Fort Rickey is the epitome of a family-friendly attraction in Oneida County. This discovery zoo is a totally hands-on experience that kids (and adults) love. The animals are loved and taken care of, the grounds are huge and beautiful, there is a shuttle that drives you around the park and there are so many cool animals. Durint COVID, they require you to schedule a time to visit to keep visitors limited so you can explore without a mask. This seasonal attraction is open thru the first weekend in November for Fall Fun Festival & I encourage people to book a time to visit now! P.S. you can feed some animals and hold baby goats in the maternity ward. Such an amazing spot!

With home school - this was considered a science field trip for us!Fun place, even though we went late at end of season. Some animals were not out were put elsewhere to be warm. There were still plenty for us to interact with. Kids loved the opportunity to see/feed/pet several types of animals.

This is a wonderful family experience. They care about their animals and their guests. And a wonderful gift shop as well (try their healthy pop corn) with reasonable prices. My one negative is you need to know if in a wheel chair the internal paths are rough crushed stone. We struggled in our chairs to get around. Do not let that stop you, plan ahead, but still go. Everyone else, there are no issues. A wonderful place.

Booked a private animal encounter with my family and they exceeded our expectations. My child 1 and 4 have not laughed and enjoyed themselves so much as we did when we visited. Thanks for the tour and knowledge. The animals are well taken cared of. Would love to book again thanks for the experience!

Fort Rickey, What a childhood memory..I now get to bring my grandkids. Fort Rickey was as amazing as my own kids remember except for the splash park they had .The staff was very friendly. Going in to feed the deers was so fun and the baby goats were just adorable. The game farm was clean and there was plenty of space to be safe from other visitors..We had a fun fun day

The best and most peaceful zoo we have ever been too. We love it here So much. The animals are happy and well taken care of. The staff is awesome and give you space. The sheep follow you around and want your affection.

Our granddaughter had a great time. Lots of things to see

Never knew that there were so many cool animals here. The workers were great and went out of their way to ensure my daughters visit was super memorable, thanks to the staff of Fort Ricky yall are awesome!!

Facility is very well kept. Animals are super friendly and interactive. You can tell they are happy and well taken care of. The staff is wonderful. Very patient with the children! I would highly recommend!

Awesome place to bring the kids. We had so much fun. The reservations made us feel safer with less people, sticking to the new covid restrictions. We were still able to feed the animals. There are plenty of hand sanitizing stations around as well.

I havent been to Fort Ricky in years. I was beyond impressed to see how much the new owners love this place and the animals. The park is clean, and the animals were active and friendly. Im so glad to see this place get a happy fresh start. I totally recommend all ages checking out the revamp. Its totally worth it!

My son just had his birthday here. The staff was absolutely amazing! They made sure the kids had a hand in experience. Chris went above and beyond with his hospitality. Everyone wanted to stay longer there was so much to do!

Awesome place! The adults had as much fun as the kids. The owner was a wonderful guide.

A great place to go to be able to have closeness with the beautiful animals. The staff were friendly and kind. My granddaughter loved it...

This was amazing! All the animals are well taken care of and all of the staff are well educated on each animal. I recommend going and visiting all of the animals.

Even with all of the covid parameters they need to follow, they were meticulous, warm, welcoming and the whole place was very clean. My kids had so much fun, as they do every year!

My kids thoroughly enjoyed this hands-on experience! They had a blast holding baby pigmy goats in the maternity ward, petting a porcupine, and feeding the deer. We also learned a lot about the animals, especially the snake, the owl and the porcupine, from the presentations. Once we saw all the animals, it was on to the playground! A really great little zoo, doing a lot with limited resources, Im sure. This is a no frills place, and totally worth the trip!

The animals were cute. Not a huge variety of animals and the place itself is not very big. Quick to get through but it was still fun.

Great for the kids, awesome place for their growing minds.

Made a nice little drive to show up for my 10am appointment only to find the gate closed. Nobody answered or returned my calls. Not impressed with the lack of professionalism at this place.

Feeding and petting the animals is so much fun! I was so excited to hold a baby goat!

For a small animal park, there are a lot of different animals.

I travelled 2 hours to visit this zoo... It is incredible how much the wonderful family has done to the zoo! Im so thankful that the zoo is being reborn im so so excited to see what they will do next! If you have not been to this zoo yet i highly recommend it!

Their evening tour is well worth it if you have a group. Lots of great animal experiences!!

The staff is wonderful and they take great care of the zoo and animals

Friendly staffs, this place is perfect for family! Kids can pat the goats and deer! Will come here again!

