Where else are you going to get to scrub an elephant? I bought the experience for my husband as a birthday gift. It was a lot of fun and informative. They are planning to add additional animals. We saw a few zebras and they have three elephants. The elephant owners have had each abandoned elephant since they were about a year and a half old and are now in their 30s and 40s! The elephants definitely enjoyed their baths and swayed around the area happily. You can tell they have a great relationship with their handlers and have their own personalities. Loved it and it was a very memorable birthday present. read more

Wilstem - Photo op after the bath. - Zoos Near Me - Paoli, Indiana

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Nice place to checkout and feed wildlife. Very open and clean area. Nice and welcoming staff. read more

This was a great and educational experience! We used a Groupon to see the kangaroos and giraffes. We were actually provided the opportunity to go in and pet and interact with the animals, which was awesome. While we waited for our turn with the kangaroos and giraffes, the owner and his sidekick had a ton of information that they were able to give us about those specific animals. This Saturday, March 10, the elephants return and I would love to get to do a spa day with them. When driving to Wilstem from French Lick, the property was on the right hand side and not difficult to locate. We will be back again! read more

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We loved Wilstem. Great experience. I was so excited that I got to wash elephants, pet and feed giraffes, zebras and kangaroos for my 50th birthday. The staff and animal caretakers were friendly and knowledgeable. read more

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My boyfriend took me to Wilstem as a birthday surprise to do the Otter Encounter. This experience required a reservation. I'm assuming the other direct contact experiences also required reservations. They also have a drive through safari. You check in at the counter in the gift shop/cafe and then you can browse the small animal barn next door while you wait for the Otter Encounter. The small animals shelter included kangaroos, a wallaby, various reptiles, and maybe some kind antelope? The Otter Encounter includes a max of 6 guests at a time. They allow children 10+ and adults to utilize the toys and play with the otters. Children under 10 may only observe the play. All guests are allowed to feed the otters and pet them when the handler is holding them. Otters are my favorite animal and this was such a cool experience. I didn't see the entire place but it looked like a well-maintained facility for the animals. They also have horseback riding and ziplining. If you're in the French Lick area, this is a great spot for adults and kids alike. read more

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We had the most amazing time at Wilstem and can attest that it was DEFINITELY worth the 9 hour drive to get there. The trainers Jorge and Kale, and tour guide Steve were extremely knowledgeable and so friendly. Great once-in-a-lifetime adventures with staff who provide a fantastic experience and top notch customer service. It is a must visit location for all animal lovers! read more

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Great place to take the kids. We did the wagon safari with Kevin. Make sure you pay attention when he tells you the ostriches are sneaky ( and they are mean) read more

This place is amazing! We had the rise and shine elephant experience, what a wonderful and delightful visit with the elle's. Management was great in handling the elephants and gave us so much time with them. My only regret is it's 10 hrs away. I loved it read more

This is a must do attraction when you are in the French Lick/West Baden. Jeff the bear guy is awesome and the bear encounter is incredible. All I can say is do it, do it, do it. read more

You must visit Wilstem Wildlife Park! It's a warm, welcoming place with wonderful staff members. You can get close to some amazing animals who all appear content and well taken care of. I loved feeding & touching the elephants; feeding the giraffes and various animals along the safari path. Holding a sweet 7 month old wallaby in her baby carrier was just irresistible. Animals tolerate so much from us humans! There's so much to do at Wilstem, I realize I will have to make multiple trips. Whatever you choose to do, you won't be disappointed. This place is a gem and it belongs on everyone's bucket list. read more

We had a great time visiting this awesome ranch located between Paoli and French Lick! It's sort of like a small zoo with some interaction with some animals. In addition to the Elephants and the Giraffes there were kangaroos, snakes, goats, zebras, bisons, rabbits, etc... The staff was friendly and informative! I think it would be fun to stay in one of the cabins and go horseback riding. read more

Wilstem - Zoos Near Me - Paoli, Indiana

The people at Wilstem were are almost as amazing as the animals there! My wife and I were visiting for my birthday and we left home (Louisiana) right before a hurricane. We were unable to fly back home because the airport was closed. We ended up having to stay longer than expected because of it. They had the room open so they allowed us to rent it. They didn't have to do this, but the care and concern shown by the staff for our qell being was great. My wife and I will be back to enjoy all the animals we didn't get to see. Thank you Wilstem for your hospitality and your help. read more

