Was out for celebration 250 events including a craft fair. Love coming to Sylvan Beach was is a…read morequaint lakeside tourist town which tends to be more of a season based local. This is a lakeside beach community located on the Eastern shore of Lake Oneida. They have an amusement park and always seem to have lots of outdoor events. Walkable downtown area and a number of great restaurants.

This place is not dog friendly. Yes you can take your dog to the small park in the center of town…read morebut the beach area as far as you can see has no dogs allowed signs. This place despite the improvements is so backwards. People like to enjoy taking thier digs on vacation and swimming and walking the beach. They could at least designate a small area to dog beach.I have lived in this area most of my life and their is a saying "the beach is the beach". The backwards mentality has been here a long time.

Totally blown away by the architecture in this area. I don't know why I've never taken the time to…read moretake a walk when I'm around here but my mind was blown. Everything is beautiful as the leaves are changing colors with the temps are dropping. The area is a little sketchy with quite a few people acting odd. Some of the streets around the area. I even found a few places that were serving food but due to Covid none of them allowed dine in.

Our Vrbo is right across the street from this amusement park. And luckily it opened the weekend we…read moreare staying here. Opening night was Saturday. We rounded up our adult children and made them come with us to check out the park. To be honest, this amusement park is far from it's prime. I'm sure back in the day when it first opened, it probably was so much more exciting and fun. The amusement park looks really run down. Some of the game stands were looking pretty sad. There were a lot of arcade type spots, some were nice and some needed some tlc. There were a few of the rides that were open and operating. Some were still down. The roller-coaster gives you some butterflies while riding it but it's still very tiny. It's about 8 bucks for a very fast ride. So, you're really paying for the core memory of the ride and not the ride itself. I can see this joint being fun for kids and teens. They don't know any better. The bright lights and arcade games is exciting for them. For my older kids who are in their early 20's, we were able to distract them with a few games for some tickets but the interest didn't last long. For a smaller amusement park, it does it's job. It would be a fun date night just to walk the beach, share a fry bread and ride the roller coaster. I'm happy I got to check it out with my little family tonight. It wasn't the most exciting but we got to share time and create some memories together hanging out at the amusement park tonight.

SEVERE SAFETY HAZARD -- DO NOT BRING YOUR KIDS HERE!Avoid this place at all costs. I am completely…read moreblown away by how dangerously negligent this park is. If you care about your family's safety, stay far away.My friend and I visited and experienced a terrifying series of mechanical failures and completely checked-out staff. On the Himalaya ride, they pushed it down once, I was too worried to ask them to tighten it more because I realized it was all the way, and I wasn't able to ride with my sister. Because they forced me to ride completely ALONE on the bench seat, I had no body weight next to me to anchor myself. The ride hits crazy speeds over hills, and because the lap bar was completely broken and stuck at its highest open setting, I was literally floating into the air experiencing "zero gravity" lift. With no side gates or doors on the cart, I was sliding violently across the seat and could have easily been flung out into the metal structure.It didn't stop there. On the Tilt-A-Whirl, my sister was able to lift the heavy metal lap bar completely straight up mid-ride while the car was spinning, meaning the locking gear teeth were totally stripped. On the spinning teacup ride, they let 4-to-6-year-old children ride completely alone with zero restraints or seatbelts, on a platform that tilts heavily in mid-air.To top it off, when my sister got off the Ferris wheel screaming because every single cart was infested with spiders and webs, the operator (who looked completely unkempt and smelled) just laughed and said, "did ya see them?" He knew the bugs were in there and deliberately didn't warn her before trapping her 40 feet in the air. Oh, and the bumper boats? The operator proudly told us he "made them himself," and you can literally see open, un-shielded spinning boat propellers on the underside. If a kid fell out into that dirty water, they'd be mangled.This place is a fatal accident waiting to happen. The operators treat heavy, dangerous machinery like a backyard playground project and completely skip mandatory safety checks. Do not risk your life for this run-down dump!!!

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.

Conveniently located downtown Oneida, walking distance to everything. Dog and child friendly…read more Gazebo for use in the park.Size is small but enough room to take a stroll. Christmas decorations are adorable tree hanging Lollipops.

This miniature golf paradise is not only clean, well planned out, and fun...but a delight full way…read moreto spend a cool summer evening! Nice staff and management.

So psyched this place has finally been restored to it's original glory! I fondly remember playing…read moremini golf here growing up! I was home for a visit and saw it's open again! It's just as I remembered! Bonus addition, Voss' BBQ now has a location here too! Palm springs is a great mini golf course. Upon entry there is ample parking in a private lot. Walk down a short path to the Voss' BBQ order window. Just past that is a covered pavilion with ample picnic table seating. At the end of the path is the mini golf rental hut. Everything here is cash only, but there is an available ATM. The course itself is great fun for all ages. It has challenges, even for adults! There is gorgeous landscaping everywhere! You can really tell they put a lot into it. There are nice water features and a few places for photo ops including a giant Adirondack chair! There currently is no Par 3, but wondering if they eventually plan to reopen that too?! Everything is very clean, friendly staff, and very reasonable prices!

This is not your large city zoo, it is small and 90% outdoors, so a snowy winter day not the best…read moreidea, haha. That being said for small children it's perfect, a nice walk, easy to see the exhibits. Personally I think the areas are too small for the animals and wouldn't visit again. Price point and membership options do make it affordable for families.

What a cute zoo! We were in town for the Boilermaker race and looking for other things to do. I'm…read moreglad we went because the animals at this zoo are obviously happy to see visitors. I had a Moment (big M) with the ostrich ladies who came right up to their fence and shared all their gossip. They even followed in parallel as my husband and I walked on the path. Well worth the visit, lots of parking, it can be sunny and hot in the summer so bring your water and wear your coral-safe sunscreen.

Reunion after 20 years …read more.. In 2003, my wife and I spent a week with Mary and had a great time with the horses. We went through all kinds of terrain, streams, and ponds, for hours every day. It never became boring, or too much - we both were not used to work extended time on horses - but it was pure fun, and we only were sad when it ended. The whole experience was professional and layed back at the same time. The year after, my wife fell off a pony and broke her back - she stopped riding completely. I kept riding for a few more years, but time became scarce when we had a child. This year, I was on a business trip to Utica, when I realized that this was the place. I found Mary and gave her a call. The following day we took a ride through the woods. It felt like home, though I had not sat on horseback for quite some years. The horse, Ponyboy, was listening wonderfully, and I felt confident again. Thank you, Mary!

Like so many I rode as a child and young adult and then time wasn't available. I had lessons for…read moreyears and loved everything about horses. I had an opportunity to take Mary's 2 day course this past week and can't find enough great things to say about it! She knows horses better than anyone I have ever met. She takes the time to explain everything you need to know about horses, their needs, their personalities, and how to do anything you need to feel comfortable around them. I had the most enjoyable and magical two days with Mary and Pozo. She told me she could teach anyone to ride and she is not kidding! Of course I was nervous to get back on a horse after so many years but Mary took me step by step and I regained my confidence quickly. Whether you have never ridden, used to ride, or just want time on her wonderful horses I urge you to contact her. Her gentle and loving nature is infectious. I loved every minute of my days with her and her horses. We really super lucky with our weather. Was chilly on day one which the horses loved and warm and sunny on day two. With the colors of the leaves changing while we rode in her woods I felt like I was on a magical journey with my personal horse whisperer by my side.