The place is awesome. The baby goats are pretty awesome.

Great place to be able to interact with the animals.

Great time the kids loved it. The maternity park was what made it worth the trip got to hold little baby goats. Will go again for sure.

Amazing animals are so friendly and there is so much to do.

This place is awesome! I get season passes for the whole family every year. Petting the deer and goats is the best my boys love it. The bounce pad and ball pit are favorites of my boys. Lots of shade and cool animals. But the biggest draw to the park for me is the owner. His love for the animals and kids is hard not to notice. Always talking to the kids trying to get them interested and teaching them about the animals every chance he gets, even if it is just a pass by in the park. It is my favorite animal park by far, and Ive been to many.

Great place for family. Lots of animals to pet and feed. The animals seem healthy and happy and are always easy to see. Much better than any Zoo in the area. They have daily events and shows on the hour and even have entertainment like comedians and magicians. Theres also a playground and the ability to throw parties. The staff is very engaged and helpful. Awesome spot!

Absolutely phenomenal place to bring the kids.

Great fun, our kids really enjoyed everything!

Went for the fall fest. Several of the animals are in for the winter but there was still a lot to see. Several exhibits. Love that the peacocks still run around. The concession stand is limited but sufficient with hot dogs, chips and drinks. There was also a pumpkin patch and several things for the kids to do as part of the fall fest. Good to see that even under new management its still the same vibe!

Nice place to visit. Not many people and no rush.

Beautiful zoo for the kids and family fun

Took me less then 5 minutes to walk around with my kids to ask for a refund(extremely overpriced for basically a McDonald’s play room with some goats to pet)Was not given one. Spent less then 5 minutes here then went to Erie Canal Village. Had a much better time there, spent a couple hours learning about historical buildings and living, went on a train ride and kids had a water gun fight with pirates on a ship in the canal.

It was a great place to take the family!

Great place. Great animals. Bring the bug spray tho.

My first time, n was actually better than expected.

Very low key yet fun if the kiddos arent scared to touch the animals. You can actually go inside the deer enclosure which is very cool and different from other places around. Very grassy so prepare for bugs. There is only one bathroom and it is in the back of the park. Young staff that answered questions professionally and seem to really know about the animals.

Great place, small and quaint. My nine year old loved all the animals and snake demo.

My kids love going here.

Really looking alot better than it has in the past. Amazing new owners. My kids love the experience that they get with the different animals. I cant wait to see what is yet to come.

Small zoo & loved it more than the big city zoos.

I brought my daughters and grandchildren there last year. We had a great time. It does need some upgrading. However Im glad to hear there are new owners and looking forward to the things they will do to improve it. Thankful for the previous owners and their work to keep it open so long. Its not an easy job! We just need to give new owners some time guys to make improvements. Glad to see someone else is taking it over in the family. I would have been so sad if it closed. It is a hard time for small local businesses to stay open. We need support to local businesses been around here. We should be grateful its still there and stop complaining. Will come back to see what changes youve made and to enjoy our family together. Its exciting! We need more things to do for the family around the area.

Awesome little place lots of animals

Fabulous hands on zoo experience

Fun place for kids, its like a zoo and playground together! Kids have lots of place to get their energy out and will love everything in it.

Always friendly and willing to answer any questions you may have. We love going just to play with the baby goats.

Love the deer and the staff amazeing

Excellent experience.

I had a great time there, I even went again one month later. Smaller than the Utuca Zoo but offers an interactive experience.

Great local place to pet and get up close with animals

I love this place!! I love the free roaming peacocks and chickens. We bring our students on a field trip here every year and they love it!. Its very organized and all the employees are very friendly and knowledgeable. Our favorite is of course the baby goats. The students are in awe that they get to walk around with the babies. They also love feeding the deer then being able to have them walk up to them for a pet!

Nice place to spend a couple hours with the family.

I came here 30 years ago and I loved it, now I am passing the torch to my son. Its a great small place and the upkeep is really nice.

Great place for kids. Even my 1yr old had fun feeding the animals!

Nice place to bring your kids. owner was really nice!

Great for young kids! My daughter is 7 and loved holding a baby goat.

We discovered the fun, and it was fun for everyone.

The variety of animals was quite nice!

1st time visiting here. Absolutely Amazing experience.

Alot of fun, enjoyed our time. Especially water balloons. Soaking wet

They are so friendly and welcoming each time we go! A nice assortment of wildlife and various special sessions throughout the day. We got to see the snake up close and personal!