Heard about this Ranch in Extol. Decided to take my girls to see the elephants & giraffes up close. Unfortunately, it's not warm enough for the giraffes to travel yet. So, I choose just the Educational Elephant Encounter. There is a Spa Encounter also. Make sure to look at the website about how to get there. Also, the large sign comes up quickly after a curve. I almost passed but up. We rode a bus a short distance to a large building. We sat on bleachers & listened to the Ranch owner talk about the African elephant that was already out. Later, the other 2 elephants walked to their areas. He answered many questions. Two children were picked to hold an apple & orange for 1 of the elephants to eat. We were then allowed to touch & pet the elephants & have photos taken with them. It was so interesting! Both my girls enjoyed it, as did I. The elephants live in the area for 8 months. The rest of the year they live in FL. There are other things to do at the ranch-Stay in cabins, zip line, ride ATVs. It is very close to French Lick, which is a town full of things for families to do. We will be going back, when the giraffes arrive. read more

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I have been here twice. These are amazing people running a wildlife sanctuary. I've done the elephant encounter. It's super informational & you get to touch & feed them & get up close. Sure not something that happens every day! & I've met the sloth 'luna'. I was way surprised at how interesting the life of a sloth is, & that is because the trainer is amazing. This place is so cool. It's down to earth & family friendly. Just people giving you the opportunity to learn & meet some amazing animals. read more

Loved staying overnight at a cabin and everything we did on our trip. The light show for Christmas was great. But my highlights were the giraffes and the best was the grizzlies. Meeting Jeff and talking at length to him about the bears was fascinating! A man who you can tell loves his bears and takes incredible care of them. He understands their behavior and they in turn watch him. They are intelligent animals. Highly recommend going and take the opportunity to hear from Jeff! read more

Our trip there was totally amazing I would do it again all over many times the people were amazing everybody was polite I couldn't have asked for a better time met some new friends and my sister Terry and I are planning on a return trip read more

This was so much more than I expected. Our grandchildren loved this adventure. Feeding the camels and giraffes was amazing and they are such gentle animals. I would highly recommend this. Well ran and the employees are knowledgeable and friendly. The wagon safari was amazing as well as our tour guide and prices are fair. read more

We took a safari tour yesterday with Steve and the experience was incredible! The animals were very friendly and came right up to the wagon. We were able to pet the llamas, goats, ostriches, and camels. There were other animals you could see on the tour but not touch as well for safety reasons. our tour guide Steve was very knowledgeable and kind. My favorite part was at the end we signed up to encounter the kangaroos which was amazing! I have never been able to pet a kangaroo before so that was a rare experience for me. We were also able to feed the giraffe and birds and it was very enjoyable. I highly recommend going for a visit!!! read more

My friend and I took our kids to Wilstem over spring break. We enjoyed every minute of it- loved we could do a tractor ride and feeding the animals! we loved the close encounMyers. Stafff was very nice. The bears and Jeff " The Bear Man" Watson were my favorite. He answered our questions and was very knowledgeable. Now knowing, he has shows on Discovery +, the kids and I are enjoying watching those in the evening and learning new things about his bears, Bob and Screech. The kids loved feeding the giraffe. The park itself, was very clean and also had a shopping and snack area. I highly recommend coming to Wilstem Wildlife Park! read more

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We had a wonderful experience at Wilstem. The staff was friendly and helpful. We never felt hurried and was very satisfied with the amount exposure to the animals. We cuddled with wallabies, fed giraffes, and were amazed my bears. We also watched kangaroos, goats, and zebras play to name a few other experiences. We will definitely come back with more family trips. Thank you!! read more

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A great place for families and people who adore wildlife. They offer several options including elephant meet and greet, or the Elephant Spa. They also have kangaroos, farm animals, and giraffes. The workers are so nice and do an excellent job of telling you about the different animals and their personalities. Highly recommend this place to anyone! read more

