We took our 3 grandsons aged 4 years (twins) and 17 months (with their parents) to Hidden Valley and it was the first time for all of us. It was a dreary day and ended up pouring!!! for the duration of the trolley ride. It did not dampen our spirits even though we got wet!! The boys loved it!! They fed all the animals that came up to the trolley and got to pet the Watusi cows! The guide was awesome and handled that bus like a champ thru the rain and mud! Of course it stopped raining when the ride was over. We then went in and had lunch and it was delicious!! . I was pleasantly surprised at how tasty the food was!! The burgers were delicious and the boys loved the hot dogs and chicken tenders. The fresh cut fries were an also delicious! After lunch we went to the small animal adventure and fed all the animals in there. Our grandsons have goats so they were very comfortable with the little ones jumping on them. The grounds are beautiful and well maintained. I'm sure way more beautiful when not raining. lol We will definitely go back next year so the boys can see all the animals again and hope for good weather! read more

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My BF surprised me with this day trip. He didn't tell me where we were going, just that he had a surprise for me. We drove about an 1.5 hrs. From Rochester. The scenery was gorgeous, the sun was out, I was ready for it. I never asked where we were going, I just went with it and enjoyed the ride. It looked magnificent from the minute we pulled in. The grounds looked Immaculate, with custom waterfalls around the building, and restaurant below. Lots of places for kids to run around before even going into the park. They have a cute petting zoo. With goats, ponies, OMG! They even have a Giraffe. Perfect for little kids to feed and get close and personal with them. Then I saw what looked like a Forrest. That is when BF revealed to me that, this is a self drive Animal Park. I felt the joy of being a little girl again. I have been wanting to do this for so long, and to find out there is one so close felt like an awesome joy punch! You can also take a bus in, looked like an old school bus with the windows and window frames cut out, so kids and families can hang out and feed the animals. They all looked like they were having an amazing time. Probably the way to go with kids 10 and under. We chose to self drive. Of course there is a waiver that we take full responsibility for any damage to the car. Signed it in a NY minute. I'm so glad we did. It was so much fun X 10. After we checked our car. No damage at all We bought 2 large tubs of food, because neither of us knew what to expect, and we wanted to be ready for anything. Highly recommend doing that, these animals are very smart, and tricky, in a fun way. All animals are free range, some group naturally together. But they can choose to roam anywhere. They all appeared very healthy, happy animals, clear eyes, no lethargy. They looked really well cared for. We fed Buffalos, Zebras, Ostriches, long horn steers, emu's, deer, and much more. Our first animal was a Buffalo with big horns. I rolled my window down, food in hand, outside the window, hand flat, like they tell you to do. That Buffalo didn't care about that little bit of food. He stuck his head right through my window, and into the bucket I was holding in my other hand. I was screaming out of joy, surprise, and a little nervous of the unexpected. Lol We had a moment, when we were wondering how to move forward before he ate my whole bucket. He started retreating from inside our window. I sighed relief that he was exiting, just a wee bit too early. Because on his way out, he suddenly grabbed my bucket with his teeth, and pulled it out of the car. I was astonished It was very exciting. We made a quick pivot and evened out our buckets, and I made note to hold on to that bucket tight, and try to keep it out of site. Haha! Good luck. The animals worked together. A Zebra would stand in the road and block cars from going by, while other animals came to eat, then the Zebra would move enough for us to get by and pay, what we dubbed the Zebra toll. Lol. When we fed an Ostrich, they started pecking at my car door, when I brought my bucket in. I did not even care, and I love my car. But being up close and personal with these animals felt like a spiritual refill. Some let me pet them, I got to look some in the eye, and feel connection. I was not surprised by their intelligence. It felt like an honor to meet them at this level. Although the long horn steers worried me a bit, but they ended up acting like babies. They could have easily flipped my car. But instead they chose to lick my hand. Now don't get me wrong, these animals seemed aggressive at first to me. But they understood the assignment. They were just being who they are. Respect that, and you will have a great time. I saw some cars trying to maneuver by delicately to keep their car from getting damaged. We didn't even try. It's a lot more fun to just not worry about, like I said earlier we had no outside damage to the car. Now the inside we had spilled food all over. Hahaha! And I was NOT mad about it. They also have a restaurant, we didn't go in, but it looked nice and clean. We didn't go inside. Being a couple with no kids. We decided to eat elsewhere. I highly recommend trying this place out. Perfect for kids, couples, lone travelers. It was a completely different experience I have ever had. It worth a drive, perfect for a day trip. read more

