I really enjoy taking my daughter to this zoo. It's very clean and organized and there's always…read moreplenty of parking! My daughter absolutely loves seeing all the animals. They have multiple exhibits here such as the barn animals, aquatic life, elephants, tigers and seasonally, leopards too! This zoo is very stroller friendly and it's easy to spend about an hour or two walking around and taking the time to look at each animal. The gift shop is well organized and fun to browse. I do wish they would update the cafe and have more food options and allergen friendly options, that would be my main critique.

I realized that not many people leave reviews for zoos and I thought "why not?". Especially as…read moresomeone who adores her local zoo! The winter in upstate NY might be the last season you'd think of walking around the zoo, however if you bundle up it ends up being the perfect outing. Did I mention admission is half price in January & February? Check out their website for all of their fun events that happen almost monthly!

Amberations is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to supporting mental health through…read moreinteraction with the natural environment. With almost 50 acres, they are located on the western edge of Onondaga county in Marietta, New York. At their barn site they offer opportunities to mingle with their goats, donkey, birds and barn cats. There is easy access to a small stream, teaming with frogs, minnows, and salamanders. A lovely deck adorns one end of their barn. It's a nice place to enjoy the sounds of nature and occasionally be visited by a Great Blue Heron. This is a wheelchair friendly area. The entrance to this area is a driveway shared with 2231 Amber Road, next to the Otisco Lake Community Center. Look for the small silhouette of Big Joe the donkey! In their upper fields they have built wheelchair paths surrounding a gazebo and are always working on developing gardens. There are also very nice trails through woods as well as through their songbird habitat. This is the best area for taking dogs and walking trails. The entrance to this area is at 2345 Amber Road, up a long gravel driveway. Go left at the top to find the small parking area in the fields. There is also a large pasture with two beautiful horses to visit. Their goal is to nurture relationships with the community they seek to serve. Opportunities abound for getting involved in many capacities. If you like nature, the outdoors, gardening, animals, or helping others, please consider giving them a call and volunteering. I'm a volunteer for Amberations so I can tell you, it's an amazing organization. It was started by two families who wanted to be able to bring nature to people of all abilities. It has grown so much in its 10 years of existence. They've hosted weddings, hold two big fundraisers during the year - their Otisco Lake Bike Race and Mothers Day Brunch in the spring and Fall Festival in autumn - as well as offering glamping, a new pond full of frogs, and their wonderful animals to visit. Definitely a place for everyone to check out, whether you like animals, nature, hiking - whatever you're into, Amberations has something for you.

Such a quaint spot. The Yelp event was very interactive and welcoming. But, the founder and…read morevolunteers at Amberations and the stories they shared really set the tone. The barn animals were adorable. Big Joe even tried to nibble on my big hair. They had beautiful horses and a hiking trail to die for. This place is certainly a diamond in the rough with so much love and history. If you have Thea chance definitely visit.

This was my first time at Fort Rickey, and it was a perfect day! All of the animals were active,…read moreand it was so cool to see them up close. Our capybara-loving kid was over-the-moon to get to feed the capybaras, and I think a piece of me was healed after snuggling with baby goats. The admission prices were very reasonable, especially with so much to do. We could not have had a better experience, from the friendly bird who played with us when we checked in, to all of the animal presentations and encounters. You can tell the animals are well-taken care of and happy, and the employees are, too. We were really impressed with how knowledgeable the employees were, and how great they are with the kids and families. They explained all of the safety rules clearly, and they had great enthusiasm and patience. To top it off, our kids loved getting to play on the playground, in the play place, and on the massive trampoline. Pro tip: bring a little extra cash and quarters to get some extra food for some of the animals. Core memories were created for sure, and we hope to come back on our next visit.

The Fort Rickey Discovery Zoo is fucking AWESOME…read more We needed a place for a stopover with the kids to break up a long drive. We looked into activities in Utica and area, and someone suggested this place. We had no idea what to expect and pulling into the parking lot, were prepared to be underwhelmed. We were so wrong. Think your typical, big city zoo, and take away all the stuff you don't like, and add in more of the stuff that you do like. For example, make the size of the zoo manageable for kids to walk around. Instead of having 11,000 species of animals that most people don't care that much about, have a smaller place where you really get to be up close. Then add in more interaction - literally every 30 minutes there is something on the schedule for kids to go play with goats, or touch a porcupine. And then throw in a kids play area, and clean bathrooms! Skip the Utica Zoo and come here. 10/10 would recommend for families looking for a fun way to spend 3 or more hours of their day.

We really enjoyed our visit to Wolf Mountain. The grounds were a perfect place to stroll and relax…read more We opted for the tour(which is included in admission) and I am glad we did. The staff were very knowledgeable and gave a ton of information not found on the signs. In addition, the wolves seem to be more comfortable when the staff are around, so they come near the edge of the enclosure more often. My favorite part of our visit was when one of the wolves started howling and then all of the others did too. It can't be put in to words how cool it was to here15+ wolves howling from different parts of the park. In addition to the wolves, there were other animals there too and they were equally cool. Another thing worth mentioning is their use of solar and other green tech to have a smaller footprint, a nice touch.

If you like nature this is a Must see Be prepared to walk…read more Bring the kids but leave pets at home

We spent Fathers Day going on a horseback ride and had a blast. We didn't spring the extra money…read morefor a private ride, but maybe next time. It's not bad riding with other people, but it does slow things down a bit (a woman in the other party didn't drink enough water and had a hard time). They were super accommodating to my 8 and 12 year old, the horses were a perfect temperament for beginner riders and the staff was very friendly and helpful. Can't say enough great things about this place, we'll be back.

Love this place! Awesome horses, staff and views!! I went there to go horseback riding and I never…read moreleft. Now I volunteer there and I love it!

This stop was definitely on the way out of business or not really sure the status. It is a donation…read morebased visit so you can give what you are able to and/or want. When exploring it was very difficult to navigate as there was little to no signage for the trails. We explored around back as the lodge was closed. All of the animals were relocated elsewhere, which I prefer personally seemed very small of an establishment to maintain any animal life. There is a short walk to the back field and there is an awesome 6-story treehouse that you can go in and climb around. We explored for a bit and went on our way. Definitely a neat feature to check out for a quick time kill.

We arrived after hours, so we weren't able to check out the interior, but we visited the 6 story…read moretree house (a short walk from the back of the nature center), which was as awesome as it sounds. It was impressive that a group of students built the structure, and my kids had fun running around and scaring each other at each turn. :) There is a lovely field near the nature center with a pollinator garden, so if we had more time, we would've spent time running around there too. I was sad to see that the animal habitats were empty with signs that this was due to a lack of funding. Please support this awesome nature center!