Smoky Mountain Deer Farm and Exotic Petting Zoo — Attraction in Sevierville

I visited this place when I was very little and was fortunate enough to come back as an adult, it’s much the same! It’s a unique experience well worth the price, where else are you going to be able to pet zebras and feed elk up close and personal! I do wish it was bigger but I think it’s still good value. I don’t know if maybe the animals have off exhibit areas too but some pens seemed small for the size or amount of animals in them, and it’s definitely not a fancy place. It’s not run down or anything but it’s definitely a backyard barnyard type of impression, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, just depends on your preferences. There is pony rides and trail rides, you need reservations for the trail rides and there is weight restrictions (you will be weighed privately) there is also size limits for the pony rides. There is a ramp / hill going up into the main entrance but it’s quite steep, the majority of the zoo is on slopes and oddball angles, it would be hard to manage a wheelchair or if you have stability issues for walking. There is also few places to sit down to rest, only a picnic table and maybe a bench or two, so keep that in mind. The parking area is gravel and was pretty crowded already by noon.

Just a few negatives I want to mention, firstly, we seen two rats right out in the open apparently not fearful of people. I know this is common and basically unavoidable in a farm setting but I have a fear of rats and they were running right beside the main path which was uncomfortable for me and I know it might be for others as well. Secondly, and I know this is a very authentic and down to earth barnyard, but there was some unkept areas that were a little unappealing lol. Where you wash your hands before leaving had a lot of trash around it that was clearly old and had been left there ages, and quite frankly it reeked. Something smelled dead around it, maybe a mouse I don’t know. (The bathrooms were clean however! And so was the gift shop / entrance!) And lastly and what bothered me the most was that one of the sicilian donkeys had a fairly bad and very noticeable injury to his knee. It had a circular cut and was limping significantly, unable to straighten out or put weight on its leg. I know that these things happen accidentally obviously with animals but this was in the afternoon and I had the impression that had the animals been checked over often or first thing in the morning that an employee would have surely noticed it and treated the donkey already so this bothered me and made me feel sad. I did overhear someone mention to the shop employee about the donkey (I was going to myself if I hadn’t heard her first) and they did seem genuinely surprised like they didn’t know it was hurt, and I heard the employee calling someone else to have them check it out. So that made me feel better about it but still it’s obviously upsetting to see an animal clearly in pain at a petting zoo. (I’m confident though that the donkey will receive proper care after having alerted the employees)

That may seem like a lot of negativity for a 4 star review but that’s how much I thoroughly enjoyed visiting here with my...

I am absolutely disgusted by the poor living conditions these unfortunate creatures have to live in. I am a veterinary technician and have been working with large and domestic animals for over 30 years and this place made me physically ill.

The majority of the animals have zero grass to graze on, no soft places to stand or rest. They stand on concrete and in their own feces, emaciated. Each area was lacking food and fresh water.

They have so many large animals in the tiniest of space (FIVE longhorns in a space less than a SIXTH of an acre, all fighting over the small handfuls of grain from the patrons, stabbing each other in their underside with their horns because there’s no space for them to turn or move without jabbing each other).

The horse, Lulu did have hay in her field but the rot and mold can been seen and smelled from the other side of the area. Her feeding trough has rotted food and filled with dozens of flies.

DO BETTER! These animals deserve better. I’m flummoxed by all these five star reviews. Clearly these people are only in it for their own pleasure and are completely ignorant to how animals should be living and treated.

There is NO REASON why these animals can’t have FRESH hay and WATER in their pens. This place is despicable, inhumane and should be shut down.

These animals need to go to places that will give them proper care and love. It was made very clear by the animals behavior that they only get food from the people that buy it for them in the gift shop.

I hope they get fresh hay or can graze when the place is closed but my heart is still broken for these unfortunate, beautiful creatures that are stuck living in that horrendous squalor.

To add insult to the pain of seeing these sad creatures they would NOT allow me to bring my medical service dog in with me. They said I could leave her WITH THEM. Anyone who has a trained service dog will understand their great value and support they provide. It is ILLEGAL to not allow a person with a disability in WITH THEIR SERVICE DOG. She is trained as medical alert for seizures and mobility. This place...

We had our 2 yr old grandson and 8 year old granddaughter with us and they loved it! It is not a huge place and will really only take about an hour at most. They do not have a cafe or anything, so pack a picnic lunch. BUT, it is a LOT of uphill and downhill walking on gravel paths. They are handicap accessible, but pushing a wheelchair through the gravel path will be a workout. You are able to go inside with the goats and are even allowed to pick up and cuddle the baby goats! They also have a deer enclosure that you are allowed to enter-but I will caution you with little ones for that…they absolutely WILL surround you, but it was a really neat experience for all 4 of us. They also have camels, donkeys, a Zonkey(not sure if I spelled that correctly), zebras, mini horses, pigs, bunnies, a reindeer, elk, ostriches and a few more that you can feed and pet. Bring some quarters for the feed machine for a few of the animals. They also sell feed cups, with a souvenir cup that you get to keep, for $2.50 and $3.50 depending on the size and apples that are precut for some of the animals in the gift shop. You can also purchase pony ride tickets in the gift shop for $10. And this is not a circle pony ride, one adult actually guides the pony around a walking path (twice) with the child. Again-the staff does not guide the pony-you do! And only one adult is allowed in with one child, so if your little one will not stay safely seated in the saddle, I would caution against it until they are a little older. All in all it was a cute, little, outdoor activity and the animals are all approachable and friendly-but please remember that they can bite, so watch the fingers and follow the rules. We had NO problems-even the two year old was feeding all of them right out of his hand-except for two since there are signs that ask you to feed certain animals for your toddlers, like the zebras. The staff was great, friendly, knowledgeable and welcoming and we would definitely return for...