DeYoung Family Zoo

The Man, The Myth, The Legend Ledds

2023-09

It was okay. Went there as a trip down memory lane and it just didn't hit the same. It was a beautiful day out but quite hot. So most of the animals were hiding in their enclosure. It would be nice if they had more non-American animals. It also would be helpful if they made a site map cause it felt like I was going in circles from time to time. The DeYoung Zoo feels more like a sanctuary.

Adrienne

2023-07

What an amazing place! What a gift to have an owner that is willing to share his love and passion with us! He was out feeding the animals during scheduled times and is very personable. I had the best time. It’s not a “zoo” in the traditional sense. This guy opened his backyard to all animals needing homes. I will be coming back for sure!!! Thank you!

gerri seis

2023-10

I can't say enough about this zoo. Deyoungs is a no kill animal rescue. They do wonderful things with the animals. I recently spent the day there with my grand daughter. Afterwards, we did the sloth critter connection where she got to hold and interact with the sloth. It just so happened when we arrived she (Carrie I believe) was working with a couple other young animals, and she was so so kind as to allow us to interact with the wallaby and Penguin as well. We had the best day!! All the money that is taken in from the zoo and the critter connection is used to rehab these animals. So by all means, go and have a great day with your kids. I can't say enough about her knowledge and patience (cause she needed it with a 6 yr old) we will definitely be checking out the new little ones in her critter connection next year. You need to buy tickets in advance for the critter connection, but not the Zoo.

Andrew Staats

2023-10

…More

J R

2023-05

Visited the DeYoung Family Zoo this past weekend and it was an unforgettable and amazing experience.In total, there are approximately 50-75 species of animals. During our visit, we saw at least one hippo, bear, tiger, camel, emu, wolf, sloth, porcupine, alligator, coyote, dingo, tortoise, goat, sheep, chicken, pig, deer, turkey.The enclosures are large - some larger than you’d see in large-scale zoos. The property itself sits in a heavily wooded area and the walking paths are dirt. It’s just about as natural of a setting as it can get.The feeding experiences are incredible. Not only does the family do a great job of wrangling the visitors up during feeding and providing great information, they also get the visitors involved with hands-on feeding of their own. At the entrance building, you can purchase items such as carrots or lettuce and feed them to animals throughout the zoo. There are signs posted that let you know which animals are which to have certain foods.The animals themselves seemed very happy and engaging. Again, more than I’ve ever seen at larger zoos. We were able to hold a wolf pup, pet a hippo while hand-feeding him and also have an educational encounter with a sloth. This was a solo experience led by Carrie. We had so many questions about the sloth and she was exceptional. Everyone we still at the zoo was incredibly friendly, grateful we were there and so insightful.When you go, you’ll want to get there right when they open. You won’t want to miss one of the feedings or other interactive experiences. They opened at 10:00am CENTRAL time, not Eastern time. If you need to go back to your car for any reason, they just stamp your hand on your way out so you can get back in. Also, there is no food available on site - there is a small food stand on the other side of their parking lot across the street that has some basics to hold you over. The people who run this are kind as well.I’m very happy to leave a 5-star review. The only suggestions I would make are perhaps a few more seating areas, picnic tables… and then maybe a park map. Doesn’t have to be anything fancy. Just a print-out of the exhibits.Thank you to everyone at the zoo for all you do!

Jennifer Willis

2023-05

Absolutely love this zoo and the different variety of animals it has. It's so nice to see animals that enjoy their exhibits and are clearly loved by the staff. I also love the animal encounters. We were able to hold baby goats, chickens, snakes, and a baby wolf. You also get to buy feed to feed to all the animals including a hippo.I would have given 5 stars, but I felt like we spent all of our time chasing the staff around the zoo to each enclosure that they were presenting at. While I loved each one and learned a lot, I'm sad that I didn't have enough time to see the other animals in the zoo.Next time we visit, we will be sure to walk through the zoo at our own pace so that we can see everything.

