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Ostrich Land
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- Good for Kids:
- Yes
42 reviews for Ostrich Land
Probably the most memorable bit of our get-away to Santa Barbara.
We saw this place on our way to Solvang and swore we would remember to hit it up on the way back.... soooo glad we did!
It's $4/person to get in and see the ostriches and emus and then $1/bowl of food if you feel adventurous enough to attempt to feed them.
So worth it!!
The ostriches are crazy and just attack the food bowl... it will be gone in minutes. The emus are creepy... they honestly make these dinosaur-like growling noises... I seriously think part of the sound-track to Jurassic Park was taken from these guys!
Anyway... would totally recommend stopped here!! So fun :)
This is the closest I think I've ever gotten to death.
This statement is no reflection on the safety of Ostrich Land. That's just how little I go for adrenaline thrills, so relatively speaking, this was wild.
My road trip partner in crime and I were headed down Hwy 246 to Solvang when we spotted the Ostrich Land sign, flipped the car into an aggressive U-turn, and came crushing into the gravel and dirt parking lot. This was not to be missed.
Once inside, we learned we don't only get to see ostriches and emus up close, we actually get to feed them by hand(ish).
Ready for action, we bought the food, which comes in a dog-bowl like container securely affixed to a metal dust pan, and moments later found ourselves reaching as far as our arms would go over a sturdy, high wooden railing, where the ostriches would meet us.
The first ostrich I encountered trotted up and looked me straight in the eye with an expression that communicated something like: "I CAN EFF YOU UP, LITTLE LADY." Egads!
Initial fears aside, the birds basically behave themselves and clear your food bowl in a relatively short time. This is indeed a kid-friendly place, and man, what a photo op. Plus, does it get any more bizarre than this?
Favorite moments include reading the safety rules (including gentle warnings against the teasing of the ostriches), hearing the ostriches' beaks snapping (freaky!), and lastly, Not Dying. Success!
You absolutely must include a stop at Ostrich Land in your driving itinerary.
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WOW! They are SCARY!!! It's fun!
Pros:
-You can pay a few dollars to feed them.
-You can purchase eggs, jerky and what have you there.
-It's different!
-One ostrich egg feeds a family of 6x2 or more depending on how much you eat.
-There's plenty of emu's a ostriches to see in the back! (They are huge!)
Cons:
-Can't really say much, it was a great experience. =)
Feeding the ostrich is really not as scary as reviewers make it out out to be. You do have to hold the bowl handle with both hands or you could potentially drop it. There is a fence separating you and the birds so your life is never at danger.
Just a bit of advice, never stick your hand inside the fence, even in the baby emu section! They will poke your hand people!! It's not a petting zoo.
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Stopped here on the way to Solvang with my family so that my nephews could feed the ostriches and emus. Long story short, there were some misunderstandings dealing with the bathroom ..
My warning to you.... if you dont plan to go into the "zoo", dont ask to use the restroom here. First off, it's filthy. Secondly, they don't tell each customer they have to pay to use the restroom. My sister asked to use the restroom and they told her she'll have to pay admission. Afterwards my aunt asked to use the restroom and they didnt mention anything about paying. If they ran their business properly, they'd tell each customer their policy.
Rather than the customers act rude and angry, the employees were beyond rude.. it was insane.
How many people can say they've fed ostriches? You should definitely do it once. My nephews loved it.. But if you dont want to deal with or support horrible customer service, check out the miniature horses at Quicksilver Ranch in Solvang.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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8/4/2008
It's definitely a must see! We saw it on the side of the road on the way to Solvang. Talk about… Read more »
This was a fun place to go. Its definitely an experience. You find out the ostriches are quite aggressive. Its fun to feed them and there are always more than a few around especially if you have food. If you get a chance to try the ostrich meat DO IT!
Is this place a tourist trap? Yes... Is this place kind of cheesy and kitschy? Yes! but we love it so much! How can one not? You get to feed some scary angry birds that peck at you! And for such a low cost ($4 admission $1 for food), the entertainment is so worth it! I've been coming here since I was a little girl with my parents and it was so much fun to share it with the boyfriend who had never been!