The adventure was supposed to start at 4:00. It didn't start until almost 4:30. We were bused up a hill to an auditorium where we filed in on bleachers and then watched the wife of the trainer and our bus driver scrub the floor for 10 minutes. It smelled like you would expect a farm animal enclosure to smell. After that the elephants came out. After a short speech and a long question and answer session we were all told to gather in the front for pictures. It was a mad house of people scrambling everywhere to pet and get a picture with the elephants. People had to beg other people to take their pictures because there was no one else to do it. Totally unorganized and chaos. The whole thing was over by 5:15 and we filed back on the bus. There was a discount on Groupon but it was even cheaper because we were staying at Big Splash Adventure. If you're in it to pet an elephant for between $45-$75 for a family of three, this is great for you. read more

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Wow! What an amazing experience this was for my family! We actually stayed the weekend here at this beautiful ranch and am so glad we did! It's the most beautiful and peaceful place after all the visitors have left for the day. We got to wash and meet the elephants, pet and spend time with the kangaroos and all the other wonderful animals they had! We even got to spend time with the giraffes and feed them (which was unexpected because you have to purchase giraffes separately). Every single person at the ranch was wonderful! So friendly, super informative and so much fun!!! We will absolutely be back and recommend everyone to go here! Thank you Wilstem Ranch for a one of a kind experience!!! read more

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This was the greatest experience of my life. I have always loved elephants, and this places allowed me to learn about and interact with them, which was one of my life goals. Thank you so so much for this incredible experience!! read more

Wilstem - Zoos Near Me - Paoli, Indiana

Terrible waste of money. Staff was very rude. We thought we would have a nice morning at the safari drive thru but it only took 30 minutes. We called about directions when our directions took us to an entrance that was labeled "exit only". When we called to ask what we should do we were told oh you can come in that way, the road is just really narrow. We should have just stopped then, but being on vacation we continued and we're greeted by more rude and clueless folks everywhere we went I know that good help is hard to find but really. Trust me, save your money. read more

Elephant encounter is huge COVID risk. Overall, we had a great day at the ranch but the elephant experience is indoors, poor air circulation/ventilation, packed full of people sitting in stands without enough space to socially distance, and no masks required. Everything else about our visit to the ranch was AWESOME! read more

The most beautiful, amazing, experience I have had in a very long time. Hint for anyone going: go on a weekday, preferably when raining: very small crowd= extra time with the animals for you. Incredible 10 stars place with 10 hearts people! I loved this day and I will be coming back as often as possible. Worth every penny and more. Thank you! read more

Wilstem - Zoos Near Me - Paoli, Indiana

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Such a unique experience! The Wilstem Ranch currently has three elephants (and giraffes for a separate experience) that you can have a "spa day" with, where you take turns with the rest of the people on the tour going through the steps it takes to bathe an elephant. I got to apply soap with a giant brush and it was quite the workout! One hour is dedicated to bathing the elephants and one hour is for questions, a few tricks by the elephants and photo opportunities. You will leave wishing you could work there and spend your days with the elephants! Very informative read more

We did the full experience where we got to meet all of the animals. The staff is passionate about what they do and you can see how much they care about the animals and enjoy every min. The animals are friendly as can be. Being able to pet them and take pictures is an absolute wonderful experience. We especially loved the bear owner who was filled with a wealth of knowledge. One of my favorite alltime experiences. read more

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The Ranch exceeded our expectations! We stayed in Cabin 3 and it was a wonderful time! They cabin was clean and well equipped. In their explanation of the cabins, it says that there are 2 full beds, but I am really sure they are queens because my husband and I fit fine and comfortably! Everything was nice and clean! It was a true blessing that the cabin has AC! That's my kind of camping!! It was hot out and nice to be able to come inside to cool off. Outside they had a picnic table, firepit, grill, and 4 plastic lawn chairs. Nearby there was a small pool, a play area and horseshoes. Inside it was a fully equipped kitchen: full fridge/freezer, stove/oven, microwave, coffee maker, a couple trays for ice, table for 4, toaster, some kitchen pans and utensils, dish soap and hand soap, towels, pot holders. They do have plates, glasses, coffee cups, and eating utensils, but not a lot. They do have paper towels and toilet paper. Also bath towels and little bars of hotel soap. On site they have horse back riding and zip lines. We did an arena horse ride and the girls loved it. They have 9 zip lines. We did a short version of their zip lines; only 3. They were pretty good. The only down side is that they require you to buy their firewood. Which is fine. But it is $6 a bundle. They are not that big of bundles. We went thru 2 bundles in one night. If we would have stayed there a week, that would have gotten really expensive really quick. I would recommended staying here for sure. We will be back. It is about 10 minutes away from downtown french lick and maybe 5ish from paoli peaks. read more