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After growing up in this small town, it was nice to come back for a visit and see all the cool things that have changed like Hidden Valley! We came out to celebrate some birthdays and check out all the animals. Our tour guide, Tom, was so knowledgeable and nice. He made a lot of good jokes too which I appreciated. The animals were all excited to see us since we were in the first tour of the day. My son loved seeing all the big bison come right up to the side of the bus and eat the food from his cup. The tour ended and we got some lunch at the counter service spot in the lodge. The burger was delicious and the fries tasted great too. I had a bite of the Buffalo chicken panini as well and it was so good. The best part about the food was that for two adult meals and a kids meal with drinks only came out to $30. For how the world is right now, that is so awesome to see. It made the day feel very affordable and family friendly. We also checked out the petting zoo which was filled with goats, donkeys, and even a couple kangaroos! What a great day out at the farm. We will definitely be back again. read more

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It's a wonderful adventure for kids of all ages. It's convenient to check in online, or get that personal touch at the reservation desk on the upper floor of the facility. We grabbed a light lunch at the Trailside Grill while we waited for our scheduled Safari bus tour. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable of the animals and called their names as we entered each of the enclosures. He made our tour a most excellent adventure! read more

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A great way to spend time with your animal loving family and friends. We ended up reserving our time slot for a bus tour since we didn't want to drive thru ourselves with 3 kids. Best decision, we were able to enjoy the experience not distracted. The driver was super informative and made it fun. The petting zoo provided ton of fun and interacting for the kids, big and little. Plenty of feed available for purchase. They also have a great gift shop and café area with a decent menu, cold drinks, milkshakes and ice cream! read more

Hidden Valley Animal Adventure - Zoos Near Me - Varysburg, New York

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This 5 star review is for Joe the tour bus man- not hidden valley as a whole. Joe was so fun and knew how to keep people interested! You can really tell that he enjoys his job and takes the care and safety of the animals and people seriously. Our ride was educational and he kept us laughing! read more

Hidden Valley Animal Adventure - Zoos Near Me - Varysburg, New York

We did the bus tour and petting zoo this past weekend. The tour bus driver was great and had a fun sense of humor along the tour. He stopped long enough for everyone to feed and see the animals and even dropped some knowledge about them which was interesting. You can buy small buckets of food to feed the animals almond the tour. We then went to the petting zoo which was also great and easy to maneuver. You can buy carrots or pellet food for the animals there. Inside downstairs is where the food area is with their grill. The selection of food is great but the exhaust system is not built to handle how they set up the kitchen. The fumes of the smoke from the food being prepared is very overwhelming and we had to go out multiple times to catch our breath. read more

Hidden Valley Animal Adventure - Zoos Near Me - Varysburg, New York

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So it was a good time BUT I definitely got my car car scratched done a piece of the cover for the window on the passenger side is broke and nick in the window shield . They don't cover damages of course it is a nice time, but I won't go again in my car. I have done this a couple years ago and never had damage but this time I have a lot of damage. read more

Hidden Valley Animal Adventure - Zoos Near Me - Varysburg, New York

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I visited with my family, including my niece (2) and nephew (4) and we all had a great time. We took the first bus tour at 9:45 AM on a Saturday and it seemed like the best time to go. All of the animals were active and interested in being fed, plus the bus wasn't too crowded (can hold up to 39 according to the driver, we had 19 on our tour). The tour was about an hour long, with stops along the way to feed the animals that were interested in approaching the bus. Most of the animals did, including my favorite, the Highland Cattle. You get one cup of food with your ticket and can purchase more throughout the ride for $2 each. The kids had so much fun seeing and feeding the animals, and it was really fun as an adult, too! The grounds are nice and spacious and their facility houses the main office, banquet hall, and restaurant. There's also a "small animal experience" with kangaroos, goats, horses, and donkeys after the tour, or you can purchase separate admission if you don't do the tour, I think. The goats are free-roaming and come right up to you, which a lot of people were enjoying. Our tour guide, Dan, did a great job of telling us about all of the animals and giving everyone time to interact and feed them. This was a great way to spend a sunny day! read more

