Petting Zoo Ocala - Ocala, Florida

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Petting Zoo Ocala: A Delightful Family Destination

Petting Zoo Ocala is a well-established tourist attraction located in Ocala, Florida, offering a unique and engaging experience for visitors of all ages. Situated at Address: 11150 FL-40, Ocala, FL 34482, and reachable via Phone: 3006688, the zoo provides an opportunity to interact with a diverse range of animals in a safe and comfortable environment. The zoo’s website, Website: pettingzooocala.com, is the best source for up-to-date information on operating hours, special events, and animal availability.

Animal Encounters & Features

The core of Petting Zoo Ocala’s appeal lies in its extensive collection of animals. Primarily, it’s a petting zoo, allowing guests to get close and personal with a variety of creatures. Visitors frequently comment on the joy of interacting with animals like pigs, who seem to particularly enjoy belly rubs – a testament to the zoo’s focus on animal welfare and positive interaction. Beyond the traditional petting animals, the zoo also houses a selection of rescued exotic animals, including monkeys, fostering a sense of compassion among guests.

The zoo maintains a high standard of cleanliness, with multiple hand-washing stations and readily available restroom facilities – a significant point of positive feedback from visitors. Notably, the zoo offers onsite services to enhance the visitor experience.

Accessibility and Amenities

Petting Zoo Ocala is committed to inclusivity, boasting a wheelchair accessible entrance and a wheelchair accessible parking lot. This ensures that individuals with mobility challenges can fully enjoy the zoo’s offerings. Further enhancing the experience, a gift shop is available for purchasing souvenirs and animal-related items. Families will appreciate the playground on site, providing a space for children to burn off energy after their animal encounters. They have 2 porta-potties and a few sinks with soap to wash your hands after feeding the animals.

Additional Attractions & Reviews

The zoo frequently features exciting attractions, such as camel rides, adding an element of adventure that particularly appeals to children. The sheer volume of positive feedback—currently averaging 4.2/5 stars based on 893 Google My Business reviews—strongly suggests a consistently pleasant experience for guests. The zoo's success in providing a clean and well-maintained environment, combined with the opportunity for direct animal interaction, contributes significantly to its popularity.

Recommendation

Petting Zoo Ocala offers a memorable day out for families and animal lovers alike. Considering the accessibility features, diverse animal collection, and positive reviews, it is a highly recommended destination. For the most current details on animal availability, special events, and booking information, we strongly encourage visitors to explore the zoo’s website at pettingzooocala.com. Contacting them directly through their website will ensure you have the most accurate information for your visit.

👍 Reviews of Petting Zoo Ocala

Krystal B.

5/5

My husband took me here and it was the best day ever. We saw every animal and I got to pet a few. The piggies love belly rubs.

leslie R.

3/5

This was a nice little place to pet and feed rescued animals. I felt for the exotic animals and the monkey we saw. They didn't look very happy. Every animal enclosure was very clean, which was impressive. They have 2 porta- potties to use if needed and a few sinks with soap to wash your hands after feeding the animals.

Christina L.

5/5

When I was there they had some camel 🐪 rides, which was
pretty cool. I would def recommend getting some feed.

Christopher R.

5/5

Beautiful animals and lovely place to visit! We had a blast walking around and seeing all the animals, it wasn’t too hot when we visited. I was there with a camera and a caretaker offered to gesture for some of the animals to come closer, it was a really nice gesture and helped me get some cool photos! Cant recommend enough, it was a great experience.

Marissa B.

5/5

We've been here several times over the years and every time the kids have a great time. Would definitely recommend for a family outing!

Delaney F.

1/5

How is this place open?! I feel so depressed and terrible after just spending money here. These poor exotic animals are in tiny, dirty, smelly cages. No food in sight! The animals are yelling and seem to be very upset. Kangaroo in a tiny cage with no land to run on. Monkeys that have been in small cages for 20 years. A poor bearded dragon (pretty sure it’s dead in the cage) with not the right lightning, a super small cage and no fresh food. Just absolutely horrible!! This place needs to close, it’s like a terrible circus. What is wrong with these people?! They should stick to just goats since they have nice land, everything else is soooo sad.

Michael M.

1/5

This is my second time here, the first time I don’t believe it was THIS bad, but i definitely will never be going back now. I wanted to have a fun family time with my wife and my daughter but that was a big mistake.
Let’s start off with what’s good here at the petting zoo. I believe the petting zoo itself is fine, the sheep and the goats and the emus and even the camel seem happy. The problems begin with the exotic animals. These animals are living in small enclosure and all look depressed. The Kangaroo barely has any space, the fox barely has space and neither do the monkeys. It’s so depressing to see them this way, and I believe this place should donate these animals to a zoo or something instead of keeping them here in cages. While this is bad enough, it went way south when I entered the reptile shed in the back of the property. I believe the management here may have gave up completely on them. I am someone who takes care of bearded dragons and has a proper set up for them. This place is ABUSIVE towards the reptiles. I only saw one reptile out of all the cages, and he was the only one with a light. It was a red light; which is completely wrong. I’m assuming this was a heat bulb. There was no UV light at all for the dragon which causes many problems for them. Then I look to the lizard itself which looks like it wasn’t breathing and may have been dead.
I hope you reevaluate what you guys are doing here because these poor animals deserve better.

Dawn A.

5/5

We took the grand babies there, and it was a hit with them. They were able to feed and touch the animals. Definitely recommend taking the kids. Our grandsons are 2 and 4.