I saw a video about this place on social media and saved it For later, since it looked like a fun place to take my son. He is almost 6 years old, and I'm always looking for fun ideas/things we can do on weekends. We drove here from Santa Monica (about an hour). Parking is located a few minutes away from the farm. Keep moving down the trail, and you will find it. We bought tickets online, so the check-in process was easy. We purchased a veggie basket to feed the animals, and we paid some extra $$$ so my son can ride the tractor and play on the excavator. There is also a playground on site and a horse ride. It was nice, but after an hour, my son asked to leave. Younger kids will enjoy it more. It took us 1.5 hours to drive back, so we spent more time on the road than actually experiencing the farm. What I like is that there are variety of shops and restaurants around the farm, and it's cute. Boutiques to shop for jewelry, clothes, shoes, HomeGoods, all kinds of stuff, so that was really nice. read more

River Street Ranch - Petting Zoos Near Me - San Juan Capistrano, California

Came by River Street Ranch and honestly... a bit overrated. It's a smaller spot than expected, so don't come in thinking it's a full-on big attraction. You can get through everything pretty quick. That said, it's still a nice place to check out if you're already in the area or want something easy to do with kids. The setup is clean and organized, and there's enough little things to keep it interesting for a short visit. Think more "quick stop" than "plan your whole day around it." Overall, it's decent, not a must-go destination, but not bad either. Good to add to your list if you're nearby and just want something simple to do. read more

River Street Ranch - Petting Zoos Near Me - San Juan Capistrano, California

See all

BOYCOTT UNTIL THEY LOWER PRICES. People can complain all they want about how insanely expensive this place is, but they're not going to change anything if people keep on going and paying the astronomical rates. Children (35 months and older) are $13, adults are $16, and seniors are $13. On top of that, you have to pay a aa carte for each of the experiences: $5 for the train, $3 for the excavator, $5 for the tractor and the killer is $6 for a basket of vegetables to feed the animals that probably won't be out because of the heat. The "entry fee" should be $5 for everyone, but at least have kids and seniors pay $5 and do $10 for adults who literally just stand there and watch their kids. The sheer cost of trying to do anything cool wiith your kids that is also fun for adults is ridiculous. read more

I usually don't write reviews, but I need to share my experience at this place because it was unacceptable. I would give it zero stars if possible. We drove 40 minutes from Garden Grove after seeing good things on social media, hoping it would be fun for my kids. Everything seemed okay until the end. While we were having the rides, I noticed that the staff discriminated against us because we are Asian. The way he interacted with us was clearly not the same as with the American customers behind us. My husband even asked if he treats everyone the same, and the staff member said "yes," but that was clearly not true. My husband watched the whole situation, did he think we couldn't understand English? It's essential to remember that, even though we are Asian, we live here and contribute just like everyone else. We paid for our tickets and the rides, and we do not deserve to be treated this way. read more

Prices are insanely expensive. A total of $51 for 2 adults and 1 kid to go in to feed about 6 animals. Most of them don't even eat because they're so full from being fed constantly. read more

River Street Ranch - Prices are insanely expensive - Petting Zoos Near Me - San Juan Capistrano, California

We are 2 seniors ($13 each). My friend had residual motion sickness from our train ride, but the host went & brought some water for us. Staff very friendly. They are very strict about the temprature range for when they bring out the small animals. It had rained the night before & so the electric rides were not yet open (a bit of standing water). I was told that the owner is a lawyer, so hence the necessary detailed entrance waiver. Petting & feeding the various guinea pigs was very therapeutic. They stay in a tray next to you, not on lap. We enjoyed feeding the larger animals as well. Watching the varieties of chickens scurry about, as well as children's reactions, was amusing. Deffinately a place for small kids, & older adults as well. We stayed more than 1 hour. read more

See all

Perfect place for exploring playful kiddos. It was our first time and River Street Ranch and San Juan Capistrano. Such a gorgeous city! Waiver: required for each person. Complete online to save time. They will confirm that the waiver is completed using your phone number thats listed on the waiver prior to purchasing admission tickets Tickets: $16 for adults and kiddos under 3 were free. You have in and out privileges all day. So we were able to play for a few hours then walk across the alleyway to the River Street Marketplace where there was so much food options. Activities: so many to choose from but I'll start with what we experienced. Feed basket is a MUST! $6/per basket and we were able to feed all the different animals (goats Guinea pigs, rabbits, pigs, emu (Yassss an emu!!) etc. There was also "gold" mining, riding an excavator and tractor, best of all a nice playground where the kiddos can climb, slide and all that fun stuff kids love. Parking: we parked on the street with the max of 4 hours. You pay through the passport app and the space number is painted on the ground so make sure you enter the right space number. The staff was super friendly and patient especially with the younger kiddos. Overall, RSR was great and we spent all day here. Trust me the kiddos will love it!! read more

