Westmeister Farms - By Private Appointment — Attraction in Jackson Township

I really wanted to enjoy my visit to Westmeister Farms, but unfortunately, it did not live up to expectations—especially given the steep price of admission. At $45 per person, with no discounted rates for children, military personnel, or seniors, I expected a well-organized, engaging, and high-quality experience. Instead, what I encountered felt rushed, underwhelming, and overpriced.

One of the biggest disappointments was the lack of engagement with the animals. Many of them were asleep due to being nocturnal, which meant there wasn’t much activity to observe. While this is understandable from a biological standpoint, it significantly diminishes the value of the visit. If the majority of the animals are inactive during regular visiting hours, the farm should better manage visitor expectations or adjust the experience to make it more interactive in other ways.

Beyond that, the entire visit felt rushed. There wasn’t much time to truly take in or appreciate the exhibits, and the overall organization left a lot to be desired. Given the premium cost, I expected a more immersive and well-paced experience rather than one that felt like I was being hurried along.

Cleanliness was another mixed aspect of the visit. While the farm was somewhat well-maintained, it was clear that more effort could have been put into keeping the spaces cleaner, especially in high-traffic areas. For the price, I expected a much higher standard of upkeep.

Overall, I left feeling that the experience simply did not justify the high admission fee. If Westmeister Farms is going to charge such a premium price, they need to improve visitor engagement, offer more reasonable pricing options, and ensure that the overall environment feels well-kept and welcoming. I don’t enjoy leaving negative reviews, but I felt that this needed to be said so that future visitors can set their expectations...

I was blessed to be able to visit Westmeister Farms and do the Farm Tour AND the Swim with Otters!!!

First, the Swim With Otters…. This was my dream come true!!! Seriously, Harbor and Cove are two of the cutest boys you will EVER lay eyes on. And don’t let me forget about HAILEY!!!!! She’s your guide, and one of the most knowledgeable, kindest, and sweetest people you will ever meet. Oh, and I should mention….on top of giving you an hour of pure joy and information, she is also your own personal photographer and does the farms Social Media. Talk about a multi-dimensional talent! You definitely get an amazing, hands on educational experience for a fraction of what other encounters are charging right here in Shelby Ohio!!! I highly recommended this encounter at Westmeister farms! And pro tip…. Wear the BIGGEST T-shirt you can find!!! The boys will swim inside it and it is like a big otter hug!!! Absolutely the coolest thing!!!

Next is the farm visit! I’m not sure where to start since I’ve already written a novel, but let’s start with my tour guide, Nora! Nora had only been in the guide business for about two weeks when she did ours, and I couldn’t have been more pleasantly surprised!!! Not only was she the cutest human, but super knowledgeable as well! I couldn’t stump her with a question. We interacted with Owls, donkeys, horses, cows, zebras, Raccoons, Possums, Tortoises, Otters, Capybaras, kangaroos, Prairie dogs, skunks (weirdly my personal fav!) and so much more!!!

Everyone we met was friendly, knowledgeable, and most importantly to me, genuinely cared for each and every animal on the farm. All the animals had clean, well-kept enclosures and were obviously happy to be there thriving at the farm. I highly recommend a trip to Westmeister Farms! You will not be disappointed. Just look at the smile on my face in all of...

Westmeister is a small farm with plenty of staff to care for its animals. You start your visit in a small office with several smaller animals... kangaroos, armadillos, skunks, rabbits and capybaras. Then you move on to the more common animals such as pigs, donkeys, goats, chickens and horses. All of which were eager to interact and accept treats from everyone. They also have a couple beautiful owls that put on a nice flight display. I personally like the highland cows because they were so much fun to feed with their huge tongues reaching out to grab the treats. The tortoise was just having the best day possible running all around his enclosure on this beautiful day. They also had 2 porcupines named Bonnie and Clyde. Clyde was very eager to come up and get treats. He wasn't much for petting but loved being fed. Lastly, we spent time with the otters, River and Sailor. They were quite entertaining running around and talking constantly. We paid extra to do the painting with them and that part was a bit disappointing. The setup was to choose 4 colors, then the staff person would put the paint on the canvas then slip it into a ziplock baggie and toss it on the floor for the otters to run/walk/roll over. In our estimation, there was way too much paint on the canvas and it really didn't change after the otters were done doing their thing. It was nice to get to pet the otters if you were lucky enough to have one climb on you. The one big thing I noticed about this farm was that it was cleaner than some of the other farms that we have visited and much less expensive. Overall, it was a nice way to spend a couple hours...