Love this place!! This place is a fun place to go to for not a lot of money! I think it is a nice place and the animals are well kept. The layout is not ideal but it is still fun. I feel bad for some of the animals because they have a small enclosure like the bears. Other than that love the place! read more

I am giving them 5 stars solely based on my conversation with the owners and because I applaud what they have done. When I first walked through, my initial thoughts were that I wasn't that impressed. Everything seems haphazardly laid out and just didn't seem that visitor friendly. They do have some unique animals that you wouldn't normally see. Animals seem well cared for. And well, I could pet and feed horses for hours! Then at the end, we started talking with them as they were getting ready to close up, and come to find out they never intended this to be a public attraction. They really just started out housing a few animals that Fish & Game and trapped and/or confiscated from folks that didn't have the proper permits. After our conversation I gained a little more appreciation for what they do. It is ALOT of work to care for something like this, not to mention expense. If you are in the area, stop by and support them, feed a horse or a camel and take some neat selfies with some unique animals. read more

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We stopped in on our drive back home from Helen and really enjoyed it! It was a nice early morning trip, only about an hour to go through. The zoo is on the smaller side but has a laid-back, welcoming vibe. There was a great variety of animals that all looked well cared for--wolves, grizzly and black bears, kangaroos, a tiger, sloth, horses, zebras, white bison, and more. We arrived right at opening, and most of the animals were active. There was plenty of parking, and the prices were fair--$15 per adult and $5 for a bag of treats to feed some of the animals. Even the porta potty bathroom was clean, which was a nice surprise! read more

Chestatee Wild Life Preserve - Zoos Near Me - Dahlonega, Georgia

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Great place to take kids! Love it! Great staff too! Recommend to check out!! Great property lots of room for animals! read more

Chestatee Wild Life Preserve - Camel - Zoos Near Me - Dahlonega, Georgia

This is such a fun experience. I got to pet and feed a zebra, something I never thought I'd get to do. The animals would run up for food, they looked so well cared for and happy. They also had a very large space to roam and explore. The staff is also so welcoming and friendly. I highly recommend stopping by and making memories to last a life time. P.S. Definitely get the feed bags, maybe even a couple extras (if you are in a group) for when you run out! read more

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Amazing experience loved it so much. The staff was amazing and gave us the most wonderful time. Got to pet and feed animals. Loved it so much would recommend. read more

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I realize they are doing a service for the animals. And I am really not an animals rights type of person, but seeing the Kangaroo in the tiny pen that was only about 12' around, it really tore at me. Hard to get past that. I'm hopeful they will use use some of the admission cost to get this animal a proper enclosure. read more

We came here on a weekday and over half the exhibits were empty, only animals we were able to pet was 3 horses. there were no snow leopards. a lot of the exhibits that had signs showing certain animals just didn't have them at all, spent 40$ just to see a handful of animals. they did have a viewing exhibit for squirrel monkeys and a singular kangaroo which was cool. but overall a waste of money, will not be revisiting. looking at other reviews they are currently "in construction" but still charging full price for a 70% empty zoo. read more

Brought my kids here, not as much variety as the Atlanta zoo, but so much more peaceful and quiet, you can get much closer to the animals, some of them you can pet! The animals seem well taken care of. read more

