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    Wild Encounters Cafe

    4.0 (12 reviews)
    Closed 3:00 pm - 10:00 PM

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    Cute place!!!
    Sue P.

    This place is so well thought out and makes for an amazing opportunity to engage with capybaras and sloths. Had such a great time interacting with the animals and their staff. Animals welfare seems to be their utmost concern which was awesome to see!

    Capy
    Mindi F.

    Great experience! The cafe is really cute and has a Japanese theme. We asked why since capybaras are from South America. Apparently, Clay Cafes are big in Japan. The hosts/educators keep everything on time and running smoothly. They are also very knowledgeable and share a ton of info. The capybaras are so chill. They just hang out, let you pet them and eat snacks. That's the life I want! The sloth encounter was fun too. 3/4 are named after Golden Girls.

    Isa G.

    It's super cute to be able to share space freely with the capybaras. Even though it's only 30 minutes and not an hour, we had a great time. The staff is so friendly and they know all the capybaras' names and info. We also loved that they have table service with a QR code menu.

    The cappys were cute and the staff were very knowledgeable about them. one had a nasty attitude tbh when she thought we took its stick out of the bowl when we didn't. We paid for the 30 min experience and it felt like we barely spent time there. If you pay the $45 to sit at a table you better hope it's a table next to a bowl because you get one carrot and after you feed it they just go to the bowls. You get the opportunity for staff to take a picture of you with one but don't get very much time around it. I feel like they truly care about the cappys which is good but $45 to sit on the floor and watch a capybara across the room is kinda ridiculous. Oh and they have a menu to order from in the 25 mins you're in there and it has cake pops and brownies but they don't have coffee just energy drinks which is weird for a cafe. After tax it was $96 to sit on the floor and watch a capybara, wouldn't do again.

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    2 months ago

    Helpful 4
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    5 months ago

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    1 month ago

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    2 months ago

    Helpful 2
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    1 month ago

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    2 days ago

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    12 days ago

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    14 days ago

    This place is amazing. My 7 year old was so excited and loved every minute. we will definitely be coming back.

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    23 days ago

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    3 months ago

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    2 months ago

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    3 months ago

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    Review Highlights - Wild Encounters Cafe

    They have a sloth encounter in the back.

    Mentioned in 2 reviews

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    Emerald Coast Zoo

    Emerald Coast Zoo

    4.7
    (58 reviews)
    55.7 mi

    Every time we go on vacation, we have to find a zoo. The Emerald Coast zoo did not disappoint. You…read morecan tell the animals are well cared for and the zoo grounds are extremely clean and well kept. This does not seem to be the norm with many small family run zoos in the US There is a large variety of animals some of which we've never seen in enlarged shoes and this is one of the few zoos we've been to where the animals are active and almost interact with visitors. While we were there, the lions that are penned together or playful and seemed interested in the humans on the other side of the fence. We fed the giraffes which include a young one who is very adorable. We also had a nice interaction with one of the zoo staff who was cleaning out the porcupine pen. She was very informative and was willing to answer questions about the porcupines and gave us some information about other animals that we would encounter in the zoo. Overall, it was a good experience and we would highly recommend the zoo to people who enjoy learning about animals or just want something different to do. On a fun note we appreciated that the signage told us the names of some of the animals like two emus named Karen and water buffaloes named fast and slow, if you're a fan of Veggietales, you'll get that last reference.

    Great small experience zoo, this isn't your big zoo where they really push spending on you and…read moreeating places. 1/4 of it is designed for you to feed all sorts of animals and have an alpaca cut all the other animals off when feeding them lol. The giraffe feeding was fun and they have a great small display of all sorts of animals. If you want a quick 2 hours zoo and have some kind people to talk to where your time is yours alone. This place is perfect and local.