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This place was a lot of fun. I'd suggest taking the safari bus instead of driving the safari yourself. Zebras liked to grab your food cup so hold on tight for them. A very nice stop especially for kids. read more

Hidden Valley Animal Adventure - Map of hidden valley adventure - Zoos Near Me - Varysburg, New York

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The self drive thru was an INCREDIBLE experience!!! We went to the small animal adventure after and was VERY disappointed! Super small cages for the animals. The poor kangaroos had a small enclosure, my dogs have a bigger yard. There were also birds in small cages. A lonely zebra. I hope they release them somewhere after the day is closed. Very sad to have a beautiful large space for animals and end with almost a hell hole for those trapped in the petting zoo read more

First time patron. Came with my kids.overall we did have fun. We really did. I knew the risk of driving my own vehicle through the park. I was willing to risk some scratches and dents for such a cool experience. I wasn't however, expecting my vehicle to be impaled by the horn of a buffalo. Its horn literally got stuck and it shook my entire van trying to get free, scared the crap out of my kids. This is going to be an extremely expensive fix. I strongly urge patrons to take the safari bus and not risk the damage to your own car. This experience alone will deter me from going again or recommending it to anyone. Also, steer clear of the restaurant. The food was all over cooked, soggy fries. Very overpriced. Like $12 for the saddest, thinnest beef patty I've ever seen and it was so over cooked that my son was choking just trying to chew. read more

Hidden Valley Animal Adventure - Buffalo impaled my van. - Zoos Near Me - Varysburg, New York

The location is clean, spacious, and the animals seem happy to be there. The tour was informative, fun, and all the animals seemed well taken care of. Everyone gets a bucket of feed to give to the animals on the tour and the tour itself does not feel rushed and is a blast. We will be bringing our family with us next time. read more

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Super fun! The animals will basically get in the car and will steal your buckets! Hold on! Two buckets of feed is NOT enough! read more

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Had a great visit with our son and three year old grandson. Drove through in our own car and enjoyed the unique animal experience. Also had a good lunch at the cafe. Staff was very helpful. Unique! Amazing! read more

Hidden Valley Animal Adventure - View from the deck at lunch - Zoos Near Me - Varysburg, New York

My husband and I went here for our one year wedding anniversary date and it was so much fun! You get to spend a lot of time interacting with the animals during the safari ride and our guide was extremely knowledgeable. We will be coming back again! read more

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Is this place new?!?? It looks new. It's clean. Crisp. Fresh. Colorful. Well organized. Big. I didn't know what to expect pulling up. I'm not an expert on safari's. But I can tell you this place exceeded my expectations. There were tons of animals in the safari portion of the park. And many of them were exotic. They were also hungry. After the safari the small animal section, in which you get out and walk around, was a lot of fun. Feeding all the animals and getting up close and personal to a lot of different animals. The inside seems nice with a nice little restaurant. But we didn't eat. It's obvious this place is a great location for big events like a wedding. Would go back for sure. read more

Great time. Lots of animals. Great for kids and adults alike. A must see if your in the area. read more

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This was the first time I have visited the park during COVID with our own automobile, instead of the trolley like they have done in years past! Looking back, I think I enjoyed the trolley better for a few reasons . I'll list the things you need to know before planning a trip... 1. Expect to have to get a car wash and interior cleaning after going through.... there will be slobber, flies, animal food, and other odors abound , so factor that in when you decide which automobile to bring. 2. Admission is $13 for adults $10 for kids but food is extra ($2 for small $5 for large) and the petting zoo is $5 per person and you have to buy different food for that too. With concessions and a gift shop, this can be a pretty pricey family outing. 3. Get here early or try to go during the week .... there will be lines with significant waits and it may be hard to social distance effectively with crowds. 4. Some of the animals are more aggressive than others when it comes to feeding and the little ones might be scared- this is where being higher up on the trolley had an advantage. I had to wrestle a very greedy and large Bison for my food back. 5. Not all of the park is open -only two out of the four gates had animals there and no camel this year! You will laugh, you will scream, you will probably have fun! But just be prepared for the changes! read more

