What an awesome deal. During 2020 COVID hell, this was the happiest day we've had in ... a while…read more I saw All About Animals somewhat randomly on Groupon, and it piqued my interest immediately. We'd been trying to figure out what to do for both kids' birthdays this summer with the no-normal-parties bummer going on. Maybe we could do a masked-up animal show n tell on the back patio...? So I called Cindi (owner of All About Animals) after reading up on her website. She was generally doing online only stuff and was NOT doing birthday parties. I totally understood, I said - we weren't about to have a bunch of kids over right now. But would she do a "private" show n tell for just our 4-person family? She would. Score! Outdoors is too hot for some of the animals during the Texas summer, so we set up inside, with a table for her and 4 chairs facing the table, about 8-10' away. The agreement was she'd be masked up the entire time and so would we. She also left her shoes at the door, which we didn't even ask her to do. The kids loved it. We loved it. It was... just perfect. We picked 10 critters and geared it towards ones we could touch and often hold. The pictures don't show all 10, but dude... it was just awesome. Fun AND highly educational. If you're an animal person AND can be safe and respectful during this time, I HIGHLY recommend this. The kids were immediately asking when the next time Ms Cindi could come over again with her animals. Just... awesome!

We went for my birthday and had such a great time. They've only been open for less than a year (if…read moreI'm remembering right), and since it's on private property, it doesn't really feel like a zoo at all. You're literally stepping onto a their land and it's immediately clear how loved and well cared for all the animals are. The family who owns it shared stories about each animal--how they were rescued, where they came from, and their personalities. Everything was really clean and well kept, and you can tell a lot of thought went into how the animals live there. Comfort of the animals seem to be top priority. While we were there, staff were in the kitchen cutting up fresh fruit for them. They were able to share education related to each animal and what each requires. They also have a waitlist for abandoned/unwanted animals because so many people trust them for rescuing exotic animals. You can tell they built their whole life around the animals. It's such a unique place, and I can't wait to go back.

My daughter and I attended the Taco and Tails event on Sunday. What an incredible experience; I…read morenever thought I'd be able to have an opportunity to hands on with so many different animals!! Otters, lemurs, a bearcat, 2 different species of fox; 2 roaming around inside with the wildcat, ball pythons, coatis and monkeys, my favorite. The volunteers were friendly and very knowledgeable about the animals they were working with. The tacos and elote were prepared by the Texas Rangers personal chef and delicious!! They recently celebrated their one year anniversary and added so many animals to their farm. Check their website for an upcoming events, private tours and birthday parties.

Timberview Farmstead opened in March of 2024, and this was my first. I am filled with joy and can…read moreguarantee I will be back and in the meantime, sharing this gem with my friends and neighbors! Timberview will be a huge establishment; I wish them the best of luck as they continue to grow! Typically, there are 30 - 40 people who come to the events. They also do field trip days where they have 120 kids at a time doing all the fun activities and meeting the animals. My friend and I got lucky to have a near private tour with us and grandparents with their grandkids. Seth was kind enough to show us all around, teach us all about the animals and this wonderful place. Normally, it is more free roam. The summer schedule runs as follows: Daily Farm Schedule 10:15 AM Rabbit Races at the Small Animal Barn 10:45 AM Petting Tables at the Small Animal Barn 11:15 AM Sheep and Goat Walk Meet in front of the Large Animal Barn 12:15 PM Hold the Chickens at the Poultry Barn 1:00 PM Daily Theme Activity Each day is a different activity, and those are: TEA PARTY TUESDAYS Join us for afternoon tea with the bunnies! WATER WEDNESDAYS Bathe the goats, water the plants, and feed the ducks! TAKE HOME THURSDAYS Come pick up a farm activity to bring home! FISHING FRIDAYS Pick up a pole and head to boathouse! I loved the rabbit races. Getting to pick your rabbit, and then they put on race music for the bunnies to get excited and run. It is so fun. Reese and Waffles won our races, so you can try those two bunnies for your races. They did let us know two bunnies that we could not pick because they just had babies or were pregnant. They take good care of their animals here! Another activity that we thoroughly enjoyed was the goat and sheep walk. It unlocked a new joy for me. Seeing kids walk a goat or sheep. There is nothing quite like it! One child walked the mama goat, and the baby followed the whole way. One sheep (Ana) decided she did not want to go for a walk and dug her heels in the ground, so they let her go out to the pasture. Again, nothing is forced. If the animal doesn't want to or is tired, they get a pass. I can't wait for their fall activities! They plan to be open every Saturday in October and will have pumpkins and likely a small hay maze. December plans are unknown, but they may also be open on Saturdays, so follow their Facebook page and website for details to come. In the future, they hope to have a farmers market, coffee shop, and eventually a restaurant. Right now, their produce is sold to Tacos Oasis, a restaurant down the road and a catering company. We got to see them harvesting microgreens during the visit. Seth taught us about aquaponics, a method of growing lettuce in water from fish, which combines hydroponics with raising fish in tanks. About 20 employees work here, and the 5 or so that we got to interact with were welcoming and honestly, heartwarming to chat with. Seth obviously stands out because he walked around with us for two hours, but also T. She is a midwife who is changing up careers and a very pleasant person to chat with about the animals. The last thing I'll note. For being a farm, it is shocking how clean this place is! They do a great job keeping the floors clean. Ample hand washing stations and a few bathrooms in some buildings. The one thing I found missing was a diaper changer. It's possible they have one, but just not in the rabbit barn bathroom. Come enjoy, stay as long as you can, and definitely become a member to get the most joy from this place! Pack water, snacks, and a full lunch so you and the kids can stay happy during your visit. You can also visit Taco Oasis down the road afterward like we did! Check out all my pictures for detailed captions on cool things we saw.