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    Spending the day with my friends.
    Spending the day with my friends.
    Emerald Coast Zoo
    Kookaburra

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    Kookaburra
    Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park

    Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park

    3.5
    (291 reviews)
    50.3 mi

    We visited the Gulfarium in Fort Walton Beach and absolutely loved it! There was so much to see,…read moreincluding sea turtles, stingrays, penguins, alligators, sea lions, dolphins, and many other amazing animals. One of the things my hubby and I loved the most is that the Gulfarium also serves as a rehabilitation center for marine life. Many animals are treated and released back into the ocean whenever possible, while others that could not survive in the wild are given a safe and caring home. We saw a sea turtle with two missing flippers, which was both heartbreaking and made us happy at the same time since it wouldn't stand a chance to live in the wild. We watched both the sea lion and dolphin shows, and they were great. It was so nice to see that the trainers genuinely care about the animals. The animals were rewarded with plenty of treats, attention, and affection throughout the presentations. My favorite part of the entire visit was seeing the manatees. I had only ever seen them in pictures before, and I completely fell in love. They are such gentle, peaceful, and beautiful creatures. I could have watched them all day!

    Here's an updated version with your added feedback included:…read more We visited Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park in Fort Walton Beach and really enjoyed the self-guided walk through the park. We saw stingrays, dolphins, penguins, manatees, turtles, crocodiles, pelicans, snakes, lizards, frogs, and many other animals. Even though we missed the scheduled shows, there was still plenty to see and enjoy at our own pace. One of the best parts was learning that they care for many rescue animals and help rehabilitate and release them back into the ocean when possible. It was great seeing a place focused on marine animal rescue and conservation. The park was family friendly and easy to walk through, with lots of close-up animal encounters. The reason for 4 out of 5 stars instead of 5 is that some of the animal habitats and viewing areas were not very well maintained. A few tanks had noticeable algae buildup, which made it difficult to clearly see some of the animals. Overall though, we still had a good experience and would recommend visiting if you are in the Fort Walton Beach area.

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    Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park
    Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park
    Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park

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    Buccaneer Pirate Cruise

    Buccaneer Pirate Cruise

    4.6
    (134 reviews)
    45.6 mi

    An interactive, fun experience for families that have young children. I even noticed preteens…read morehaving a blast. Unfortunately, for myself and my family we were sold on this idea of a pretty cool pirate ship that tours the island of Destin. Not at all with this ship does. This cruise is solely intended to entertain children while you explore a small area of the waters for example passing crab Island starting just a short distance away from Harbor Walk. We were lucky enough to see a dolphin take a quick flip above water, but if you blinked and missed it, which some people in my group did, then you missed it but it's not advertised as part of the experience so for those of us that saw it, we were lucky. I do find that there are many dolphins and you get to see them probably any day you're on the water. The ship is exceptionally clean, and I loved the laboratory facilities. Not your typical tiny bathrooms that you find on a boat. We did order the fast on boarding Tickets, which I did not feel were necessary. No one asked us for it and when we got to the ship, we were instructed to walk to the front just like everybody else and had to wait for one family to board ahead of us as they only board one group at a time. In my mind that family did not have a fast on boarding, however, who knows. We were not asked for the Pass and there was no line or sign to indicate what side to stand on if you had a fast on boarding. Maybe this is more valuable during peak season but definitely not now.

    We had a great time on the cruise! Brought the family to Destin and my girls wanted my grandson to…read moreexperience a Pirate Cruise like they did when they were little. It was outstanding. The staff were all helpful and entertaining to all onboard that I saw. Interacting with as many guest as possible. Cracking jokes, dancing with the kids, training them to be a "Pirate". I would highly suggest this place for more than just the cruise. They are outstanding believers in Jesus Christ and also support missions. I am sure your family would enjoy everything about it.

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    Buccaneer Pirate Cruise
    Buccaneer Pirate Cruise
    Buccaneer Pirate Cruise

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    Wild Encounters Cafe - zoos - Updated June 2026

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