I have been obsessed with wanting to visit this zoo since 2017 and April the giraffe gave birth on…read morecamera.. and we finally went! The staff was absolutely incredible! It was an overcast day so it wasn't very crowded. The animals were well kept and taken care of. We loved visiting Oliver first thing when you walk thru the gate, he loves his lettuce! Every employee cares about every one of those animals and it shows. We did the sloth encounter with Olivia and she was so knowledgeable and loving with the sloths, answered all our questions and even took our picture with puppy and Lola. It was an experience we'll never forget. There is a rope course in the middle that we had to try out and it was so much fun! The feed buckets were a little expensive for what they were but we figure worth it if the cost was going back to the animals and my son had such a great time feeding anything and everything he could, even returning to his "favorites" like the Capybara. As we were leaving, the cashier at the gift shop made sure we knew about the discount our park admission got us to the preserve drive thru area so of course we headed over there. All in all an amazing experience and we hope to come back!

This place treats their animals horribly for one the amount of water the penguins had is so sad,…read moreand the amount of shade the giraffe had well it's simple they didn't have any, oh and also the alligators water was full of poop

You have a beautiful park and our family has enjoyed every visit , but today we made the mistake of…read morepurchasing food. First of all it was the most disgusting food I have ever had the misfortune of trying to eat , which went from 1 bite to trash!!!! Secondly you should be ashamed charging amount money for this garbage, "shame on you " who is she selling her house? Hope you take this as chance to do better

We had a bus trip to visit in the morning during the week so it was not that busy. This was my…read morefirst time here but I'd heard good things about it. We walked through the gift shop to board a little train ride. The train ride was kinda lame in that you just went in a circle around a pond and didn't see anything other than some llamas. We were then free to roam around the grounds. I especially liked feeding the giraffes the carrots! I felt like the bigger animals should have had bigger spaces to roam around (it seemed cramped and big cats were pacing back and forth in an agitated mood). The bear cubs were very playful and cute rolling around with each other. It was fun to experience this but I think the Syracuse zoo is better with more space for the animals and more variety.

I really enjoy taking my daughter to this zoo. It's very clean and organized and there's always…read moreplenty of parking! My daughter absolutely loves seeing all the animals. They have multiple exhibits here such as the barn animals, aquatic life, elephants, tigers and seasonally, leopards too! This zoo is very stroller friendly and it's easy to spend about an hour or two walking around and taking the time to look at each animal. The gift shop is well organized and fun to browse. I do wish they would update the cafe and have more food options and allergen friendly options, that would be my main critique.

We went to Brew at the Zoo, VIP, and experienced what the food options were inside before the event…read morestarted. It's a 'real chef' behind the food, and she's great! Go experience an evening event at the Zoo if you can. It's worth it!

This is not your large city zoo, it is small and 90% outdoors, so a snowy winter day not the best…read moreidea, haha. That being said for small children it's perfect, a nice walk, easy to see the exhibits. Personally I think the areas are too small for the animals and wouldn't visit again. Price point and membership options do make it affordable for families.

What a cute zoo! We were in town for the Boilermaker race and looking for other things to do. I'm…read moreglad we went because the animals at this zoo are obviously happy to see visitors. I had a Moment (big M) with the ostrich ladies who came right up to their fence and shared all their gossip. They even followed in parallel as my husband and I walked on the path. Well worth the visit, lots of parking, it can be sunny and hot in the summer so bring your water and wear your coral-safe sunscreen.

This was my first time at Fort Rickey, and it was a perfect day! All of the animals were active,…read moreand it was so cool to see them up close. Our capybara-loving kid was over-the-moon to get to feed the capybaras, and I think a piece of me was healed after snuggling with baby goats. The admission prices were very reasonable, especially with so much to do. We could not have had a better experience, from the friendly bird who played with us when we checked in, to all of the animal presentations and encounters. You can tell the animals are well-taken care of and happy, and the employees are, too. We were really impressed with how knowledgeable the employees were, and how great they are with the kids and families. They explained all of the safety rules clearly, and they had great enthusiasm and patience. To top it off, our kids loved getting to play on the playground, in the play place, and on the massive trampoline. Pro tip: bring a little extra cash and quarters to get some extra food for some of the animals. Core memories were created for sure, and we hope to come back on our next visit.