This place is such a must-stop for a trip up towards Solvang!
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It's a fun place to stop by when you have time.
Your admission is around 5 bucks and the ostrich food is 1 buck.
It's fun to feed them as you get to see them closely.
I thought Emu was nicer than Ostrich.
Cute little place. Ostriches, emus and babies to feed. Nice little gift shop. It's $4 entry and $1 for food. We need a 2nd dish of food pretty quickly, those birds love to eat!
To the griper guy below who calls this place "losers", GET A CLUE. This place is running a legal business that allows visitors to visit and feed the birds for a nominal fee. Hello? I SAID FEE. Why would you think you would be allowed to view the birds for free? Who are you? Do you get ticked off at other establishments that don't allow you to use their fee-services for free? IF you weren't so cheap as to spring for $4, you would've quickly learned that approaching the fence without food freaks the ostriches and emus out. They post clearly throughout the farm that you should not TEASE them by approaching them without food.
For everyone else that is interested in a half-hour diversion, this is a cute little place. Very clean, cared for animals. Though, I must admit, I was a little freaked out seeing ostrich jerky after I fell in love with those little fellas.
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My husband and I started our day off super excited to see some ostriches. We were not disappointed. We shared a bowl of food, but he did most of the feeding. It was probably the scariest thing in the world. They throw their heads into the bowl and then try to grab it. It was also scary because there was no supervision, and with all the young children running around I was just waiting for a head pecking. It was extremely interesting to just watch the giant birds run and eat.
I came back with this tid bit of information: the black and white Ostrich are the male and the brown are the female. The females are brown because they guard the eggs during the day and the males are black because they guard during the night.
Definitely worth the $4.
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This place looked pretty fun! I definitely wasn't expecting an Ostrich farm in the middle of wine country and if I had not been a bit behind schedule to get back to LA, I definitely would have stopped.
Would love to try an ostrich egg!
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here is my secret shame: i am phobic of birds. the average everyday pigeon is my nemesis. i cannot abide them.
with that in mind, please picture me feeding GIANT AGGRESSIVE MONSTERBIRDS out of a dustpan.
it was actually pretty fun! they are scary (to me, probably not to any other rational adult) but really interesting, and for the price it's a good half hour of ridiculousness.
i would totally go again.
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SO
DAMN
FREAKY.
It was like a real life Jurassic Park. Hundreds of ostriches running around an enormous field, the males doing mating dances that made them look like 10 foot tall ravers. Seriously look up Ostrich Mating Dances on Youtube, weirdest thing I've ever seen.
$4 to get in, buy a thing of food for $1 - you won't need more than one. Go inside and feed some ostriches and emus and marvel at the FREAKS they are. Watching these ostriches it becomes SUPER easy to recognize how birds and dinosaurs are related. Just look at their feet. I've seen plenty of ostriches before but never at this magnitude. Place was awesome, if I'm ever in the area again I'd for sure stop by. Bring a good camera, too!
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Exhausted from a long day of driving and eating cookies & cream ice cream I decided to stop at Ostrich Land. Expecting to be able to eat these monstrous beasts in a burger I was instead knocked on my pewter bottom by the facts: I was supposed to feed them! So terrified was this bite sized Hippo that I sat in the car the entire time. However, the meow that I was driving with soldiered on... Apparently you can feed them and can get really close and its really fun and scary and they are cool and try to steal the food dish and its really a cool place. I wouldn't know however, I was hiding in the glove box.....
This place is definitely worth a stop- all those Ostriches! OMG and Emus! I had never seen any of the crazy rituals of these birds before. It's five $ for admission and a bag of food.
There were little ones there last time I was- so cute!
I always have to stop here on my way to Solvang, something so intriguing about these ugly birds!
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Ostriches are ugly, mean, nasty creatures.
You MUST go see them at Ostrich Land.
4 bucks to get in, $1 for food.
Go once, and you will never drive past it without stopping again.
