Every time we head to Frankenmuth, we would always pass the Wilderness Trails Zoo in Birch Run just before getting to town. I just figured it was a small petting zoo, but upon researching it more after seeing it on Groupon, I realized it truly is like a REAL zoo.
Paired with our Groupon, we decided to give it a shot. What a nice surprise it was! It was the perfect size for my kiddos {7, 6, and 4} and had a fantastic variety of animals — in fact — more than 200 species, to be exact.
Admittedly, the zoo doesn’t look like much from the road. The small building looks more like a log cabin, and not so much like a zoo. Inside was a gift shop with some really neat animal toys, and a counter to get tickets for admittance. We were handed a small paper map, and we headed on our way.
We stopped to use the restrooms before starting our journey. Good thing because they are the only ones besides a few porta potties.
We were able to check out a pond area with black swans and tons of turtles. There even was feed to purchase for a quarter to throw into the water.
From there, we visited some exotic birds. We spent a bit of time here — birds are fascinating to watch, and the parrots and macaws even made sounds back to us, which was fun! It really is something special to see them up close. Their colors are so gorgeous!
After visiting the parrots for a bit, we moseyed on to visit a petting farm area with llamas, goats, cows, and more. We had been told to bring quarters to feed the animals, so we were sure to use a few to feed the goats. They really are the cutest and there were so many babies!
After, we chose to do the parakeet encounter. For just $1, you can go inside and feed the birds.
It truly was a unique experience, and probably my favorite part about the zoo. It’s super loud in there, and the birds do fly around you, so if you have any fears of birds, this may not be your thing 😉
My kids love birds {especially feeding them at Kensington}, so they really enjoyed this, and each child was able to get birds to land on their feeding sticks several times. It made their day to feel like they were bird whisperers!
After we played with the birds, we kept walking on the path where we saw a camel, bears, red foxes, tigers, and more.
I was partial to the lions who just seemed to be trying to work us over. I mean, how handsome is he? He just kept staring at us in such a chill manner. It was really neat to see!
My kids loved the reptile area, which was made to look like an old western town. Inside the area were alligators, cobras, skinks and more.
Honestly, they had an impressive amount of lizards and snakes…In fact, the BIGGEST snakes I’ve ever seen. Slightly terrifying for this mama, but cool to see {in a cage!} nonetheless.
There even is an indoor ‘rainforest’ area for the species that prefer a hot, humid climate.
I enjoyed watching the tortoises, too. It always impresses my kids to actually see them move fairly fast!
Along the back of the zoo, we spotted plenty of deer, bison, and more.
Just as the kiddos were starting to say they were hungry, we realized we had seen everything and it was time to head back toward the front. It truly was the perfect size for us to conquer on a warm day!
We had some snacks and played on the playground.
The more ‘rustic’ zoo feel was similar to Potter Park Zoo, and I liked that it was more manageable and affordable than the Toledo and Detroit Zoos, which are expensive for our family of five.
We were told many of the animals throughout the zoo were surrendered by pet owners, or from people who kept them illegally. My only critique of the zoo would be to share more of the stories on the signs {i.e. one of the zookeepers said one of the bears no longer had claws because an owner illegally de-clawed him…So sad!}. I’d love to know more about each animal’s story.
Overall, this was such a gem, and I would highly recommend it, especially for families looking to save some money on a zoo experience. Just make sire to bring some quarters to feed the animals throughout the zoo!
Wilderness Trails Zoo is located at 11721 Gera Rd. in Birch Run. Learn more at their website.
HOURS & PRICING
Monday – Saturday: 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Sunday: 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Adults: $12.75 | Seniors: $10 | Children {ages 3-15}: $9.50 | Children 2 and under: FREE
What is the last cool animal experience your family has had?
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