Amberations is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to supporting mental health through…read moreinteraction with the natural environment. With almost 50 acres, they are located on the western edge of Onondaga county in Marietta, New York. At their barn site they offer opportunities to mingle with their goats, donkey, birds and barn cats. There is easy access to a small stream, teaming with frogs, minnows, and salamanders. A lovely deck adorns one end of their barn. It's a nice place to enjoy the sounds of nature and occasionally be visited by a Great Blue Heron. This is a wheelchair friendly area. The entrance to this area is a driveway shared with 2231 Amber Road, next to the Otisco Lake Community Center. Look for the small silhouette of Big Joe the donkey! In their upper fields they have built wheelchair paths surrounding a gazebo and are always working on developing gardens. There are also very nice trails through woods as well as through their songbird habitat. This is the best area for taking dogs and walking trails. The entrance to this area is at 2345 Amber Road, up a long gravel driveway. Go left at the top to find the small parking area in the fields. There is also a large pasture with two beautiful horses to visit. Their goal is to nurture relationships with the community they seek to serve. Opportunities abound for getting involved in many capacities. If you like nature, the outdoors, gardening, animals, or helping others, please consider giving them a call and volunteering. I'm a volunteer for Amberations so I can tell you, it's an amazing organization. It was started by two families who wanted to be able to bring nature to people of all abilities. It has grown so much in its 10 years of existence. They've hosted weddings, hold two big fundraisers during the year - their Otisco Lake Bike Race and Mothers Day Brunch in the spring and Fall Festival in autumn - as well as offering glamping, a new pond full of frogs, and their wonderful animals to visit. Definitely a place for everyone to check out, whether you like animals, nature, hiking - whatever you're into, Amberations has something for you.

Such a quaint spot. The Yelp event was very interactive and welcoming. But, the founder and…read morevolunteers at Amberations and the stories they shared really set the tone. The barn animals were adorable. Big Joe even tried to nibble on my big hair. They had beautiful horses and a hiking trail to die for. This place is certainly a diamond in the rough with so much love and history. If you have Thea chance definitely visit.

My family has visited the Country Ark Farm a couple of times over the past 2 years when they opened…read morethe entire farm to the public for "Open Farm Days". These were fantastic opportunities to interact with all of their animals, have a picnic, and basically enjoy the day with my children. So, not surprisingly, my daughter volunteered to help at some of their events (the farm is used to help those with developmental disabilities) and ultimately decided to have her 14th Birthday Party there on 8/2/15. This was, in my daughter's words, the BEST BIRTHDAY EVER!!! First, they have over 100 animals there ranging from camels to baby porcupines to monkeys. I don't know if it's because of their summer camp or the constant attention but the animals were all super sweet with the children. The kids fed them, picked them up, and I even fed a cracker to a camel with my mouth and got a kiss (highly recommend that). All this activity occurred around a central covered patio where the food and cake was served. They had storage for my party supplies, a fridge for the cake, and even supplied extra plates and extension cords that I had forgotten. But the absolutely best part our party at Country Ark Farm was the family that runs it. The owners themselves basically gave us free rein of the farm and provided two extremely sweet and knowledgeable young women to run the party, take care of our every need, and take us on a tour of the farm. These 2 ladies were incredible. They kept the party moving and anytime there was a lull, such as when some kids were done eating but others were still going at it, they would pull out some activity (face painting, bracelet making, water balloon fight) to keep the kids occupied. This was literally a stress free party. I would like to especially thank Rebecca for making the day such a success. She demonstrated both poise and grace in the face of over 20 kids, a family that came 45 minutes early, and an uninvited german shepherd one guest brought. You're the best!!!

From the owner: Nestled in the beautiful Delaware Valley, about 90 minutes from New York City you'll find Country…read moreArk Farm. The Ciancitto family first opened the Farm to the Special Needs community in 1989. In 2000 Country Ark Farm began offering Summer Camp as a way to provide a safe and fun environment for children to have unique interactions with animals they might see at a farm or a zoo. Each year in the late Spring, Open Farm Day provides all families an opportunity to visit and interact with our animals, enjoy music and relax.

I want to send a HUGE shout out to Wendy at Rt. 80 Stables!! She provided the horse and Carriage…read morethat Santa arrived in for our "Cookie Fest" this year!!! They were incredible to work with!! From the moment I spoke with Wendy it was like talking with an old friend!! I believe she was even more excited than I was for the day's event and to bring Santa and the presents to the kids much to their surprise!!!! All of her staff were so professional and kind and went out of their way to make sure that everyone had an enjoyable day. I could not have asked for a better day!! Thank you so much for everything you did. You remained in touch with me throughout the process leading up to the event and made suggestions and made it a success!! We will definitely be using you for future events!!!

Love this place! Awesome horses, staff and views!! I went there to go horseback riding and I never…read moreleft. Now I volunteer there and I love it!

Terrible customer service. I wouldn't recommend this shop to anyone especially to people of color…read more The atmosphere definitely doesn't make you want to stay around to shop.

Friendly service and a neat well organized facility. Plus, the minnows landed us a sweet 3 to 4…read morepound bass! A little off the beaten path but worth the trip.

We had such a fun time - definitely with the 3.5 hours drive from NYC. We fed giraffes and lots of…read moreother animals. We also did the drive through safari which was a blast as well! highly recommend!

Every animal in this place looks miserable. They were all sleeping the entire time, almost as if…read morethey were drugged. All the animals, especially the more exotic ones, were balding and extremely skinny. The tiger/lion enclosures were slightly larger than the average human bedroom. A lot of the animals showed physical signs of abuse and neglect. Never again.

This is a cute little zoo. Agree with other reviewers that you should come in knowing what to…read moreexpect. It has a modest number of animals, but a lot of charm. We came in the morning on a weekday. Unfortunately, a lot of the animals were napping (lots of nocturnals) but we still have a nice time. This zoo is in a park and there are a lot of trees and shades -- it doubles as a walking path. I noticed that there were lots of benches throughout, which is nice. There was also cute decor like gnomes, fairy gardens, and animal statues. Standouts were the sand cats, penguins, lemurs, and red pandas. There were wolves, arctic foxes, and lots of other neat critters. At the front there's a petting zoo with sheep and goats, and you can feed them if you buy a cup of chow from the gift shop. In the gift shop, I noticed they sell art prints made by the animals, which is super cute! I noticed a bus stop across the street, so it seems accessible by public transit. The park its within has a lot of really neat play features too, so you could definitely make an afternoon of it. The price is right. It's only about $10 a ticket for admission, and like $2 - $3 for petting zoo food. Which, in this economy especially, is fantastic. Cute place. Worth checking out!

An incredible zoo experience for all! An extensive variety of exotic species, each within close…read moreproximity of the viewer. Super antique and cutesy feel to the entire property. There are high quality informational plaques as well. For those with limited mobility- the exhibits are along a relatively steep hill. Come prepared for a bit of an incline. Overall a wonderful experience!! Would rate higher than any large zoo I've been to.