Oglebay Good Zoo — Attraction in West Virginia

Before I dive into how this encounter went, I'll talk about the actual zoo. it's part of Oglebay resort and so if you're looking to do this experience, search Oglebay. It's called Good zoo because it is named after the family name of a boy who passed away and it is dedicated to his memory. It is a small zoo... quite small with maybe only 50 animals with some of them being common farm animals. I will say that all of the staff here LOVES the animals. It's clear there is a direct concern and interest in taking care of these animals. I was quite impressed with how there is a genuine care for every animal. Even funny things such as a sloth. The zoo is incredibly well kept.. super clean for the animals and also visitors.

There are 3 levels of animals encounters you can do... it's mainly based on the number of animals you want to interact with. For the single animal encounter you have 45 minutes and with the Ultimate 3, I was there for a little over 2 hours enjoying every single second and wishing I came with a plan to sneak away with a red panda. We had an AMAZING guide, Sharon (I hope that is her name), who was not only genuinely caring and knowledgeable about each animal. She was incredibly wonderful with us ... coaching us to interact with the animals respectfully to get the most wonderful memories. She also told us some great stories about the animals and how they've been over the years, their species facts and survival, and interesting stories overall.

You are able to choose 3 animals from a list of ring tailed lemur (Zoboomafoo!), mongoose lemur, river otter, kangaroo and wallaby, meerkat, or a thing called sloth. I will warn you that some of these animals are booked out MONTHS in advance. Oglebay zoo abides by some sound rules that they dont let these animals become overwhelmed and limit the number of times they interact a week. I think when I was booking, I was told the red panda was booked out nearly 4 months on weekends. If you're booking and looking for the cutest interaction, I found out later there were baby kangaroo being fed by bottles.

I still stare at my pictures because I am amazed I got to do this. The red panda interaction was phenomenal. We got two feed both of their red pandas and they were so adorable. If they're in a good mood (and Sharon gauged their mood before we even stepped near them), it's possible they may reach for your hand and pull it into them before nuzzling into your palm to eat. Warning... they're avid tree climbers... they have REAL claws. You could be me just happily grinning ear to ear while not realizing that cute little paw is digging into you. I really wish I could have hugged them but that's not allowed. I will admit the thought of running off with them in my purse was a real idea in my brain.

The lemurs were far more active... jumping and climbing among the exhibit as you feed them. It was great to see them leap huge lengths as you set up. They're definitely not as shy as the red pandas and if anything, they're ready to gobble any food you offer them. The one cute scene stealer was an endangered tortoise that shared the exhibit. For me, I really adored him as he sllloooowly made figure 8 around my feet and no one else. Every picture of me had him ON my feet (he's heavy), by my right feet, just off my left feet... even between my feet.

We ended our great time here with a dozy sloth who clearly had some fans. I begrudgingly admire how something slow and sleepy be a minor celebrity and live the life. This was a truly an encounter as you're able to hold the sloth as you feed it. Its quite novel as I wasn't expecting this since we were quite cautious in all the other encounter.

Overall, I appreciate Oglebay Zoo for having these encounters to allow me to interact with animals I love in pictures but normally would never had the chance to admire in person. I also admire their care for their animals health and welfare. Now... to only hatch my plan to bring back...

My son and I visited today. Admission is very reasonably priced. I like smaller zoos because they're much easier to navigate and this one is set up in a circle so you won't miss any of the animals. There was only one big hill that caused me to break a sweat but the rest wasn't bad at all. There is some space in between the animals but it wasn't noticeable cause the walk was so enjoyable. Some people were able to feed the animals inside the enclosure, but I think it was random and you had to be at the right place right time. We did get to pet a kangaroo so that was cool. I did not see a train running today, nor did I see the other activities that were supposedly offered. Maybe during the fall they are unavailable. There is food offered inside and outside - popcorn, drinks, hot dog, chili cheese dog, nachos and cheese and chili sauce etc. It is a little expensive but much cheaper than other zoos I've visited that sold food. The hot dogs and nachos were tasty. From what I recall, a hot dog was $2.17 and nachos and cheese was roughly $3.60. I got 2 hot dogs, nachos and cheese, a can of water and a capri sun for $17 and some odd cents. The drinks and ice cream were a bit over the top in price (capri sun was $1.63, a can of pop was $1.50, canned water was $2.50 plus tax), and a Dove ice cream bar was $4.25 plus tax. However, the items in the gift shop were reasonably priced. Usually, I would never purchase a stuffed animal cause they cost way too much. But, most were fairly priced. I got a cute little lizard for $5.25, and a bird that makes very realistic sounds when you press it's tummy for $11.50. So if you don't want to spend a lot and get your child a stuffed animal, there are inexpensive options! The zoo employee that was in the kangaroo enclosure was very nice, but the one at the gift shop by their enclosure didn't act like she liked her job very much, or didn't like people in general. And the girl at the outside concession stand was the same way. A few I saw seemed nice and smiled but others didn't seem to excited to tell us about the animals or carry on a conversation. Actually, none of the employees spoke to us. So it would be nice if management would address that. Some of the enclosures were too small, and that saddens me. Some of the big cats looked sad and the red pandas kept pacing and seemed stressed. They had a gorgeous Macaw but he also looked so sad. The chickens were not out, but I heard a rooster crowing, demanding to be heard, so I snuck around to take a peek and saw they were in small, outdoor kennels (like for dogs at the pound), but it could be due to illness for their own protection. I hope they aren't kept there 24/7. So I hope one day some of the animals can get bigger and better enclosures. However, we did enjoy our visit and will come again. With covid on the rise we contemplated wearing masks but since it was pretty much an outdoors thing we did not. However, we saw so many small children with snotty noses, coughing without covering their mouths and acting sick. I mean, people should not take their kids out if they're obviously sick. So that bothered me but that isn't the zoos fault. But, the zoo should offer more sanitizing/handwashing stations. I think I saw one hand sanitizer station by the goats...

My wonderful wife bought me tickets for essentially anything they offer for 2 days (sloths, red pandas, lemurs, sassy cheetahs, red river hogs, night at the zoo, wallaby, kangaroo, bob cats, and more). I'm 43, blew out my knee could barely walk... and it was still without question one of the best days (2 days) of my life. I teared up more than once, being near or interacting with more than a few of these majestic creatures (and staff/people). My wife had a full Kristin Bell/sloth meltdown over a opossum (Reggie) and is easily one of my5 favorite moments in my life. The staff are truly magical there and deserve praise that I am not capable expressing on a keyboard. More that once they utter this wonderful sentence... "Hey, while we are here would you like to meet..." and then a special beautiful animal comes out and just warms your very soul. For my majestic wife, it was Reggie the opossum (who is the softest sweetest peanut butter fiend you could ever wish to meet) but for me it was Kutarna the porcupine. Kutarna is not a porcupine... she's a puppy. I know a puppy when I see one. I almost risked it all and went for full body hug when she was giving me her little kisses in exchange for almonds. I can honestly write a small book about how wonderful this place is, based on equal parts the animals and the people who care for them. The people who work there, truly care about your experience... but that comes second to how much the love the animals there and will always advocate for the animals first. I will recommend this to anyone who loves animals vs getting cool photos by forcing an interaction. Which is what makes this place special. If you truly love animals, their well being , how they are treated, and you want to carefully and lovingly exist in their space, you should come here. I will be back...