1. Magnolia Wilds

1. Magnolia Wilds

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Ethel, LA

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Magnolia Wilds

4.1 (57 reviews)
Closed 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

Magnolia Wilds Photos

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Tapir (watch out he is territorial and will SPRAY!)
Emma M.

So I have been to a couple different zoos, preserves, etc and I do have mixed feelings about them a lot of the time. This being called a preserve I was curious to know what they were doing and what the attempt was to preserve. They mentioned some breeding pairs, but none of those I believe are endangered. I was very excited for the Binturongs (they are on the watch list) and they were great. However the pacing male definitely concerned me. When animals pace back and forth in one spot it is a sign of stress... You do get to interact with a lot of animals - goats, llamas, sloths, skink, armadillo, etc and that is very awesome. You don't touch the sloths, but you can gently feed them snacks. They are fun to watch in their acrobatic ways. I felt that some of the enclosures were too small, not enough going on for the animals. I prefer GW in Folsom. While all of BP's animals looked happy and healthy, I prefer to see the free roaming of many acres. Similar to back home I prefer the conservation center over the zoo. $40 per adult on the tours. You are not left alone and are walked around the entire property and within enclosures with a designated worker. They did ask for tips, but really BP should pay their workers better. They're out there in the heat and taking care of the animals. Tipping culture is controversial to me. She did a great job - but $80 I felt was more than enough especially driving the 1-1.5hr to get there. They do not charge you to take photos! ALSO THERE ARE NO GIRAFFES HERE. I don't think I'd return, but I wish them the best.

Lyle S.

Great experience. Outdoor setting much like a zoo. Friendly staff. You can take a general tour or have an experience with a specific animal. The experiences change from time to time so check back often. The prices may seem high but considering the upkeep, it's not bad. Great for kids and groups. Go check them out!

Cole was an amazing tour guide. Very sweet and caring to the animals. I did the otter swim with him as well and he was great getting the otters to interact with me.

The baby lamb
Jihan N.

I decided to book the "pancakes with Santa" experience for my 3 year old son to enjoy. The booking process was quick and easy as you can do it via their website. Getting there from New Orleans is about 2hrs and a bit so quite a drive for the experience. When we arrived there, it was drizzling a bit so I imagined the grounds were quite wet. Luckily we had rain boots and I'm glad we did because the grounds was muddy as hell. Upon entering the gift store ( yes the entrance is through the gift store) which is not a great experience when you have a kid wanting everything lol. You check in and walk through the doors to what is immediately an open piece of land and you just kind of guess where everything is. There is no maps, no one tells you how anything is suppose to flow or where you need to go. So you just kind of free style it. Now I'm all about free styling but not when the weather is muggy and it's full of people. So you end up just walking and you will come across random cages where you'll see some animals. I saw some type of a bird, an owl or two and eventually there is a like a "petting" area where there are some sheep and lamb roaming around that you can pet. There where some lamas too. There were two camels that you could see from a distance in a separate enclosure. If you go down the hill past the random tiny barn house you will pass some Christmas trees you can get free if you donate $50 bucks. Once you get to the bottom of a slight hill, you will come across where I gathered was Santa and the pancakes I paid for. But then my heart snuck when I saw the lines and lines of people with kids. Now I mean this would be fine if you maybe didn't have a kid, but I felt for all the families with younger baby's than my active toddler. No kid has Patience. So the Santa.... Ok so he is in this barn and I mean the set up is nice with a Christmas tree and all of that. But I think I waited like 30 minutes in the line and there were about 3 families In front of me and it never moved. So I bailed on that one. I stood in the q for the pancakes. Ok so they had one pancake station that made 8 pancakes a time. The pancakes are free and the toppings too. That could have been designed way better. I mean just have 3 stations! If you not paying for it, why does it take sooo long. I think we waited like 40 minutes to get a pancake. It was painful. The tables and chairs was so closely packed together that parents with strollers couldn't even fit their strollers in between and ended up having to put their babies on their laps or the tables. Now let's talk about the bathroom situation. My kid is potty trained but as all moms know. If they gotta go, they gotta go. I located one bathroom before the entrance and there were 2 cubicles and one vanity. Yep! Isn't that insane. So chances are you will always wait. I never saw any other toilets. So imagine you waiting in line to get pancakes, then your kid needs to go, then you gotta walk up the hill all the way to the entrance to use the bathroom. Not great. All in all, it wasn't worth it. I think the set up and planning could be done way better. I will not repeat visit at all. Just not worth it.