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Ostrich Land! After the long drive from Los Angeles and seeing only cows and horses, it was really exciting to see Ostriches and Emus! $4 entrance fee and $1 feed. Emus make this low grumbling sound. Eeekk scary. At first the ostriches can be really aggressive and frightening. As soon as they saw me come out with the feed bowl, they started running towards me! You're instructed to hold out the tray with both hands because the ostriches will try to take the bowl away from you. They are unbelievably strong. And once all the feed is gone, they start looking at you like their next meal.
Freaky. Fun. And lots of laughter.
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Which of these have you done?
1. Stuck your head in the sand.
2. Seen Ostriches
3. Seen Emus
4. Eaten Ostrich Meat
5. Fed Ostriches
6. Fed Emus
7. Worn an Ostrich feather Boa
8. Performed a Fan dance Striptease with Ostrich Feather Fans
Well, after visiting Ostrich Land, I have now done 6 out of 8 of those above. (I'll let you guess which ones!)
Stop here if you want to do four of the above, see and feed live Emus and Ostriches.
It costs 4 bucks each to get in (adults), and for another dollar, you can feed the large birds. They have specific instructions of dos and don't, and you better follow them. The Ostriches (there are about 4 dozen total) come over and when they start pecking, they don't fool around! They will try to grab the entire pan out of your hands! I don't recommend the OStriches for the kids, For them, let them watch and then feed the tamer and smaller Emus.
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Ahhhh Ostrich land.
There are some ostriches and you get to feed them. It costs $4 to see them $5 to see and feed.
Really there's nothing to spectacular about it, though it was fun (I guess). If you've got kids check it out, if you've never been and are mildly interested check it out. If you could care less, keep driving.
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I would suggest coming here just so you can say that you've done it. Everyone says they always drive by it, but never stop by.
I am an animal lover. But this experience has made me rethink whether I love animals as much as I claim. Do not expect something cute and cuddly. Rather, expect something that is ugly, mean, feisty, and extremely awkward looking.
Emus are less aggressive when eating, which is quite nice. Ostriches on the other had are very aggressive and scary. Your hand gets so close to their mouth that it seems like they're going to eat your hand too!
The attendant gives you a little training on how to feed these things, which helps when you're out there to fend for yourself.
For $5 (4 - entrance, 1 - food), it's not a bad deal.
You can buy a fresh ostrich egg for $25 at the gift shop if you are into that kind of stuff.
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So we are passing by and wanted to look at the birds from the road. Mind you, this is a public road, and NO "NO PARKING" signs, and this guys comes up and says we have to move. I didn't want to take the time to explain municipal/vehicle/etc. codes, or anything else as I surmised he would not understand, but it was enough to make me not want to do anything with this establishment. The only thing I'd pay for is to see that jerk get pecked by those birds. I'd pay dearly for that. You guys suck and intimidate people just looking. Perhaps, you could say, "Hey, how'd you like to see them up close? Go over there and you can!" Instead you drive potential customers away! LOSERS!
Definitely a unique experience.
Ostriches and emus are majestic flightless birds at a distance, but close up, they are incredibly fugly (excepting their long beautiful eyelashes). Ostrich land allows you to see and feed the ostriches for a few bucks per head.
The "feeder" is a dogfood bowl welded onto a metal dustpan. You are told repeatedly to hold the dustpan handle with BOTH HANDS or the ostriches will grab the dustpan. We saw several ostriches biting the sides of the bowl in an attempt to grab the bowl -- cunningly, the ostriches only tried these tricks on children and the elderly (ostriches are a superstitious and cowardly lot). Ground squirrels scamper about eating scraps as the ostriches attempt to pelt each other with food pellets while diving headfirst into the dogfood bowls. The emus were less animated but much cuter.
The gift shop has lots of tacky goods, but the best buy is the $25 fresh ostrich egg so you can eat a Pterodactyl omelet in the privacy of your own home. I'm planning on making a gigantic scotch egg as detailed here ( http://www.blogjam.com... ). I know you'll be waiting for the evite while holding your breath.
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BAH! SO FUN!