See all

SCAM!!!! $16 for adults and $13 for kids and that's just to get INSIDE!! From there the money grab continues: the basket of food to feed the animals, and ALL the activities inside you gotta pay extra. Admission fee lets you pet the animals and play at the playground..nothing more. There's honestly nothing for adults to do. Glad I paid that entry fee just to watch my toddlers play. Admission + train ride for 2 and the excavator activity was $75. We were there for maybe an hour. For a family of 4 this is outrageous. Wish I had known before coming here. Would definitely not return until the prices are reasonable. read more

Such a beautiful experience for the whole family lots of neat things to do and pets to see great restaurants nearby! read more

See all

Loved petting zoo with our grandchild. Too bad restaurants are closing. We loved it. Both Vaquero and the Mest Celkar. Love Common Thread and McConnells. read more

Came here expecting to stay for just half an hour feeding animals, but my daughter ended up staying for 1.5 hours. We came right when the open (less crowd) and bought a feeding basket ($6) which is a small basket with lettuce, apple slices, carrot sticks, and cucumber pieces. Instead of feeding animals right away, she wanted to play in the playground, which she had it all to herself since everyone was busy feeding animals. Also, the sun hadn't come out yet so the playground was cool. (It eventually becomes unbearably hot and some of the playground slides become very hot in the afternoon.) After spending all her energy the playground, we fed the chickens, Emu, Rabbits, Goats, Alpacas, and guinea pigs. I liked the guinea pig area because everyone gets a personal guinea pig assigned to them (ours was Nemo) and you get to feed them while watching them eat up close. All in all, it was time well spent with my family at the petting farm. The price for admission is Adult ($16), Children ($13), and free for infants (under 3 yrs old). read more

I really enjoyed my time at River Street Ranch with my kids--there's a great variety of animals, and the overall vibe is fun and family-friendly. That said, be prepared for a lot of à la carte pricing. The pony rides, train rides, diggers, electric cars, and gold panning are all charged separately, which means you'll end up making multiple trips back to buy more tickets. They also have a hard 4 PM closing time, with no flexibility--even on weekends. One note: while the guinea pig area is a hit with kids, it would be even better if guests could hold them, not just pet them. Still, it's a solid day out, and worth a visit--just plan ahead budget-wise. read more

River Street Ranch - Petting Zoos Near Me - San Juan Capistrano, California

See all

Took the kids here and they had a blast! It's not too big but they had plenty of animals and you're able to go on where the goats are. The kids really enjoyed feeding the animals and even asked to come back when we left. Definitely worth the trip. It's also a plus that there are many eateries within walking distance, an ice cream place, a well as a park. read more

River Street Ranch - Feeding goats - Petting Zoos Near Me - San Juan Capistrano, California

See all

Overpriced for really nothing. $16 for adults, kids ages 3-12 are $13. The entrance fee only covers seeing the animals in the pens as everything else is extra money. Animals include an emu, pigs, rabbits, alpacas, goats, sheep, guinea pigs & chickens. We spent just under an hour there. They have a playground but you can go to the free one right across the train tracks by the big parking lot. The waiver they make each adult fill out by scanning QR code asks for a ridiculous amount of info so get ready for the spam that will come along. A positive note was the young man operating the train rides & getting the guinea pigs out was very nice. read more

See all

Super expensive. Pricing includes nothing. Guinea pigs and rabbits are always gone. It's super small. If you want to pet and feed a goat and sheep & pay to ride a horse, go to the OC zoo & Irvine Park instead. read more

This place isn't what it used to be; it was magical when it operated as "Zoomars." Now, it feels overpriced for the service provided and not worth the trouble to get in. We're thankful we had the chance to experience this magical place before it changed hands to new owners. read more

