Happy Rolph's Animal Farm — Attraction in St. Catharines

Date of Visit: Saturday, June 28, 2025

If you're looking for a wholesome, relaxing way to spend a few hours, Happy Rolph’s Animal Farm is a must-visit. Nestled along the shores of Lake Ontario, this charming spot offers a mix of nature, history, and animal encounters that’s perfect for all ages.

We were delighted to see a variety of farm animals available for adoption, including cows, horses, donkeys, pigs, and ducks—all well cared for and clearly loved. It’s a great opportunity to learn more about animal care and even consider giving one a forever home.

Beyond the barnyard, we explored the waterfront walking trail, which winds through peaceful greenery and offers beautiful lake views. One of the most moving parts of our visit was the 9/11 Memorial Walk, where trees are dedicated to individuals—many from the local area—who lost their lives in the 2001 attacks. It’s a quiet, reflective space that adds a meaningful layer to the experience.

The grounds are clean, well-maintained, and welcoming. Whether you're visiting with kids, friends, or just looking for a solo stroll, this place offers a refreshing break from the bustle of everyday life.

Final Thoughts: A hidden gem that combines education, remembrance, and the simple joy of connecting with animals and nature. Don’t miss it if you’re in the Niagara region!

There is plenty of onsite parking – but as this place is often used for birthday parties, and has frequent visitors, the lot can get full and street parking needs to be used.

It is...

Visited Happy Rolf's Animal Farm with my grandson a few days ago. I found the place had been upgraded as far as the number and quality of the animals and signage goes. No feeding of the animals is allowed presently. The office is fenced off as is the playground that is almost fully reconstructed. The place is well kept and grounds beautifully manicured. I visited two times in a few days. First time parking lot half full. Second time hardly a parking spot available. Parking is free as is the entrance fee. Lots of young families, mothers with baby strollers second day. The visiting of the animals takes about 15 minutes. No dogs are allowed where the animals are located. However, continuing past the public washrooms there are pathways towards the duck pond and down and around the lake where you are allowed to walk your dog. At the lake there are several options for paths. To the right, up a small incline is the 9/11 walkway. Trees, benches and signages were placed here 20 years ago to commemorate the victims at the North and South Towers of the World Trade Centre in New York City. Continue along and take another right to the roadway that leads you back to the parking lot. This is a lovely outing for families and some people pack a picnic, but limited picnic tables. I would recommend this venue, for all ages, but particularly for...

Happy Rolph's holds this place in my childhood memory, and having just visited again for the first time in decades, I'm glad that in many ways it hasn't changed much. It's still a small operation with a relatively limited set of animals and displays, but it's just the right size for young kids to grab their attention. The individual displays and write-ups are really helpful to understand the animals we're seeing, and putting names to them. The animals are well cared for, and staff very happy to answer questions. And all of this is free, unless you want a cup of food for the ducks, which only costs a toonie. All-in-all you can spend five minutes or a couple of hours here if you choose to wander the grounds down to the duck pond, up to the factory and around the walking trails, use the extensive playground or hang out in the field and have a picnic. The Friday we visited it was very busy at opening, with several groups convening on the space for camps and outings. That actually made parking a bit of a challenge (we had to park along the road in spots that specifically indicated no parking, but everyone else was doing it), and there wasn't much opportunity to use the playground as it was so crowded. That said, it was an enjoyable morning for us, and we left with smiles, just like I...