Guide To Visiting The North Georgia Zoo & Farm
A hidden gem among the Blue Ridge Mountains, the North Georgia Zoo offers an intimate animal experience and one of the largest petting zoos in the entire state of Georgia.
Located just an hour and a half north of Atlanta, this unique attraction flies under the radar for many mountain travelers but is a fast favorite for anyone lucky enough to visit.
Get up close and personal with a variety of both rare and exotic animals and unique farm animals—and everything in between—with a trip to this unique landmark.
Perfect for a romantic date night or fun family adventure, we’ve got the scoop on everything you need to know about the North Georgia Zoo!
North Georgia Zoo—Contact & Information
Let’s get started with the basics.
Address: 2912 Paradise Valley Rd, Cleveland, GA 30528
Phone: (706) 348-7279
Hours: Vary by day/season. Please check their website or contact for current operating hours.
Website: https://www.northgeorgiazoo.com/
The easiest way to guarantee your zoo experience is to book directly through the website or to call the zoo directly. Each zoo experience is priced separately, making it easy to customize and personalize your day at the zoo.
Visiting the Zoo
The North Georgia Zoo is home to more than 400 unique animals, including everything from mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and even rare and miniature breed livestock. The zoo
Zoo admission starts at $24.99 for adults and $22.99 for children aged 2-11 (infants under the age of 2 are free). This covers the cost of wildlife encounters, shows, and demonstrations as well as a guided tour.
The Wildlife Walk guided tour averages 45 minutes to one hour in length led by a resident zoo tour guide who is available to answer any and all of your pressing questions. Here, you’ll see crowd favorites like kangaroos, fennec foxes, lemurs, alligators, giant tortoises, and much more. The tour also includes shows and demonstrations like the popular “Creature Features” where a few animals are carefully taken out for an interactive educational session.
Photo Credit: dahlonega.org
The petting zoo excursion is included with admission, or it can be purchased as a separate ticket ($8/adult, $6/child). Alternatively, farm tours are available for $19, including petting farm admission, a feed cup, wagon ride, demos, bottle feeding (seasonally), and a farm tour lasting approximately 90 minutes. There are a number of add-ons and special packages available to upgrade your experience.
The safari drive-thru experience allows visitors to see rare animals like zebras, ostrich, camels, mini goats, sheep, and more from the comfort of your car. The safari ride is quite affordable at only $14.99 per person and only takes about 30 minutes.
For a more intimate afternoon, purchase an animal experience add-on with options including the camel experience, small animal meet and greet (which includes a session with hedgehogs, chinchillas, sugar gliders, and reptiles), a sloth meet and greet—to name just a few of the most popular packages. Each animal encounter includes expert-led animal education and is a truly unforgettable experience!
Other experiences and add-ons are available seasonally, so be sure to check prior to your visit:
- Fennec Fox & Friends
- Capybara & Friends
- Wolf Encounter
- Otter Splash
- Gator Swim
- Kangaroo Experience
- Reptile Experience
- Zebra & Friends
- Meet the Babies
- Many more!
Each animal experience is priced separately, please call the zoo or check the animal experiences page for up-to-date pricing and information.
North Georgia Zoo Events
Photo Credit: northgeorgiazoo
In addition to intimate animal experiences noted above, the zoo hosts several seasonal special events throughout the year.
- Sunset Tours are offered on select summer dates and include an evening of mingling with zoo animal ambassadors, complimentary refreshments, live entertainment, and a gorgeous sunset over the zoo.
- Starry Night Tours are exclusive events hosted the weekend after Thanksgiving—it’s your single chance to see the zoo after dark!
- Behind the Scenes Tours take place the third Sunday of each month and include an up-close-and-personal view of the zoo and access to animals not shown to the public.
- Zoo Overnights provide the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to spend the night at a zoo! The evening includes animal-themed activities, crafts and games, animal encounters, and a flashlight tour of the zoo.
- Shadow a Zookeeper is an intimate and immersive zoo experience for the avid animal enthusiast. The day starts at 9:00 a.m. and ends at 5:00 p.m. with a full day of zookeeper shadowing and hands-on learning.
- Zoo Camp teaches campers how to interact with and take care of common zoo animals. Spend the day learning the ins-and-outs of running a zoo in this interactive session with zoo keepers and zoo staff.
- Animal Yoga is just as wild as it sounds! The zoo has partnered with the teaching staff at Goga to provide unique yoga classes that will renew mind, body, and soul. Class animals vary and have included experiences with kangaroos, goats, tortoises,
This is just an overview of some of the zoo’s many special events—be sure to check the full zoo events page for upcoming dates and pricing.
Virtual Zoo Experiences
In light of 2020 travel restrictions, the North Georgia Zoo has expanded their robust roster to include virtual packages. In an effort to ‘bring the zoo to you’, you can now enjoy a unique animal experience from the comfort of your home (or vacation rental).
Virtual animal experiences are priced per screen and include the following programs:
- Animals Around the World is the most popular program that highlights a variety of animals from around the world. The experience features 6-8 animals and lasts 45-minutes to an hour.
- Zippity Zoo is a shorter version of the ‘around the world’ experience (great for young children!). The presentation highlights 4-5 animals and lasts around 30 minutes.
- Zookeeper Chat is a wonderful option for curious children and future zoo keepers. This 20-30 minute session includes a deep-dive with one specific animal.
- Bottles and Babies takes viewers on a trip to the zoo nursery where they’ll get to meet adorable baby animals. This session takes place at 12:30 daily.
Virtual events are subject to change, check the current schedule to book your virtual session.