Unlike Ella B. I had an AMAZING time! This place is very fun! Unlike most places you are able to pet some very cool animals! I have never been but when I came here you are allowed to pet literal zebras! they don't have as wide of a variety as the Atlanta zoo. But it is still amazing that they have tigers, gray wolves, zebras, donkeys, black, bears, emus, and so much more! An emu straight out of my hand! yes, there is mud, but it's also a small business and that they will be a little bit more expensive than huge corporations such as the ATL zoo. Also, I really appreciate how they rescue these animals. The camel was absolutely hilarious! They also have bison and Longhorn! The animals all came up to the fence when you shake your bags of food. The bags of food are five dollars, which I think is a very good price because you can feed a lot of animals with them! if you don't have an interest in traveling the world, but still want to be able to pet an animal like a zebra. Or a horse, then you can come here because the Atlanta zoo will not allow people to pet those animals I still love the Atlanta zoo! But this place is absolutely amazing. The lady at the front was the kindest. My brother forgot his shoes and was wearing some of my old heels. She noticed and got him shoes out of her own car and gave them to him! And at the end when I told her the vending machine was not accepting my five dollar bill she just gave me a Diet Coke, my sibling, a water and another Diet Coke to my other sister. The sweetest woman! She was very happy to explain and talk about the animals! They also have tortoises a sloth and kangaroos! In one more thing, if you come here to see the white tiger, you will not find it because it's sadly died of cancer, but it lived way past the expectancy for a tiger! Because they take care of their animals! read more

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My daughter and I absolutely love going to wildlife sanctuaries and Chestatee Wild Life Preserve did NOT disappoint! Lovely, large habitats for all the animals, well cared for animals, and the sweetest Emu, Boo Boo. I have never been able to pet an Emu before, but today that changed. Boo Boo was an absolute highlight of the day! We also loved the bears, horses, macaws, cockatoos, Green Iguanas, snakes, bearded dragons, chickens, baby chick, rooster, turkey, teeny tiny miniature horses, two-toed sloth, monkeys, lemurs, zebras, z-donks, and tiger. They also have Water Buffalo, bison, white Siberian Tigers, and a grey wolf named "Maverick"; unfortunately, we weren't able to spot them today. Definitely a great place to spend the day and we will return! Thank you to Miss Paula for welcoming us in, giving us the lay of the land, and answering our questions! read more

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I loved our visit on Saturday. We arrived later in the afternoon but were greeted by a few workers. We bought a bag of food and started with the horses by the parking lot. I loved the zebras, donkeys, and camels. Also we saw a lot of birds, white tiger, and bears. Really enjoyed feeding them and loved being able to interact with the animals more so than a traditional zoo. We all had a really good time. read more

Chestatee Wild Life Preserve - Zoos Near Me - Dahlonega, Georgia

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We found this quite by accident while out for a drive with friends, on a whim we opted to stop in and see what was there. One big white turkey fell in love with me and walked me around for a bit. He was so cute and so sweet. The Horses and Zebra were vying for the food we had in our bags. The cows were friendly too. The wolves were majestic in their enclosure but we never did see the big cat they had on display. I'm hoping it was napping where we couldn't see it. Over all, it was a nice experience. read more

For the price, I do not believe it is worth it. I come from a city where the zoo is award winning, and costs $19, so $15 for this muddy unpaved paths, fewer animals, no real restrooms, and an overall "backyard" feeling experience felt like a rip off. I know they have costs for upkeep, but $50 for a family of 4 for this attraction is difficult to justify in my experience. Based on other reviews maybe I just went on a bad day? I really appreciate what they are doing here by rescuing animals and all, and I love that they let you bring your own food from home to feed animals, so that part was great. I am mostly disappointed because some of the animals the kids really wanted to see were in cages around a base, but a much larger cage was around that, so we were unable to see those animals very well if at all. Do not make the mistake we made - we saw the website said it was not wheelchair accessible but thought our all-terrain wagon could handle it... it is not stroller or wagon accessible either! Paths were uneven, muddy, had roots and rocky hills. So avoid bringing anything on wheels if you can manage. I do think we went on a bad day as there were far fewer animals for us to see than I see others post about, and there was lots of mud. I was disappointed in the state of the port-a-potties. Also, at the entry of one of the exhibits there were very dangerous tools left unattended for at least an hour that I saw, which made me uncomfortable as a toddler mom. Overall, I will not be coming back anytime soon, but hope they stick around long enough to make some improvements and continue to help animals! read more

