade when you wait in line for the safari with the kiddos. Overall the place is great. I will be returning again!! read more

We love Bee City Zoo! I took my (almost) 8 year old son again yesterday and we easily spent 3.5/4 hours there. We walked around and gave out a small bit of food to each animal then grabbed lunch from their cafe & walked around again to finish off the food we had. Make sure you bring water! It wasn't too hot but having our water bottle was great. read more

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Cute little place, small and great for the younger crowd. Employees were nice and helpful. However, the amount of money it costs to get into this place is absurd for the size of the zoo. It takes maybe an hour to walk this, sometimes less. your being charged $20 for admission and then you have to spend more money on animal food (which doesn't even get you through all the animals) and the birds/kangaroo exhibits if you'd like to go in. Animal food should've included in your admission since the whole point of this zoo is to interact with the animals by feeding them. read more

We weren't really sure what to expect during our first trip to Bee City but our group of 4 were all so pleasantly surprised. There are so many animals to see but the highlight was definitely the monkeys. Watching them work the pulley system to bring the monkey-o's to themselves was ridiculously cool. My son thoroughly enjoyed feeding the giraffes as well. The animals seem to be in great care and spaces, although the kangaroos did seem a bit bored. We also visited the gift shop on the way out and got some honey and honey mustard which was all delicious. read more

Right-sized for young children. Staff was very friendly and helpful. Our grandson had a wonderful experience. read more

Bee City Zoo - The aviary feeding experience was awesome. - Petting Zoos Near Me - Cottageville, South Carolina

Bee City is the place to go if you want to go to the zoo and have great food at the same time. The customer service is amazing and so is the food. Your children as well as adults will love looking at the animals and feeding them. It's an amazing place. read more

It was a hot day for everyone including animals. It would be great to have misting fans through out the area to cool off ppl and animals. The cost for groups over 10 to be discounted would be nice. Especially when they usually eat there. $7.50 for 2 pieces of cheese pizza is high. Of course the kids love seeing the animals. I know costs are high but it's expensive. Thanks read more

This hidden zoo was a great place to take our two toddlers (2 & 3 years old)! They had a blast even with the summer southern heat. It's a great summer activity- we were there for three hours. So many different animals to see, feed and interact with: kangaroos, birds, alpacas, goats, bunnies, monkey, giraffes, tortoises, emus, you name it. We rode the safari.. it was a short 30 minute ride but pretty cool cause we got to see the bigger animals and feed them. It was definitely a great experience for all us. Highly recommend it!! read more

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Bee city zoo is so much fun! We got to feed, pet, and close up to so many animals. I got to hug a kangaroo. And staff was very nice. One of the staff was nice enough to give us more food to feed the monkeys. Lastly all the animals seemed to be having a great time.​​​​​ read more

Bee City Zoo - Petting Zoos Near Me - Cottageville, South Carolina

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Love it! And would travel the 3 hours to see it again! The place is so beautiful and so many amazing animals. Truly a once in a lifetime experience read more

It is always such a fun time during the Christmas Holidays to come to Bee City Zoo and experience the lights with the animals! The Staff is always so nice and it is worth the price! read more

Nice little zoo, you can buy food to feed the animals from the monkeys to the camels. One one the monkey cages the monkeys will pull on the rope to bring the food cup to you after it has food the the monkey will pull it back and eat the food in the cup read more

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We took our Senior Citizens here for a trip. It was wonderful! Staff was amazing. My seniors enjoyed the hands on with the animals. I would much rather go here than the Zoo in Columbia. Food was great as well! We didn't feel rushed with a crowd. They talked about it all the way home. read more

I have come here a few times but over the years as my son was going up. We have always had a good time. The animals looked well cared for and clean. Plus the honey is amazing. I would recommend to pay a little extra and get food to feed the animals read more

Bee City Zoo - Bird house - Petting Zoos Near Me - Cottageville, South Carolina

Bee City is such a cute little place (albeit a bit in the middle of nowhere). It's a great way to pass a few hours if you're looking for something to do - especially if you have kiddos. It's essentially a petting zoo/regular zoo where you can feed certain animals (like the kangaroos which was my personal favorite). Animals range from monkeys to tigers and camels and more. Make sure you check out the area that gives the business its name - Bee City! I was wondering why Bee City was called Bee City until I realized that the bee hives that the zoo runs are created to look like an actual mini city where the hives are kept. (check the pictures) So cute! And if you're a honey fan - make sure to swing by the gift shop and pick up some honey that's produced by the resident bees. Not to mention - the honey is extremely reasonably priced. I had to make sure to pick some up for that reason alone. Add this to your Lowcountry to-do list! read more