Baby capybara
Carolyn T.

This was such a fun experience! I would definitely recommend this to family and friends. Val was our tour guide and she was so knowledgeable about ALL of the animals in their care. From the binturong to the capybaras and the armadillos, she knew so much. A lot of the animals were surrendered from other homes or businesses that couldn't take care of them, but in this preserve, they are clearly all so well taken care of and loved. Every animal had such big personalities and they loved Val! Val was also so funny and attentive to our group. HIGHLY recommend her and BarnHill Preserve.

Heather A.

We had so much fun at Barn Hill Preserve! Our tour guide was amazing and knew so many details about each of the animals. It's such a great experience for both adults and kids alike,

Mercedes C.

Had a beyond wonderful experience here. My boyfriend and I came from out of state to visit, mainly to participate in the otter swim they have to offer. The otters were so cute and friendly! We had Jen as our guide and she was excellent! So kind, funny and knew what she was talking about. The tour of the grounds was great as well, so much bigger than expected and such a variety of animals. They're doing great things here!

Shannon H.

Had an otter encounter with Valerie today and was amazing. Everyone there was amazing, so Educational and personal experiences with the animals. Totally recommend!

Petting goats
Kathryn M.

We had such a great experience at Barnhill! Sam was an awesome and knowledgeable tour guide. This was our first experience, and our daughter and niece loved it! We got to see several exotic animals, hold or pet lots of animals (including a baby kangaroo), and feed the sloths.

Feeding a two-toed sloth

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6 years ago

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Kaitlyn K.

Roxanne, thank you so much for your kind review!

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Ask the Community - Magnolia Wilds

Review Highlights - Magnolia Wilds

My boyfriend and I came from out of state to visit, mainly to participate in the otter swim they have to offer.

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Global Wildlife Center - A giraffe

Global Wildlife Center

4.6(151 reviews)
47.4 mi

This is one of my favorite places in the world…read more I have been to the Global Wildlife Center lots of times and it is consistently awesome. The animals are well taken care of and the staff is always fun and knowledgeable. Our tour guide (I think her name was Sonora?) was very nice and went out of her way to make sure we got to spend time with all of the animals we wanted to see. Couple of tips. First off, spring for the private or semi-private tour. You have more freedoms to roam around the park and it's definitely worth the extra cost. Second, no matter how much animal food you get, you will wish you had more. The highlight of the tour is feeding the animals and you will not want to disappoint them! Third, they have added some new attractions in the last few years that look awesome but we didn't get a chance to do them. There's a kangaroo walkabout and a capybara experience, both looked really cool. Finally, they are offering a "painting" by the animals. You add food coloring to a canvas and the animals "paint" with their mouths while they eat. It was absolutely worth it!

Very good experience. The animals were curious and engaging with the public on the wagon train. The…read moreconductor and employees working with the wagons and animal feed buckets and lines were humorous and considerate. There was plenty of space for observation among the people in each wagon. Warnings were given adequately about behavior of the animals and expectations of communication with the variety of animals. I might add there was easy access for Seniors, handicapped, and young children which was excellent! No steps to climb. Ramps were available to all riders. Live music was also pleasant and provided by a guitarist while waiting our turn to board. I'm sorry I have no names of the musician singing or the Southeastern students accompanying our excursion. All were incredibly entertaining. I recommend to pregnant moms also for a fun-filled Mother's Day next weekend. My two year old grandaughter was thrilled as were her daddy, mommy and MiMi!

