Why does an Ostrich Farm in north Tucson have less than 20 reviews for being here over two…read moredecades??? So let's dive in! (pun intended, you'll see). Recommend: Yes. Absolutely delightful staff, friendly welcoming dog named 'Marly', gift shop and incredibly gentle animals in which all ages can enjoy! Rating overall: 5 Environment: 5 (harsh sun on some days but animals VERY well protected) Fun: 5 Priced: 3/4 Unique: 4/5 At the north west end of Tucson, you're gonna find an 'Ostrich Farm', that has Monster Truck rides, animals from various countries in Europe and England and even Cow-Mouthed (or cownose rays)! Crazy fun place! This attraction in Tucson has certainly changed over the many years, and honestly just gets better! In the oddest of locations, you're going to find a very unique petting-zoo of a handful of animals that you can feed everywhere from rabbits, to Lorikeets, to Tortoises, to European Fallow Deer, kissing goats, sweet donkeys and ducks, hens from Sussex England and yes, even cow-nose Stingrays. The sting rays are male overflows from the Odysea in Phx, have been debarbed and yes, you can also feed them. Overall, it was a pleasant surprise to us in seeing the diversity here. One thing many may now know is that this place even sells Ostrich eggs from Jan-June and cost $40.00 - per egg. Don't worry though, they are basically the mass value of a 'dozen eggs' so if you want to purchase one, know it'll feed several people but if you want to hard boil it, it'll take anywhere from 1.5 to 2 hours to complete the full cooking cycle, first. But, yes, you CAN get Ostrich eggs here to eat! A very fun, informative, well protected for all the animals and an enjoyable spot for in-town guests. Would highly recommend this place, it's far better than I previously imagined it to be!

I've lived in Arizona my entire life, and have driven past this place more times than I can count…read more Finally after going to the Grand Canyon, Sedona, Bisbee and every other wonderful place to see in Arizona the wife and I decided to check it out. We've always wondered if it was as good as the hype. The easy answer: Yes, yes it is! The weather was perfect on the day we went and I would certainly suggest going before it warms up during the summer as all their attractions are outside with the exception of the Stingrays. We had such a fun time, feeding the goats, rabbits and of course the ostriches. The entry fee wasn't bad, and the price of admission gets you tokens for animal food for the various critters here. Love the names painted on the tortoises too. All in all it's good clean family fun, for the youngsters and just the young at heart.

I can't say more about TRAK their staff is exceptional. They also know how to work with…read morespecial-needs kids. I have autistic children and instead of being on technology they now understand how to take care of animals and ride a horse. They light up when they see the place and they have a full knowledge of how to treat a horses, rabbits, chickens and so many other beautiful animals the amp changed their life and horse back riding classes is the next on my list. TRAK is now a part of my outings with my boys You can feel the love once u walk it. The cowboy way is working great for them. Yeehaw.

Teenage camp counselors are ill-equipped to work with children. Some are actually cruel to…read more5-yr-olds. When I approached the executive director about this problem, he said that he was aware....but he never attempted corrective action. TRAK livestock die on every holiday because Jill and Scott can't be bothered to provide adequate supervision to volunteer workers on holidays

Great lil adventure ,hosted by a welcoming family. loved all of the animals and they were very tame…read morefor animals. Would definitely recommend

The highlight of our trip to Buckeye! It's $10 to get in and the money is well worth it! The…read morepetting zoo is perfect for any age. There are piggies and goats to greet you when you get there.. if you'd like to feed them, it costs a little bit extra to buy veggies and snackies for them.. but it is worth it! They are so cute and so friendly! They even had tiny baby piggies .. they had some horses, a burro, and a cow. All of them were so friendly!! I highly recommend visiting the farm!

We celebrated our son's 3rd birthday and everyone had a great time. The owner, Brittney, is super…read morefriendly and communicative. Both kids and adults enjoyed feeding the animals and hanging out at the farm!

I bought three female chicks, two of which turned out to be roosters. The website indicates they…read moresex the chickens with 90% accuracy, but were significantly less accurate with ours. When I reached out about a partial refund and offered to return the roosters, this is the response I got: No, actually, that only means it's not 100% accurate. Our policy is listed on our website. We do not guarantee, refund, return, swap, or exchange. This is an extremely standard policy across the board for any Hatchery or place of business that sells chicks. If you have a rooster you can give it away for free on Craigslist. Next time go ahead and shop at tractor supply. Buy your chicks from there and when you get a rooster try to call them and make them take it back and see what happens. Best, Brittney I'm so glad I didn't book my niece's birthday party here because the level of customer service leaves a lot to be desired. On a side note, we have bought many female chickens from Tractor Supply over the years and none have been roosters. Not even one.