If I could leave 0 stars I would. This place is sad, even if it is a "preserve" that's "saving animals" Grass overgrown, exhibits closed, feeding tunnels are broken, port-a-potties haven't been serviced probably since they originally opened. The station to wash your hands looks like you'd catch more of a disease than clean hands, no soap or paper towels. Horses didn't have water, I turned hose on myself and filled their water I felt so bad. Horses are the ONLY animal you can touch, please do not let the pictures fool you if you check their Facebook; as they are clearly outdated. They also advertise "white tigers" and come to find out they passed away, so why not update the website? The kangaroo they have housed with another animal in a what looks like maybe a 20x10 room with the walls PAINTED saying "temporary enclosure" I can assure you that was not temporary the way it was set up, you can see how sad that poor thing is. I would like to note there is also chickens free roaming the property if you are scared of birds, I advise against visiting. The reptile exhibit is actually something from another world. Enclosures are disturbingly nasty. With glass cages just stacked on top of each other. The tortoises were walking in their own feces, mingled in with their food. I also noticed multiple family pets, non working dogs on property. My family and I were looking at the wolfs when one of them started losing its mind like it was going to attack, just to turn around to see some family's golden doodle enticing it, when it clearly states no family pets on property. The bears did the same thing, (grizzled and black bear are in same enclosure, which is also strange.) chased the dog up and down the property, it was sad to watch it being tortured, when truly hunting is what the animals are on the planet to do. It was disturbing for $15 a person as an adult, and $5 a feed bag you would think they might be taking just a little bit better care/ maintenance of enclosures on property. Props to them for taking in the animals, but for the price, will not be returning. read more

A nice spot to take the kids where they can feed zebras, horses, donkeys, and emus. The animals are very active and have no problem coming to the gate to eat. Admission is reasonable at $15 for 12 and older and $10 for under 12 years old. A bag of feed is $5. We ended up buying too much feed. I think people save the food not realizing that you are about to leave. People would feed more generously if they knew how close they were to the end. All of the animals were friendly. The miniature horse nipped my 4 year old but it wasn't hard or scarring or anything. (She probably didn't have her hand complexity flat.) The space for the roosters, peacock, and baby bear was a bit tight but all in all the animals looked very well cared for. Port a potties on site and a vending machine for drinks. We would definitely come back again and visit. read more

Chestatee Wild Life Preserve - Feeding a donkey - Zoos Near Me - Dahlonega, Georgia

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I was excited to visit this zoo since I just moved to the area and I love visiting zoo's. However this was probably the worst zoo I've ever been to. I noticed that many of the animals are in very small cages and they were very dirty as well. There was either improper sub straight or no sub straight at all in the reptile enclosures. There was a 2 foot iguana inside a enclosure that looks like it was designed for a frog lol. Pretty much all of the enclosures were filled with overgrown weeds expect for the bear enclosure that was disgustingly small with 3 bears and a concrete slap. There were doors to maintenance rooms that were left completely open and there was expired fruit and vegetables sitting around all over the park. The animals were pacing and visibly experiencing extreme stress. At the end of the day if they cannot afford to keep taking care of these animals they should honestly close the zoo smh. read more

Surprised and disappointed. Looked forward to taking children for fun while visiting Dahlonega for weekend. Entire area in such ill repair. Muliple animals housed in very small cages. Rats living and running around in Macaw cage. Overgrowth of weeds in animal cages. Kangaroo almost hidden from sight in small cage. Large area blocked off for apparent construction and this maybe the reason we didn't see any bison. Dirty Port a potties and no water at hand washing stations (children had slimy hand from feeding animals). Wished we'd have found another place to spend our $$. Left feeling so bad for the animals. Only positive note, children did enjoy feeding the animals read more

It was hard with a stroller but we made it work! The animals aren't always active of course but we had a great time. read more

Chestatee Wild Life Preserve - Zoos Near Me - Dahlonega, Georgia

My wife and kids (neighbor and her two children) visited today and had an absolute blast! The owner was very nice and treated my family with respect and gratitude. I highly suggest taking a trip out and visiting the animals and gracious owner. We will be returning read more