You get to feed ostriches and emus!! The emus are fugly but little and gentle when eating. The ostriches are tall and aggressive when eating! It's scary at first trying to feed the birds cuz you think they're gonna peck at your hands but they're trained to only go after the food. Just hold on tightly and remove the bowl once the feed is gone.
I think they should also allow guests to ride ostriches...maybe one day.
Kids can only feed emus.
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Entrance fee = $4
Feeding (per bowl) = $1
This is sooooooooo fun! Initially, it's quite frightening with the 9-foot birds coming towards you only to aggressively stab at your bowl of food with their sharp beaks. They recommend that you lean towards them so that they don't hurt their necks while trying to reach the food. But the closer you are, the more at risk you are of losing some hands.
I wouldn't recommend kids coming here because there are only ostriches and emus. The only fun part is feeding them and I don't think kids are tall enough or strong enough to not let go of the bowl. The ostriches are smart and do take advantage of youngin's and oldies. Overall, the lady helping us was very nice and very thorough in explaining things.
Unfortunately, the land is very large and there are tons of ostriches roaming around but you only get to walk a portion of it.
At the store, you can get ostrich souvenirs or OSTRICH MEAT to take your revenge out on them.
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So I think I'd be giving this more stars if this was my first time here, but I've always visited this place if I'm going up to NorCal and taking the 101. My last trip up here was a few years ago, and its changed a lot since then.
One used to be able to just park and walk right up to the ostriches, and if you wanted to feed 'em, then you paid a nominal fee. But if you just wanted to take a look at them, and be scared of their insane dinosaur feet and legs, then you could. (Oh, BTW, its pronounced die-NOOOH-SAURHS, like from the tour scene in Jurassic Park. Check it out if you don't remember it, I find the pronunciation of it hilarious).
Anyways, now I have to pay to just see 'em? Ahhhh, bummer! But I did and fed 'em. I guess I must have looked like a punk kid who wanted to tease the birds. Why? Because the lady who was giving us instructions on how to feed them kept on going on and on about "not teasing them". Yes, I like to tease large animals that I'm afraid of, how'd you know?
The ostriches look like if they could, they'd eat you. And they are pretty aggressive with the food. I was just waiting for one of them to "mistake" my face for the bowl. So I quickly went to the emus, who were much more docile and orderly about getting the food.
Anyways, its a random experience that I'd recommend, if the ostriches don't try and eat you.
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FUN FUN FUN....
During our Valentines weekend trip we stopped by here... We both went in but after my girlfriend heard that they may bite ,she said Hell no...lol..So I fed them. They are very aggressive. Take all your jewelry off or you will lose it. This was a cool experience and fun for me. The store has alot of different things like ostrich jerky,steaks,eggs and other trinkets.
So if you get a chance stop by and have some fun and you will learn something....
if you're on the way to Solvang- you gotta stop!!!
Its hilarious. Make sure to check out their mega-dinosaurish feet.
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This place is kicks big bird's ass! I try to visit here whenever I drive on the 101. It's nearby Santa Barbara.
I love ostrich jerky. It tastes just not like chicken, more like beef. Though their eggs does taste like chicken but bigger. You can buy fresh ostrich or emu eggs! Ostrich eggs are about the size of a football and white. Emu eggs are about the size of an avocado and dark green like one too! Their shells are thick so be careful when trying to open them. If you want to preserve the shells, use a small bit drill. The ostrich egg is equivalent to two dozen chicken eggs so expect a eggtravagant eggcellent buffet!
You can also get ostrich other parts like feathers, leather, and steaks!
If you're not into eating them, you can feed them! Emus are the cousin of the ostrich and friendly. Ostriches bite! You have been warned. Still you can feed them but carefully or you'll end up like my Uncle Joe the 8 fingered guy. Kidding about the Uncle Joe. Not kidding about the biting ostriches!
Go visit! Eat them or feed them!
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On our way to Quicksilver Ranch, we passed by Ostrich Farm. There was much flailing, excitement, and "Please please please, let's go there after we see the ponies? PLEEEEEEASE?"
So we went. And man, that place is awesome. Ever play that game, Sleuth? One of the murder victims was killed by a stuffed emu. Since then (and thanks to much Google image search results), I had assumed that emus were pure, feathered evil.