A couple of weekends ago my brother signed us up for the sloth encounter which advertised a 30 minute encounter. It was advertised as a small intimate group that would get to basically interact with the sloth. So we get there and the metal building that lodged the animals was very hot (only had a big fan at the entrance door and the sloth was in a room with a plexiglass wall and in the room the only air circulating was from a small fan sitting on a stool in the corner. The room was roughly 10x12. The small intimate encounter ended up being a total of 12 people in a 10x12 room. The instructor was so hot that she kept repeating herself and reported that she was so hot she could not remember what she said. After about 15 minutes my sister has a near syncopal episode and has to be lead out of the room. In the middle of this metal building is picnic tables and we sit down at one and one of the workers sees that she is obviously not well and brings her a bottle of water which she reports can't drink because she is now so sick from the heat. We were very unimpressed & disappointed with the encounter we had and do not feel that for 69.00 a person we got what was advertised. I did reach out to this company privately but the only response was a canned text that they would be contacting me and never did. DEFINATELY NOT WORTH 69.00 per person!! Would not recommend this to anyone. read more

I could not have been happier with our stay at Wilstem Guest Ranch. The staff was friendly. The land is beautiful! We stayed in the carriage house "A" which had a comfortable queen bed, gas fireplace and heart-shaped jacuzzi tub. There was also a private picnic table and fire-pit outside our cabin. Blake and Steven took us zip-lining and ATV riding. They were both knowledgeable, fun and really friendly and coached me through the zip-line tour when I almost had a panic attack (cause I'm bad with heights and generally things out of my control) Request them! They also have a pool, horse riding, cows, alpacas and some other neat animals... hot tubs, horseshoes, pond, basketball, beautiful scenery on so many acres you can't see them all in one day. Hands down the best place I have stayed to date. read more

We had a wonderful experience with my parents. The giraffe and elephant education tour was completely worth for the amount of time we allowed to interact with the animals. Took off one star because one lady was inattentive at the cash register in the "Roo and Crew Barn" she was playing on tablet and made me wait until what ever she was viewing ended to attend to me. Great time. read more

The website says no refunds and they MEAN it. This was our 2nd visit, I planned it as a surprise for my husband all around the wolf encounters he was beyond excited to experience. My husband and I planned to participate in both encounters offered for the wolves and our friend would take our children on the All Access Tour during the same time as they were not old enough to participate. We made separate reservations so the minors would be with the correct adult. The farm cancelled the wolf encounters (no explanation and no known point at which they might return) and refunded that reservation but were unwilling to refund the tickets for my friend and children even though our entire trip was planned around and for my husband experiencing the wolf encounters. The day before the reservation that could not be cancelled, my daughter had to be taken to the emergency room and we were significantly delayed in our trip. However, the farm would still not allow us to cancel with a refund, only reschedule. The actual animal encounters were as wonderful this trip as the first, just make sure you absolutely 100% can go when you book it and that you are willing to go for all your reaervations regardless of what may be cancelled. read more

We did the Giraffe and Kangaroo encounter had an awesome experience. Our guide was amazing. He was very knowledgeable and patient with our 2 year old grandson. He went above and beyond to make our experience so great. read more

Wilstem - Zoos Near Me - Paoli, Indiana

My boyfriend and I visited Wilstem on Friday, February 12, and it was awesome! All of the staff members were very kind and knowledgeable, especially Teri. Teri was our guide for the sloth encounter. She was so good with Luna, the sloth, and we had the best time learning about these fascinating creatures! Jeff the bear trainer was also great! He shared many stories about his experiences with bears and Bob and Screech were entertaining to watch! We will definitely come back and visit in the summer! Thanks for a great time! read more