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Bee City Zoo is a wonderful place to go a see wildlife that is well cared for by good people. We went for a holiday trip with a local scout troop (girls, not boys). The bird aviary was a favorite for everyone, but we had to take turns and let others come in. It's great having the birds fly onto your hands, arms, shoulders, knees, and toes ... knees and toes. All of the other animals were out and about, ready to be fed by anyone passing by with a cup full of food. The area was decorated and lit up for the holiday season. Parking was easy and plentiful. I'd honestly come here more often if it was closer but being farther away from downtown Charleston is what makes it nice. If you haven't been to Bee City, I recommend you take a trip out there some day. It'll be worth the ride. read more

Bee City Zoo - Petting Zoos Near Me - Cottageville, South Carolina

My mom and I took my 2yo and 6yo and all of us had a blast! We had so much fun feeding the birds right out of our hands, the giraffe were so amazing! We hope to be back at Christmastime when they have 2 million lightbulbs, s'mores pit and more! read more

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A local favorite and we go at least once a year! Very grateful for the support they provide to the community like free teacher day. They have all kinds of opportunities to interact with animals and are constantly growing. You can bring classes to go to field trips here. A family favorite is feeding the birds and the lemurs. read more

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This is a great little zoo! There is alot of animals of different type. The reptile collection is quite extensive and impressive. You get to feed all the lemurs and monkeys. Those 2 things alone made it more than worth it. Well worth the admission price, and we will definitely be going back again. read more

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I last went to Bee City about 6-7 years ago, and when I went tonight for the Christmas Light event I was throughly impressed! Bee City has upgraded so much and it's great to see the place flourish. Our personal favorite was the tigers. The zoo is decorated with hundreds of Christmas lights. We recommend the hay ride, it's a low cost hay ride that takes you through speckling Christmas lights. The bathrooms were clean, the staff was friendly, and they still have their classic honey for customers to try. Being from the Lowcountry, we went to the James Island Festival of Lights the other night. I personally enjoyed the Bee City experience more, and recommend Bee City over the JI lights for Charleston residents. Prices are more reasonable at Bee City vs the unchanged Festival of Lights. read more

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We love Bee City! I can't say enough great things about Bee City and what they have to offer. It has been an annual visit for us each year since I have had children and we love/look forward to our visit each year. They have a wide range of animals to feed and visit as well as a large bird exhibit. In the last few years they have expanded from their ticket sales windows to their food offerings and it is so fun to see this expansion as they become more popular and have many more visitors. We love the monkeys and the rabbits. We love being able to get into the rabbit cage and pet them. It is probably my kids favorite thing to do each year. Lastly, you can't write a review on Bee City without mentioning the extensive bee educational exhibits offered here and the delicious honey products! We always replenish our honey supply when we visit and no matter how many times we have seen "bee city" my kids still love learning about the bees. This is a great day trip and/or a fantastic place for homeschooling families and field trips to learn more about bees as well as many more insects and animals. We look forward to our trip back next year! read more

This place has grown tremendously and has many more animals from around the world. They've got a snow leopard, Siberian tiger, orynx(extinct in the wild), many different smaller monkeys, zebra, an atrium and many other animals. You can feed nearly all of the animals there and it's spread out so it doesn't feel crowded. There's plenty of parking, a nice gift shop and offer food in two area's with a picnic area to eat and rest. Overall, my kids love going here and we go at least once a year. It's definitely an attraction to visit and it goes towards a great cause because most of the animals are rescues. read more

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We took our three-year-old niece who lives animals. She could not have possibly had a better time! We all loved the close up visits with the animals. The staff was great and provided great information and instructions. We'll be back for sure. read more

This is a great little zoo. The perfect size for the kiddos and there's plenty of animals to see. My son especially loves to feed them. It's so much fun giving carrot sticks to the camels. Monkey O's to the monkeys and lemurs. Seed grain to the bigger animals. Where else can you pet kangaroos?!?! We spoke to several employees who were working while we were going through the park. Everyone was so great and the animals are well cared for. One young woman was cleaning the Fox den and showed us they love to be pet. She explained that they are able to care for any of the animals in the zoo because they're all so people friendly. We love coming here and the prices are so reasonable. read more

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We love Bee City and have gone several times a year since first finding the place a few years ago. What can you say. There are lemurs, squirrel monkeys, kangaroos, zebras, and birds just to name a few animals you can feed. They now have a tractor ride animal Safari that's part of admission. In the reptile house on the weekends you can hold a snake or an alligator. You really must take a trip to Bee City and find out all the fun things you are missing. read more

