Luray Zoo - A Rescue Zoo

Jenna Croad

2024-05

My family and I came here while on vacation for a week in massanutten the owner was very friendly animals well kept and friendly lots of snakes which I loved. Thank you for a great experience

CG Fahrman

2023-12

VISITED SATURDAY AFTERNOON, NOVEMBER 25, 2023This was a lovely way to pass the time when in between things to do. BEWARE: If you have a phobia around snakes it's the first area you encounter after walking in to pay and gift shop. Tanks, upon tanks with variations of snakes from the species in the area, across the U.S. and internationally. They are fascinating to see but I wouldn't want to be in the same tank with them. They were pretty dormant because cold?After you head to the outdoors. Not all of the habitats are occupied. Not sure if it's bc of the cold weather or it's all they have as rescues at the moment.I don't want to spoil what they have but my pics will show. Mark, the proprietor, was extremely informative.Overall: Lovely way to pass the time.

Makayla Allmond

2023-12

A wonderful book, that shouldn't be judged by it's cover... I was surprised by the amount of animals and varieties there. I went on a Sunday afternoon and was surprised to have the zoo pretty much to myself.... Go spend time with the animals, it was so much fun, and not overly commercialized or crowded. Lots of snakes in their exhibit, and monkeys, too!

Eryn Mann

2023-12

Mostly enjoyed our visit, but some of the reptile habitats concerned me. Most of the snake tanks didn't have any hiding spots, many had little to no enrichment. Some of the reptile habitats literally just had carpet. Reptiles need more than this in their habitats.We really enjoyed interacting with Bella the Macaque and the vervet monkeys. And there was a baby African porcupine!

Ryan De La Luz

2023-11

Beautiful rescue zoo, I enjoyed walking through and reading about the different animals. I made sure to purchase a magnet on my way out, but I'm sure I'll come back to visit and maybe feed some more happy goats.

Christina Rookey

2024-04

It was just ok. Very small, lots of snakes, run down little zoo. Wish there was more animal enrichment. For example, the snakes were just in glass aquariums with indoor/outdoor carpeting and a bowl of water. The goats were in need of some love and care. The monkeys were hilarious but even still their environment felt unkempt. If you are thinking you will see a large selection of animals, you will not. I can tell in it's prime this zoo was quite spectacular and I feel that they are doing the best they can with what they have for resources. I would not recommend this zoo. I didn't even take photos because they would have been depressing to view. We did buy some things in the gift shop and throw some money in the donations tube...in hopes that a small donation helps somehow.

Joshua LaPier

2023-05

A modest price for an hour or so of fun. The reptile portion is indoors and the other animals are outside. The zoo was well maintained and clean. The goats were friendly and happy to be fed. They have hand washing stations around the zoo for after feeding.

Emrys Keevænthal

2023-07

Absolutely amazing zoo!!! All the animals were pets who were rescues or surrendered, which is super cool. I'm glad these animals are getting a chance to continue their lives in the care of someone who wants to help them! I went on a weekday and there were still a decent amount of people there, which is awesome. I'm so glad Luray has a place like this! The petting zoo was adorable, and all the animals throughout the zoo seemed excited to see people coming to visit them. The reptile room was really awesome, even for someone not too keen on snakes like me (I like them, just in their own space). All the animals had great plaques that explain about them, where they are from, and their endangered rating. So much care was put into this Rescue Zoo, and it shows. I loved visiting, and hope to come again!

Douglass Jeff

2024-04

This is a great little rescue zoo. Some of the animals have sad stories but they are living good lives now. One of the monkeys is really silly and will interact with you or your children. Price was reasonable to get in, prices of the clothing and souvenirs is kind of high but they are similar to other attractions in the area. I feel comfortable paying the higher prices here because I know it goes to a really good cause. This organization needs our support to keep the animals comfortable and fed.

A. “BackSeatRider” W.

2023-05

Small roadside zoo with rescued animals, reptiles, and a petting zoo. My children enjoyed the snakes and the different monkies that a residents here. The petting zoo has goats and sheep that are happy to be hand fed pellets that can purchased at the zoo counter or for a quarter from the gumball machines. The gift shop is stocked with clothing and toys as souvenirs of your visit.

