Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Chestatee Wild Life Preserve

    3.7 (63 reviews)
    Open 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

    Chestatee Wild Life Preserve Photos

    You might also consider

    Recommended Reviews - Chestatee Wild Life Preserve

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    Camel

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

    Zebras Poking its head through the fence for some food.

    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!

    Animals!
    tali n.

    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.

    A camel
    Zarah N.

    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!

    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!

    Kelly R.

    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.

    Feeding a donkey
    Maria M.

    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.

    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.

    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

    Christina S.

    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 :)

    Baby bengal tiger. Brody!
    Will G.

    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!

    See all

    27 days ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    11 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 2
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Paul Z.
    0
    126
    0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 2
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Dianna B.
    1248
    3835
    5322

    4 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Elle B.
    0
    11
    15

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    6 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 0
    Love this 5
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Sam S.
    0
    21
    6

    3 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 2
    Love this 0
    Oh no 2

    3 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Dean T.
    2
    11
    10

    5 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 1

    2 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0

    12 years ago

    Helpful 8
    Thanks 0
    Love this 6
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Nora H.
    0
    153
    6

    4 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

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

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    5 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Lindsey M.
    2
    374
    337

    9 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 23
    Thanks 0
    Love this 24
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Hannah S.
    22
    24
    10

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    14 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    Page 1 of 2

    Ask the Community - Chestatee Wild Life Preserve

    Review Highlights - Chestatee Wild Life Preserve

    if you don't have an interest in traveling the world, but still want to be able to pet an animal like a zebra.

    Mentioned in 11 reviews

    Read more highlights

    Verify this business for free

    Get access to customer & competitor insights.

    Verify this business

    North Georgia Wildlife Park

    North Georgia Wildlife Park

    4.0
    (84 reviews)
    8.4 mi

    I highly recommend North Georgia Wildlife park. We made a full day and did the ultimate experience,…read moreotter swim, and ultimate babies. We were celebrating my daughter's bday and were non stop all day but had an incredible time. The animals were great but the staff made the day even better. Every single staff member we encountered was so kind and knowledgeable. They truly all seemed to enjoy what they did and wanted to make sure we had a great experience. If you are thinking about going, definitely do it. Thank you to all the staff who made our trip an unforgettable experience!

    Visited here recently for my niece's birthday, and it was quite an adventure to say the least! Took…read moreus about an hour and half from the Cumming area to get there. We bought tickets online and they had our name and feed purchases ready when we pulled up. Greeter gave us our buckets and explained the rules. We were probably one of the first cars through, so the animals were sort of hanging out far from the road. First animal we see is an emu in the distance on my niece's side. We are so focused on looking at that one and trying to get her excited, that I didn't even notice one had sneaked up on my side of the car and literally stuck his head in the window and grabbed feed from the bucket on my lap which startled me a bit which then proceeded to startle my niece...and that essentially set the tone for the rest of our time there. Next we came to the zebras. We were warned that they were a little pushy and had teeth like donkeys. You're taught to hold the bucket outside the car, but they pushed themselves inside the window (on my niece's side of course) and kept trying to grab the bucket, which just ended up dumping half of it into the car. We also saw some quiet, polite deer in the woods as well as some antelope in the distance. Next, we saw some llamas (or maybe alpacas). They too are a little pushy, but not as bad as the zebras. I think one even stopped at my window and smiled to pose for me to take his picture before he helped himself to another half a bucket of feed. Then we get to the camel. All prior animals were able to literally get in our car. The camel is inside a pen thankfully....He comes to the edge of his fence and we pulled close enough to where I could hold the bucket out my niece's side. He immediately grabbed the bucket from my hand, held it over his head to eat it, then dropped the bucket on the ground. I'm thinking I have to get the bucket back because I don't want to get in trouble. Problem #1 is, the first rule is to stay in your car at all times. Problem #2, some of the emus have now followed us and are quickly approaching from the rear. I climb into the front passenger seat, open the door, grab the bucket and quickly get back into the car. Meanwhile, the camel has moved on. He got what he wanted and had lost interest, figuring he would just wait on the next unsuspecting victim in the next car. We pass some water buffalo and the longhorns and a couple of highland cows. An ostrich quickly runs up the road in front of us so we can't get away. He helps himself and seemed a little more polite and pretty than the emus, so I let him snack. Eventually, we found the parking area and petting zoo. Mind you, there are signs telling you not to pet them or feed from your hand...but still call it a "petting zoo." Fed the goats and a huge pig. Made our way to the giraffes and someone shared some lettuce with my niece so she could feed them. She didn't love it, but didn't freak as much. Then we go to the aviary. We had bought three sticks with sticky seed on it, all of which I was carrying when we entered. I think we walked into a Hitchcock movie.... Parakeets swarm us the second we enter. Land on the sticks, our arms and my niece's head. That went over well.... Tried to direct her attention to the pretty birds and bright colors. Figured we should just exit quickly so we did. Went to gift shop where she bought a stuffed highland cow and all was well again!