River Street Ranch, AKA "Zoomars" is a fun place for both young children and their relatives. With a basket of vegetables, children can feed all sorts of animals ....what fun for the kids and for those watching their enjoyment. Several kid friendly activities like a train ride on a small track and panning for "fancy rocks" are among other activities kids like. These, along with a small playground, should keep a small child's interest for well over an hour. read more

See all

Definitely something fun to do with the kids but like others said, the value is maybe not quite there. The fact that the entrance fee doesn't include at least one basket of feed is kind of annoying. I'm fine paying for the other "attractions" but $16 for each adult and another $6 for feed is unreasonable. You can't bring your own Staff is very friendly Tip : probably want to come earlier in the day. We got there around 1 after having lunch and all the animals were so stuffed that not many of them wanted to eat anymore. The kids in the group were 4, 2 and 1.5. The 4 yr old was into it for maybe 10 minutes and then spent the rest of the time on the playground. The 2 yr old was so afraid she only went to the playground. The 1.5 yr old enjoyed feeding but he could only do so much so we essentially paid $40-50 as entry to the playground. read more

Such a cute little spot for all ages. So many cute stores, food options, and other activities. This was my first time here and I wish I knew about this space when my son was younger. There's a petting zoo, little train to ride on, and a park. You're able to have your birthday party there as well! It was really charming and cute! read more

See all

First time here! I loved exploring this place very much because there is a cool playground for kids. read more

River Street Ranch - Cows. - Petting Zoos Near Me - San Juan Capistrano, California

See all

Theres plenty of shops and food! Theres a playground and a zoo also! It was amazing and peaceful read more

See all

I won't even step foot in this bougie petting zoo. The prices they charge are ridiculous, it's insulting. $16 for adult admission!! Adults don't even want to be there!! And $13 for a 3 year old who's gunna get over it in 45 minutes. Please don't support this kind of place. On top of that, the admission price doesn't even include any activities, rides or feeding the animals. read more

Overpriced and read carefully they don't put the guinea pigs out if it is hot out. Staff is rude on both of our visits. You can't even put the guinea pigs in your lap anymore. Nothing to do here without paying more if the guinea pigs aren't out. read more

Everything! First of all - what happened to the cute animal spot! So expensive for nothing- have to pay extra after paying $13-$16 to enter The staff was not friendly Waited 20 min for the employee to leisurely start the train They never took their eyes off us like we were going to do something that was not allowed Finally- who ever manages this place should be let go! read more

Great place for kids and the animals are fabulous! The staff was very helpful too! We went over to the restaurants afterwards! read more

River Street Ranch - Great for littles! - Petting Zoos Near Me - San Juan Capistrano, California

See all

This place is super overpriced as others have stated. There's an entry fee of $15 per adult and $12 per kid. Then, every single activity costs extra. A small feed basket with three cucumber slices, four carrots and some lettuce costs $6. A super short one lap pony ride costs $8! Kids can also ride excavators, a small train or tractors - but again, it'll cost you around $5 per ride! Expect to spend easily over $100 for kids to literally run out of food to feed the animals and activities to do within 15 minutes. Definitely save yourself the money and go elsewhere, where the experience is much longer lasting and worthwhile with more reasonable pricing! Also, the customer service is severely lacking, as the employee who checked us in at the entrance was rude and kept getting distracted to the point where we had to give him our phone numbers for the waivers we had filled out in advance multiple times. I noticed none of the employees here really seem interested in providing a good customer service experience and frankly, there were maybe only two to three employees on the entire ranch who kept rotating between the activities. All of them seemed super disinterested in kids and could barely even muster up a smile during our entire visit. Really disappointed this wasn't a great experience! I truly hope someone will read these poor reviews and implement some changes quickly because this place has a lot of potential to be more fun for families! read more

$60 for a family of four just to "enter the premises". Then, an additional cost to do literally anything else. Every activity has an additional cost once you're inside. I believe the owners are banking on social media ads to bait and switch families to get to the gate, then money-grabbing once they're inside. Not worth the experience whatsoever. This isn't Disneyland. Head over to Irvine Regional Park. Your dollar will go further and you'll have a much better experience with the same amenities. read more

Online ticketing is horrible experience. If you sign waiver before buying ticket, it won't let you create an account using the same email to buy the actual tickets. So then youre forced to wait in their 25 minute line in sun. Whats even more frustrating is they have a dedicated line for online ticket check-ins that no one goes to because they can't buy tickets online. What a crappy operation. Also this place charges an entry fee and then addtl fees for every other activity. read more

