Good Zoo & Benedum Theater

Address:	465 Lodge Dr, Wheeling, WV 26003, USA
Phone:	+1 304-243-4030
Site:	oglebay-resort.com
Rating:	4
Working:	10AM–5PM 10AM–5PM 10AM–5PM 10AM–5PM 10AM–5PM 10AM–5PM 10AM–5PM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 4

A Cartier

Before I dive into how this encounter went, Ill talk about the actual zoo. its part of Oglebay resort and so if youre looking to do this experience, search Oglebay. Its called Good zoo because it is named after the family name of a boy who passed away and it is dedicated to his memory. It is a small zoo... quite small with maybe only 50 animals with some of them being common farm animals. I will say that all of the staff here LOVES the animals. Its clear there is a direct concern and interest in taking care of these animals. I was quite impressed with how there is a genuine care for every animal. Even funny things such as a sloth. The zoo is incredibly well kept.. super clean for the animals and also visitors. There are 3 levels of animals encounters you can do... its mainly based on the number of animals you want to interact with. For the single animal encounter you have 45 minutes and with the Ultimate 3, I was there for a little over 2 hours enjoying every single second and wishing I came with a plan to sneak away with a red panda. We had an AMAZING guide, Sharon (I hope that is her name), who was not only genuinely caring and knowledgeable about each animal. She was incredibly wonderful with us ... coaching us to interact with the animals respectfully to get the most wonderful memories. She also told us some great stories about the animals and how theyve been over the years, their species facts and survival, and interesting stories overall. You are able to choose 3 animals from a list of ring tailed lemur (Zoboomafoo!), mongoose lemur, river otter, kangaroo and wallaby, meerkat, or a thing called sloth. I will warn you that some of these animals are booked out MONTHS in advance. Oglebay zoo abides by some sound rules that they dont let these animals become overwhelmed and limit the number of times they interact a week. I think when I was booking, I was told the red panda was booked out nearly 4 months on weekends. If youre booking and looking for the cutest interaction, I found out later there were baby kangaroo being fed by bottles. I still stare at my pictures because I am amazed I got to do this. The red panda interaction was phenomenal. We got two feed both of their red pandas and they were so adorable. If theyre in a good mood (and Sharon gauged their mood before we even stepped near them), its possible they may reach for your hand and pull it into them before nuzzling into your palm to eat. Warning... theyre avid tree climbers... they have REAL claws. You could be me just happily grinning ear to ear while not realizing that cute little paw is digging into you. I really wish I could have hugged them but thats not allowed. I will admit the thought of running off with them in my purse was a real idea in my brain. The lemurs were far more active... jumping and climbing among the exhibit as you feed them. It was great to see them leap huge lengths as you set up. Theyre definitely not as shy as the red pandas and if anything, theyre ready to gobble any food you offer them. The one cute scene stealer was an endangered tortoise that shared the exhibit. For me, I really adored him as he sllloooowly made figure 8 around my feet and no one else. Every picture of me had him ON my feet (hes heavy), by my right feet, just off my left feet... even between my feet. We ended our great time here with a dozy sloth who clearly had some fans. I begrudgingly admire how something slow and sleepy be a minor celebrity and live the life. This was a truly an encounter as youre able to hold the sloth as you feed it. Its quite novel as I wasnt expecting this since we were quite cautious in all the other encounter. Overall, I appreciate Oglebay Zoo for having these encounters to allow me to interact with animals I love in pictures but normally would never had the chance to admire in person. I also admire their care for their animals health and welfare. Now... to only hatch my plan to bring back a red panda!

Tamara Hutcherson

Okay, I wasnt expecting Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium quality when I went here. Honestly, I probably could do a better job by capturing wild animals & putting fences up in my backyard. Dont get me wrong the indoor zoo & train are pretty cool. Once you step outside, thats another story. I was not provided with a map of the zoo & there are few signs that let you know where you are. I felt like I was just wandering around not knowing what I might bump into. I left feeling as though I missed something & I was correct. I didnt see the zebras, etc... I didnt see any water for most of the animals and it was almost 90 degrees. Poor Amelia, the eagle with the broken wing, broke my heart. She seemed so depressed. The only part of the zoo I liked was the barn. The cow & donkeys were pretty cool and interacted with me. All of the other animals wanted to get the heck out of there & pretty much ignored me. It felt like an abandoned zoo (outdoors). I didnt see any zookeepers, staff, etc... outside. The concession stands were closed. As mentioned, it was 90 degrees, it wouldve been nice to purchase a bottle of water. The animal to space ratio is off. Maybe cut the zoo in half (for the amount of animals there) & put in a merry go round, etc... for the kids. I give this zoo 2.5 stars because the indoor portion was small but worth going there for. I cannot give .5 stars so I am making it a 2. The outdoor zoo gets 0 stars. Does anyone even work outdoors? Even the greenery is unkept. Plant some flowers, cut the grass, pull the weeds, etc.... The hillside of the housing projects I grew up in are better kept than the outdoor zoo.

Lynette Pearson

Been here many times, pricey! But this last time at boo at the zoo very disappointed in a few things!! First when we got there the lady charged my card and realized she under charged me ($1.06)!! So she held up the line to ring me up again then did a void and said it would come off that night , which I knew it wouldnt come off that night because I worked in a bank so I waited and wouldnt you know it, it didnt drop off it hit my account, so I call and the lady couldnt help me and took a note for a lady that could , but hours later no call back so I call and the lady was very rude about the whole situation and pretty much hung up on me! About the zoo itself , its cute but again pricey for the very few animals you get to see, the train display is very nice.

Melinda The

We was having an ok time till we were getting ready to leave. It was 20 minutes till closing and we was heading to the gift shop. My children were excited to go purchase something like we always let them do at zoos. When my daughter went to open the gift shop door we found it was close. The older lady working inside made eye contact with us and just looked at us while we stood there waiting to see if she was going to let us in. She didnt. It ruined my kids day. It was bad enough that we had to pay $40 to see 10 animals but then the one thing my children was looking forward to was closed early for no reason. We will be more than happy to take our money elsewhere.