We stayed one night at Rooterville Animal Sanctuary and overall had a good experience. We booked the covered wagon, which was definitely a fun and unique place to stay, though it’s basically just an RV with a wagon theme. Still, it was peaceful, clean, and had some really pretty views. I’d give the glamping part about 3.5–4 stars.
The animals were definitely a highlight we got to see ponies, pigs, goats, and even a highland cow! Most of them were really friendly and it was fun to get up close to them.
We also booked the Highland Cow Cuddling Experience for two people, which cost $155.95 before taxes for 45 minutes. Unfortunately, that part didn’t really meet expectations. We showed up a few minutes late and it seemed like the next group had already started and was feeding the cows, something we were supposed to do during our session. We only got about 15 minutes with the highland cow before they switched us out and left us with the baby cows for the rest of the time. The staff member who was supposed to stay with us and give us the snacks for the cows ended up leaving with the other group, and we never got the free reusable bag or the promised snacks either, which was disappointing, especially for the price. I’d rate the Highland Cow experience more like 2.5–3 stars.
Overall, Rooterville is a beautiful sanctuary and we still enjoyed our stay, but the premium animal experience was handled pretty poorly for the cost. Because of that, we probably wouldn’t book another experience with them
Edited response to owners response,
Thanks for getting back to us. I do want to clarify a few things, because we actually did communicate some of this in advance.
We did ask about possibly being a few minutes late, and we were told that it would be fine. We also let the staff know (both over the phone and in person at the store) that we had a cow cuddling appointment planned. There was no indication at any point that being just a few minutes late would result in missing the full experience or that staff would be sent home so quickly—especially considering that most places typically allow a 10–15 minute grace period.
As for checkout, when my husband called to confirm, he was asked about a check out time and was told we were fine, since there was no one coming in after us, and we did leave before 3:30 and we were informed that was a late checkout. We also took time to clean up and sort the linens as a courtesy.
We went to get food because we expected there to be heat-and-eat meals available as mentioned, but didn’t find any. If that had been communicated more clearly, we could have planned differently and been back earlier.
We understand you’re disappointed, and we’re sorry things didn’t go smoothly. We were genuinely excited about the experience, and it’s unfortunate that miscommunication and a tight timeline affected how things unfolded. That said, we do appreciate the time we did get with the Highland cow and the baby cows.
Thanks again for responding—we just wish expectations on both sides had...
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