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Oh the fun we had! We got there shortly after it opened so there was a small wait but it was worth it! Driving through seeing all the animals made us like giddy little children. We loved them all and were amazed. I will be going here again! read more

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We visit at least once a season and we have always had an awesome experience. Yes we see the same animals each time but it honestly never gets old...if we lived closer I'd buy a season pass! We've gone a few times in our own vehicle, but I much prefer to take the trolley. We took the older of our vehicles and didn't sustain any damage (just a lot of slobber) but it was tough to enjoy the full experience as the driver. Also, it's less scary for little ones to be up higher in the trolley. The trolley always has lots of available times. We can usually buy our tickets the morning of or day before we want to go. The admission includes a bucket of food per person and you can buy more during the tour for $2 each. The trolley tours include admission to the small animal petting zoo, so another reason I prefer the trolley tour. The petting zoo is so fun. The baby goats are so entertaining and even toddlers can walk around and interact with them. You can buy carrots to feed them for $2 a cup or just walk around and pet them without feeding them. The inside of the building sells food and ice cream, and there are restrooms inside. The grounds of the property are beautiful and I can see why so many people choose to host weddings and events here. read more

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Took our 18 month old who loved it. There was a backup which caused the tram to be about 45 min late which was difficult to occupy a young child for that length of time. read more

Tim was our guide. He was wonderful and had lots of info on the animals and their history. Lots of little kids on the open bus and lots of feeding. extra feed is 2 bucks. an hour long ride with lots of big animals includinf a camel and emus. Food is usual fried kid stuff. All young staff was friendly and polite. petting zoo was extra and many goats and donkeys. the grounds are beautifully kept. would not drive my own car but u can do it on the trails. the seating is benches and can be rocky. no restraints so hold on . some times the bus/tram is late due to back ups ahead. a nice family adventure but more for the younger set. read more

My preschooler loved this experience! But the whole thing felt a little... unaccredited. I would have liked to hear more about where they came from and why they ended up in captivity and what they do to care for them. Food at the counter was fine. read more

Hidden Valley Animal Adventure - Zoos Near Me - Varysburg, New York

THIS WAS AMAZING!!! Definitely would recommend going here with friends or family (such a good place for kids). You can either drive around with your car or go in a bus they provide. The animals are so fun to see and they come right up to the cars and the small petting zoo they have is super fun too! The goats are friendly and come right up to you for the food. The prices aren't bad at all for how fun it is!! read more

Hidden Valley Animal Adventure - Zoos Near Me - Varysburg, New York

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Wow! Can't believe I hadn't heard about Hidden Valley sooner, what a great way to spend a few hours. It's about 45 minutes from Buffalo, and well worth the trip. Go on a fall day and you'll see the leaves changes the whole way there! Big gravel parking lot, and we went during the week so it wasn't too busy. Once you park, don't go into the first building entrance you see, follow the path down towards the pond, then go into the "Trading Post" to buy tickets. We didn't know and ended up waiting on the second floor of the lodge for awhile until someone kindly told us that tickets are sold at the trading post. The tickets include the small animal adventure (petting zoo with a lot of donkeys) and the safari tour. Since we had 40 minutes, we started with the small animal adventure. I bought a cup of feed on the way in ($1) and was immediately greeted by donkeys who wanted to love me forever! They'll eat from your hand but they don't bite. 1 or 2 will likely follow you around the whole time if your cup is full though. For $1, I got to feed and pet a bunch of animals. Don't forget to get your hand stamped if you want to come back after the safari tour. Then we went inside the Trailside Grill to wash our hands before going on the safari tour. You wait for the trolley to arrive by the yellow flag near the pond. Such a scenic view too, geese, ducks, and swans, with a backdrop of trees that are starting to change, beautiful. No petting or feeding the birds though. The trolley then arrives and takes you on the safari tour! So much fun. Everyone gets a big cup of feed included with your admission, but you can buy additional cups for $2 each. I rationed and mine almost lasted the entire tour. I bought a second one and split it with my boyfriend for our last two stops. On the safari tour you'll see SO many animals, water buffalo, bisons, small deer (they have a name but I forgot), zebras, elk, camels, llamas, cows with horns, emus and more! The trolley will pull beside each herd and stop, that's where you can feed them. You can only pet the ones they tell you to (safety reasons). The safari tour guide was super friendly, very knowledgeable, and pleasant. Looking forward to coming here again, maybe in the winter for the sleigh ride. read more

