We went on a slightly drizzly Sunday after brunch and it seemed like we had the zoo to ourselves…read morebecause the parking lot was empty except for one other car. When we asked if there were any other visitors we were told no one else in the past hour. Admission is a fair price for this small zoo that had plenty of animals to keep us interested for a couple of hours. It was nice to see the bobcats active and the monkey swinging around. Lots of peahens and the peacock was fun to see perched in different places. We were amazed to get a symphony of howling, yapping, barking, neighing, and other animal chatter while we were there. The staff in the Education Center was friendly, alert and readily answered our questions about the animals. If you like feeding the animals, buy a cone of food at the admissions booth to feed the hoofed animals. Careful when feeding the goats. I was taking a picture of my daughter feeding a goat and I was within reaching distance of the goat who craned its neck over the fence and swiftly chomped on the cone of food. I was startled but it was quite hilarious.

It is not a large area to cover but still has plenty to see. It makes me happy to see some special…read moreneeds creatures were taken in by this zoo. All the animals have a great group of caregivers from what I see. Educational and fun for all ages.

We were driving by, and spotted these little beauties. We asked the owners if we could get out and…read morelook at the ponies, lama and donkey! My 3 yr old had a smile from ear to ear. The ponies came up to let us pet them. The lama had a funny face while eating. We stayed about 45 min just watching them eat! Times have changed. You don't see this on the side of the road anymore. It was such a pleasure to see. Thank you to the owners for letting us do this!

From the owner: Aspen Hill Farm is a family owned and operated pony business, providing parties, tractor rides,…read morepetting areas and more since 1990. We rent out ponies for all occasions, including but not limited to birthday parties, school events, church picnics, family reunions, day cares and more. If you need a pony we’ll be there or you can bring your function to us at our Western Party Room where kids can step back in time and enjoy the farm life!

A Hidden Gem Worth Discovering -- Lupa Zoo, Ludlow MA…read more My wife and I have lived in this area our entire lives -- over 70 years -- and had driven past the signs for Lupa Zoo for years without ever stopping. Today, we finally went with our grandchildren. We are so glad we did. Admission & Value Entry was very reasonable. Between grandparents and grandchildren, we paid around $44 total. A season pass runs about $150, which is an excellent value if you plan to visit more than once. Layout & Size The zoo is laid out in sections like the larger zoos we've visited over the years, but it's small, compact, and easy to navigate -- perfect for a family with young children. We may have caught them just as they were opening for the season, so the food grill and splash pad weren't running yet, but that was perfectly fine. We came for the animals! The Animals I know I'll forget some, so apologies in advance -- but here's what we saw: porcupines, capybaras, alpacas, bison, elk, several types of deer and goat, tapir, donkeys, several types of pig, and an impressive variety of small monkeys -- at least six different species, all smaller than chimpanzees. There were also ringtail lemurs, marmosets, a bird area with peacocks, pheasants, chickens, pigeons, and even a raven, plus a small reptile area featuring snakes, scorpions, lizards, and turtles. For the Kids There are two playgrounds, best suited for children up to about age 6 or 7. The main play area also has some really creative features -- musical instruments, ride-on toys, and even modern outdoor electronic reaction games where a button lights up and kids run to press it before the next one lights up on the other side. Our boys had an absolute blast. The gift shop was stocked with a fantastic assortment of stuffed animals and all the things a child who just visited a zoo is going to want. A Few Tips * You can skip the animal food bags sold at the gate. So many visitors buy them that most animals weren't interested -- you could see uneaten food throughout the pens. * Pack a lunch and bring waters. They're relaxed about backpacks, small coolers, and even little wagons for the kids. * Parking is free and easy. There are lovely grassy picnic areas near the exit. The Vibe This is a small, family-run zoo and it feels like one -- in the best possible way. The enclosures look lovingly handmade, which adds real charm. The background music throughout the park was a pleasant surprise: not too loud, not a generic radio station, just fun and well-chosen. A nice touch. Getting There Lupa Zoo -- 62 Nash Hill Road, Ludlow, MA 01056 Easy to find off the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90). Take Exit 51 (Burnett Road) or Exit 54 (Ludlow) -- both work. Put "Lupa Zoo" or the full address into your GPS and watch for the entrance signs on Nash Hill Road. We'll be back -- and we'll bring more grandchildren.

I purchased a Grandparents membership for this year's season and have gone already 3 times with my…read moregranddaughter. We both are enjoying it immensely. Wonderful animals, a super star escape artist named Mary is much larger than I thought from seeing her on the news :) along with her baby. So many different animals to view. A handful of different playgrounds and rest stops around the Zoo. Clean bathrooms! Looks like also a watering pad once it warms up. Everyone we've met have been nice and helpful with questions. I'm really so happy with the membership. I do appreciate that you can bring your own drinks & lunch if desired. They do have yummy fries and hot dogs for sale along with burgers

This farm is so much fun! The animals are happy and friendly. The goats ran to greet us when we…read morearrived. We brushed them and petted them. All of the animals were well cared for happy to have visitors. It was a magical day. We will definitely visit again.

