NATURAL BRIDGE ZOO Reviews

NEGLIGENCE AND ANIMAL CRUELTY. SHUT DOWN THIS PLACE!

A disgusting dilapidated zoo filled with dying animals and their cruel handlers

It was great being up close and personal with the animals

I brought my boy here and he absolutely had a blast. He loved everything here. I give it a 4 star because there is know where to get a drink once inside. I did find a machine but it did not work so to get a drink you'd have to walk all the way back to the entrance to buy something.

absurd. never been but will certainly never go. Asha and all the other animals deserve rightful homes and Natural Bridge is not the place. This is unnatural and you deserve to be closed down immediately. Please do not support this zoo, and instead visit a sanctuary or donate that money to your local animal shelter. To the owners, founders, zoo goers, employees and anyone else who affiliates themselves with Natural Bridge Zoo, I wish the worst upon you. singed, someone who cares.

Animal abuse. These people are messed up. Why isn't zero stars an option

We had a great time. Kids loved all the different animals especially all the different monkeys.

I would have given 5 stars but I couldn't get through the park due to being in a wheelchair the gravel was too thick for the wheels to make it through. We did do the new dinosaur tavern. And not easily but my husband was able to get me through! We had a blast.

It's a nice little zoo if your in the natural bridge area. It doesn't take a long time to get through and has a nice gift shop. The enclosures are alittle small for some animals though.

I am appalled at what we saw at this zoo . DO NOT give these people your money. The poor animals were so hot and looked miserable. You don t have to be any kind of animal expert to realize that many of these animals were in distress. Also, how are elephant rides even still legal? How absolutely heartwrenching. The entire zoo was situated on a plot of land that wasn t even big enough for the elephant alone. There was no clean water in the whole place. Animals were in tiny enclosures and it was apparent that those were their full time homes. I expected a place with wide open habitats and a focus on conservationism and education, like I ve seen at actual zoos, but this place is clearly all about the money. I m still so sad and disgusted that I spent my money here and took my nephews to this place.

Nice place for kids.. Good variety of animals..The white tiger is just awesome

You have a 31 year old elephant enslaved there on her own. Elephants are naturally social creatures who need to be with with their family or other elephants. What s worse is that this zoo exploits her for money while she suffers day by day. Do not visit this zoo. I also think it s absolutely appalling that people are posting picture of their children feeding asha, it s small minded people like that who are keeping her enslaved. Stop giving this zoo your money and they will have no choice but to give the animals to sanctuaries

There is a special place on hell for the staff of this zoo.

My husband and I had a unique opportunity yesterday. We were able to meet with one of the owners and see "back stage" of the Zoo. These animals are absolutely loved and cared for. The owners are so passionate in what they do and they are very knowledgeable. We can not wait for opening day to actually tour the Zoo!

Lovely animals, it was super fun to visit this place but the poor animals aren't treated very well by the management! The accommodation for the animals could be better..

First of all we drove 2 1/2 hours to ride the elephant because it said rides were happening for the holiday on their web site. We got there and paid for the tickets to ride and waited around in 90 degrees for staff to show up where you get on the elephant ride and they were rude and turned us away to the front office with an it's not my fault attitude. Mean while waiting for the owner walking around we saw a dead bird laying in the cage full of birds. Finally back to the front office, still no manager had arrived the two girls up front were rude saying it's not their fault and they would offer us a free ride tomorrow. We explained we would not be back tomorrow and they just said oh well I don't care! Rude rude rude people!!!!

We absolutely loved it!! Our whole family went, great for all ages..So glad will definitely be going back!!

Had a great time and enjoyed the variety of animals.

Please do not give these people your money .. keeping a lonely elephant for decades in deplorable conditions .. fined over the years over 20k ..read peta and other reports on Google .. elephants are social creatures and do not belong in solitary confinement ..

Don t take your children here unless you want to teach them about animal cruelty and how to be a bad person. Place has been fined and cited and investigated over and over again for awful treatment of the animals. Do yourself and your family a favor and drive a bit further to see a better zoo.

