everthing! staff-quality-spotless-variety - cost-food- parking-location-display's/destinationread more

The museum is awesome!! So much to see and learn. The wildlife is incredible to see. We saw a very…read moremajestic bald eagle up close. We experienced the steam engines running and visited with the curator for a bit to learn even more. The movies were very well done. The fact that your tickets are good for two days allows you to take your time. Worth every penny and your time!!! A must see!!

A small, free, one-room building that's perfect for a quick summer break from the heat. Inside,…read moreyou'll find tanks with turtles and a variety of fish. It great for a short visit, usually 5-10 minutes. My 2-year-old loved it so much we stayed a little bit longer, going back and forth between the displays. They provide a squeegee to clear the fogged-up windows and helpful pictures to identify the different fish species.

Knowledgeable, friendly people. Lots of variety to chose from. I'll never go anywhere else. They…read moreseem to really take care of their inventory

5/18/24 - the best aquarium; pics and vids say enough; the variety alone is amazing; they offer…read moreother services too, check their website

Drove 1h45 min from the Chicago suburbs to see the hyraxes! Was definitely worth the drive - we saw…read moreeverything we wanted to see, and more. The zoo was easy to navigate and the staff were very helpful. The zoo looked well kept and clean as well. I love seeing that they serve Colectivo coffee at the zoo!

One of approximately 43 zoos and aquariums that don't charge admission in the U.S., the Henry Vilas…read moreZoo is part of the bigger Vilas Park in Madison, WI, and was a great quick stop for my wife and daughter (during her toddler years) when growing up in Madison. The park land was gifted in 1904 by Sen. William Vilas, naming the park for his son. One of the conditions of the grant was to maintain public access to the park without admission charges. The zoo opened in 1911, with the City of Madison getting ownership in 1937. In 1983, the ownership was gradually handed over to Dane County. There was a non-profit fund raising arm for the zoo (Henry Vilas Zoological Society), but that relationship ceased in 2019 with a dispute with no distinct replacement. Thus, operational costs are borne by the county government for now (with a small endowment). An important ongoing goal is to maintain accreditation by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) for operational excellence. It was a hot weekday, so the zoo was pretty empty (of both visitors and animals), and none of the snack/food areas were open. The American Flamingo exhibit was a colorful stop, and the Aviary building was a good place to observe parrots and bats, along with aquariums.

Wish we could give more than 5 stars! This experience far surpassed my 6-year-old grandson's…read moreexpectations. We got to see a two-headed snake, so many gators, and the biggest snakes we've ever seen. The absolute highlight was when my grandson and his Dad got to hold a gator--he hasn't stopped telling everyone about it since! Definitely a must-see highlight of the Dells.

My son has become Mr Alligstor almost overnight (well it started maybe around May of this year and…read moreapart from his normal video gaming, Alligators -- and to a lesser extent Crocs and Caimans) are his jam. He had been watching science-related videos, reading books, talking alligators and crocs nonstop. We were planning a mini father son trip and I wasn't sure where to go, when to my surprise I saw that Wis Dells had an alligator place! So we actually headed up there from NW Chicagoland for Alligators first...and boy this did not disappoint. The place was surprisingly very clean and not smelly at all--I had a college roommate who bought an old Used car that had a garter snake in it and he kept it and boy did it smell...so this is no small feat to keep it clean with this many reptiles. It was the first thing we did in Wis Dells and my son was there a good couple of hours (entrance was about $20 for us to visit and then you can buy food to feed -- meat packets were very reasonably priced), and also feed alligators, pythons, snapping turtles, alligator snapping turtles, caimans live mice and/or rats depending what the animals needed that day. Thankfully the owners -- lovely people who have been there nearly 30 years -- feed the live animals we don't have to touch them. I'll admit that left me a little squirmish but my son was in heaven. We were there about 2 hours (most folks I imagine last about 30 mins) and my son was really excited to see the animals -- behind closed glass tanks. They have 14 or so gators in the big tank right as you walk in, have an albino alligator (large one too) in a separate tank behind. Several pythons- including a jumbo yellow scary python and one a little smaller next to it. They have turtles, some smaller snakes, and some toads etc in other cages.... I figured we saw all we could ever see that first 2 hours as it isn't the biggest place, but my son really wanted to go back before we left, so we went back 2 days later and I don't know how we missed it on day 1, but they had a photo opportunity to hold an alligator (its mouth is taped for safety) and that was the thrill of my sons life! He's been telling everyone about that post our visit. Overall it was impressive how clean and not smelly the place is, showing the care the handlers/owners take to these animals. One bit of advice, while they have some very brief blurbs on some (not all) of the animals, I'd recommend adding more complete blurbs in the animals like a traditional zoo would. They also have an opportunity to buy alligators (which presumably is legal in Wisconsin) and that is something I'd never recommend -- Thankfully they aren't cheap so kids likely couldn't do that without a parent being involved:). All in all across 2 visits we were there 3.5 or so hours and my son had the absolute best time of his life. I can't thank them enough and they were super great to him answering his questions, etc (especially since on the second visit they were pretty darn crowded but they gave my so. Extra special treatment :) ). A wonderful experience-- and a reminder of the things we parents do for our kids lol - as Id never be there if it was t for my son, let alone be there twice! We will be back too next time we go to the Dells (I hadn't been to the Dells in over 20 years--first time as an adult, and I hadn't a great time, but this was amongst our biggest highlight of the trip)

great service and lots of awesome animals i got a bird from the fish shack it is now thrivingread more

If you like rustic with tasty food, this is it. Beer is in ice and they give you a koozie. Have to…read moreorder food at counter but they bring it to you. Right on the water. Hard to find as it is down the hill towards the river but they have a sign up on the sidewalk. Give it a shot....if nothing else for the coldest beer in town.

A very nice neighborhood pet store. Excellent groomer on site and easy to get appointments for her…read more Lots of cats that are all vaccinated and neutered for sale. I believe they charge $200 per cat, which is a fair price. This store is owned by Mary and Joe who bought the place when it moved from the former location. The usual inventory of pet supplies and aquarium fish. Sure you might get a part time person who isn't very knowledgeable once in awhile but generally well trained staff who love animals. Don't believe those earlier posts about cleanliness and poor hamsters up for adoption. That's not the way it is here. Go see for yourself and clear your head playing with some kittens!

The staff is kind, but the place smells horrendous! And no wonder, cats roaming everywhere and…read morespraying on items. The last time I went (which will also be my LAST time), there was a woman sitting in a chair spooning clam chowder from a can onto the floor while all the cats licked it up straight from the floor. There's GOT to be some health code violations going on in there.

We've been to this location a few times, but it's only if we are in the area. Sometimes the prices…read moreon cat food are good, but toys and cat trees are all overpriced. It really is like a warehouse and there's lots of dust and grit on the floor. I can't look into the "animals" section anymore -- it just seems like they are so unhappy and I want to rescue them all away from there. The rooms are windowless and the air is just trapped. When I visited during COVID-19, they didn't have animals, which I think is a good thing. When we last came in, our cashier struggled to give us correct change and I had to ask her for more money back because she had miscounted. Not a big deal, but just not great. I don't plan on coming back.

Worst customer service I've ever had. Employees avoid customers like the plague and 2 out of the 3…read moreitems I purchased were priced higher than advertised on the shelves. Will be sticking with Petsmart from now on