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Folsom Zoo Sanctuary
Rating Details »
403 Stafford St
Folsom, CA 95630
(916) 351-3527
Folsom, CA 95630
(916) 351-3527
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
20 reviews for Folsom Zoo Sanctuary
So, it's a little weird going to the zoo as a lone adult, but that's just what I did. Nothing to drive home your lack of cubs 'n' mate like a zoo, but I thought maybe I could recharge my batteries and be one with nature, even if that nature was behind a litany of fences and runny noses.
I usually have a major problem with most zoos as I tend to have this horse/dog/tiger whisperer thing going and I know the animals are despondent, going crazy, or missing their family. It started in a small zoo in Washington where this African Elephant was chained to a cement slab in a room that was literally only 5 feet bigger than he in any direction. So now you know, I'm one of those crazy animal lover people.
Anyway, the thing that's awesome about the Folsom zoo is they only take in the weak, injured, or endangered.
On display were lots of foxes -- some sleeping peacefully, other running about their cage (not really a good thing when they're just going in circles) and others just staring intently at you.
Actually, many of the larger animals including a mountain lion, a white coyote and a tiger were not bashful about getting up close and looking you straight in the eye.
Beautiful and serene.
The place was a little too smelly for my senses, but just about anything small can be overlooked as this place is run on love, volunteers and donations.
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This is a great place to bring small kids, or big kids (like your husband) for a morning or afternoon. I used to be a nanny and it was a great place to bring the kid and my husband likes to sit here and stare at foxes on a Sunday afternoon (I have no idea why!) Yes, there aren't as many or as exotic animals as there are at the Sacramento Zoo, but this place rescues many of its animals and they for the most part, seem pretty happy and treated well. There are coyotes, foxes, tigers, mountain lions, bears, wolves, racoons, monkeys... quite a few different kinds of animals and some of them are fascinating to watch!
The admission is quite cheap, $4 for an adult, $3 for kids and seniors, and free under 2. They also have an annual membership that you can purchase.
The train ride is always fun, for $2 a person, and the conductor is very friendly - if you ask him to take a picture, he'll tell you how he's a semi-professional photographer (I think), and give you good tips on how to take pictures. He also used to drive the train at Disneyland.
This is the little zoo that could. And it has a good social agenda as well.
I was impressed by the quality of the zoo and animals they were able to keep in this little place.
The only thing that I thought could be better was the tiger exhibit. I thought they deserved as awesome an exhibit as the bears.
I love to go here on Thanksgiving morning when they give all the animals a special treat of pumpkin and such. I could sit and watch the tigers all day -- my heart hurts that they are captured though.
The kids love to run up and down the asphalt hills and make funny faces at all the smells.
It's perfect for school field trips.
My dad (a Folsom resident since 1980) calls the Folsom Zoo the "Retard Zoo" because of all the animals missing eyes, wings, or legs (although that three-legged wolf was a legend growing up). Honestly, my four stars are going off of what this place means to me now, looking back on my memories.
There are no exotic animals, save for Macho, that mischievous baboon/macao? who likes to jerk off and throw his poo at the school children. That is unless, he died, which could very well have happened since I haven't been to the zoo since 1995. I do, however, have this incredibly strong notion that there used to be elephants in the back of the park, but this theory could either be due to a (sub)urban legend, or, that as a tiny 4 year old Asian girl, I could've easily mistaken llamas for elephants.
The peacocks roam around the entirety of the park, much to the enjoyment of all the 8 year olds risking getting their eyes pecked out, trying to yank their feathers.
To be fair, apparently The Folsom Zoo has a pretty reputable rehabilitary system for birds or something. It's like the Cirque Lodge or Betty Ford clinic of the Zoology world.
As for the train, that guy has been wearing those overalls and squishing himself into that cardboard box for the last 15 years! Forget the Folsom Zoo, Mr. Conductor is an establishment himself.
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Perfect place to tool around with kids in the mornings. At $3 a pop per kid under 13, it can't be beat. True, it's not the Sacramento Zoo, elaborate and wild, but the educational and entertainment value is still present. Gotta love the monkeys! Even as an adult I get a kick out of taking the ChooChoo Express for a spin. Bring your bike because there are tons of biking trails close by.
Worth the time, every time.