We had a wonderful visit at the zoo! The staff is very nice and obviously care about the animals. Karl and Debbie were so gracious and gave of their personal time to talk with us and answer questions. This was one of the best zoo trips we've had in a long time! Highly recommend! It's a must see!

Great family fun! A little expensive, but worth the memories.

Went to this Zoo today. I thought it was much nicer then D.C zoo though smaller. Do not believe the bad reviews the staff loves these animals and it shows. Though you can tell it is understaffed but as we were there walking through enclosures were being cleaned and animals being fed. Very hands on zoo and can get close to some of the animals. Great place! Animals seemed happy well cared for.

Disgusting to much abuse. Do us all a favor and abuse your own kids and see how you like it. Better yet why don't you not feed your kids and keep them hungry like you keep your baby tigers hungry so that they want the formula from the bottle. 31 violations. Hell probably more! This place is a joke. And is not even a real zoo.

Love this place. Very affordable for a family. To look at from the outside looks like a small zoo, but once inside it goes really far back. Lots of animals, cute animal statues your child can crawl into for cute pictures, and the bird house was awesome. The little parakeets land on the children of the have the seed sticks, and sometimes for no reason at all. This is a wonderful place.

Inadequate shelter and inhumane isolation of intelligent and highly social animals should never be a source of entertainment. Disgusting. Relinquish your exotic animals to the proper sanctuaries accordingly!!!!! This is a barbaric, an insidious moneypit. It s the 21st century, we KNOW these animals are sentient, do you beat your wives too and justify it??

They are starving the animals a very nasty place for animals, no shelter for elephants

This place is despicable. There is a reason Ringling Bros went out of business for their terrible treatment of elephants, I hope the same happens to this disgusting zoo. Asha looks so depressed, and broken down, she needs to be removed from these terrible folks, and allowed to live out her days with other elephants in a sanctuary.

My children and I went to this zoo two weeks ago with my children, ages 7 - 14 years old. We had a very nice day and the zoo it self was very nice. The zoo was closing at 5pm, we were looking at the last few animals when this man came up to us at 4:40 and told us it was time to leave. I stated that it was 20 minutes till closing and he rudely said its time to leave. So we walked toward the exit. While walking the this man he walked backwards watching us, so I tried to talk to him and he ignored me. The kids started saying they need to use the rest rooms I said ok and went we got to them he said he had already locked the doors. I asked if he could unlock them for the kids and he said NO I have already locked them (with keys in his hand). I then asked what his name was and he said Travis. I said Travis can I speak to your manager, he replied the manager of the gift shop I said I guess he said hi I am the manager I asked to speak to someone over him and he again ignored me. So as I was walking to my car I called and wanted to speak to someone and he answered the phone. Anyways This made the trip bad. Bad customer service. Not letting children use the rest room when the park don't close for 20 more minutes. Mr.Travis you don't need to work with the public.

The humane society of America investigated them& there's multiple YouTube videos of them accusing the animals. Needs to be shut down.

We visited Aug 28, 2015. Arrived at opening. (Grandkids, 6 & 8, have been to all the zoos anywhere near DC many times.) The weather was pleasant and all the animals were extremely active. We got great shows from the Ring-tailed Lemurs, Bengal Tigers, Cockatoo, Giraffes, Gibbon, and Asian Bears particularly. One of the bears swam and splashed a great deal. A Hornbill tried to bring us presents. The Parakeets in their walk-in enclosure swarmed us in the most delightful way. We have never laughed so hard or enjoyed ourselves as much at any zoo. The animals were not only friendly but appeared in excellent health. Only the Serval and Fennec Fox did not seem especially thrilled to see us. The Serval wasn't hiding in its shed, it just did not come to us for attention. The Fennec Fox was pacing a little. We could not stay for the Elephant ride, but will plan for it when we return.

Horrible location and poor treatment of the animals. Politically driven owners. No care for customers or humanity.

This isint so much a zoo as it is a prison. The cages aren't big enough especially for the bear,tiger and giraffes. This place needs an overhaul! Google this zoo violations/investigations of abuse since 1994 I'll never be back ....shut this place done ....

