awesome! you can definitely tell these elephant ladies are well taken care of!…read more workers are very knowledgeable and their space is amazing.

An amazing up close and personal experience. If you're an elephant lover, you need to go. I didn't…read morewant to share any personal photos but there are many photo ops with the elephants.

We just spent two days at the YO Ranch and it was spectacular! Jordan took us on a tour to see all…read morethe different animals they have and she was super fun and very knowledgeable! Highly recommend the animal tour. We got to feed some of the animals and learned a lot! Who knew Zebras and donkeys could mate and make a Zorkie?! So cool! She also introduced us to Patty and Thor the pigs in the petting zoo area. And all the other cuties in there! Lisa was so sweet also! She introduced us to "Sissy" the capybara. We got to feed her several times and it was so neat to call her name and have her come swim up to us! We were there for our anniversary and Lisa made us feel so special and even provided us all the fixin's to make s'mores on the fire they had lit the whole time. I'm a vegetarian and Luis really took care of me for each meal! Very much appreciated! The food was fantastic and he was great to chat with! Being able to take our dogs was just another bonus! We always love anywhere that's dog friendly! They loved all the new smells out there and they also had a blast! We will definitely be back!

We stayed at this Ranch last week last week while we were in Texas. My husband booked it on a whim…read moreoff Expeida - we were actually planning on going to Fredericksburg but ended up there. Lisa was amazing - super friendly and helpful. We were only one of two couples there. Room was great and the grounds were fun. Amazing animals everywhere!! The donkey's were so friendly and the Capybara was so cute and friendly. Lisa gave me some lettuce and an ear of corn to feed her! Funny she is a "rodent". What a sweet rodent! Its a real hunting lodge, so if you are not into that sort of thing, it may not be for you. The only negative was that it is really far away from anything. I mean far! 7.5 miles once you hit the main gate and there are no restaurants near by, no stores, nothing so we went with the $100 per person dinner that Lisa told us about (which was almost inedible). I guess in our minds we were thinking oh its a Ranch, they will have BBQ or good food!! Wrong.... I would just recommend bringing your own food or eating prior to getting there. It by far was not worth $200 for chicken fried steak, flavorless mashed potatoes and canned green beans! Breakfast was just scrambled eggs, bacon and toast. Save the $$$$ on the food for sure, 100% not worth it. Amazing spot though if you bring your own food and I would totally recommend going there if you want to see beautiful animals.

Me and my family came here for a little getaway trip and let me just say, we had so much fun. This…read moreplace is such a vibe. Seeing the animals that close was honestly an experience I'll never forget. The rhinos were right outside our back patio area where we could watch them from a distance. Obviously there were safety barriers between our townhouse-style villa and another barrier around the animal enclosure itself, but it still felt amazing being able to see them so close. The place we stayed in was super spacious. It was more like a private little townhouse/villa setup rather than a regular hotel room. There are multiple villas throughout the property depending on the size of your group. Ours was a two-bedroom, three-bed villa with huge restrooms, amazing water pressure, and beautiful backyard views overlooking the rhino enclosure. My cousin mentioned that some of the other villas also overlook the giraffes, but ours mainly had views of the rhinos which was still such an amazing experience. One thing I really loved was how interactive and educational the experience was. The staff was very friendly, informative, and clearly cared a lot about the animals. They explained where many of the animals came from, safety precautions, and how to properly interact with them respectfully. For example, with the giraffes they explained not to stand too close to their neck or face while feeding them because if they turn suddenly you could fall over. With the rhinos, the staff explained that their eyesight is limited, so we had to approach them slowly and talk to them so they knew we were there. There's a barricade setup with small openings where the rhinos pop their heads through while eating. As guests, we slowly walked alongside the barricade while talking to them until we reached their forehead area where we were allowed to gently pet them. It was honestly such a cool and unique experience being able to interact with them that closely while still keeping everything safe for both the animals and guests. The animal activities were honestly one of the best parts. We got to feed the giraffes and even the sloth which was such a cool experience. The giraffes also got to "paint" on a canvas using this really interesting paintbrush contraption. One person would hold the canvas while another person held the paintbrush setup near the giraffe's face, and the giraffe would push and move the brush around the canvas creating its own little painting. It was definitely a two-person job and such a unique experience to watch. There was also another activity where the rhinos helped create paintings. They put non-toxic, animal-safe paint on the side of the rhino's leg and you press the canvas against it to create a little portrait to take home as a memory. Upon arrival they provided little breakfast/snack items for our stay like oatmeal, waffles, orange juice, and protein bars. They also let us choose between cider and bottled water which was a nice touch. The entire property feels peaceful, hidden, and perfect for a relaxing getaway. Just keep in mind that restaurants and stores are about 30 minutes away, and it gets VERY dark at night since the property is more secluded. We personally went out to eat and explore, but you could also order DoorDash if you wanted to stay in and relax at the property. Overall, my whole experience here was amazing. I love animals, so being able to enjoy something this unique with my mom, aunt, and cousin made it even more special. Definitely something different, relaxing, and memorable. I would absolutely recommend staying at Longneck Manor if you want a unique getaway experience in Texas.

