I love this place so much fun. Great for small children since you can feed most of the animals, has a nice playground and adorable train. Very enjoyable park and has tons of animals. We were impressed. read more

This is a great zoo! I like it better than the Grand Rapids Zoo. Super easy entrance and great parking lot. It was $18 for an adult to enter. They have a large variety of animals including giraffe, hippos, zebra, kangaroo and more. They always seem to be adding on or expanding. There's a little cafe with quick lunch items which aren't bad if you need a quick bite to eat. read more

What a wonderful surprise to find here in west Michigan. The grounds are immaculate, the animals look well cared for, and lots of exhibits to keep the youngsters craving more. The staff were friendly and very helpful...from those who greeted us upon arrival, to those caring for the animals, providing treats for the human visitors or working the various supply booths. Thank you for providing such a wonderful experience for both young and old..and to think you do all of this with only private philanthropy (no Federal/state funding). read more

We had a great time at the Boulder Ridge Wild Animal Park! Feeding animals: we fed giraffe, camel, goats & deer. The prairie dogs and kangaroo are not so brave to take food from your hand. You can purchase the food (carrots and lettuce) for about $3-$5 each. Cash only. Park: it's larger than you think. And the safari ride is completely free! So fun to see all types of animals around the park. The exhibits are small, but the animals are pretty amazing. Food: bring food in. This is allowed and encouraged as there are NO concessions. Just snacks in the gift shop. Water: didn't see many drinking fountains. Bring a bottle water for each person in your party. There are beverages for purchase from machines or gift shop. Restrooms: I saw two sets. They get crowded. But an extra sink outside the restrooms was added to wash hands after feeding and petting animals. Plus hand sanitizer all over the place. Birds: you can get a stick of seeds for $1 to feed the parakeets. If you are frightened by birds - AVOID THIS. They can be very aggressive. But it's also a great photo op. Parking: free and plentiful! read more

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This was an overall great place to visit with my lil ones. I went by myself plus twin toddlers and decided against bringing the stroller. Halfway through I wish I brought the stroller so the kids could hop on when tired. Fortunately there was the safari ride to give their lil legs and my arms a rest. I liked the audio part of the safari ride giving us info about the animals. I'm happy to see the animals have a lot of stretch space and not confined to small areas. I'd def come back here. read more

Boulder Ridge Wild Animal Park - Come on in and have some fun!! - Zoos Near Me - Alto, Michigan

Let me start this by saying we have gone to Boulder Ridge plenty of times in the past and have never had a problem. On 9/23/2020 my mother in law brought my son who is two to boulder, they went on a trail that wasn't marked to not go on and looked at a bird a African crane to be specific while observing the bird the animal stuck it's head through the cage and pecked my son. There's no signs advising to stay away from the area or the animal nor did any employee stop them from doing so. When a male employee saw this happen he advised them to go to the gift shop where there would be a first aid kit. The girls running the booth didn't know where the first aid kit was and once they found it asked "well what do you want?" My mother in law frazzled by what was going on was asked to sign a accident report and couldn't at the time because she was attending to my son, but did sign the report on the way out. When I called today to talk to someone about what happened I spoke with a very rude associate who said well they were in a area they shouldn't have been and she was uncooperative to sign the paperwork. I received a phone call from the owner who stated that there was no signs around the area because it was common sense no one would go their and this time of year they are extremely busy and they have good and bad days and it was just a bad day. I was not seeking to get any compensation from this situation just the possibility that a sign would be put up to avoid this situation from ever occurring again. Or to have the bird in a in closure that it's unable to stick its head out of. I am extremely disappointed on how things were handled and if you have a young child I wouldn't recommend going here. read more