Very nice and well maintained roadside attraction. Prices are affordable and they have an excellent selection of different species.

Went there today which is a 2 and a half hour drive for us we got there they open at 10 the website says 9 and then they weren't doing the elephant rides which also was not stated in the their website so after the ride we paid and walked around the zoo which didn't even take as long as the ride to get there.

Drove 2 1/2 hours and get there and told cant take a 1 lb pup in with you in your arms. Never said nothing about no pets on site phone recording. Or store at the entrance of the zoo.. i knew this id left pup at the house with someone.
And the woman let me know they
covered the sign on rhe door.. so i sit in the vehicle for 1 1/2 waiting on hubby n gson..
So i thought id let yall know and im not impressed by the place by the looks on the outdide hate to see thd inside. Probdbly not worth you time or money. Looking T the teviews now while i eait. No too goo 3rd worst out of 10 wow.hubby n gson came out took them 20 mins to go thru the zoo said it was a joke and waye of time n money. And animals was takung care of A big joke

It's a little run down and disappointing. The animals didn't look very happy but then again how happy are you supposed to look when you're caged up and people are gawking at you all day? I'll give it two stars because I really liked one of the giraffes.

What Baby Tigers are Forced to do Might Shock You!
Look this up on y o u t u b e
This cruel place profits on animal misery. Don't help them hurt animals. Evil exists in many forms. This animal prison is one of them.

They have many kinds of animals there. Love the white Tiger.

Worse place ever. These animals are not being taken care of there.SHUT THIS PLACE DONE WHAT THERE DOING IS HORRIFIC!!!

The animals were amazing. The cages were clean, the general crowns were well-kept and feeding the birds Inside the Cage was the most amazing feeling.
You could tell the animals were well taken care of. Most of them did not want to eat mostly because we got there at the end of the day.

Loved the animals great place to visit if you are in Virginia

Are you kidding me.. How this place treats their animals is disgusting. They shove around the shake the animals cages, and give them uncomfortably small space. Elephants should not be rode on. It's not safe for them and can harm their backs. They constantly neglect and abuse these animals, and they have barely any food or water.

This zoo seems very sad and the animals do not seem to have a lot of space, my husband disagrees and says the animals look healthy. Sure they may be fed , but they have no space to risk. The animals look depressed. I'm only putting on a smile for my kids . I guess I am use to bigger zoo's. And it also smells like a farm!

They abuse the animals. Let them die on their watch. Horrible living conditions. Don't go here. Close them down ASAP.

Small cages, docile animals, very very disappointing.

Don't ever go to this place, because behind the scenes they abuse animals. Don't ever waste your money here.

This place is disgusting they treat their animals like trash don't go here and give them money they abuse their animals and there was SO many dead animals EVERYWHERE I'm being serious this place is disgusting. Everything is also kept horribly the toilet looks like it hasn't been cleaned in years.Don't take your children here.

I didn't see all of the negative reviews about this zoo until after we went, and I am so glad that I didn't see them because I wouldn't have gone. My husband and I, and our 2 year old had a great time! Admission is free for 2 and under which I think makes more sense than any other zoo admission fee I've seen where you have to pay about $11 for a 2 year old to visit. The staff was very friendly to us, even those who were working directly with the animals. The animals did not seem distressed to me, but I am not an animal expert. I'm allergic to a lot of animals, but my family is not. The monkeys were hopping around, the big tigers were sleeping, all of the animals that you could feed walked right up to us! They didn't seem to have any apprehension about being near people. Parakeets were flying all around us and landing on us in the parakeet house! My daughter rode the elephant! It was great! Pretty spacious! We will go back.

Pretty depressing. Sad because you can tell they love animals but they don't have the funds to take care of them, forcing them to cut corners (it shows) I imagine the people that work there really do love animals but they don't have the power to fix things

Horrible place. If you spend your money here you're supporting animal abuse.

We had a great time. The children missed out in the elephant rides but were so exited to see all the animals.