It's been my dream to come to Longneck Manor and see the giraffes. It is tucked in the pastures…read moreoutside downtown Fredericksburg. We spent a lot more time with seeing rhinos than the giraffes. Longneck currently has 3 rhinos and 9 giraffes (2 are babies!). I got to pet a rhino, even touch his horn! I got to feed various giraffes. You cannot pet giraffes though. With the amount of animals you can interact with, it's worth the visit and cost. The grounds are beautiful as well! You can see the animals when you park.

What a fun filled day!…read more The Exotic Resort Zoo. Wow! This family owned safari park was so much fun! You can drive through or take a guided tour. Definitely do the guided tour! You get up close and personal with over 700 animals representing 45+ species. There are many species of deer, kangaroos, camels, llamas, emus, ostriches, antelopes, water buffalos, bison and more! We saw two new baby bison! One was born about 2 minutes before we arrived at their pasture. Another was just under a day old! You can feed the animals too. Look at the tongues on those highland cows and bison . There's also a petting zoo. We had a small group and our tour guide, Nicole, was fantastic!

The owner has been crying about my review to Yelp over and over, begging for it to be deleted over…read moreand over. Because he has no real defense about my critique, he's been straw manning that my review is "mean" and "hateful" -- haha this is what softies in America do these days. My family and I visited this place in early Sept 2025. Like many other negative reviews state, the animals are in a sad state. They have something called the Giraffe Experience there, where you gotta pay $5 per person, they give you lettuce, and you go up on a platform to feed the giraffes. There was an employee -- I requested the Giraffe Experience from her. She condescendingly explained to us that they were out of lettuce to feed the giraffe, so we couldn't do it. I asked, "Well, can we at least go up on the platform to see the giraffe from up there?" She rudely replied "You can, but you'd still have to pay the full price of $5/person." I started to say something, but she rudely said "Think about it and let me know", turned her back to me, and walked away. How rude! I walked over to her at the front desk and asked "Well, since y'all ran out of the food, and we'd just go up to the platform to see the giraffe, could we at least get a discount?" Now here, the defensive Owner will say "It was after Labor Day weekend and we ran out of lettuce!" This is such a lame excuse. Labor Day weekend and resultant high volume demand from it is completely predictable, and the correct action by them would have been to anticipate that and stockpile lettuce accordingly. This is basic inventory mgmt that any decent business owner should know. But this guy just makes excuses. But that's fine, I get it, rinky dink business owner is an amateur and made an inventory mistake by running out of lettuce. Fine. Then take ownership of that mistake and make up for it to your customers by letting them at least go up on the platform for free. Why on earth should they still have to pay the $5 bc YOU ran out of lettuce? It is illogical. The point wasn't the money, it's the principle... despite them screwing up by not having lettuce, this employee, instead of being apologetic and trying to make it up to us somehow, was rude and dismissive. I then asked to speak to the Manager. As is unfortunately often the case, rather than let me speak to him, she went into his office (which was right there, adjacent to the front desk), and biased him to her version. The Manager told her no, and she came and smugly told me the same thing. I was of course right in the doorway, the Manager could've easily talked to me directly, but he did not. So I asked him directly this time "I understand y'all ran out of the lettuce, and that's ok, but if we only go up to the platform to see the giraffe, sans lettuce, shouldn't there be a discount on the fee?" He started giving me the standard bureaucrat-flexing-his-muscles excuses of why they couldn't do that. Again, condescending and dismissive. I told him "Ok, this is unfortunate bc until now we've had a good experience here. But now I'll have to leave a negative review." He said he was fine with that. I asked him for his name. He refused to give it to me, instead stating "You can look it up on our website." And he was lying about this btw -- his name is not on the website. If they guy is gonna take a stand, why not share his name? And this from a "Manager" who is in the customer service business, unbelievable. Again, don't expect any ownership or apology from this Owner. He's gonna leave defensive comments, and then go cry to Yelp to have it taken down, again. Look at all the other negative reviews of this place -- that tells you what you need to know. There was barely anyone here when we went -- it will likely be out of business anytime. And with this kind of ownership, management, and employees, it's no surprise why.