My family really enjoyed Cabin 5 over Spring Break. It was quiet, off the beaten path, and roomy (plenty of space between the cabins). We LOVED the Roos and Elephant encounter! Though the bus ride seems kinda silly since the elephant encounter is literally ~200 steps away. The elephants are amazing and the handlers sooo knowledgeable. We also appreciated the young man showing the animals to folks in the Roo building. My 2 year old was amazed that he got to pet a snake! The cabin we were in was private, roomy, well decorated, clean, stocked well (minus dish soap), and we enjoyed it immensely. I will warn you this is a smidge off the beaten path. Which we loved, but be prepared to entertain yourselves as the cabin tv will only get ~3 channels and there is no cell phone reception (at least for at&t). I kind of liked this as it forced my family to have fun together! Though wifi would have been appreciated. A few recommendations for management though. 1) I'd read online about tons of hiking trails but no literature in rooms for how to get there and no ability to get online (so we never went hiking) - for an 1100 acre ranch I was planning to explore - maybe you could provide some literature in the rooms or at checking for hiking paths or even offer guided tours of the ranch on weekends for cabin guests, 2) a playground for kids would be great with all that green space between cabins, 3) no dish soap in our cabin - we had to wash dishes with hand soap, 4) the hand soaps in bathroom were not very good - very small/hard/didn't lather, would recommend switching brands, and 5) the towels are very rough - I'd recommend upgrading the quality whenever you replace them, as towels and toiletries are one of those little things that really influences your impression of a vacation rental (at least in my opinion) That is just a few small suggestions I still give this place 5 stars. I loved visiting Wilstem Ranch :) read more

Let me start off by saying the staff were a joy to be around! They were knowledgeable, friendly, chatty, they truly made the experience more enjoyable. My husband and I visited the kangaroos and giraffes. It was an amazing experience. Each group within your group we're able to spend their own time with the animals. Which was nice. It wasn't crowded. The animals were all alert and active. I can't wait to go back and bring our kiddos! This place is growing and I can't wait to see what they do in the future with their expansions! read more

I saw the groupon for this adventure and decided to call the ranch BEFORE I bought with groupon. Wilstem offered me the same great rate with a guarantee of the days we wanted. That rate included two nights in cabin #3, 4 tickets for the Elephant Seminar, and 4 tickets for their sister property Big Splash Adventure. They also gave us discount coupons for the Lazer tag, which in next to Big Splash. Cabin #3 was roomy enough and quaint for my husband and I, and our three grandchildren. It was very basic, with linens and paper products and very lightly stocked kitchen. This is NOT a motel, so don't expect any kind of posh! The pots and pans provided were all worn, rusted and eaten away teflon. Dinner ware for was an assortment of this and that. I would recommend if you stay to bring your favorite cooking pan, paper plates, cups and plastic ware. Linens are very thin and itchy. Everything is dated.....remember it's a cabin. We enjoyed the fireplace and the DVD worked great for movie and popcorn for the kiddos in the evening. But..... we still enjoyed our stay. The hosts were very kind and hospitable. We took a little hike around the ranch and enjoyed looking at the zebras, goats, bison, and the sweet miniature horses. The ranch hand we met was very kind and personable and let us pet the baby miniature foal. The grandkids enjoyed playing in the cedar children's house and exploring around the cabin. The Elephant Seminar was very good! They seem to be very well cared for by their owners. We listened to them talk all about the "girls" and then they answered questions from the audience of about 65 people. Each family then got a chance to get their photo taken and touch the elephants trunk. At this point our kids were ready to go. Lol! This books up pretty fast especially during spring break so call ahead. We found out they do a "spa" for the elephants in addition to the seminar, but it was booked up. The ranch is very close to several attractions and restaurants for families, read more

Great experience! We came here for my friends Bachelorette Party and it was an awesome day! We specifically went for the elephant spa bath, we booked months in advance and had a 9:30 AM time slot. We arrived the night before and stayed in a cabin, and it was just that, a cabin (a no frills stay.) The next morning before the Spa Day we even got to feed/pet & interact with other animals, goats, kangaroos, giraffes, donkeys & more! What a nice surprise that was. Then we headed to another barn to give Lou the African elephant a bath! There was a group of 12 of us (8 were us girls) we all had multiple turns to wash, scrub, and rinse Lou, then we learned a lot (Thanks to George) about elephants from their life span to the different kinds and how you can tell them all apart. Then, we took lots of photos and got to pet and cuddle Lou, she was so sweet and you can tell she is well treated at Wilstem and loves her trainer George. Everyone was super friendly and happy to give you more info on any of the animals or even just chat about the Farm. Thank you George and Wilstem staff for this amazing experience we were lucky to have! I definitely recommend this spot for any animal lovers out there! read more