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To 65-year-old the place was totally disorganized, but to a three-year-old. It was great when we got there the parking was atrocious to pay admission was very disorganized. They wanted us to buy food for the animals and it wasn't explained properly so we said no, the layout of the place is it random there are no markings on the floor on the ground on the trees on the sidewalk on the walls. I think I ran into a manager at one point, and said them it seems to be total madness, and she said that's the way we like it. Mike Kathy and Henry. read more

We were visiting our grandchildren for the week and took them to Bee City Zoo. It was wonderful. We all had so much fun. They were able to feed just about all the animals. They were able to pet baby kangaroos. The wagon ride light display was great. I would recommend visiting Bee City to anyone. Thank you for a great time. read more

Took my nephews, nieces, children to the Bee City Zoo. I was expecting it to be a small local zoo. However it was bigger than I expected and we had a blast! The animals were very active and feeding them was fun. The kids loved it. They have lots of trees every where so there is shade which is really nice! It was still hot but it could have been worse with no shade. We will definitely be back again. read more

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I'm a fan and plan to go back again when I visit my family in SC. My sister and I took my niece (1 year) and nephew (3 year) at the beginning of July 2020. We all had a blast. My nephew really loved the fake animals, specifically the dinosaurs, horses and turtles. He loved getting on the backs of the animals to just sit on them. Oh the simple pleasures of a child. I had to laugh when he started to tell the animals to go and realized they weren't real. Regardless, he loved just sitting on them and didn't want to get off. Sometimes he was more interested in the fake animals than the real ones. And most of the kids his age loved them as well. My nephew also loved the reptiles inside the building. He was able to see dragons, snakes and alligators, which excited him because he finally got to see real ones he had only read about in books. My nephew also liked to put food in the turn wheel that fed the miniature horses. He was more excited about turning the wheel than feeding the animals . My nephew enjoyed the foxes and reptiles most of all. He kept talking about the foxes and how they looked at home when he got home and told his grandma and grandpa about his day at the zoo. What I loved about the zoo. 1) Most of the area was shaded. We went on a very hot day and weren't too bothered by the heat because we could go inside the reptile building to get AC and there was a lot of shade. 2) The themes and decorations of the reptile cases and other spaces. Check out the themes and decorations in my pics. 3) The interaction with the animals. I enjoyed feeding the animals and getting up close to them. I didn't feel like I was in danger of getting hurt. The animals know just what to do when you come close with your cup of food or when you poor food down the slot. You can also interact with rabbits and I think get very close to the kangaroos. I was told on that on Friday's the bring out snakes etc for folks to hold. Their is also area for folks to feed birds. I think the birds were more interested in surfing on my back and head than eating the food from my hand. 4) Variety of animals. For a privately and family owned zoo they had a variety of monkeys and other animals that made it interesting for me. I loved feeding the camels. 5) The honey in the gift shop. I bought a jar of theIr delicious Tupelo honey. My nephew picked out a stuffed alligator in the shop and loves it. 6) There is a gazebo for a family to enjoy their lunch and stations for cleaning your hands. Negatives. If you use a wheel chair to travel you will likely have difficulty getting around the zoo. read more

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Our visit to Bee City in Summerville, South Carolina was an absolute nightmare from start to finish. It was as if the universe conspired to make our day as miserable as possible. From the moment we arrived, we were greeted by a swarm of entitled Karen-type moms who seemed to think that the entire park was their personal fiefdom. These rude women, accompanied by their obnoxious little brats, made it abundantly clear that our presence was unwelcome. As if that weren't enough, the park was overrun by day camps filled with rowdy and unruly children who showed no regard for personal space or basic manners. We patiently waited for half an hour in what was supposed to be a "line" for the Safari, only to have our hopes dashed as a horde of kids plowed us over without a second thought. The lack of any semblance of organization or crowd control was painfully evident, and the absence of any staff members attempting to regulate the chaos was beyond baffling. But the icing on the cake was when we approached the manager to voice our concerns about the blatant lack of management and structure. Their response was nothing short of infuriating - they brazenly told us that they couldn't control people's behavior, completely disregarding the fact that it's their responsibility to create a safe and enjoyable environment for their visitors. It was as if they had never heard of concepts like queuing or order. Our experience at Bee City was so overwhelmingly awful that I cannot stress enough how much I would discourage anyone from visiting this godforsaken place. The combination of rude parents, feral children, and a complete lack of management or organization resulted in a day that I genuinely wish I could erase from my memory. Save yourself the agony and avoid Bee City at all costs - unless, of course, you enjoy being bullied by Karen moms and trampled by packs of unsupervised kids. read more