Fantastic experience Superior wranglers…read moreDelicious food friendly service Wonderful to see owners socialize with guests Will return!!

one of the nicest experiences i've ever had. came here for my birthday trip and it was truly…read moreamazing! food was spectacular, service and hospitality was amazing, and scenery was so beautiful!

We had my daughter's birthday party here today and we're pretty disappointed. We just did the…read moreunicorn encounter because we were doing a small group with just a few kiddos. The whole reason we did this for her birthday is because my daughter is a strong believer in unicorns and absolutely loves them. Upon arriving the kids immediately noticed the "unicorn" and his horn was lopsided, falling off of his head. My daughter went up to the employee and told her that the horn was falling off. Later she told me that it broke her heart it wasn't a real unicorn. If you have a group coming specifically for a unicorn encounter that unicorn should be ready and looking magical as can be for their arrival. Additionally, the second reason we chose this experience was because the website said you would get to hold bunnies. My daughter loves bunnies and told me all leading up to the party that she couldn't wait to hold a bunny. The employee did NOT let the girls hold bunnies at all, she only let them pet the bunny. It also said they would feed alpacas, sheep, and goats. They didn't have the girls feed any animals at all. In fact no one was guiding through the process at all aside from a lady taking the girls in a circle twice on the pony. Then she disappeared for a long time until she finally came back out and brought out one bunny for them to pet. The AC was not turned on in the castle until we were about to leave and it was 2:30 in the afternoon so almost 100 degrees outside. Overall very disappointed and would not recommend going here. We paid $125 for the kids to basically run around a farm for an hour in 100 degrees. The reviews had been so great saying they make it a magical experience and sadly the magic was exactly what we were missing today.

We celebrated our daughter's 5th birthday at Charming Pony Parties yesterday, and it was truly a…read morewonderful experience from start to finish! Leading up to the party, Christy was incredibly responsive and patient, answering all of my questions via email and even giving us a tour of the venue ahead of time. The space was absolutely perfect for our princess unicorn theme. During the party, Rebecca and DJ were so kind, patient, and attentive with all 15 kids, allowing them to ride the ponies multiple times, helping with photos while riding, and bringing out the hare and baby goat for petting--which the kids absolutely loved. All of the animals, including the miniature horses, donkey, sheep, alpaca, chickens, geese, and ducks, were very friendly and tolerant with the children. It was obvious how well cared for and loved the animals are. DJ even went above and beyond by helping my husband lift a heavy cooler full of drinks during setup, which was greatly appreciated. The party setup looked beautiful, and everyone--kids and parents alike--had an amazing time. We couldn't have asked for a better experience and would highly recommend Charming Pony Parties to anyone looking for a truly special and memorable celebration!

We recently had the most wonderful trail riding experience at Rockin' Star Ranch with family…read moreranging in age from 2 to 72, and every single person had a fantastic time! The horses were thoughtfully matched to each rider's size and experience level, and it was clear how well cared for and well-trained they all are. The guides were absolutely phenomenal -- not only friendly and professional but they went above and beyond, even riding backwards at times to capture incredible photos and videos for us! As someone who tends to be nervous around horses, I was given the most patient, gentle, and intuitive horse, which made the entire experience enjoyable and safe. When my 2-year-old decided he had to ride with Mama AFTER everyone was saddled up, they went out of their way to help us rearrange and make it happen -- and I still felt safe and confident holding him, which speaks volumes about both the horses and the staff. We've been to Rockin' Star Ranch a few times over the years, and it's always been a special place for our family. In fact, our now 12-year-old once rode the same sweet pony on a lead ride that our 2-year-old recently did -- a true testament to the love, care, and longevity they provide for their animals. Every single interaction we've had with their staff has been warm, professional, and full of kindness and patience. They are always happy to teach, answer questions, and help everyone -- from total beginners to more experienced riders -- feel welcome and confident. I can't recommend Rockin' Star Ranch enough for families or anyone looking for a safe, fun, and memorable horseback riding experience!

After an extremely disappointing ride in Benson, with horses that could barely move I was beyond…read morefrustrated... and having only one day to myself in AZ while on a work trip I was feeling down. I called a bunch of places, and this one answered. Oh my word, this was exactly what I needed! Chris is an incredible, experienced, and funny guide, and the ride was FUN. He even took videos and photos and shared them after the ride. I lost my keys, and he helped me find them at the end of the ride, which was extra time and effort. Iris and Stormy are awesome horses, Stormy helped with finding the keys. I would say this is the single best trail ride I've ever done, and I ride A LOT but usually have a "no trail" rule--most trail rides are a snoozefest experience, and I would straight out recommend lessons with a trainer instead. Chris' place does fun trail rides, lessons, parties, you name it.... And such great horses. Can't recommend them enough!