Photos
Global Wildlife Center - Giraffe approaching wagon for cup of food

Giraffe approaching wagon for cup of food

Global Wildlife Center - Scenery at walk about

Scenery at walk about

Global Wildlife Center - African Giraffe

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African Giraffe

Audubon Zoo - A pair of young black bears.

Audubon Zoo

4.2(465 reviews)
82.4 miAudubon

The Audubon Zoo is one of those institutions that everyone needs to visit when in New Orleans. It's…read morelocated in a beautiful park, just off Magazine Street, and one can ride the St. Charles Street Car to get there. It's an old institution, and is often working to improve their historic exhibits to better serve their animals as well as their visitors. When I recently visited, the sea lion exhibit was being improved. They still had a sea lion show, and I was there at just the right time to see one of their sea lions enjoying an enrichment event. The exhibits are designed to provide a spacious and natural environment for the animals, while allowing the visitors to observe them. In some cases, this allows several species to inhabit the same exhibit, which is a more natural setting. This is definitely a well planned and managed collection, and helps the visitors understand to need to conserve our natural environment. The zoo has a great Louisiana swamp exhibit, which also helps the visitors learn about the cultural history of Louisiana. There are native animals that few might see in nature, but which the visitors can learn about in this setting. These include Alligator Snapping Turtles, and Louisiana Black Bears. There's plenty of places for the visitors to eat, drink, and buy gifts. These are found in convenient locations throughout the park. It's a great experience and especially good for families.

We visited the zoo on a Monday afternoon on April 20, 2026. We had a really nice time walking…read morearound and we have always wanted to visit the NOLA zoo. It was a relaxing evening for us. We didn't really encounter anyone that worked there that smiled to say hello or goodbye. It was so nice how the zoo is thoughtfully set up for families. Lots of places to sit down and view the animals. The day that we went, because it was now closer to closing (we were there for about three hours) the animals must have been brought inside before 5pm. It made it difficult to see some of the wildcats because they were inside. The park staff does end up doing some pop up discussions. We attended one with the gorillas and it was interesting to hear about them. The giraffe feeding station has been closed due to construction. *** unsure when it will reopen but would like to share this as it was disappointing to arrive and discover this. The Asian elephants were interesting to see and learn the difference between the African and Asian elephants. I felt like the animals at this zoo and the habitats looked like they could use a little more upkeep. With it being spring and all, the leaves were in all their water habitats. We enjoyed some salt water taffy while we were walking and this was a nice treat.

Photos
Audubon Zoo - Photo time with the baboon sculpture.

Photo time with the baboon sculpture.

Audubon Zoo - Agapanthus

Agapanthus

Audubon Zoo

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Audubon Aquarium - Stingray

Audubon Aquarium

3.7(686 reviews)
83.9 miFrench Quarter

If you like fish, and other aquatic species, and you have some time to kill in NOLA, this may be…read moreyour place to visit. The way this space works is that you buy your ticket and you enter via the Insectarium. That's not really my cup of tea but the butterfly exhibit, within that space, is great. From there, you go into the Aquarium. What you will find there is tons and tons of fish orientated exhibits. If you've every been to an Aquarium, in any large city, this one is very much the same. You know what to expect. If you want to check out a lot of various versions of fish, this is you place to go. They also have a nice penguin exhibit within the Aquarium. They seem to be very friendly and interactive. There is also a large space housing rescued owls and falcons and the like. Just like in the case of the penguins, personally, I always feel kind of sad for large birds housed in a space like this, as they are basically trapped. The good news is, I guess, is due the fact that they were injured in the wild they can live out their years in safety while being well taken care of. Overall, if your NOLA you may want to check this place out.

This aquarium is very expensive and very small. You can see the whole aquarium in an hour. The…read moreinsect portion in about 45 minutes. The insect area is prob more well done than the aquarium. $50 is not worth it. Do the zoo combo for $60 then we are talking Really cool stingray and jellyfish exhibits though Park on the street and walk over. It's very expensive to park in the lot next to the aquarium.

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Audubon Aquarium - Photo op!

Photo op!