The Fort Rickey Discovery Zoo is fucking AWESOME…read more We needed a place for a stopover with the kids to break up a long drive. We looked into activities in Utica and area, and someone suggested this place. We had no idea what to expect and pulling into the parking lot, were prepared to be underwhelmed. We were so wrong. Think your typical, big city zoo, and take away all the stuff you don't like, and add in more of the stuff that you do like. For example, make the size of the zoo manageable for kids to walk around. Instead of having 11,000 species of animals that most people don't care that much about, have a smaller place where you really get to be up close. Then add in more interaction - literally every 30 minutes there is something on the schedule for kids to go play with goats, or touch a porcupine. And then throw in a kids play area, and clean bathrooms! Skip the Utica Zoo and come here. 10/10 would recommend for families looking for a fun way to spend 3 or more hours of their day.

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.

What an absolute gem of a find! We were looking for a pit stop on a long drive where we could grab…read morelunch and stretch our legs, and then I saw pictures of Amberations and immediately knew I wanted to figure out how to get there. It took us a couple of U-turns to find the exact spot, but once we arrived, I was so glad we made the effort! The kids absolutely loved meeting the barn animals, while I loved the beautiful riverside picnic tables. We also traded a few books at the little library and took a nice, long walk along the nature trails. We ended up spending much more time here than we expected, but honestly, we enjoyed every minute of it. It was peaceful, beautiful, and had something for everyone in the family. Such a wonderful little oasis that we happened to stumble upon during a road trip. Definitely worth the detour!

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.

Be prepared for animals in your car ! We were visiting from MD and after the park, we decided to do…read morethe drive thru Perserve, mainly because Taj the giraffe (Aprils son) was there and he was one of the main reasons we even came. We got discounted tickets because we went to the park first. We drove up to the entrance and the staff were super friendly and explained all the rules and sold us buckets of feed. Although we were warned about the animals and what they would do, we were not fully prepared for the greediness of every animal! It was fun don't get me wrong but it got to be a little overwhelming . They will run up to your car, stuck their head in if your windows are down and gobble anything they can reach. Two hands on the bucket at all times. Some cattle even trotted next to the car once we were trying to move on. There are some pull off areas that you can stop for longer and cars behind you can pass if they want which was nice. The only time I felt uneasy was when a bison (was protecting her baby) and almost body slammed a llama or alpaca into the side of our car. You're clearly made aware that it is at your own risk, but it still shook me a little. A slight annoyance was the Car in front of has had little kids (like 5 years old) hanging out of the sunroof and windows, feeding the animals food they clearly brought from home and the employees didn't say anything. We felt that was really unsafe for the kids and the animals and someone should have said something . The best part was at the end are the giraffes (Taj!) and you can park and get out of your car to go see them and feed them. Linda at the giraffe stand was incredible and got them to come over to see us after maybe about 5-10 minutes of them ignoring us lol. All in all, We really did enjoy the drive and the animals and would definitely do it again.

Great safari. Very expensive for the experience you get though. Also watch out for the camel, bro…read moretried to eat our cars side mirror. Like literally biting on it and trying to eat it.

Went there today with a gay family member and was treated with nothing but respect from the owner…read more We had a great time. So many animals to visit with. Just because people have a different political belief then some doesn't mean that we can accuse them of racism or homophobia. Great family friendly place to visit for ALL people!

This was such a fantastic experience! $8 a person and you can pet the wild animals, baby goats and…read morekitty. Horses and cows. Ride the zip line. Play with toys and animals. Explore the grounds. Cute little paddle oars. Ride the tractor. Such a great experience. My kids absolutely loved it. Super friendly people. Clean. Would totally go here again!