Boulder Ridge Wild Animal Park - Zoos Near Me - Alto, Michigan

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Fun fun in the sun on a Saturday morning with the kids! So many different animals and a bus safari that is great for all ages! I even noted the staff cleaned the bus seats after every tour! Talk about covid-19 Committed cleanliness! Tip: Bring a couple dollars if you want to feed the animals. I highly Recommend the 5.00 carrot cups for the giraffes. I loved watching their long tongues grab that carrots! I enjoyed the zoo so much I bought a membership! Children under two are free. See you soon! Enjoy the sunshine, Jennah read more

Boulder Ridge Wild Animal Park - Fun fun in the sun feeding the animals! - Zoos Near Me - Alto, Michigan

This is an animal lovers biggest dream come true. Make sure to bring cash so you can hand feed giraffes, goats, and kangaroos! They sell carrot sticks and lettuce for them. The goats were so cute and funny. This is a once in a lifetime chance to also feed giraffes. All the animals are extremely friendly. It is about 14$/person. Which includes a "safari ride." The safari ride was on a bus that drove around pastures in the park. But, the driver was a young girl, and didn't seem interested in any customers whatsoever. Didn't have a warm hello, or goodbye. The driver plays different voice memos for each place they stop at, which made it really cheesy, and not personal. Other than that, this is one of the biggest petting zoos, had all sorts of monkeys, buffalos, zebra etc. super cool. What a hidden gem. Can't believe I haven't heard / been to this place earlier. Can't wait to go back. The upkeep of the park is also spectacular. read more

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This place is indeed on the corner of no and where, but damn is it worth the trip. Where else are you going to get to feed a giraffe? Write a goofy kids train, And take a safari bus to the back 40 and see animals that Steve Irwin was afraid of? If you are a kid, or a kid at heart, this is a wonderful (and safe(take it from a retired truck driver)) place to bring the family, or an animal loving date. read more

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Very clean and friendly workers. The animals are always in full view and well taken care of. Feeding them with purchased food is so fun!

I love love love this little place! I hope it opens up again. It has some different animals that you may not see at other zoos and plenty of petting areas and feeding of giraffes (recommend splurging extra bucks for) and bird area. If I'm telling the truth lots of the time we will hang out in the bird feeding area and you'll either see multiple feeding sticks or kids are awesome and share. Plus my families favorite is the little bus/tram ride to see all the other exotic animals. Very fun and you can ride as often as you like. So if your kid is like mine and whines they missed this animal or couldn't see or whatever; hop on again and try to sit on opposite side. Pack a lunch too cuz they have nice little picnic spot. It's is pricey but I think it's worth the price. read more

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Leaping lizards! This place is far out! Not really though! It's just a short drive from downtown, and they have giraffe's too. read more

I hate to use the term hidden treasure. This place is must see. Originally a place that bred animals for zoos, now a great place to see unusual animals. One unique feature is that you can feed the animals. The staff is very attentive. Unfortunately a plastic cup got into the goat's in closure told the staff and they got the cup out. The safari ride was fun and informative. Very clean, the bathrooms were amazing. A must see. read more