What a bummer this place is. Growing up here, the mini farm was such a joy! Free to enter. A few dollars to feed the animals. Guinea pigs and bunnies running free everywhere! Now I understand changes needed to be made. But it's wildly expensive to simply walk in the door! And then you have to pay for every. single. move you make. Beyond that, don't bother coming at 10 am. We showed up right when it opened to have a fun morning before nap time. But NOTHING was set up. They literally arrive at 10 and just begin to pull out animals and get the rides ready. NO no no.. if you open at 10, OPEN AT 10! It's simple. Want to ride a pony? Oh the horses are on "medical leave". Basically the only reason we went was to ride the pony. My daughter was so disappointed. Get a new horse or make it known on the website/Instagram everywhere that you don't do pony rides. Truly, all of it was such a bummer. Workers acted like we were a bother and inconveniencing them. Sorry you had to go get a Guinea pig and do your job? My daughter was so bored because just staring at a Guinea pig was lame. Couldn't hold it? We can look at Guinea pigs at the pet store. The train was gone. And we can play at the playground in our neighborhood for free. Safe to say we won't be back! read more

If you're coming for a couple of hours, it's a nice place to take your younger kids. This is definitely a toddler aged place. Hosting a party here is a logistical pain. I found the website easy to plunk down a deposit but after that, the staff wasn't particularly very good at communication, parking was awful and unloading in the front was apparently a no no. A staff member got in my face about it telling me the owner was pissed and I asked him how we were supposed to set up and tear down a party in the 30 min alotted if the lot next to the venue was locked with a skidsteer parked in the way and the parking lot for the park was full. I told him to please have the owner call me and he backed down from chastising me (while my overstimulated son was having a screaming meltdown). So fun. You get 2 hours for your party and they don't offer a host or parking, nobody answers the phone when you're calling in the morning or when vendors are confused trying to deliver. It's just not worth the hassle given the costs. The pluses of this place are that it's a tiny enclosed space with different things your kids can do. That was nice to know that it's small and enclosed so your kiddo would be relatively safe running from area to area. read more

My family and I have been coming here for years, and we absolutely love it! The improvements over the last few years--like adding more rides and creating larger enclosures for the animals--are amazing. The pricing is very reasonable, especially for a petting zoo in Southern California. I can't even remember the last time they raised their prices! Considering everything we've all been through with COVID and the economy, I'm more than happy to continue supporting them. As a business owner myself, I really appreciate how clean, well-maintained, and welcoming this place is. The animals are well taken care of and the staff is always friendly and make the experience even better. read more

See all

Interesting and small petting zoo nestled in the newly built next to the River Street Marketplace. This petting zoo is designed for young children. There aren't many animals, but you will find goats, pigs, chickens, rabbits, guinea pigs, and a single emu. There is a pony ride service also. Pricing for entrance and feed is not cheap, but the facilities are well maintained with a good staff. $15 per adult and $12 for children. A basket of vegetables is an optional additional cost. There are also additional activities for children for farm/country-like entertainment The process for entrance is a internet-based release waiver that ask for far too much information making it feel like you'll be on a SPAM list forever. read more

3.5 stars - Great location and idea, but expensive and disorganized River Street Ranch has a lot of potential and I really wanted to love it. It's in a beautiful, walkable part of San Juan Capistrano and could easily be part of a fun family day out with lunch or sightseeing nearby. I'm also genuinely grateful that it exists--Orange County needs more hands-on experiences for kids that isn't just another shopping center. That said, the overall experience left us a bit disappointed. Admission was $16 for adults and $13 for kids 3+, which felt steep for what was offered. You can pet the guinea pigs, but not the bunnies (they're behind a cage), and while the goat area was accessible, the floor was covered in droppings--which ended up all over our shoes and really took away from the fun. For comparison, the goat area at the OC Zoo has a staff with a sweeper working the area. We were especially disappointed that the pony rides weren't available that day. There was no notice on the website or Facebook page, so it felt like a letdown to get there and find out it wasn't an option. Same with the extra rides and stations--they were technically "available," but not welcoming at all because no employees were staffing them. It gave the place a disorganized, unfinished feel. The check-in and waiver process was also frustrating. It requires a separate phone number and email for each guest, which makes no sense for families. And right after finishing the paperwork, we were told animals would be put away in 10 minutes (at 3:30 PM), even though closing time is listed as 4 PM. Also worth noting: children under age 3 are not allowed to ride the train or tractors, which can be disappointing for younger families. And for a place that's been around for a long time, it's surprising that these operational and communication issues haven't already been addressed. Even something as simple as a kid-level handwashing sink would go a long way toward improving the experience since this is such a kid-oriented place. Overall, I appreciate what River Street Ranch is trying to offer, but the pricing and lack of structure made it hard to justify. At the very least, include the basket of feed with the admission price. The feed basket was $6. I hope they can iron out these issues--it really could be a gem with a few changes. read more

