North Georgia Zoo & Farm

2912 Paradise Valley Rd, Cleveland, GA 30528, USA

Address:	2912 Paradise Valley Rd, Cleveland, GA 30528, USA
Phone:	+1 706-348-7279
Site:	myfavoritezoo.com
Rating:	3.9
Working:	Closed Closed Closed Closed 10AM–4PM 10AM–6PM 10AM–6PM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 5

Kelli Burks

I visited a month ago with my mother. I understand that it is a farm and zoo. What upset me tremendously wa the small enclosures and broken spirit of the exotic animals. Yes it is fun to pet and be up close and personal with exotic animals; I am a huge advocate for animal education, but not this way. The groundhog was in a chain link cage directly beside a preditory animal, the arctic fox.The groundhog was literally climbing the side of the cage chewing at it. I have never seen a ground dwelling animal like a groundhog climb so high in distress. The arctic fox had absolutely no room to run. I have been to farms and zoos around the world and I have never seen a fox dead still;broken spirit. This was just the beginning of the tour. What was most heat breaking were the rare howling dogs. If that enclosure meets the standards you say I am appalled. They looked miserable. I can only imagine how many tour groups go through there a day,with the suggestion of the tour guide, to all howl at once to get them to howl back. The reptiles encloures were unbearable. You have a massive python crammed in an aquarium not big enough to turn or stretch the length of its body. Two alligators in a horse trough in water with a heat lamp over them, no way to regulate there body temperatures. The farm animals were way to overcrowded and there are not enough shade covers for all to fit under. It was 85 degrees and the sheep still had not been sheared for the season.I saw one adult on the entire premise working there, if your going to run an educational facility for animals you need to have an educated staff and the proper enclosures for these animals. Thd money you charge is not going to the welfare of the animals. The need larger areas to run and more shade to hide under. I would not recommend this place to anyone in its current state. The idea is there and maybe your intentions were good but it is far from a rescue and animal education facility. You need to put that money towards better care of your animals mental state and happiness and not make these beautiful creatures a side show.

Dinah Scat

This place is a joke. Great place if you care for hundreds of goats, most pregnant. Paid admission, child wanted a pony ride..$5.00 on the sign in front of 2 ponies & a girl inside, no one riding nothing. Couldnt pay there, have to get back in the admission line for 10 minutes, kid wanting to run. Girl in admission needs to know the ages of all children, does a head count, takes forever. Girl there SCHEDULES an "appointment time"..an hr & 15 minutes later! Granddaughter, age 3, does not understand this. Gets tired of feeding goats for over an hour. Donkey in with the camels, biting them, camels spitting. Big sign "our camels dont spit", lol, show me a camel that doesnt. The sandbox is full of FLEAS, that was fun. The entire time NO ONE is on the ponies, now she is really pitching a fit. The girl attendant takes the saddles off and leaves. NO ONE had ridden a pony, she sat there the entire hour and 15 minutes! Now it is our turn, Cady hot, sweaty & itching from all the little black flea bites. Man attendant saddles a pony, child crying, wont get on. Gave the ticket to another child, "they have to make an appointment". Now I lose it. "NO, they dont..this tickets says 2 fing PM"! And tell a kid why they cant feed the piglets/zebras, etc.."feed only goats/cows/chickens". Gave away my bucket of goat food and left that hole. All the scheduled free events/shows never happened AT ALL. Parking at the "zoo" for 10 cars only, the walk across the road is no big deal but there certainly is no "shuttle" as advertised. The best thing about this place is the road driving in for 2.7 miles.

Chaim S

MAKE SURE TO CHECK DIRECTIONS ON THE WEBSITE BEFORE YOU LEAVE- GPS MAY NOT BE ACCURATE AND YOU MAY NOT HAVE PHONE SERVICE WHEN YOU GET THERE!!!! This Zoo/Farm, around 90 minutes north of Atlanta, is really different from other zoos in that its a mixture of petting farm and exotic zoo. In general I really liked the experience, but Ill give the negatives first: 1) Cost- The basic entry cost is $8 for an adult, and thats great, but if you want to do anything more than the basics, itll cost more. On the one hand it means that you only pay what you want to do, but on the other just make sure to check pricing on their website before you go! 2) Age cost- They begin charging kids at age 2, and we thought that made no sense. At 2 years old a kid still wont fully appreciate the zoo/farm, and they shouldnt be charged for it- it should be closer to 4. Again, just make sure you know how much youre paying, especially if youre driving from afar. 3) Descriptions- we went on the wild adventure, and there were no signs on any of the habitats. Unless you were taking notes when the guide was talking, youd have no idea what youre looking at when you see the pictures that night. For the good, it was a really great experience, and were glad we went. They have a very cool selection of animals you wouldnt expect at a place like this, but its also a fairly large petting zoo. The staff were very nice and the gift shop prices were actually reasonable. This is definitely a place I would put on your list, as long as you check the prices first.

Tisha King

We have had Zoo to You come to our church for a VBS program twice. Both times they drew a large crowd. Their program was informative and fun, with interesting animals. My husband, son, and I visited the Zoo and had the best time. We chose the Wild Life Walk package. We got there early and spent a few hours enjoying the petting zoo. The animals were healthy, friendly, and adorable. After that, we went on a hayride to feed the camels. The tour guide was friendly and outgoing. We really enjoyed the wildlife tour. They had more animals than we expected. This tour guide was very informative, telling a lot of info on each animal. It was not a rushed tour either, but very pleasant stroll through the woods. I really liked being able to get close to the enclosures to really see the animals. After that we played in the petting zoo again. My son really enjoyed the parakeet enclosure with beautiful little birds landing on him. Before we left we paid for a couple of encounters. My son got to go into a pen with 2 wolf pups. The pups were 4 months old but as big as a large dog already. The young guy spent time tell facts about the wold and he kept the 2 very playful pups under control. My son loved it! I paid to have an encounter with a Fennec Fox. I was seated in a pen, where I got to pet and hold this adorable little creature. She was very sweet and so soft. Again the handler was very informed about the animal. Our experience was awesome and we will definitely go back!

Vickie Ziegler

THIS PLACE WAS A BIG RIPOFF!!!Very disappointed with the "zoo". I wouldnt ever go back. I would more classify this as a farm with few exotic animals. I have pair less at other places and was able to walk around and see all of the exhibits. This place has more goats than anything. Of course you can see more of the exhibits at an extra cost...example kangaroo encounter for $54 more per person.Seriously? The reptiles were okay and the parakeets were too. But the only way to see them is if you pay extra for the reptiles and only if you are escorted by staff in both areas. There was no baby camel and you can only see the zebras from the petting zoo courtyard in the distance. I even asked a staff member and was quickly told you have to pay extra ...not included in general admission. I can see paying extra to feed the animals but you seriously should consider a set fee for viewing all exhibits with additional charges for "up close encounters." Also there was many animals next to the "additional Parking" area in which you are quickly asked to leave the area because of a yak which is also inside of a fence. No gates to establish a boundary! This is is not at all what your website leads people expect. I would not recommend this to anyone. This was supposed to be a fun trip for my grandchild who was visiting from out of state. Needless to say it was a complete flop.