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If you love feeding Giraffes this is your place! We recently found out about Boulder Ridge five years ago and we only live 15 minutes away. Every time we arrived to my parents house from the state of Florida we would always go to Boulder Ridge because it was such an awesome experience feeding the giraffes. It's this experience of feeding the animals up close and personal that you don't get it any other animal park or zoo it seems like nationwide. Not only was it the giraffes but it was the safari bus ride through the woods. We got to see all the many different animals as of two years ago the buses were removed due to liability issues and has since been turned into a walking path around the property. On a much recent visit we often wondered why the zoo spent an exuberant amount of annual pass-holder's money on the huge concrete and fencing on pathways around a portion of the park when such funds could've been put to better usage. The walking paths are extremely long and uncovered for about 80% of the pathway. The animal pens are stretched too far apart with not enough animals within the pen to really see any of them. During our walk on the pathways there also isn't any information talking about the animals you're looking at nothing but the name of the animal. I have not learned anything about the animals that they have there walking paths around the pens. With that said there isn't anything that's interactive for children to be able to learn about the animals via flip boards or kid friendly learning stations either. In the past (the narrater on the safari buses that rode around with the park guests. They talked about the type of animal, it's feeding habits, what part of the country or world it was from and so forth) to really get you to understand all about animals and that's not the case anymore. As we walked around the path with the family and I pondered of how better the funds could've been used perhaps a small covered safari train that was still narrated something that most children would still love to do on top of seeing the animals or just to enjoy the train around the park. There's other zoos/animal parks we've been to where they charge $3 dollars to ride the train around. Speaking of trains they have a little kitty train but they charge you $4 dollars for 4 loops around basically a glorified carnival ride which is a rip off and totally not worth it being in the location it is in. Another thing you need to watch out for if you eat any food or drinks at this place is the aggressive bumble bee swarms in the food court area. I would advise you if you're allergic to bees not to eat food at this place they haven't done anything to curb the bee populations that swarm daily in the eating area. As for the hand sanitizer stations whenever you've touched an animal you would think you could hand sanitize your hands. ALL of the hand sanitizers at the park during our visit were EMPTY everyone of them except for the one leaving the gift shop/park exit. **Overall, this place was a lot of fun a few years ago but it's not interactive enough for children and has become a place of missed used funds. We were annual passholders but won't be returning sadly. read more

A wonderful zoo experience with up close and personal contact with some animals, we absolutely love this place and so will you.

Boulder Ridge is an absolute gem! We visited this summer and I was super impressed. It's clean and way to navigate. Nice facilities, snack stand, and store. There are so many animals! You can purchase cups of lettuce and sweet potatoes to feed the giraffes and goats. Feeding the animals and the awesome play area were a hit with our grandson. They have various special days and we happened to be there on reptile day. They also have an aviary that you can go into and a place to play in a water table. That and the misters helped to beat the summer heat! We will definitely be visiting here often! read more

Love this place! Will be visiting again in the Spring! Kids had a blast and we love that we get to support a local Michigan business! read more

Boulder Ridge Wild Animal Park - Out little guy feeding a camel! - Zoos Near Me - Alto, Michigan

Really nice animal park. I went with 2 other people and we paid a total of about $45, so tickets should range around $15 each/ per adult. You have the option to buy lettuce and carrots to feed giraffes, goats, antelope, a camel, etc. you can also pet them too. They also have a safari ride (price included) the ride lasts about 20 minutes, something nice and cute to do to kill time. Granted the park is not that big you will run out of things to do in about an hour- 1 1/2 tops. The best part was definitely feeding and petting the animals. It's a cute place to go for a family. 8/10 would recommend. read more

My daughter goes at least 2 times a year for many years...... she's in sports/ softball etc now... turns to me and says "Dad I haven't been to Boulder ridge yet this year" ....... Oooffff is what I feel as her eyes are welling up and glassy....." she may live a mile from another zoo" It's not the same. read more

They have a lot of really cool animals. The place is clean and fun to wander through. A lot of the access is up close some of the areas were interactive. It would be a lot better if the enclosures were more representative of the animals natural habitats. We went to the penguin feeding and we're expecting a little more than someone just giving them fish. It would have been great if there was a talk to go along with the feeding. All in all it was fun and great deal for the price of admission. I'd go back. read more

Yes!! This place is the BEST! Someone recommended this spot and we were very surprised. Make sure you bring cash to buy lettuce and carrots to feed the animals! It is so cool, you can feel the giraffes, lamas, tortoise, goats and much more! You can throw some dried food to the alligators, feed birds. Super interactive. What I like best is that the animals are all healthy looking, clean, happy and friendly! What a great spot for any animal lover! read more

Boulder Ridge Wild Animal Park - Camel - Zoos Near Me - Alto, Michigan

This was the second time we visited this little zoo. The first time was nice. A little cool so some of the animals were not out. This times was a little warm and other animals weren't out. That's the chance with the weather. You get up close to many of the animals. You get to feed some. Feeding the birds was entertaining to say the least. Huge alligator. I suggest taking the safari tour twice and sit on one side of the bus and then sit on the other. This allows you to see the animals easier that you couldn't see very well from the other side. I would definitely recommend this place. A nice drive in the country to get there. You can easily spent 3 hours or so there. Easy to get around. A very nice day for us. read more

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Very clean campus. The staff was very friendly and a lot of fun things for the kids to do. They loved being so close to all the animals.