I've been to Highwire Deer & Animal Farm several times now and it never gets old! Here's what it's…read moreall about: I would describe it as a small farm/petting zoo/animal sanctuary. The entrance fee is $12 per person (cash only) and animal food is available for purchase ($1 per cup). Once you go inside, the large fenced-in area, you'll find smaller pens, each with different animals inside. Some of the animals you'll find here are rabbits, deer, pygmy goats, kangaroos, a miniature horse, zebra, camel, emus, capybara, peacocks, and several others. Some of these animals you can feed/pet (deer, goats, horse) while others you can only look at (emus, camel, zebra, kangaroos). There are signs that tell you which animals are safe to feed/pet and which are not. The goats are actually free-roaming and so you can sit on the ground or a bench and pet/feed them, play with them, etc. There is also a picnic area where you can sit and eat lunch, etc. No public restrooms on the property, but there is one porta-potty. Overall this is a really cool spot to bond with some really cute animals, and a great place to bring the kids!

I want to give a huge shout-out to an amazing employee at Southwick Zoo…read more Late Sunday afternoon, I got a flat tire near the zoo. My hybrid doesn't have a spare, and the tire inflator that came with the car wouldn't work. I was stuck and wasn't sure what I was going to do. A man named Ryan pulled over and offered to help. He told me he works at Southwick Zoo. He grabbed the jack and tools from his truck, took my tire off, plugged the hole, and put everything back together. When I offered to pay him for his time and kindness, he politely refused. In a world where we often hear about the negative, I think it's important to recognize people who go out of their way to help complete strangers. Ryan's generosity, skill, and willingness to stop and help made a stressful situation so much easier. Southwick Zoo should be proud to have someone like Ryan representing them. Thank you, Ryan, for reminding me that there are still genuinely good people in this world.

Again, one can always debate the ethics of a zoo, but putting that aside for a minute, Soutwicks…read morewas/is a great experience. Friendly people, a variety of exhibits and just an overall good time. I sprung for the combo ticket that gave me access to the train and skylift. The train was very 'meh' and defiantly more for the kids. I enjoyed the skylift, its just high enough for you to get a Birdseye view above the park, but not so high to make you unconformable, and it goes at a great speed so that you can enjoy the ride. I was little surprised as there were a few exhibits that didn't seem enclosed like the flamingos, a couple of the birds, and the prairie dogs, I don't know how they keep them in the enclosers. Taking my time I was able to do the whole zoo in about 3 hours. Like most attractions, the concession options are grossly overpriced. Everything was outside, there were no inside exhibits except for one small building. Again, a great day overall and a return trip will be in order.

This spot is wild!…read more We FINALLY took a trip to Action Wildlife today and it was ABSOLUTELY worth the drive. There are multiple spaces to explore when you come in. First, YES you want the big feed pail. Lots of animals. When you first drive in you come upon the museum, gift shop, and play area. They still had their corn pit set up in the play area and that was a big hit with our little one. What you see out in front of you to access is the walking/driving section. You can choose to take this walk or park your car as you visit the animal areas. It goes all the way from the small capybara enclosure to highland cows and so many in between! If you drive straight back you will get to the big green barn near the blue silos. That bar is the petting barn and where you will do encounters. We did the baby highland cow encounter and got to spend a half hour with Hank. Feeding, brushing, petting, and just enjoying his company. We brought in our 1 year old and she loved it! As you leave that barn there is another play area to the left and if you follow it past the camels you'll see the sign for hayride and drive through safari. You can go right down that small road and it'll lead you to a drive around where you're supposed to stay in the car and drive on the enclosure to see a bunch of animals. We didn't do the hayride but it's back there. It loops all the way back, so no worries about figuring out how to get back. We felt that this was BEYOND worth our time and loved all of the up close interactions. Will be returning!

Who knew you could see animals that I thought could only be seen on Safari right here in CT!! So…read moredarn cool. Zebra camels ! We loved it had such a great time. Beautiful scenery. Beautiful animals that looks so happy to be there. These folks are doing a great job. Would highly recommend!

My husband and I went to the zoo for the first time. Let me start by saying that the ride in…read morethrough the park was amazing! The park itself where the zoo is situated, is absolutely gorgeous with a lot of stuff going on from tennis, to kids playing, to people exercising. The zoo itself is not huge, but what we liked about it was we saw at least three animals that we had never even heard of! And we go to a lot of zoos and know animals! It was interesting that when the elephants were let out, they had different areas close to the fence where the elephants could grab a snack in an enrichment type toy that kept them very close and visible. We actually found that with a lot of the animals that they're enrichment toys were located in areas that kept them close to the crowds, and they seemed more than happy to be snacking in those spots. The enclosures were not huge, but seemed to be very clean. I was very satisfied with our visit. There are not a ton of food options, but would recommend the bacon cheese Smashburger meal, which came with a drink and very respectable french fries. Seems like a great zoo for kiddos and has a goat petting zoo where they can brush the goats.

I spent two hour touring the zoo and I had a great time…read more They have lots of interesting animals to see like elephants, giraffes, penguins, a snow leopard, several wallabies, a capybara (new), several tropical birds and monkeys, etc. Going early in the morning is great to beat the crowds and to see the animals feed. There is a gift store, several food stands and many places to get fun pictures taken. This year they also had a VR experience where guests can spend a few minutes looking into a VR helmet and see any four wildlife visual ($8 per experience). If you are a city of Providence resident, you get free entry the first Saturday of every month.