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While visiting Folsom for a triathlon my husband competed in, we stumbled across this delightful little zoo. The center piece of a nice city park, what makes it truly unique is that all of its residents are rescued animals. Our three-year-old son was pleased by all of the activity in the cages and pens. I must say this group of animals is the happiest and most active bunch I've ever seen in a zoo!
Take your Happy Hollow membership card with you ---- as a member of the only zoo on their reciprocation list, you'll get in free! Be sure to cap off your visit with a ride on the steam engine in the park outside. The engineer running it is a kick!
Check out the Folsom Zoo at:
http://www.folsom.ca.us
Sites featuring the train:
http://cencalrails.rai...
http://video.aol.com/v...
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Wait, we're talking about the Folsom Zoo here right? It's just a tiger and a peacock shy of a big ole' farm. Cows and chickens don't count as animals towards a Zoo. If you walk too fast, you won't even notice you walked right past it.
Don't get me wrong folks; I'm not against what it's there for, just that it's not much of a Zoo, that's all.
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This is a godsend to any of us with little kids. It's close, cheap and will eat up time as they tire themselves in awe and interest. Plus, my kids love that the peacocks and chickens roam all over the place.
Oh... the kids also must ride the little train at the zoo.
I LOVE the Folsom City Zoo Sanctuary. They specialize in wild animals found in Northern California, although they do have a few "exotics" that were in need of a home. I really like that you can show a child a mountain lion or a bobcat and teach them what to do if they see one while hiking or camping nearby. I mean, what are the chances of running into an elephant while vacationing in Tahoe?
95% of the animals in the FCZS were either orphaned as young wild animals, injured as wild animals, or rescued from illegal/abusive wild-pet situations. Some were laboratory rescues, like the monkeys and the PMU foal.
Also, all the animals (except for the birds I think) are spayed and neutered (well, the monkeys and wolves had vasectomies, they need their testosterone). They have no intention of adding to the number of wild animals unable to actually live in the wild.
If you are a teacher or a club/scout leader, inquire about docent lead tours! FCZS offers volunteer-docent tours to groups of 20 or more. Preschool age is a bit young, but do-able. Kindergarten through 3rd graders seem to enjoy it the most.
The mini train ride is a big draw as well (not run by the zoo) and there is also a city park with a playground next door. In addition, the new Folsom City Library shares a parking lot with the library. So after your trip, you can go check out some animal books for further education! (I *think* you can return the book at any Sacramento County library, better make sure though)
Here's a tip, if parking is tight, go to the next light on Natoma Street, and park behind the City Hall. It's probably an even shorter walk than parking in the *real* parking lot, there are a few stairs though.
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This is a shockingly nice little zoo. I hadn't been since I was a little girl (back in the ages when Roseville had a zoo in Royer park!!) and I remembered the train.
I remember a much smaller zoo with sad animals like a fire-damaged bear and a bobcat litter.
This has evolved. It has a GREAT walkway; they have really nice cages and they take in exotic and illegal pets that people have raised in captivity and then couldn't handle. Like wolf hybrids and wolves and foxes and coyotes and raccoons. There are even ferrets! I don't consider those exotic. I love ferrets, but I know how fast my dog could kill one, so I don't bother. Still, they have an amazing ferret habitat.
They have a beautiful bear habitat and are working on an even better one for the wolves.
I really liked that they have pasture animals as well, like a premarin horse (these horses are kept prego and their urine is taken to make hormone therapy for menopausal women. After they get too old to make babies, they are slaughtered for dog food or horsemeat. True story. I feel like "lab" animals that survive serving the greater good should be protected. Shouldn't they retire to a nice pasture where no one is inserting semen into them and they can hang out with goats and graze on sweet grass?)
Anyway. The next time I go, we are riding the train.
Beanie loved toddling around the walkways even though I'm not sure she got the whole "zoo" idea. She called the wolves, foxes and bears "Dogs". That said, it's a great way to knock out a sturdy, busy toddler. She slept for hours afterwards. $4 for entry, kids under 5 are free.
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My sweetheart had never been to the zoo before, so in 2002 we decided to check out the Sacramento City Zoo. He was grinning like a silly little school girl in the queue to get inside, that's how excited he was. Unfortunately, 2.5 hours later, we walked out feeling depressed, distressed and dejected. He vowed to never set foot in a zoo ever again. I wanted to create a pleasant lifetime memory for him to cherish and all that was left was the disturbing image of a lonely jaguar, spinning around in circles.