Manage your expectations if you choose to visit the Austin Zoo. It is a very small zoo - more like…read morean animal rescue. I knew this going in so was prepared for what to expect and really enjoyed my experience. I visited on Presidents' Day holiday with my daughters (6 and 2). Tickets were under $20 which I found reasonable and felt good to know that the money is going back to maintaining and preserving the zoo. I thought the size of the zoo was perfect for younger children. My daughters loved seeing the animals without massive crowds, within a restively small space. They particularly loved seeing the Galapagos turtle, lions, and snakes in the tiny reptile house. There are gorgeous peacocks roaming the grounds. They have the option to feed some animals (goats, farm animals) which we did not do this time. They also offer tours, educational programming and some extra cost activities. What I think could be better - - Their website doesn't mention that their train has been down for a long time, and requires major repairs. This was disappointing to find out there. My girls were looking forward to it. - No cafe or proper concessions stand - Parking can get crowded and require long walks to the entrance

Horrible service!! As I was walking around with my grandchildren I saw several workers on their…read morephones, so unprofessional. I've heard rumors they treat the animals poorly and when I saw the animals I'm starting to believe them. I've also heard about what they do to the animals dead bodies and I'm DISGUSTED. I saw serval cages empty, really makes you think why is that? What are they doing to these poor animals because from my own knowledge you're not supposed to put an animal that been held CAPTIVE back into the wild. Even with that one of the workers told me that evil place is their forever home more like forever prison or death sentence. I also saw rust in the water the animals were drinking and this is what they claim is an animal sanctuary?? On top of all of this I saw a worker with no bra on and nearly got flashed, MY GRANDKIDS were with me. On top of all of this I met a woman Kim and she was SO RUDE and made my grandkids uncomfortable. That woman immediately gave me predatory vibes and I felt like I needed to get them out of there as soon as possible. I will NEVER return.

Fun experience for the whole family…read more A FEW NOTES/TIPS FOR VISITING: --An early arrival is likely best because the animals will be hungrier. We came at 10am and had plenty of interaction. It seems to reason that a late arrival might offer tired/full animals that may not approach as easily. --Before you enter the safari, set up your kids. You will likely have to loosen safety standards for a bit but you're driving 5MPH so I felt comfortable doing it. I held my 1-year-old on my lap in the front passenger seat. He wouldn't have been able to see much otherwise. We also had to unbuckle my 3-year-old's seat belt so she could shift up otherwise she had trouble feeding the animals. --You're not supposed to hand feed the animals. I don't recall them telling us that but there's a sign saying it. It's hard to avoid because some of the animals will literally stick their head in your car (zebras and donkey, I'm looking at you). They're gentle and I had no issue hand feeding them. It felt necessary to get them to back off a bit (my kids got scared though, lol). The little deer were also gentle and easy to hand feed. Anything with big horns -- we definitely just threw the food on the ground. Same for the emus -- do not hand feed those -- they will chomp your fingers hard. Ultimately, they must know people hand feed some of the animals. I'm surprised they don't do liability waivers. --Watch for animals in front of your car or even swarming the side. Throwing a handful of feed away from the car helps move them away. --Get enough food, depending on how many feeders you have. We got a $10 bucket (3 people feeding) and it was plenty (with some left over for the petting zoo). We were conservative with it though. I'd say get more than you think you need since you don't want to run out. It's also helpful to have extra feed to throw when you want the animals to get away from your car. You can always use whatever is left for the petting zoo. They gave us an extra bucket (small one) for our daughter to use in the backseat. I'd ask if you want extra ones. --The goats at the petting zoo are pretty aggressive. If you walk in with a bucket, they will literally swarm you. Maybe it was because we came early in the day and there weren't too many other people there. My toddler got scared, lol. I'd recommend staying outside the gates and feeding through there or having one person stay outside to hand the feed over from the bucket. Ultimately, a great way to spend a couple of hours and entertain the kids. It's a little pricey since you pay per person (including 3 and up) but it's all good. The beautiful peacocks roaming around definitely enhanced the experience. The gift shop was a bit scarce -- could have been stocked with more items. I also wish they gave us a brochure about the animals upon entry (I saw reviews about people grabbing those at the gift shop; we had no idea they existed). Clean bathrooms and ample parking.

Our first time visiting, and this was such an amazing experience. The animals were friendly and all…read morethe children seemed to be having a great time. This is a drive through safari and there is an admission fee per person. The drive from Round Rock was a little over an hour, but definitely worth it if you have small children. You will have an option to purchase food for the animals, or just drive through and soak in all the wonderful scenery.