Christine Vensgas

2024-04

We had the best day visiting and touching Capybaras, Sloths, Otters, Kangaroo baby, and a Dingo puppy. Carrie was the zookeeper and owner. She was so full of great information about the animals and everything. She was so kind and made our experience memorable. Thanks Carrie! We will be back. I recommend everyone to go the the DeYoung Zoo.

Heather Franklin

2023-07

…More

Paris Wanta

2023-05

Amazing little family operated zoo. They care very much for the well being of their creatures, and form binds with them. Check out the feeding schedule to see some really awesome stuff. Got to feed and pet a hippo!

Adam Biemeret

2023-09

…More

edward linden

2021-05

It's amazing to see all of the exotic and local animals in one area that is close to home. We missed all of the feedings and interaction with the animals (arrive early!). After the animals eat their lunch they usually take a long nap and it's hard to find them (arrive early). Carrie and Bud are great!!

KAthy Icenhour

2020-05

Owners Bud & Carrie DeYoung do an amazing job at making this zoo inviting for all young and old alike. There are animals you can feed, and they have animal shows where they tell you all about the animals. They have animal encounters where you can pet and sometimes hold a baby animal. They staff is friendly, willing to help and answer any questions you may have. The price isn't bad either. You may need to bring a lunch or there is a little place across the road from the zoo where you can buy food. It's just a totally awesome time.

Sarah Becker

2021-05

Arrived late. Asked a worker feeding the must see exhibits...ended up being the owner! Told us to take our time & enjoy. We left an hour after 'close'All gift shop purchases go to animal rescueSuper hands on & funMay not be best for small children new to animals...they are pretty friendly & accessible

Red Jello Parade

2022-05

A nice place to visit. Go early, like when they open or the parking lot fills up fast and you have to park on the road. You can buy grains, carrots, lettuce and biscuits to feed to animals which is nice for whole family. They have a good range of animals too. Some of the enclosures were a bit small for some of the animals but we liked that it was actual grass and dirt and trees and rocks in a lot of them. Most of the animals seemed content, not a lot of pacing about. We'd go again.

Ron Beck

2019-05

The majority of the animals are large cats (mostly tigers) and the rest aren't much to look at. The grounds were unkept and dirty. The personnel should have all been wearing the same t-shirts that had the zoo's name on them.They need to clean the place up quite a bit. Maybe spread some wood chips, rocks, or pea gravel on the trails, add some decent fencing or hand rails and paint the buildings to make it look like they care about the appearance of the zoo and not just the animals. The zoo could really thrive if they used some of the revenue towards the appearance. Otherwise, it just looks like some run down family exotic pet farm.Four of us were there and spent $12.00 admission each. There were about 75-80 others there also. Do the math and tell me that they can't afford to clean the place up.

Nichi

2019-05

We LOVE this zoo. We try to make the trip up once every year (come from about 5 hours away)Come at 12:30ish so you can see them feed the animals, big cats, lions, and hyenas. Get to see them interact and big growls about the the meat! Your kids will be so excited. You get to feed and pet a hippo after and they are more than generous with time and willing to take pics for you all for free! Get to see and pet animals after too, we've pet and held kangaroos, monkeys, alligators, snakes, hedgehogs, and best yet a SLOTH 💜💜It's dirt roads not like a "city" zoo. So where some boots and bring some water and snacks, part of the experience you're up north after all! Have fun!The owners are just awesome and so hands on and all about the kids. We love coming here. Keep up the great work! They dedicate their lives to the well being of these animals and love them.

Denae Schultz

2020-05

This zoo was the COOLEST zoo I've ever been to! It's affordable, and you get to see soooo much more than at your average city zoo. You get to watch the bears get fed, AND the big cats as well, plus you can get within about 6-8 feet of these animals safely. Please see awesome photos attached that I took while there. We spent about 4 hours here as a group of FOUR ADULTS. There are lots of things for children to do as well. The De Young Family Zoo has a nice Facebook page that announces cool events that they are doing; I recommend checking that out. You won't regret your visit. Come early about 10 minutes before open so you can get a close parking spot.

