boulder ridge wild animal park

My wife had just heard of this place and suggested that I go and take my oldest grandson (5) during his off day from school. I could not have been more impressed. If you want something fun and different to do, definitely come here. I suggest bringing a sack lunch with sandwiches and drinks and just hang out. We took the safari ride (included with admission) twice. I love the way they have kept costs down with their use of chopped off buses for the safari ride. The set up is ideal. They are smart to keep away from large predatory animals which helps keep the cost and danger to workers down and would not really add to the experience. They have Zebra, Ostrich, Water Buffalo, Many variates of antelope, Wallaby, Huge Alligators, Crocodile, Giraffe, and many more..... It is quite educational as well. Oh heck just go here and see for yourself. http://www.boulderridgewap.com/photos-from-the-fans/

We took our 12 year old daughter. She's studying Africa and we decided go on a safari. This place is beautiful, so clean and well kept. There is a picnic area, so we brought out own food. They don't sell food there, and we live an hour away, so it was a very nice feature. We took the safari ride first, sat on the left side. 20 minutes of exotic animals grazing and playing. Zebras, wildebeest, antelope, ostriches, emus, bison, so many animals. Then we ate our picnic lunch in the large, shady pavilion. The tables weren't wood and were all wiped down. We purchased drinks from the gift shop. They sell water, tea, or sodas for $1. Restrooms aren't pretty, but they are well lit and clean.They have a handwashing sink outside of the restrooms, and hand sanitizer in the picnic pavilion. There are crocodiles and alligators with a bridge going over their pond. You can feed them if they are hungry. The petting zoo is amazing. You can feed a camel, giraffe, zebra, antelope and others. The crackers are $3 and they give you a whole package. It was large enough she was able to feed all the animals, and there are a lot of animals. Then she purchased a feed stick for the birds in the bird enclosure for $1. The birds came and landed on her hand and arm. It was really exciting. Then we saw the monkeys and reptiles. Scorpions, baby alligators, snakes. We took the advice of another reviewer and took the safari ride again, this time sitting on the right side. It was like a completely different ride. I highly recommend taking the safari twice and sitting on the opposite side. The animals were all happy and well cared for. The staff was friendly and the prices were so reasonable. It was fun for all ages. I saw everyone having a great time, from age 2 to adults. I would definitely go here again.

We went with our 2 grandsons, 12 and 11. we really enjoyed seeing the large and smaller animals.They have a wide variety of animals-goats, giraffes, a dromedary camel, rabbits, chickens, azebra, alligators and a huge inclosure with parakeets that you could feed with a stick of seeds. You can also buy (for $3) carrots to feed the animals. You're also able to go on a safari bus ride to see some larger animals. I would recommend Boulder Ridge Zoo to anyone looking for a fun place to go to enjoy seeing a variety of animals. The grounds are well-maintained and the workers are very friendly!

This is a fantastic place to come and expose your youngsters to plenty of wild animals, many from Africa! Lots of "hands-on" exhibits but we were extremely impressed with the cleanliness of the place! A huge variety of animals from giraffes to alligators. No needed to go to a big city for a big zoo experience!

While the zoo is still pretty small I love it! It is perfect for small children. There are always baby animals there to feed and interact with. This year there is a baby giraffe, zebra, bunnies and chicks.

I went with my 12 yr old daughter and 7 yr old niece. They had a great time feeding & viewing the animals. The sliced carrots & crackers you buy for $3 each to feed the animals a little over priced in my book, but they do stuff quite a few carrots in the cup making them go a little further than I thought. Feeding giraffes & a baby zebra was fun.The stick of seed you can purchase for $1 to go in the bird atrium is well worth it. The birds come to you just by holding the stick out! At anytime the girls had 3-4 birds on their hand & stick. They have a ton of birds in there, so it's a great experience for everyone - and I got some great pics in there!Before we left we went on a safari bus ride (it's included in the admission price) to see the larger animals. It was very educational & neat to see. I'd recommend doing it 2 times if you can, sitting on the opposite side of the bus the 2nd time so you get a good look at all the animals.While it's a bit of a drive South of Grand Rapids, I'd highly recommend it to anyone looking for a fun afternoon of animal viewing. Most of the animals were visible without fences in your way - which made taking pictures enjoyable. The buildings & grounds are well kept, and the workers are very knowledgable about the animals.