Enjoyed a morning ride at the ranch today. My third visit. Why do I go back? The staff is top…read morenotch. The herd is obviously well cared for. Wrangler Kyle is always a great host providing a history of the ranch and pointing out specific areas of interest. My go to to fill my love and spiritual connection to horses.

We love MacDonalds Ranch! This is our happy place! We adore the animals in the petting zoo. I…read morerecommend Macdonalds Ranch to all my friends and family because it is such a rare gem in Arizona. The petting zoo is free, but they do accept donations. We enjoy petting the goats, sheep and little ponies. We were especially excited to see 3 baby goats today- they were the cutest. We love supporting this local business- go check them out! You can also hold company events or parties here too! We also love coming here in the fall for their pumpkin patch!

I don't think our zoo gets enough credit. My views may have changed now that I have a toddler…read more After recently visiting a big city zoo, I have come to really appreciate the benefit of our cozier zoo! Getting from animal to animal isn't a huge hike and the animals are fairly close, easier for toddlers to find and take in! They also have a beautiful family playground space for kids, toddler playground included. I wish the playground was completely covered, but some shade is better than none with Tucsons heat. We have an annual pass, great deal and makes us feel much less pressure to rush around to see everything at every visit. If we only make it to the elephants and giraffe, no big deal, we will come back. Right now we love the giraffes and they have a new baby, make sure to visit soon!

If you are looking for a fun way to spend time with your family on the cheap, you could do a lot…read moreworse than Reid Park Zoo. I have been visiting Reid Park Zoo for nearly 50 years. First as a child as a family outing with my siblings, parents, cousins, aunts and uncles and grandparents, then as a parent taking my children. I am now looking forward to showing my grandchildren the wonders of actual experience, with actual animals, that are living and breathing. These are not AI, not CGI and not animated. They are real living breathing animals. The zoo is modest in size and easily explored within 3 hours or so. We even rode the Reid Park Express miniature train! The zoo features, many different birds, reptiles and mammals from around the world. There are multiple aviaries, and the large mammal enclosures include elephants, rhinoceros, grizzly bear, giraffes and many, many more animals than I can name. The caretakers have done an excellent job of managing the zoo over the years. It is clean and well maintained. The animal habitats are spacious and the animals are well cared for. The only reasons I did not give a five star rating, (and this is where partial stars would be nice Yelp!) is because the zoo is pretty small with a very small gift shop, and Reid Park itself is not nearly so well maintained as the zoo. I truly recommend the zoo for anybody seeking a reason to get the kids out of the house, or just to go on a date.

This was a wonderful adventure. Four of us went for a birthday for a one hour midday visit and…read morethoroughly loved the visit. For context we are four adult men and we all enjoyed ourselves, this is not only for children. They have many exotic animals that are good around people, for wild animals that requires a lot of experience and work on the owners and staff part. They have done a wonderful job. The animals are well cared for and loved. They had nice spaces that were good for the animals. Their diet and veterinary benefits were also well done. The staff were very knowledgeable about the animals, their behaviors, and needs. We were able to feed, interact, and observe the animals. We had plenty of time to spend with each animal group, learn about them and how they are card for. The staff were very thoughtful about the safety of the animals and the visitors, and we never felt uncomfortable during the visit. They are expanding and improving the spaces constantly and that made it even more interesting to us. Their focus on the care of the animals really stood out. We will definitely visit again when they add and expand their space and animals!

Ghost Ranch Exotics came up on my Tik Tok and I was immediately influenced. I signed up for the…read morecapybara experience, which lets you go into their pen with one additional person before incurring an additional cost. The whole experience is quite entertaining, from before you step in and can hear the peacocks vocalizing to when you leave and get a brief chance to interact with other large animals. The drive over there is through some unpaved roads, so I would recommend taking the drive in something that isn't a sedan if at all possible. It is possible given that I saw other smaller cars on the roads over, but I can't imagine it's fun or great for your vehicle. To be truly prepared for the amount of dust and grime that is on your car after the drive alone, I would allot time for a car wash after everything is said and done. I will caveat that the price point is steep for an encounter that ended up being under thirty minutes, so I saved this for a special occasion. Regardless, if this is within your budget, you are pretty much guaranteed a good time.