The rabbits had a break the day we went, so we only got to look at them (no petting). The guinea pigs were open for petting. We had so much fun with these guys. You can buy a basket of vegetables to feed them. We did that and we were giddy to watch them eat. The llamas were huge. The goats were aggressive. The emu was sadly neglected. read more

If you're thinking about coming here, think again! Like the idea of the ranch, but horribly disappointed with the execution and experience. Overpriced, lazy staff - we paid for and waited patiently in line for the tractor rides, only to find out the tractors were malfunctioning during our kids' ride. The employee at the tractors was happy to just sit on the fence watching our kids sit at a standstill without a care in the world. He didn't take any effort to try to get the tractors working again. When we asked him if there was anything he could do, he said "ride is not working", shrugged and left it at that. Will never be taking our kids here ever again! read more

River Street Ranch - The guy was just either horribly incompetent, or didn't really care about his job. - Petting Zoos Near Me - San Juan Capistrano, California

The staff was friendly. The animals were very well taken care of. The zoo was very clean for an area that has so many animals ! read more

See all

Why are adults paying $16 for a petting zoo?! Definitely miss the good ole days when this was pretty much free. And I get it - its not 2010 anymore and everyone needs to survive and thrive but this is highway robbery. Its $16/adult and $13/kid over 35 months, then whatever little rides inside (tractor driving, excavator, small train ride, rock mining) is an additional $3-5 per kid per ride, $10/horse ride, Single male/female bathrooms that weren't particularly clean. No brushes to brush the goats. Little play structure but the one on the other side by the parking lot is better and free. It's cute, kids (6, 6, 4yo) had fun but I'll end with me and my husband each paid $16 to pat a llama on the head. read more

I can't believe I have never been here before! This petting zoo is so cute and perfect for the little ones and it is affordable It was easy to complete the waiver using the QR code at the front gate, it took 2 mins, then we didn't have to wait I line to pay. Everything is listed clearly with prices, but if you aren't sure what your little one wants to do you can also pay at the attraction, super smart. Tickets are affordable, they offer a Military discount for our service men and women, thank you, and you can buy a feed box for $4. The kids can feed chickens, pigs, goats, bunnies, llamas, an and emu. Horses were not available and I am not sure why. For a petting zoo the place was very clean. From the petting zoo they have the cutest rides again for little ones. A train, tractors that are self driven, electronic excavator where kids can dig up stuff in the sand, and then rock mining in water. There's an area where kids can play on an jungle gym with plenty on bench and table seating for adults. A cute little faux town for pictures, and then a small area of different sizes pumpkins to buy. My little one did everything they offered except the rock mining and it cost $40. I am so happy that I have found this little gem because I now have an outdoor activity to take the kids to. The only draw back which has nothing to do with Zoomer's is because of the construction it is hard to find parking and you have to really read the signs to know where to enter. Highly recommend this place. read more

See all

I love coming here and seeing Angel and all the other cute little animals. It's a great place to hang out and enjoy feeding the bunnies and goats. $12 to get in and so worth it! The alpacas are so soft!! read more

See all

This used to be our favorite thing to do with our littles. I will not be back. You used to be able to enjoy the animals, hold the guinea pigs, now they put the guinea pigs in a box and you can look at them and barely feed them or touch them. This place is so money hungry, it's $13 for youth and $16 for adults plus they charge $6 for a thing of food and so much more for rides. It's so undated with people. It's just sad. They're all stuck in cages and can't roam free anymore. I want my money back. It's not even worth the drive anymore. read more

River Street Ranch - Petting Zoos Near Me - San Juan Capistrano, California