Chestatee Wild Life Preserve - Zoos Near Me - Dahlonega, Georgia

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This is one of my kids favorite places to stop when in GA . The property is beautiful and the interaction with the animals is amazing! The staff is very friendly and the Buffalo and baby tiger will win your heart over :) read more

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We have been to zoos and wildlife preserves before, but for the price and value this was one of the best we've found thus far! If you are looking for a fun filled afternoon with up close encounters with wild animals look no further. All of the animals were super friendly and interactive. Can't recommend this place enough! read more

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A great place to take children. The kids (and you) will have the opportunity to feed some animals by hand, and get some exercise in the process. This is not a large read more

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Very few animals to see. Last fall there were way more animals. Half of the place is closed they say due to them adding new fences. They didn't notify anyone of there being less animals to see prior to paying. They also refused to give any money back. They threatened customers they will spray water on them if they don't leave. Overall an bad experience & waste of money. It's messed up they threatened this foreign family. read more

This was an amazing experience for adults and kids. the animals literally come right to you if you buy a feed bag. This a place I would highly recommend. The staff is super friendly. I would recommend wearing boots as well as bringing a stroller for the little ones. thank you so much for a great time. read more

What a miraculous visit! Former country girl here, gone to the city. As such, I found the exotic animals a refreshing experience! The staff was so nice and informative on what animals to visit and why. As an educator as well, I can see this being a great opportunity for educational visits for the children on some of their favorite animals! It is all for non-profit and the animals seem happy! I love the basket to feed the animals with! They do so many activities that are great for the while family! Bring a picnic basket as there are a few places to sit and visit with new furry, feathery, and fluffy buddies! read more

It was at a bar - of all places - that a friend suggest we visit a zoo one weekend for a more family friendly outing. I thought she was referring to Zoo Atlanta, but she then said it was located in North Georgia - Dahlonega to be precise. Though I was initially hesitant about the distance, after visiting this weekend, I'd say it's worth the trek. We arrived around noon and it wasn't yet too busy. There were only two other families the entire duration of our visit. The entrance fee is $10 for adults and $5 for children and while they do accept debit/credit cards - they use one of those portable card swipers - it seems a bit unreliable, as it couldn't even read the strip on my new-ish debit card, bring cash to save yourself the trouble, it's a lot easier for them as well. While Chestatee is not as extensive as Zoo Atlanta, it's a lot more intimate. The habitats for the animals are set-up along a walking trail, and a lot of the animals come up to the fences to be fed my hand. The more naturally dangerous animals' (lions, bears, wolves, etc) habitats are set much further back from the trail and are not reachable - of course. There are vending machines set up all along the trail to buy corn to feed the animals, so bring a roll of quarters at least - the kids love it and I'll admit I was endlessly amused by it as well. All together we saw bison, zebras, lions, monkeys, white tigers, wolves, bears, turkeys, an emu (my favorite!), and a collection of various tropical birds and reptiles, including some very large boas - yikes. I'd heard there were some tiger cubs, but unfortunately they weren't out on this particular visit,. Overall, it's a nice place to spend the weekend with the family - especially in good weather! read more

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We love visiting the preserve in Dahlonega. They're constantly investing and building. Some of the exhibits could use some improvements (like the reptile/sloth viewing area) but the heart behind this operation is wonderful. read more

The family that runs this wildlife preserve/zoo are wonderful and extremely nice people. It's great to know there are people who have these animals best interest at heart. We just happened to drive along and find this zoo. It was a very cool little adventure along our stay in Dalonegha. Keep up the great work! read more

This place needs an AZA evaluation. They're not taking adequate & proper care of these animals. Dung on ground with worms in it, a couple of bears in a really tiny enclosure, enclosures compromised by broken down fences, and an abnormal amount of flies. I've been to preserves all over the country and this one needs help or a change of hands. Staff member unfriendly. read more

One of the staff members was extremely rude to me. She told me to shut my mouth in front of my kids!!!