Audubon Aquarium
Audubon Aquarium

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Zoo-Zoom

Zoo-Zoom

2.3(6 reviews)
70.6 mi

Although I have never used the party planning/event area for this company, I did order a Jr. safari…read moreoutfit from their store. It arrived reeking of cigarette smoke, not what you would put on a toddler. I emailed and called, no response. I finally filed a dispute with my cc company and they refunded my money. Please read the reviews on yp.com (yellow pages) before doing business with them. Never dealt with a "zoo" like this in my life.

ZERO STAR OPTION?! This place is AWFUL! STAY AWAY! I could only hope that the animals in the…read morecare of "Zoo-Zoom the Little Zoo On Wheels" are treated better than their customers! I ordered on-line a size 3 zoo keeper costume. Soon after, I received a shipping notification email. Once I received the package, I opened it and what I received was a size 4 and it smelled like cigarettes. So I emailed them, no response. I called them numerous of time, no answer and no call back. I send a 2nd email and I finally get a very unprofessional and rude email response. Then things just got worse from there. Here's the email chain and just for the record, I disputed the charge and for obvious reasons, I received a full refund! Read email chain from bottom up. Am sure that when they see this review, I am sure they will say I changed something but the fact remains, that with all companies involved, ALL sided with me! --------------------------------------------------------- From:"@zoo-zoom.com Date: Sep 22, at 8:56 PM Subject:RE: RE: Fw: Your payment to Zoo-Zoom The Little Zoo on Wheels You can lie all you like, we have the correspondence to you, if you buy something from the store, honey it's up to you to drive it back, Do you think Walmart is going to pick up from you ???? I offered for you to return it, cigarette smell, maybe your postman smokes, are you serious !! I have never heard of such a ridiculous statement. Wrong size, really we tried to help you and your child and now you want to use that against us. Your lucky I don't have you on phone harassment I see your from CA, I should of guessed ........ Return my merchandise at YOUR expense and no we do not refund shipping..... Paypal and I shall dispute this case fully Future correspondence from you to this address shall be deemed spam and reported as such ----------------------------------------------------------- From @zoo-zoom.com Date: Sep 22, at 8:11 PM Subject:RE: RE: Fw: Your payment to Zoo-Zoom The Little Zoo on Wheels We do not pay for return shipping, please return it at your cost if your unsatisfied, cigarette smoke I have no idea what you mean by that, no-one here smokes ----------------------------------------------------------- From: Sent: September 22, 5:59 PM To: @zoo-zoom.com Subject: Re: RE: Fw: Your payment to Zoo-Zoom The Little Zoo on Wheels Hello, I need to return this item and receive a full refund including shipping/handling for the return. I am really disappointed & unhappy with this purchase. First, I received the wrong size & secondly, this item had an overwhelming smell of cigarettes. Please advise me of where it needs to be returned & if you can provide a prepaid return. Thank you, ----------------------------------------------------------- From:@zoo-zoom.com Date: Sep 16, 5:50 AM Subject:RE: Fw: Your payment to Zoo-Zoom The Little Zoo on Wheels Can I be of assistance ? Unfortunately for some we do not have the luxury of sitting by the phone, we run an animal rescue and a people help entity, often our time is stolen from us, or we have to be away on large jobs for several days at a time. I'm happy to help if you have a problem ----------------------------------------------------------- From: Sent: September 16 12:08 AM To: @zoo-zoom.com Cc: Subject: Fw: Fw: Your payment to Zoo-Zoom The Little Zoo on Wheels Good evening ***tt, I have tried contacting this business for 4 days via email and phone, which has resulted in 3 voicemails. Of the numerous times I have called, never has a person answered to assist. I am kindly asking for a response by phone to. Thank you ------------------------------------------------------------ From: Date:Thu, Sep 11, 2014 at 7:13 PM Subject:Fw: Your payment to Zoo-Zoom The Little Zoo on Wheels Good evening, Please call me at ***-***-**** in regards to this order please. Thank you!

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Zoo-Zoom
Zoo-Zoom
Zoo-Zoom

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Magnolia Wilds - zoos - Updated July 2026

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