We have been to the animal park 2 times and have had a great experience both times. The park is small, which makes it great for our small children (didn't need to take a stroller for the 2 year old). You can really get up close and personal with a lot of the animals. For a few extra dollars you can buy food to feed the giraffes, kangaroos, zebra, alligators, and a host of other hoofed animals as well as seed sticks for the aviary (and take the time to hold or pet a baby chick or a rabbit while you buy the feed). This was a big hit with our five year old. The tram ride takes you out to the large enclosures where other hoofed African animals and large birds live. Definitely sit on the driver's side of the tram for the best views. They stop at every enclosure to allow you to stand up but we weren't sitting on the driver's side and it was a little challenging for the kids to see. The grounds are very clean and well maintained. The staff are all very pleasant. There is a picnic area inside the park where you can bring a picnic or snacks (the gift shop has only a few drinks and snacks so bring your own). Since the park is fairly small it is a great place to visit when you have just an hour or two to kill. We will definitely be back again!

Our 2 and 4 year old (and parents) loved this zoo! Reasons to love: you can get close to the animals (even a baby zebra and giraffes!), animals are close to each other (no walking a mile between exhibits), clean and safe, feeding the animals doesn't cost arm and leg, neat experiences like feeding the birds in a free flight aviary, taking a bus ride through large animal exhibits, and it's only about 7 miles off of I-96 by pretty, rural roads.We will definitely come back.

This place was a hit with everybody!!! The staff was extremely friendly and courteous. The grounds were clean and attractive. The big draw to this place, though, is the accessibility. All of the animals are so close that you feel truly immersed in the experience. I highly suggest taking the safari ride around the park to see the animals not on the walking paths, and definitely take some cash for "treats" for the animals. The parakeet habitat is a riot and allows for some wonderful pictures. The petting zoo and giraffes are fun with a cup of carrots, but watch little fingers with the baby zebra, he's a biter! Plan around meals, as there is no on-site concessions other than water, pop, and juice at the very nice gift shop. We have been to zoo's all over the country, and this one (for it's size) is as enjoyable as any!!!

Grandkids ( 2-9) loved this place!! Very clean and the Staff was very helpful. We purchased a family membership. We look forward to visiting again this year.

When visiting my friend in Grand Rapids we went with our 3 boys ages 7, almost 4, and 4. We all enjoyed it. I really liked the safari, which was on an open air bus, and the boys loved feeding the parakeets and holding the bunnies and chicks. We even got to pet a one year old alligator. It was nicely upkept and had a variety of animals from around the world, including an albino wallaby. I highly recommend it.

We went to the park not knowing quite what to expect. ( After all, it's out in the country, not well-advertised, and I've lived within 45 minutes of the place for many years, and I just recently learned of it.) My daughters, grandaughter and great grandchildren had a wonderful time. The place was super clean; it was easy to walk from one exhibit to another; the animals were beautiful and well- cared for, and there was a nice variety to see. The bird aviary was fun for the kids. For a dollar, they could get a seed stick which attracted the birds to come closer.. The bus ride through the park to see the zebras, wildebeests, and antelopes was nice, too.The restrooms were clean and well-stocked...so was the gift shop. It only took a couple hours to tour the park, but I'd highly recommend it for anyone who likes animals and likes being able to stroll leisurely with children. Park personnel was more than willing to answer questions and were totally accessible. I'll go there again.

In all honesty, I had never heard of this until our daughter-in-law suggested we go - four adults. We had a fun time. Although relatively small, (we did the entire park in less than two hours) we had a good time. Interesting mix of animals from giraffes to wildebeest to snakes and emus, alligators and llamas. Nice open park spread out so we never felt crowded even with a couple of classes on field trips.Younger kids seemed to have a great time feeding and petting the animals. The tour via bus (about every 15 minutes) was short but interesting. Some of the animals were a bit far off to see but most of them were fairly close. The only problem we had was just three stalls in the woman's restroom - not really enough when you have buses stopping. But we will go back with the grandkids.

This was my first visit to Boulder Ridge and first to take along 3 grandsons, 7-11 yrs. The park is beautifully maintained, staff are clearly excited about your visit and the animals, the 15 min safari bus ride was fun and perfect for kids this age. We saw the only wildebeests in MI, various antelopes, expectant-mother zebras, ostriches and eggs, huge alligators, bison, birds, snakes and lizards, and more. The new giraffe barn is up and the enclosure on its way--they said giraffes arrive in two weeks. Giraffes are my fav wild animals so I'll be back for sure, probably w/Grandson #4 this time. The gift shop is nice, though a bit pricey as w/all gift shops. We spent about 90 min but next time will plan to stay longer. All this 4 m from our home. All good.

the alligator was really cool. they have a cool truck with zebra stripes to ride around and see all the animals.