We came for a family day outing from about an hour away. Definitely not worth the drive. From what I heard, they animals that are kept here are eventually released - which is probably the one upside to this place. I definitely don't recommend bringing a stroller. Paths are unpaved & rough. We have a decent off-road stroller (BOB) but still had a difficult time. All the kids remember from our outing is walking around & looking for animals. We were done walking through the place in about half an hour. Also, don't buy the feed. There isn't even a practical way to feed the animals with the little buckets. The animals just try to take it. Saw a boy nearby feeding them acorns off the ground & they seemed to prefer that over the feed. Not much to see or do. Should be free admission with suggested donations for the cause. But that's just me ‍. Probably will not be returning. The children definitely don't want to. read more

I don't usually leave reviews. After some of the reviews on here we almost didn't go today but being animal lovers - we decided to take a chance. It was awesome! Very obvious they care for the animals. We saw a grizzly bear, black bears, Siberian white tigers, ox, horses, donkeys, zebras, American grey wolves, emu, lemurs, rabbit, sloth, plenty of other small animals and replies from a gopher, chipmunk , snakes and lizards to a peacock. With covid- you just never know how things have turned out for some businesses - fortunately this sweet place is still around with plenty to see! read more

The website says you can bring a wheelchair and we even asked if the trails were wheelchair friendly when we arrived, were told yes, but the trails were not in the least. They were washed out and most of the areas near the exhibits you couldn't even get a chair close at all. If you need a wheelchair or have trouble walking this place is not for you. read more

Great price!!! Only $10 per adult and $5 per child (except toddlers/babies are free). We had a great time and it's perfect to bring your little ones to teach them about animals!! read more

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I give kudos to the man who created this zoo and how he took in all the animals. A lot of the animals that people talk and rave about in town are actually not even there anymore because they get released is what I've been told. The price is alright to get in and there's a pretty big parking lot too. I would not suggest taking a stroller along because the path around the zoo is not paved, it's wood chips. Our experience wasn't that grand (because not much to see and do) and it's not somewhere I'd go back to and not something I'd go talk about either. But, if you're looking to let the kids run around and have a picnic is a quiet area with some animals here and there then this would be a good place to go to. read more

Great! We visited while in town from Dallas and it was a perfect experience for my 17 month old. The animals are close and used to being fed. She loved the deer that followed us around the park. Morgan was very welcoming and friendly. We had a blast and will come again. read more

Loved this place! Cheap for a family to get into even with buying food buckets for all your kiddos. My kids loved feeding all the animals that came to the fences. Petting the zebras was awesome! My boys loved seeing the bears and wolves. Several animals were off exhibit when we went but we enjoyed it nonetheless. We spent about an hour and a half here. read more

We went here today. The staff were unhelpful and a little rude. Some of the animals were in cages way too small for them. The two chimps were just pitiful, locked in a cage, staring dully off into space. The wolves were locked in a small cage smaller than my smallish kitchen. One of the worst things, as a parent, is that they have UNMARKED live electric fence in visitor-accessible areas. Would have scared the heck out of my kids if they'd have been the ones touching it instead of me. I emailed them and their response was sorry but that their total lack of signs is legal. Lovely. Spend 5 min and make a sign. We will not be back. read more

This morning my friend and I went to the Chestatee zoo for the large animal encounter for my friends birthday. We got to throw raw chicken to the tigers and bears. We fed the zebra, elk, bison, and zedonks. Our guide and owner of Chestatee zoo was CW, and what a wonderful guide he was! He told us about the history of the zoo and all that goes in to keeping it running. Getting to visit and pet so many wonderful animals was such a treat! Thank you again to all of the volunteers who offer up their time to keep such a wonderful place open to the public. read more