    Photos
    North Georgia Wildlife Park
    North Georgia Wildlife Park
    North Georgia Wildlife Park

    See all

    Hand Me Down Zoo

    Hand Me Down Zoo

    4.9
    (8 reviews)
    33.2 mi

    Check their Facebook page first to make a reservation for a tour before going! I can only imagine…read morehow hard it'd be for one to drive past and see the AWWW GOATS!! and not want to pull in; however, to visit the Hand Me Down Zoo, one needs an appointment ... and it's totally worth every cent! :) Kerry, who owns the property, is like a Mom to these animals that she rescues, protects, cares for, fosters, and educates visitors about. She is clearly passionate about what she does, and her efforts should be greatly appreciated. Hand Me Down Zoo gives a home to unwanted animals including exotics too, and she let us know which of her animal friends were available, and if you follow their Facebook page, you can get updates on new critters and creatures. She started our tour promptly right after we met her spunky kangaroo (to our huge delight!), and began with a safety intro and background story. The full hour was super fun and informative, and ended with us having the opportunity to return to the goats out front. I can't say enough nice things about Kerry and what she's doing and the animals that we fell in love with.

    Randomly looking at a map one day and this popped up. Of course I had to look into it. You need an…read moreappointment to visit. Well worth the fee they ask! You get a private tour ( with about 15 people ) and walk around the entire place. Holy cow, the animals she has there are amazing! We got the story on each one, some fun facts, and a whole slew of other information about laws, and behavior and animal food and why these animals came to the zoo. So informative! So eye opening. Please be aware that the walk through could be a bit rough for the elderly or someone that does not walk well. Kids MUST be well behaved in order not to scare animals. There is a small gift shop as well. I think you should visit. The whole thing was about 1.5 hours. Very worth the time and price.

    Photos
    Hand Me Down Zoo
    Hand Me Down Zoo
    Hand Me Down Zoo

    See all

    Atlanta Safari Park

    Atlanta Safari Park

    4.6
    (14 reviews)
    36.0 mi

    Atlanta Safari Park is a great place to spend couple of hours with family, kids, a date or even…read moresolo as you drive on their 2-mile paved road through 156 acres of open land. While I wouldn't say they are on the same level as Wild Animal Safari south of Atlanta, they do have a decent offering of animals at a fairly reasonable admission price. Included with the drive-thru safari admission is a small walking zoo with farm animals, a few giraffes, and a parakeet enclosure. The giraffes just got a few new arrivals, but they were not yet on display. You may also encounter a free roaming peacock, to whom we did not see this visit. For a small fee you can purchase lettuce for the giraffes and seed sticks for the parakeets. But be forewarned, these tiny birds are a real joy, but they have absolutely no sense of personal boundaries! When I ran out of seed they landed on my head and shoulders, nibbled on my ear and tried to go inside my jacket pockets! You can also ride on the open wagon instead of driving your own vehicle when it is available (currently only on weekends). Cost for this is $10, but it also comes with a bucket of feed. During this past visit, one of the camels was being very ornery and bit my car door (causing some slight damage) and also tried to chew on my mirror until I drove away. He also tore the feed bucket right out of my sister's hands and tossed it on the ground! LOL It was a chilly day in February (around 45 degrees), so the animals were not very active, unlike our first visit last spring. We drove several football field stretches without seeing any animals, nor was the volume of animals the same. Still, when we did find them in groups here and there, it was a fun experience. Beware of the llamas and their fondness for spitting! If they are annoyed for ANY reason, you will surely have a fun story to tell. So keep your camera ready! FAVORITE THINGS: * The Highland Cows * Any of the baby animals * Feeding the Parakeets * Feeding the giraffes * DODGING llama spit * Riding with people who are uncomfortable with how in-your-face some of the animals can get! [ FINAL THOUGHTS ] In my opinion, warmer is a better time to visit than cooler and earlier in the day when the animals are hungrier is better than later when several cars have already offered them feed. ENJOY!!! NOTE: Kangaroos are expected to arrive by late spring of 2026 and a little birdie also told me there are several other surprises on the way!

    Nice day beautiful day blue sky's and a slight breeze animals were out and would walk up to car…read moreduring the drive which was a couple of miles of bison highland and cows lamas and ostriches emus etc they had at the general parking lots parakeet aviary last kangaroos and a giraffe. Great afternoon and not crowded at all

    Photos
    The llamas were off the chain today! We got spit on two separate times!
    The llamas were off the chain today! We got spit on two separate times!
    Me & my sis hanging out with the parakeets
    Me & my sis hanging out with the parakeets
    Atlanta Safari Park

    See all

    Chestatee Wild Life Preserve - zoos - Updated June 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...