Nice family outing. 5 dollar cup of carrots or lettuce (6 leaves) 2 dollar or 3 for 5. Got there early, glad we did started to get packed about the time we left. 1 to 2 hour adventure. Good time nice memories read more

Boulder Ridge Wild Animal Park - Zoos Near Me - Alto, Michigan

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Visited on baby animal day with my cousin and her two kids over the summer. Park was very clean and well organized. However the most important thing to me is that the animals looked healthy and well cared for. I was happy to see that many of the exhibits had places the animals could hide if they did not feel like being put on display. We had forgotten to bring something to drink and a vending machine was available towards the gift shop and bathrooms. Feeding the animals didn't break the bank and you felt safe doing so. The bird enclosure was my favorite part. read more

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We had a blast here! It's the perfect size for little ones to walk the whole park. Our grandson loved feeding the animals and being able to be so close to them. He loved the train ride too. read more

Best zoo around! Clean and great help! Love going there! They have a lot of animals!

Pricey and very few shady areas but worth it if you're prepared! Bring extra water and have your kiddos bring hats :)

I'm going to go ahead and give this place a big thumbs up! This place isn't your typical zoo. It's not as big as most zoos but it's worth it! Not too expensive either. 10 for adults and 8 for children. They have extremely unique animals here!! You also get so close with the animals. The kids loved going in the bird cage and feeding them. The birds would land on their head. Pretty neat! My absolute favorite part was the safari ride. They take you on a ride and show you some sweet South African animals! Pretty amazing! Very educational too. They gave fun facts about each animal as we drove by the animals. This place needs to get more credit than it's getting; you won't see animals like this in most zoos. I saw ostrich eggs! So cool!!! read more

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Clean fun, well kept animals. The parakeet walk in cage was so much fun, having 8 budgies walking on you and eating sticky seeds on a stick, was the best. There was a baby giraffe there also omg what a darling site. The sucked up all the lettuce we fed them. There is a happy tram ride around the park so you can see other animals in a more natural setting. Visit with Mr. Tortoise, he runs for lettuce! There is a nice souvenir shop also. We had a nice day. I honestly cannot remember if there was food for humans! read more

Such a great place for taking the kids! Small enough for the little ones to handle without being overwhelmed and big enough to keep the older ones happy. The fact that you can feed a large majority of the animals makes it unique and barely any of the animals are behind glass which is amazing. read more

Boulder Ridge Wild Animal Park - Zoos Near Me - Alto, Michigan

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This place just keeps growing and getting better each time I come here. It's been about 4 years since my last visit, so when we went this time, we were so amazed at how much was added on! Many more animals, and more that the kids can feed and get up close and personal with. The bus ride around the grounds is always pleasant and informative. This is a great little hide away in the middle of the country. Not like the big crowded zoo downtown. Of course, the giraffes and the Camels are always the fan favorites! So friendly and beautiful! I do have to say that the parakeets that you can feed from a stick are kind of aggressive, but that just might have been my fear of things flying at me and landing on me. Lol! Wonderful family place! We will be going back for sure. read more

Boulder Ridge Wild Animal Park - Love the Camels! So friendly! - Zoos Near Me - Alto, Michigan

They continue to grow. Appears to be well managed with healthy animals. Recommend buying the tickets online to avoid the long wait right when they open. There was a second, way shorter line for online tickets. read more