Jennifer Ransbotham

2023-08

…More

Timothy Mashburn

2023-05

Came here Friday and stayed about an hour. It’s a small zoo but me and my group had a great time. It wasn’t very busy at all and it was nice that way. Lots of animals to see. Monkeys seem to be the most common animal here minus the reptiles. Had a great time and strongly recommend to go here if you’re in the area, especially if you love animals!

Jennifer Smith

2022-05

This is not a regular Zoo, they only have animals that have been rescued. It is small but it's still a great place to visit. They have a variety of animals and a petting area with goats and even a couple of emus. The animals always seem well cared for. You can also buy food to feed the animals in the petting area. Because it's small you can get closer to the animals then you could at a regular Zoo, and it's typically not crowded. Since it's small there is also not a lot of walking so that can be ideal for someone with limited mobility or that might tire easily. The restroom facilities leave a bit to be desired because they only have an outdoor porta-potty. They have a small gift shop with a limited selection of stuffed animals and other toys as well as some shirts and a few other things. Parking is free. They also offer a special private tour experience in the evenings for a very reasonable price. It does fill up fast so you should book it in advance. I called the week before our visit and they were already booked up for the entire following week so we were not able to do it, but it sounds like a really great experience and worth doing. If you are interested there is also a reptile house with many varieties of snakes and other reptiles.

John Matthews Jr

2023-10

…More

Gary Lowzik

2024-03

…More

Charlie Bergmann

2023-09

I wish the animals had more enrichment, many of the snakes just have one hide and a water bowl, but the stories behind those they shared were sweet. Loved the coati habitat, I just wish the others followed suit in things for the animals to do. The employees were more interested in each other than helping us but I’m sure it’s a slow job working the counter.

Yara Nana

2024-02

I don’t like it not too much animals I came from Charlottesville I drive 1 hour and 20 minutes for this I spend $23 for less then 10 minutes it’s ok I pay money but for something fun no fun thereI am not come back

Elizabeth Hile

2023-05

It was cute. Fun..I love anywhere there are Animals. I wish there were more and the turkeys and pigs had also been ouy. Not enough signs. Goats were cute

Jill Christopherson

2017-05

It's small but Child friendly. My husband and I enjoyed how close we could get to the animals. The petting of the goats was so fun and family friendly. These are rescue animals, so it makes me feel good to see how they are doing in a better environment. There are plenty of snakes to see, birds, monkeys, a Tortoise, and a tiger. We loved the gift shop and the staff was very helpful and friendly.

Julia Park

2020-05

I have always been someone that does not go to zoos, but when I heard there was a zoo with all rescue animals I had to visit! This zoo is very clean and all of the animals were happy and looked healthy. I really liked how they all had places in their enclosures where they could go and hide to be left alone if they wanted to be. Each enclosure has facts about the species and a lot also have another placard that tells you that specific animals back story. There is also a petting zoo and you can feed the animals with grain that is provided. I had a wonderful experience!

A small cat (cat)

