Little Ray's Nature Center — Attraction in City of Syracuse

Me and my wife went to little Ray's nature center in destiny USA for the first time a few weeks ago. We really enjoyed our visit there! They had a large variety of reptiles, and also had ferrets, armadillos, fennec foxes, a porcupine, bunny's, a hedgehog, tarantulas and (my personal favorite) an anteater called a tamandua. There is presentation that goes on, I believe, multiple times a day where a staff member bring out some of the animals, tells you about them, and gives you a chance to interact with them. The show we attended had an albino snake, a cool looking gecko which I'd never seen before and a tarantula. The first two were brought up to audience members to see. When they brought the tarantula out they invited audience members to come up if they wanted. We were given the opportunity to have the tarantula placed partly on our hands to feel how light they are. It was a very cool experience! We are looking forward to doing one of the private animal encounters in the near future! Overall this is a great place to bring kids for a fun and educational experience, or for any animal...

We paid just the base price to go through and see what they had. The staff there were knowledgable and we learned a lot of cool facts about different animals. One staff member took the armadillo out and let us pet it. Another took out a reptile (can't remember which one it was as there were quite a few different kinds.) Again, we were able to pet it and learn some cool facts.

Is it a traditional zoo? No, so don't go in expecting that. It was still super fun to walk through. All of the animals looked healthy and well cared for. The staff we did interact with seemed to truly enjoy their jobs and working with the animals. The whole place was immaculately clean and hand sanitizer is availble in a couple places.

I waited a bit to check it out as I wasn't sure what animals they had, but along with reptiles and tarantulas, they had the armadillo, a hedgehog, a porcupine, a fennec fox that was absolutely adorable, rabbits, tortoises and more. Of course there's also the sloth that you can book an encounter with.

I'd definitely visit again next time and probably every time I'm...

What can I say about Little Ray's Nature Center....? EVERYTHING! This place is an amazing experience for kids, and the Adults will love it too! Located inside Destiny USA in Syracuse, NY, this nature center is more than just a nature center. Your visit will be an experience of a lifetime with unforgettable memories with some of the coolest animals, bugs, lizards, snakes and people you'll ever see. They even have a baby Alligator! The inside of the nature center is HUGE. I think you'll be surprised at how much space there is, and the best part is that they have much more room to grow and make upgrades. The staff are extremely knowledgeable, and I even tried to think of questions they wouldn't know the answer to, but I couldn't because they're that smart. They take care of every living thing inside the center and are so good at what they do. I was impressed at how clean and organized everything was and more at how much the staff cared about the animals. They are all living a great life and a very well taken care of. Just ask the ferrets! 5 big shiny...