Shadow was a lovely twenty-seven year old mare who our son learned to ride on for almost two years…read moreat Ascend Camp & Retreat. But Shadow got lame and no use to Ascend so she was left to lie (or in my opinion - left to die) alone in the mud. Long and ridiculous story, which involved us offering to buy Shadow for the past few months, to give her a happy retirement while she was still relatively ok. Ascend Camp left it too late and ended up donating her to us like this, nearly dead.

I went horseback riding with my friend and it was so amazing. Isaiah was our instructor, he was so…read morefriendly patient, knowledgable and kind. The horses are treated so well and all seem so happy. I will be coming back and recommend to everyone

We hired Daryl for a party. It was the best party we have ever hosted! Everybody fell in love with…read morethe snakes from our baby to the adults. We had somebody at our party that was scared at first and didn't want to even touch one and eventually wanted to hold them all. They are truly misunderstood creatures. Daryl explained each snake, and we eventually started holding all of the snakes at once and trading with each other. He was so knowledgeable and we had a great time with him and his snakes. So fun!! I highly recommend Snake Encounters if you're having a party!

Daryl was amazing at my daughter's 7th birthday. The kids (and the adults) loved the show. We are…read morebig fans of edutainment so I love when we can teach the kids something while they're also having the time of their life. I will be recommending snake encounters to everyone I know that books programs at schools or has a snake lover at home

The kids had a ball with the game truck. Brian was super nice and helped them all. Would highly…read morerecommend. He also gave us a discount for teachers and first responders in our neighborhood. I thought that was amazing!!

We had a great ride this morning while in town! Even when you own your own you can't come to Texas…read moreand not ride lol. All the horses were great quarter horses and very relaxed! I appreciate Snoop, he took good care of me and we enjoyed each others company a lot

It was amazing. I havent rode a horse since i was a kid and i felt so alive when i did. Staff is…read morefriendly and very educated! They gave us tips and emergency strategies. I would definitely recommend. It is something romantic as well to do with your partner.

Near and dear to my heart is the Children's Aquarium at Fair Park. A large portion of the Big 5…read moreTexas Stars I've awarded are due to this facilities history. Let me point out from the beginning,one of my earliest childhood memories was standing in front of the tank of Piranha in a dream state . Originally built as part of the Texas Centennial Celebration in 1936,it remained to be used in Fair Park all year and during the State Fair of Texas. One of dozens of buildings built in the Art Deco style,this aquarium was one of only 12 in the US at the time In 1963 it was expanded making it the 3 rd largest in the nation . It was placed on the National Historic Landmark registry and a Has cycled through decades of ups and downs. Most recently closing after the pandemic. Fortunately a company has stepped in to save and operate it. Fare warning,this is a local niche treasure and not a word class facility. Someplace you can take kids for an hour or so without spending a fortune. My grandsons and I went here and had a lot of fun for an hour. So,if your expectations are historic small aquarium,easy parking, reasonable admission and interesting sea creatures. Go!

We have a membership here which is perfect for my little one. It's on the small side but really is…read moregreat for kiddos. We enjoy the presentations they give and all the fact that you can do the whole aquarium in an 45 minutes or less.