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Great place and family and wallet friendly. Cute animals, great guide, good time. Highly suggest taking their busses rather than your own car, as these are wild animals and they do what they do. Fun place! read more

Came here with my niece and nephew, it was all of our first time. We chose to drive through the park in our own car and I'm so glad we did. Such a great experience and couldn't believe how tame the animals were. It was so cool to be up and personal with them. The kids really enjoyed it. The only tip I have is to purchase an extra bucket of food for animals, if you don't plan on staying there all day. We weren't expecting it but one the animals was able to grab the bucket of food at the beginning so we only had 1 bucket left for the rest of the park (we were told though if we ran out we could buy more food and drive thru park again without being charged). The drive around was about 45 min-1 hour and since we had other things to do that day we didn't drive thru a second time. We had lunch there (decent food) and fed coy fish in big pond they have there. Then went to petting zoo and the kids really enjoyed that too. All of the staff was very friendly and super helpful to answer any questions. I would definitely come back here, with or without kids Lol read more

This was an awesome adventure and well worth the money. We did the bus ride, which I would recommend so you can avoid having to clean your car afterwards or get scuff marks from some of the animals horns. read more

Hidden Valley Animal Adventure - Zoos Near Me - Varysburg, New York

This is a must go for kids, and adults have fun too. There are lots of exotic animals here and its really a hands on experience. The trolley ride lets you get up close and personal to many wild animals. The animals look like they are well cared for and the grounds appear to be clean and well maintained. If the weather is cold dress warm as the trolley is open air style so you can feed the animals (food provided with admission). They also have a restaurant and a wedding venue. Everyone working there was friendly and very knowledgeable. read more

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This is a hidden gem of WNY. We had a blast seeing all of the different animals and getting to feed them. The land is sprawling and the landscaping is top-notch. While we were visiting there was a wedding being set-up for later that evening. What a beautiful venue to have a wedding. There is a restaurant on site that serves amazing food. After enjoying an hour long trolley ride through the 60 acre farm, we stopped for a great lunch in the rustic restaurant. The food was superb and they even serve alcoholic beverages, if you feel so inclined. After lunch we went over to the small animal section where you are able to get up close and personal with goats donkeys and the like.This place is fun for all ages. Even though my husband and I don't have children, this would a perfect place to bring your kids for a fun and adventurous day. We had a great time!! read more

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I was here over the summer to check out this place. I honestly had tons of fun. I enjoyed feeding the animals and taking in the scenic aspect of this wonderful place. The food is also amazing! Last night I was able to attend a wedding here. A+, the food was to die for, the mustard chicken and sweet potato fries were the best thing ever. The building is gorgeous with all the wood and stone. The staff was friendly and quick to accommodate. It was overall a beautiful wedding and experience. I highly recommend for a day of fun or to host an event here! read more

Hidden Valley Animal Adventure - This place is gorgeous. - Zoos Near Me - Varysburg, New York

This is a pretty cool place, you get a discount on food if you take the tractor pulled wagon through the farm, feeding the animals some grain. The bar is great, selections, fair prices, friendly bartender. The restaurant, however, is another story. Although the food is pretty good, and prepared well, the service is terrible. Nothing seems efficient in the kitchen, tables getting served before us, young servers running around, confused and flustered. Prices are very fair, but if you are starving, don't think about getting some food quickly! I downgraded my previous rating after this visit. read more

It was a nice day out. Very beautiful surroundings but pricey. The food in the lodge though was AWFUL! We had a large party and only 2 people were happy with the food, and it was also very pricey for day trip lunch. Service was good but would not recommend eating there. They have a beautiful spot for picnics I will bring one next time. read more

