Ballyhoo Petting Zoo — Attraction in Anderson

My husband, daughter, and I visited this establishment yesterday. Someone (seemingly the owner) apologized for the mess as they had a tree come down the night before that they were cleaning up.

Lloyd, the cow, was extremely malnourished and had bones sticking out all over the place. One of the horses seemed depressed. The cavies (spelling?) were in the saddest tiny space. The cats around the property were all scrawny and terribly thin.

All of the animals, regardless of type, were all fed the same pellet food that was dumped right onto the muddy ground for them to eat off of. Their water was dirty.

The trash bins around the area were all full of garbage, plus there was trash all over the ground. The bathroom was absolutely disgusting.

Their reptiles, prairie dog, snakes, and another bird are all kept in a shed on the property. They don't allow you into the shed, but bring them out one by one to show you.

The girl who brought the reptiles and other poor animals out of the shed proceeded to tell us about how Skippy, the kangaroo, and the Emu, who share the same space will fight. She detailed enough that we know that Skippy jumped on the Emu's back while attacking her.

Everything screams neglect, trash, and a money scheme. I would never, ever spend my money here again. I would never, ever recommend it, either. I wholeheartedly believe that this place should be shut down and the animals taken away where they can receive better care.

I would give a negative...

We had a large birthday party here yesterday (around 50 people) and couldn’t be happier with how it turned out! Miranda was wonderful throughout the entire process, including her help yesterday, and the rest of the staff were so helpful and friendly to our guests. We chose the Barnyard Bash package and everything from decorations to gift bags were taken care of (priceless for busy parents). The cupcakes provided were so cute and delicious. Bringing food in (delivery from Papa John’s) was no issue. The only thing we brought were drinks. I did forget paper plates, which was my fault, but they had paper towels so it worked out. There were so many animals to see and feed and evidently some exotics are coming. The facility is clean and the animals look to be very well cared for. Staff was always around to make sure no kids were being mean or aggravating the animals, which I think is great. Everyone had a great time and a friend booked her daughter’s bday party after enjoying ours. We will definitely be back for summer events - thank y’all for a great day at...

We went for opening day of 2023 and it was an absolute blast! As a relatively new petting zoo, they are still growing and I can’t wait to go back year after year to see the growth. All of the animals available to pet were friendly, well cared for, and maintained. My 5 year old son has not stopped talking about the experience and is begging to go back when we get a free weekend. With only 3 staff members working the day we went, I have to commend them on their efforts to personalize the experience for each customer. They checked on patrons and animals alike throughout our visit, offered educational tidbits about each animal, and were available to answer any questions. I could go on an on about the wonderful experience we had. We will 100% be returning to this family-owned and operated petting zoo in Anderson, SC. If you didn’t have a good experience or had concerns about your visit, the owners are there and able to talk right away to make it right and clear up a misunderstandings....