My 5 yr old grandson and I did the VIP private experience with tour guide Tucson along with the…read moreRhino experience , after which we drove through on our own.. This did make it more expensive, but for us it was worth it...We have been able to feed many giraffes, but never have met a rhino up close and my grandson loved being able to brush them and touch them.. I chose the private tour , so I could relax and enjoy it without having to drive...and all the info Tucson gave us on all the animals and all their programs made the drive back through on our own a lot more interesting. I was very impressed with their setup and how many babies they have.. I would recommend getting their early...The tour was a wednesday at 930 and we only had one other car on the road with us....when I drove back through , there was a lot of car stoppage , cause of course every car wants to stop for every group of animals and I will say the group at the entrance gate holds you for ranson so you better have food for them so you can get thru.. Didn't try the food , but the fudge at the restaurant was really good. The only thing I was disappointed in was the avairy...If you just want to see a lot of beautiful budgies and a few chickens, then go for it, but they had no interest in the food sticks and just flew away from it for the most part...We are used to the lorikeets that land on you, so my grandson was just bored with it...

We had a great time at Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch! Took our 3yo daughter and 1 yo son last…read moreweekend. I thought the safari drive was just okay. First, I was a tad disappointed in the quantity of the animals out there. There were long stretches of the drive where I caught myself thinking, " there's nothing out here". Second, don't bother buying feed. A lot of the animals were more interested in food provided in their troughs than the passing vehicles. And, I have a feeling they're fed well enough ...they don't care if you're throwing food. Third, cars tend to bottleneck to look at NOTHING. I think the staff should do a better job explaining you can pass. At least I hope you can, because I did. I wasn't waiting for some of these people. Other than that, I thought the facilities themselves were clean, well lit, and impressive. They've got a great restaurant where you can have lunch (although I felt the prices were exorbitant as they often are with these "tourist traps"). They've got some great exhibits with monkeys and you can get pretty darn close to some giraffes. My little girl had a particularly good time in the aviary. Seeing her face as that bird landed on her stick was just the best. Solid gift shop. Overall, felt the cost was higher than necessary, but solid family outing. It's worth going.

My family has wanted to check this place out for a long time and we finally made the drive. Lots to…read moresee and my granddaughter was over the moon with the capybara encounter and petting one of the tiny foxes. Then there are the baby goats in the petting area. So cute! Plenty of shade available on a warm day and several educational moments.

Drove by this place and decided to stop because my daughter has recently expressed an interest in…read moresnakes. The parking lot was small, which wasn't a huge issue since the farm/zoo itself is also very small. However, the pricing was absolutely outrageous!! around $55 for just 1 adult, 1 child, and a small cup of food to feed the farm animals. There were plenty of snakes to look at, and that part was genuinely fascinating. Unfortunately, everything else left us feeling uncomfortable and honestly pretty upset. There were far too many farm animals packed into tiny enclosures. Most of the habitats looked extremely small, bare, and lacking any kind of enrichment or stimulation for the animals. It was hard not to feel concerned for their wellbeing. Instead of enjoying the experience, we left feeling sad and disappointed. I would not recommend this place, and we will not be returning.

Great store! The owner is always happy to answer any questions you may have about the hobby! They…read moredo water tests and will recommend how to fix any problems your tank may have!

Tried to contact them over Facebook to get some info before I go and they are literally no help…read more They didn't answer my questions, could recommend products, and would flat out not respond for a crazy amount of time. I tried to give them a chance and tried going during posted business hours and they were closed. Absolute disgrace of a business. They need to learn how to treat their customers better and how to over all run a business properly.

Great FREE option in Austin for kids!…read more One of the best parts is you can see an axolotl (two, actually) in their visitor center building. Then you can head over to the birds of prey, the reptile/fish building, and the animal enclosures. There's also a little lake and a large sand pit (dino dig). There's a cool room in the visitor center that has all sorts of nature items (bones, dead bugs, shells, rocks, etc.). You can bring in your own stuff to trade! Is it a huge amount of things to do/see? No but for a free attraction, it's pretty great. Parking is across the street -- lot is shared with Zilker Park and all the nearby attractions so it can get busy.

The Austin nature and science center is one of our favorite places to take our 4 kids in Austin and…read moreeven better, it's totally free! But when you do go, please make sure to scan the QR code to track and log your visit. It helps with their funding and takes less than 2 minutes. My kids spent close to 30 mins in the Dino dig area alone. There are so many different sand pits for them to dig and use brushes in. The birds of prey area is awesome! And while the indoor reptile area is small, my kids always have fun finding where everything is hiding nonetheless. The indoor welcome center has so much for them to learn and touch, and they love bringing things to turn in to the front desk to collect points and coins to use in the "shop". I highly recommend! Great for a homeschool field trip too :)