Shary Road Alpacas & Events — Local services in Alton

My first visit to this farm was a major disappointment, especially regarding the staff. While the setups were decent—the pink one was beautiful—the experience fell far short of expectations. The alpaca encounter was a prime example: advertised online as over an hour, it was cut to a mere 10 minutes upon arrival. The long lines to even get an alpaca added to the frustration.

It's clear the farm was overbooked. I understand the need for business, but overbooking at the expense of the advertised experience is unacceptable. At least inform guests of the change in advance. To make matters worse, a staff member rudely tried to take my alpaca before the already short 10 minutes were up. Then, when a young girl's alpaca knocked down some fence lights, and mine wandered toward that area, another staff member was incredibly rude, accusing me of being somewhere I shouldn't—even though I had nothing to do with the lights!

The staff's poor attitude was a consistent issue. Important rules weren't clearly communicated, and the alpacas were visibly agitated, likely due to the overbooking. Ultimately, the farm prioritized profit over the well-being of the animals and the quality of the visitor experience. The staff was incredibly rude, making the whole...

I really enjoyed the overall pumpkin patch experience. The selection of pumpkins was great, the atmosphere was festive, and it’s clearly a popular spot for families and fall activities. However, I was really disappointed by how the animals, especially the alpacas and bunnies, were treated. The alpacas looked exhausted and overwhelmed, yet they were being handled by random guests rather than trained handlers. At one point, one alpaca tried to run back to its enclosure and attempted to jump the fence to get in. It got its feet caught, fell hard, and hit itself in front of a crowd. Instead of being checked on or comforted, the workers tugged at it and forced it back with a family like it was just a photo prop. It was upsetting to witness and made it clear that the animals are there more for entertainment than actual care. I would definitely come back for the pumpkins, but I really hope they reconsider how they involve and treat animals...

I was really excited to visit the pumpkin patch, especially for the alpaca experience since it says on their Facebook page that you get 15 minutes. But when we arrived we were told it’s only 10 minutes. That’s misleading and feels like false advertising.

By the time you walk the alpaca to take pictures, it’s already around 5 minutes gone and sometimes the alpaca doesn’t want to move which makes it even shorter. Then you have to take it back so the time ends up being over before you really get to enjoy it.

It’s a cute experience, but definitely not worth it for the price or the short time you actually get. I hope they update the information online to be more accurate for...