Animal Encounters & Petting Zoos – Perfect for the Animal Lover in Your Family
Kids and animals go hand-in-hand.
Summer is the perfect time to visit and learn more about our furry, scaly, or somewhere in-between friends. Southwest Michigan is home to many amazing places to get up close and personal to a wide variety of animals at a petting zoo and beyond. We’ve also covered a few places worthy of a drive!
Calling all future veterinarians and animal lovers – Read on to discover petting zoos, animal farms, sanctuaries, and zoos you’ll want to make sure and visit.
FEATURED PARTNER
John Ball Zoo
Take a day trip to John Ball Zoo! Visit meerkats, tigers, chimpanzees, penguins, red pandas, otters, and more. Plus, don’t miss BRICKLIVE Animal Paradise – featuring over 40 life-sized animal sculptures created with over 1.8 million individually colored toy building bricks!
Important Message: Area businesses are working to implement procedures based on the new safety guidelines. For each of the attractions and events we mention, we include a link to the business website. Please use this link to confirm the details, hours of operation and any requirements guests must follow before visiting. Thank You!
PACKING LIST
Spending more than an hour (or even 10 minutes) outside the home with kids means a lot of planning. What’s the weather going to be? How wet and dirty will the kids get?
We’ve put together a list of everything you may need for your best day ever at the petting zoo.
- Sunscreen
- Bug Spray
- Strollers/Wagons
- Snacks/Water
- Wipes/Sanitizer
- Extra clothes
- Diapers / Pull-Ups
- Lunches
- Hats / Sunglasses
- Cash (including quarters) for extras, animal feed
VISIT ANIMALS NEAR KALAMAZOO
John Ball Zoo
1300 Fulton W, Grand Rapids, MI 49504
John Ball Zoo is more than just animals. Visitors can also experience the zipline, feed the budgies, watch a bird show, ride a camel and climb across rope bridges and webs.
Recently renovated, John Ball Zoo is now handicapped-accessible with leveling out the rolling hills and creating gently sloping inclines.
Binder Park Zoo
Boulder Ridge Wild Animal Park
Critchlow Alligator Sanctuary
1698 M-66, Athens, MI 49011
Critchlow is home to hundreds of animals including alligators, crocodiles, tree frogs and tortoises.
This sanctuary is a reptile rescue facility; all animals are obtained through rescue, adoption or donation and will remain there for the rest of their lives.
Critter Barn
Dutch Creek Farm Animal Park
Gull Meadow Farms
Kalamazoo Nature Center
7000 N Westnedge Ave, Kalamazoo, MI 49009
Visit Lacey the Haflinger horse, Neo the pig, and all your farmyard favorites during the summer and weekends through September.
There are a variety of Family Programs that focus on animals – Creature Features, Farmyard Wednesdays and other opportunities.
Kellogg Bird Sanctuary
MOO-ville Creamery
5815 S M-66 Hwy, Nashville, MI 49073
MOO-ville is FREE to visit. Kids will enjoy the petting farm, farm toys, and a giant sandbox in the play yard.
Learn about the dairy process with a self-guided tour.
Pack a lunch or grab a bite from the cafe. Bring a cooler to transport ice cream home.
Potter Park Zoo
1301 S Pennsylvania Ave, Lansing, MI 48912
Potter Park Zoo is open year-round and offers discounted admission during winter months.
Kids enjoy riding the ponies and camels, visiting the petting zoo, and exploring the playground.
Favorite animals: tigers, rhinos, red pandas, otters
Reindeer Ranch
Scidmore Park Petting Zoo
Wolf Lake State Fish Hatchery
34270 County Road 652, Mattawan, MI 49071
This hatchery is home to lake sturgeon, Chinook salmon, steelhead trout, northern pike, northern muskellunge, walleye, largemouth bass and a variety of sunfish on over 78 acres of ponds.
They also offer FREE fishing lessons, scavenger hunts and preschool activities (verify events on Facebook).
WORTH THE DRIVE
Up for a family road trip? Plan your next trip to stop at one or more of these great zoos:
African Safari Wild Animal Park | 267 S Lightner Rd, Port Clinton, OH 43452
Children’s Zoo at Celebration Square | 1730 S Washington Ave, Saginaw, MI 48061
Cincinnati Zoo | 3400 Vine St, Cincinnati, OH 45220
Detroit Zoo | 8450 W 10 Mile Rd, Royal Oak, MI 48067
Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo | 3411 Sherman Blvd, Fort Wayne, IN 46808
Indianapolis Zoo | 1200 W Washington St, Indianapolis, IN 46222
Potawatomi Zoo | 500 S Greenlawn Ave, South Bend, IN 46615
Toledo Zoo & Aquarium | 2 Hippo Way, Toledo, OH 43609
MAP
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