HOWEVER the light at the end of the tunnel is Folsom Zoo Sanctuary! I had to drag him over here after I had heard so many good things about the place! We love the FZS!!!! Knowing that most of these animals were rescued and are now living a peaceful and fun life really warmed our hearts. We got to see an abused raccoon go through cognitive conditioning training, we watched and listened as the wolves howled away, we played peekaboo with the parrots and stared in awe at the big cats! I love how there are chickens and peacocks and other fowl roaming around all over the place. I have some great pictures and one I will upload here is the chicken lounging in the mens restroom. Also, we had a great conversation with a helpful and very informative volunteer who told us all about the place and some of the exhibits we had to see.
My honey is happy now and we will be making a return trip again this spring =)
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Really cool little zoo right in the heart of Folsom. Most of the animals at this zoo have been rescued due to injury and/or neglect from their previous owners.
The highlights (for me anyway) were the 5 black bears, 2 tigers and 3 mountain lions. The bears were surprisingly active as they playfully fought with each other and swam in the "pool".
It was rather scary to watch the mountain lions stare down the visitors -- they would just pace around the enclosure and you could almost feel their power from the other side of the fence.
There are a lot of other exhibits including wolf/dog hybrids, bobcats, coyotes, etc.... You really get a kick out of all the roosters and peacocks roaming free around the grounds.
All in all a great (and inexpensive) way to spend a few hours on a nice afternoon!
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Gotta LOVE this zoo. They rescue animals and give them life! I hate the thought of animals being locked up for humans to stare at, but these animals would die unless Folsom took them in and cared for them. And care they do! The employees and volunteers at the zoo are there for the animals. Nice place to visit again and again for kids and adults alike.
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I take my nephew and niece here. They love it. The animals are much more active and happy here!
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This was a great place to spend a Saturday afternoon. Sure, it isn't the San Diego zoo but it's a nice place to take the kids and see a few animals. So what that all the animals aren't "exotic"! Maybe I'm just a kid at heart but I still get excited to see monkeys, bears, mountain lions and raccoons. What are you going to lose with a $4 admission?
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Small and kid freindly, we're Folsom Zoo fans. It's easy to get around and plenty close to the City Park and Library for a multi-destination afternoon. Don't forget to take the kids on the train! the conductor is a hoot - ask him to take your family photo!
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The Folsom Zoo is fun to visit. The peacocks, while loud, are fun to look at. There are also some interactive things for kids too.
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The Folsom Zoo was a very pleasant surprise. I took my 2 kids (2 year old and 1 month old) on a weekday, expecting a ho-hum zoo experience. It was great! First of all, it was cheap - $4 for adults, free for kids under 5. Second, it was clean. There were lots of zoo employees and volunteers spraying down the cages and the walkways. Third, there were great fenced walkways throughout the zoo that kept my toddler from running into the bushes etc. I didn't have to constantly keep my eye on him, as I have to at the Sacramento Zoo. But best of all was the access to the animals. They are much closer to the patrons than at the Sac Zoo. I had a much better appreciation of the size and power of the bears and tigers, as did my toddler. We also happened to arrive right at feeding time (around 10:30 am) and it was amazing to see the animals chow down. I also liked the fact that the zoo is more of a rehabilitation and rescue center - it houses animals that were injured/abused in the past. Therefore, there aren't as many exotic animals but I'm no fan of caging animals that could survive in the wild anyway.
The zoo is not too large and thus very manageable for a mom and her little kids. An extra treat was discovering that a wonderful steam train runs along a track in the park adjacent to the zoo. A 7 minute ride on the train cost $1.50 per person and my son (and I ) had a blast. What a perfect day trip for my family!
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This is a very small zoo which is perfect for those children who do not have very long attention spans. It is $4.00 ages 13 and up $3.00 for ages 5-12 and free for anyone under 4. They do not have the selection of animals most zoo's have but they do have bears, tigers, mountain lions, monkeys, birds and lots of prairie animals. The zoo it located in a very large park where you can often catch a baseball game going on, a great place to have a picnic however they do have a snack bar. But the best thing is that they have a miniature train that goes around the park it it only $1.50 to ride the train and the children get the biggest kick out of the horn. It is a fun way to spend the morning or afternoon.
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