Andrea Kysely

2022-05

We were blown away by the variety of animals at the zoo and how close you could get to them. It was fun feeding them grains, carrots, and marshmallows (for the deer). We had a great time and would recommend to others.

Larry Wensauer

2021-05

Ok for a family run zoo. They do have some up close brown and black bears that seemed to enjoy you watching. They also have some wolf's, camels, coyotes, three tigers, barn animals and a hippopotamus whose display was closed. Kinda rough trails to walk while looking at the animal's. Looks like they take good care of their animals!

Jackson Larson

2021-05

I love coming here, especially on days where it's not so busy sence you get to do more stuff without such a massive crowd pushing you around. It sucks cause right now they are not allowing people to pet, jold, or even look at the monkeys because of the COVID-19, but other than that, it's a nice place. Very nice people there too. Seriously, I think my mom spent more time chatting with one of the zoo keepers there more than actually participating in any of the event like the tiger feeding. But anyways, I highly recommend you consider this as a fun day out for your family!

Neeners Russo

2019-05

This was an awesome visit! A lot of animals here. Lions and tigers and bears. Oh my!!Along with horses and monkeys and hippos. Too many to list them all but more not mentioned in the photos provided. The greatest part was the showing of baby animals and the tiger feedings at 2 pm! My family and I had a great time here!

Ron Beck

2019-05

The majority of the animals are large cats (tigers) and the rest are your typical zoo animals. Nothing to be amazed at unless you really like tigers. Just look at the pictures and you will see.They need to clean the grounds up by adding some wood chips, rocks or pea gravel on the trails, painting buildings and other appearance factors that NEED to be done. Also, the staff needed to be wearing the same kind of t-shirts with the zoo's name on them so visitors know who the staff are.The zoo is pretty run down and needs some appearance attention for the most part, especially if they plan on bringing in future revenue. Four of us each spent $12.00 for admission and there were 75-80 other visitors there. So, I think they can afford t-shirts, paint and some wood chips.Let me just say that it could have looked much better, than just looking like a run down family exotic pet farm.

Nicole Garza

2020-05

Definitely a one of a kind experience! Fun for the whole family!! The education, up close encounters and variations make this place a true gem! This is a must see! Me and my family will definitely come again!

Travis R

2023-08

…More

Debbie Mc Loughlin

2021-05

Lots of fun. $15 per adult and $12 for kids 3 to 12 is a little high but understand the reason for the prices to sustain their operation during these uncertain times.Staff were extremely friendly and helpful in answering questions etc.Highly recommend for a fun family day exploring animals you wouldn't otherwise be able to see.

Amy Raygo

2022-05

Enjoyed taking my son, he is only two and did well for his age. We both loved feeding the animals and listening to the walking tour. Afterwards we stopped across the road for a snack and so he could play. It was a wonderful time!

ashley martino

2022-05

This NO KILL zoo and animal rehabilitation is one of the best ones around. The kids get to have hands on experience and receive education on the animals and exhibits. Great place if you're visiting the area or a local!

john manninen

2023-05

Great place highly recommend also get there around big cat feeding time and watch them feed so awesome very family freindly zoo and big cat Carrie is very informative and awesome I love this little zoo and the animals are In as close to their natural habitat ad possible very awesome place and privately funded not some big corporation zoo nothing like the rest

Dan Susnik

2023-08

We love going here annually. Bud and Carrie are true animal lovers and experts. They have a schedule of events throughout the day. Small entrance fee also you can buy food for animals. All proceeds go to care of the animals. We also give extra cash donations for the animals. The animal encounters are our favorite.

Denise Bon

2022-05

We had an awesome time . Loved Carrie she took the time to explain about the animals. We got to see her interact with the animals. It was a all around good day. We are planning to visit again in June.