Me and my family had a great time. Staff were very friendly. This was our first time ever and we will do another day trip.

The Animals were dying in there they are beaten, poisoned , caged , THIS IS NOT RIGHT

Animals obviously mistreated. Didn't see a single worker out by the animals. Multiple animals showed signs of psychological distress. Disgusting

Nice zoo for the middle of the mountains. A bit pricey. We think the Tiger enclosures could be bigger but they looked happy all the same. The birds were chatty and the monkeys were enjoying the sun it was a good Sunday at the Zoo!

Was really nice for the size. The tigers were my favorite. They're really beautiful!

It is ok to say the least. The white tiger is cool. The elephant ride is amazingly fun. A friend of mine went there and a bird that resembles a emu Pecked her on her eyebrow and she needed stitches. I would not go there again. One visit was sufficient. It is run down.

These animals live in horrible conditions and the zoo is actually breaking many federal laws with the way they keep their animals. Especially the elephant and tiger. They have been closed down many times before. Hopefully they get shut down permanently

A lot of the animals looked sad due to them being sociable animals.

Stopped jere on the way home ,very friendly animals great place

I'm local. Charges were bogus. Brought about by uneducated people. I've been there. Worked with animals all my life. They are all well cared for and not beaten.

My husband, grandchildren & I are frequent visitors at the Natural Bridge Zoo; have been for several years. We have purchased season passes for two years running now. In our many visits we have not observed the negative things said about the zoo. Instead, we have found Natural Bridge Zoo employees to be educated, helpful, compassionate & caring. The animals at Natural Bridge appear happy & well cared for. The admission prices at natural Bridge are the most reasonable I have seen A season pass pays for itself in three visits and under age 2 are admitted free (important as our family has grown in the past year!) We have already visited twice this summer season with the most recent visit just yesterday. We support Natural Bridge Zoo & encourage others to enjoy this wonderful experience!

This is a awesome Zoo with amazing owners, and staff! As a breeder of exotic Animals myself, I am impressed with the habitats, and can see that the Animals are happy. I love the diversity of Animals that I haven't seen in other Zoos, and the hands on experiences they offer.

Kids loved it! Very safe and animals looked like they were being well cared for. Affordable

My family thoroughly enjoyed this place. Great experience.

Animal enclosures are filthy, The elephant is obviously depreesed, and the monkeys have visable open wounds on them!! Please do not fund this monstrosity these folks call a "zoo" it is more like a prison for innocent animals

Went to zoo with my daughter in law and grandaughter in June. Almost every animal was out and visible. Many employees were out and visible and animals appeared healthy. We loved the aviary and having birds land on our shoulders. I have my four other grandchildren here and we are on our way to the zoo today. I think there are way too many negative comments from activists and not real families visiting the zoo. I live 10 minutes away and have been to the zoo many times. Although there were issues, I feel they have rectified their violations, otherwise they would have remained closed by the the govt. Inspectors.

Loved this place I'm a huge animal lover and so are my children

Visited for the first time and was impressed! The animals are well taken care and really live in natural living areas. The staff was courteous and friendly. Clean facilities and well maintained property. Lots of space to social distance and still enjoy.

Beautiful day at the zoo. The animals were all looking happy and healthy.

Great place, my kids loved the animals, friendly staff

i would give it 0 stars if i could dont go force this place to be shutdown by lack of business animal cruelty and deplorable living conditions once again DONT GO

Very disappointing, heartbreaking and sad. Very small enclosures especially the two large bears, not very enriching, the elephant was lonely had no water to play in no toys to play with she look very sad. The giraffes had no trees know where to roam, no shade. place is run down and dirty. They have a lot of empty enclosures so I'm not sure why they don't expand some of the ones that before animals are in.

This place should be closed. The animals cannot be happy and healthy here. Some are in cages not much bigger than themselves. The owners should be ashamed of themselves

We havent been here in a few years and came back today. WOW! i remember it being a great zoo previously but they have really made some improvements and made it even better. Its such a natural zoo that allows interaction whenever possible. Definitely a must for animal lovers!