We had a great time 8/10/18. Very reasonable cost. Grounds are well kept. We all learned for the various keepers. The children loved playing with the goats, petting a porcupine, and the boa.There are various play areas, food and clean restrooms.This is a place for ALL ages.

The kids love it here and the staff are friendly.

We had a great time with our 4 and 3 year old. They had fun with all hand on feeding deer, and goats, and petting the snake and porcupine. They have a nice play area with ball pit and slides.

Went here yesterday with my kids, who are now teenagers, and other family. Had an awesome time! The staff was friendly, interactive, and great with younger kids (other peoples I noticed). The owner came out and did an informative otter feeding, and they have otters!!! I was skeptical because the admission price is more than the Utica Zoo but its a different kind of zoo at Fort Rickey and worth every penny. I also found peacock feathers after looking at a couple stores unsuccessfully so, bonus!

It gotten kinda run down since I was a kid but its still nice to see the animals healthy

The baby goats!

Good place for kids and the family to have fun away from the city

It has gone down hill from when I visited 30 years ago. Still fun and worth a visit.

Kids and I loved it great hands on with animals and play areas for the kids

Great place for a fun time with the grandkids. Wonderful pony rides, hay rides and kids play area. The highlight for the four year old was the pony rides, play area and the riding tractor s and bikes. For the one and a half year old was the petting goat area and the bikes imitating his older brother.

Good place to take children to interact with animals.

Love Fort Rickey! Came here as a child and recently brought my own children. They loved it - the joy on their faces was amazing.

Great family owned and kid friendly place. Love the hands on experience with the animals. Thank you Mr and Mrs Rickey for many wonderful years of memories.

Such a great place to visit with the kiddos!

Its good fun family place to go

This is an amazing hands on place for young kids as well as adults, my family had a blast and look forward to going back and making it a new yearly tradation when we camp in sylvan beach. Staff was very friendly and knowledgeable and the owner was very nice and cared alot about the zoo. Highly recommend!

The new owners are super nice and the so do the animals!

The owners and workers are kind and caring, and the animals are sweet. Fun when I was a little one, and fun now taking my niece and nephew here.

Very disappointed .... 6/15/19 We took our 2 grandkids . Was not worth the $51.00 ... 3 adults & 2 children. People leaving same time as us had the same complaints . Not very well kept up, walk ways big pot holes with puddles of water, bees nests on play ground, so they’re not up kept . Not as many animals as expected lots of empty cages/pastures very disappointed not recommend for the price

Who doesnt enjoy animals. The best part was the pigmy goats maternity ward where you get to go in the pen to hold the baby goats. The kids also enjoyed the jump area

New management, went when first opened for season. Wouldnt pay price again without water play open

Very informative, clean, and family friendly. Enjoyed our day looking forward to coming back to the upcoming fall activities.

A little rough around the edges, but a great fun and hands on experience for the family.

Very fun for young kids. If you are going here make sure you can spend quite a few hours enjoying the games and animals

I cant believe I lived in Upstate NY for well over a decade and never checked out the Fort Rickey Petting Zoo in Rome, NY. We stopped by today for their Fall Fun Festival which only cost a mere $5 per person to get in. I was really amazed at the variety of animals they had, and especially the interactivity they allowed (and encouraged) with certain animals.Off the top of my head, they had chickens and peacocks roaming freely, Timber Wolves, porcupines, donkeys, Pygmy goats, rabbits, a monkey, llamas, deer, and a duck pond stocked with minnows, catfish, and more. They had a maternity ward which allowed visitors to pick up and hold baby Pygmy goats, and also had a fenced off area where visitors can walk amongst the deer and pet them, as well.I really enjoy bringing my daughter to places like instead of traditional zoos, as she can see and interact with animals in their natural habitats as opposed to in cages or tanks. Huge hat tip to Fort Rickey Discovery Zoo for their setup they have going on.

Sad and tired, hopefully owners will improve conditions

Wonderful family run zoo. Gummy Bear (the oldest living spider monkey in captivity) is really cute. The pygmy goats and reindeer are awesome to be able to pet. Very pleasant and clean.

Love this place, animals well cared, lots of fun

We come here all the time. The staff is very friendly, and the hands-on experiences with the animals are one-of-a-kind. Fun for all ages!

You need to go if u have little ones its pretty fun for them feed all animals

Educational.. Cute animals

Small. Perfect for young kids

Had a good time just not to much to do in between presentations.

Great place to take the grandkids or kids to not to big but plenty to do.