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This review is entirely about the restaurant. I did not take the animal tour. I had to work a wedding at the venue on a Saturday night and since I had to travel from almost an hour away, I figured my wife and I could just have dinner at the restaurant beforehand. We arrived at the restaurant at 6pm and I had to work the wedding at 7. I thought I'd have plenty of time. Boy, was I wrong. We waited 15 minutes just to be seated. It wasn't because it was busy. We were literally the only people waiting to be seated and maybe a quarter of the tables were full. We waited that long because there were only 2 employees and when they weren't running food or drink they were hiding in the kitchen. After finally getting seated we waited another 10 minutes for someone to approach us about drinks. At that time we told her that I was in a hurry because I had to work the wedding upstairs. She said she would accommodate and took our order. I ordered chicken fingers and my wife ordered a turkey melt sandwich. At 6:45 our food came out. A cold turkey sandwich with the wrong cheese for my wife and a beef on weck for me... ummm... I told the waitress that I didn't order a beef on weck, I had chicken fingers. She said she must have grabbed the wrong one and she disappeared. At 6:55 I told my wife that I had to run to work and don't pay for my meal. My wife finally got her sandwich fixed and she said the turkey was good though they re-served her the same, cold fries after they took her sandwich back to fix it. The manager took care of the bill, which she should have after this but, I would have rather had dinner... The service was absolutely horrible. I'm sure it had more than a little to do with the fact that there was a fairly large wedding going on upstairs but, you can't let service in your restaurant suffer because of it. You knew there was a wedding and you didn't adjust your staffing accordingly. FYI: the table behind ours walked out on you after being served the wrong meals. It wasn't just us having problems... read more

The animal adventure was great! Do not under any circumstances even if you are starving to death eat at the restaurant. The fish that we ordered smelled like ammonia. One was beer battered and the other one was Italian baked. It was such a strong smell that about an hour after eating it you still had the smell in your nostrils and in the back of your throat. We ordered pork chops and prime rib after we had returned the fish Maybe eating something would get rid of the smell of ammonia.. The porkchops were overcooked and the prime rib was a tough cut. When we got the bill there was no consideration for the fact that we had been served ammonia smelling fish. Again, this was not a slight smell of ammonia but smelled like a bottle of cleaner. Again the animal adventure was great and it was an expensive but as far as the food these people are rank amateurs. read more

My mom was in town visiting and we wanted to go somewhere as a family that wasn't the usual Niagara Falls / Darien Lake etc. We opted for Hidden Valley Animal adventure and are very glad that we did. We live in Depew and it's about a 40 minute drive which isn't too bad considering it's way out in the country ( definitely use your GPS as it's really tucked in the middle of nowhere, I guess that would be the "Hidden Valley" part ) and is a beautiful drive through some wonderful scenery and challenging driving roads ( if you like that kind of thing ) We came on a Sunday and arrived right at 10am when it opened and am glad we did as we caught the first trolley out on the safari ride, tickets ended up being $18 each adult and $14 for my 5 year old and under 2 is free. With your tickets they give you each one cup of animal feed and entrance to the Small animal adventure which is essentially a small petting zoo type area. The Safari ride was about an hour and goes quickly, the small animal adventure is cute and a great way to spend about 20 minutes with small kids. We decided to stop at the restaurant on-site and grab lunch. Next time we'll probably just bring something as there are lots of places to sit and eat and the food was just average and the service was nothing to write home about, i'm actually knocking off a star for the restaurant and particularly the service, our server wasn't very friendly and didn't even offer my kids drinks. But besides the below average restaurant Hidden Valley is a great way to spend a few hours thats not a long haul away from Buffalo. Highly recommended read more

The main building is beautiful. The gift shop is small and not much in there, though. Loved going there and will be back next summer.

I'm speechless this place is so amazing it's not run by some big corporations is run by the owners daughter on a farm.This place was definitely worth the 3 hour drive and the fun and the food was intoxicating. FIVE STARS!!! read more

I meant to write a review for this earlier but with all the festivities it slipped my mind. My sister in law got married here. This place is beautiful! Inside and out! The reception was held inside and they did a fantastic job. The food was delicious, the drinks were yummy...the entire staff were super friendly. Outside was just as beautiful.The landscape was just so picturesque, perfect for an outdoor wedding. They even took the wedding guests and party on the tour to see all the wildlife and feed the animals if they came close enough. Every one had a blast here! read more