2020-05

We did the Discovery Tour. We signed up a few days out for this tour by calling on the phone. They like to keep it private so whenever someone calls and makes a reservation that person/people get the spot for that day whether it is one person or a group of 15 people. It is best to go in smaller groups so the animals do not get tired out of being petted on or fed he told us though. The tour is given by the owner, Mark. He was very knowledgeable about the animals. He was a great tour guide and the best we have ever had as a guide anywhere whether it was in a zoo, aquarium, etc. We started the tour in the gift shop with the owner telling us about himself and the history of where the zoo used to be located and where it went after that and how it ended up in Luray. He also talked about how he bought it, his history with animals since he was a boy, etc. We loved his personality because he is truly an animal lover and rescues them and knows all of them individually (their personalities) and how to treat them properly, when it is best to feed them, and most importantly making sure he is the dominate species so he can interact with them, etc.The zoo is not huge. It is a rescue zoo after all so just keep that in mind. However, our tour lasted just about 2 hours from the interactions we got to do with some of the animals, him talking to us about the zoo, its animals, and his experience with animals in general, and we asked questions too. We got to see snakes be fed mice and rats pretty early on in the tour. They feed them at night so people on the tour get to see it. I am not a snake lover at all so I didn’t really care for this part. I am not much fan of reptiles in general.Our interactions: feed and pet a wallaby, feed and pet goats, feed a lemur bananas in his cage meaning we actually went in the cage and stood there and the owner put banana slices on a toothpick and you hold it out and the lemur takes it with his hands and eats it then you give him another one, we each fed a Bengal tiger several cuts of beef through his cage using a metal instrument, we got to toss peanuts to monkeys, and we got to interact/pet a porcupine. The porcupine, Snuggles, was all about being petted and loved smelling our shoes. Our guide said because shoes tell a lot and there are a a lot of smells on the shoes. Maybe it smelled our cats as well since our girls rub all over our shoes.I don’t want to give too much else away but I loved each and every one of those interactions with the animals. I was very hesitant with the porcupine but you really just have to be gentle and we pet her under her chin. Make sure you don’t move fast or she will get a little scared and that scared me when that first happened. Next time I think I will be braver and pet her more than once. Each interaction was very special. The only thing I had done before was feed the goats but I love feeding goats. I feed goats at every zoo or farm I go to that you are allowed to feed them. Hahaha. I am a kid at heart.They have a great gift shop that is perfect for kids.We absolutely loved this tour. It was the best way to go to a zoo we think after experiencing this. We would definitely go back again if we are back in the area visiting in the future. The tour was $25 dollars a person which we think is worth much more because it is so amazing and you get to have so many new/interactive experiences that are unique and most of these you can’t get anywhere else. We were told people come back here to do the tour again, that there are several regulars. We hope to be one of these!

J. Danielle

2022-05

So first I'm not the biggest fan of zoos I do not like seeing Earth's creatures in captivity- with that I also understand the need for rescue and rehabilitation facilities! Good ones do great work in caring for their wards and if they are big enough or have the resources they rehab the animals to get them ready for the wild if possible. Luray Rescue zoo is a small rescue facility- they have quite a few former pets and care for them. I wish we were able to see the story for all the animals or staff member that could tell you about each of them. They have a reptile section which I thought was quite impressive AND they have signs and tell people not to tap on the glass or agitated the snakes because they can break their jaws on the glass from trying to strike. ***If you can I encourage to visit since ticket sells help a lot and donate extra if you can!*****There is a petting zoo portion where you can feed the goats.

Julie Harkins

2022-05

A small zoo, adults are 12 dollars to get in, but completely worth the money. The animals were very interactive with us especially the monkeys. Petting zoo was nice too. Food available for purchase to feed them. Unique animals.

Katie H

2022-05

We loved our visit to Luray Zoo! There were so many interesting animals. All of the enclosures were very clean and looked interactive for the animals. The owner took time to answer some questions I had. Our favorite animal was Bella the monkey. She was so sweet and even smiled at us!

Melissa Mygas

2022-05

The Zoo looks a little strange from the outside but the inside is so nice! There are so many neat animals and the owners are very passionate and friendly. All of the prices are very reasonable (from feed for the petting zoo to the items in the gift shop). It's also well shaded which is nice in the heat of the summer. Our whole family had a great time!

Angie Wilson

2023-05

…More

Henry Brandmark

2023-05

We did the private tour of the zoo/rescue facility full of snakes, monkeys, Alligators, porcupines, turtles, goats and birds. The private tour is given by the owner and caretaker and he is very knowledgeable and lets you interact with the animals. The guide wasn’t the friendliest and as he puts it ‘doesn’t like mammals’ as a heads up!

Julie Swain

2023-05

…More

Cooper Beaupre

2024-04

…More

Brittany F.

2020-05

This zoo was a hidden gem during our vacation to Luray, VA! Since it's a rescue zoo, the animals were all very taken care of and had plenty of food. They also were very friendly and every animal has a name. The zoo had a very large selection of venomous snakes and a cool petting and feeding section for the goats! It's a small zoo but definitely really cool animals to see.