Boy, was I wrong: the emus were surprisingly tame. Those ostriches are vicious. No wonder they give you a 1-minute lesson on how to feed those beasts. We almost made bets on how long it would take before my sister would drop her pan, because once those ostriches see you approaching their pen with food, they lock you down with those fierce ostrich stares as they gather along the edge.
Holy hell, watching them attack their food was hilarious. I laughed even more when a bunch of them spread their wings and ran down the hill in a line. And one kept leaning over, ready to peck at my sister.
The shop has a bunch of ostrich stuff, plus ostrich meat, ostrich jerky, emu jerky, and, if you're lucky, ostrich eggs. I really wanted to buy the emu jerky, but I stopped myself. Gotta save that experience for next time. If you go inside to view the birds (if you're willing to pay the $4 admission, plus $1 per tray of feed), there's not that much space for humans to walk around. I think it's definitely worth the time; I mean, you're already in the area - might as well go see some ostriches and emus, right? Right!
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Aaah yes! A company trip that was to boost the morale and also bond at the same time. So one of the stop was to an Ostrich Land in Buelton, CA. The Ostrich farm is located just outside of Santa Barbara and on the way to Solvang, CA (Danish country!!! J/K, don't write to me about this).
This is an obvious tourist trap to get people to come in and pay for the overpriced souvenirs. If you are not buying anything...bookoo! Because there's so many things to check out that are free. The big attraction to this place is to look at the ostriches. You can see them up close and feed them. Oh yeah, in order to feed them... yep, you have to buy the bird feed. Tourist trap, I'm telling ya.
There's also a feeding zone for the little emu that is close by. It's like a little petting zoo pen that is fenced off while the emu can stick their head out for their feed. And if you have to ask.. of course, buy the bird feed. Check out the photos I posted for this review.
As the reviewer before me pointed out, there is website...hawking the products of course. There's just no way getting around that. But for me it was relaxing because it is a beautiful outdoor and you get to watch ostriches very up close. It's great for the whole family really.
Now if I can only convinces the bosses that we need to upgrade the company trip, it would be awesome. Ostrich Land indeed.
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This seems like an appropriate 400th review for me.
Once you see a sign that reads OSTRICH LAND, you can't NOT go. F'n OSTRICH LAND.
As others have mentioned, the gift shop/entrance is not terribly impressive. We were probably most enthusiastic about the postcards with mystery quotation marks (they used comic sans, which made me like the cards less, but still, good stuff). There were shirts, but I was kinda hoping for designs left over from 30 years ago and these designs are modern. The electric guitar one was odd. As mentioned by others, also available were ostrich eggs, ostrich feather fans, ostrich eggs painted and/or made into jewelry boxes, and ostrich meat. Love 'em or eat 'em, your choice.
The fee to get in was pretty reasonable ($1 kids, $4 adults - yes you have to pay just to look - and another dollar for a pan of feed), and you're given a brief explanation of how to avoid getting bitten if you're feeding, and off you go.
We went at a time when the ostriches seemed to have just finished lunch; there were maybe half a dozen up at the feeding area (you can't just go traipsing around in the big field), and most were uninterested in those of us excitedly holding out our bowls bolted to dustpans. One might come over and eat a little - gracing various visitors with its presence by sampling several pans - then walk off. Ostriches eat like Cookie Monster, all NOM NOM NOM NOM getting ostrich feed all over the place. While it's totally exciting having an ostrich RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU!!! eating the food YOU!!! are offering it, it's kinda scary having your hands that near, even though (as instructed, because you follow rules), your hands are on the dustpan handle. And, despite my rule-following, one made a couple attempts to nip my fingers. Uncool. And then scarier when my friend wanted me to get my head closer to the ostrich for a picture. Not very smart, but hey, I make sacrifices for art. And came out unscathed.
If I'd been my pony-loving five-year-old self, this place would've been BOMB, as well as vaguely terrifying. As an adult, I liked it, but if the ostriches had been more interested in eating, I would've liked it more.
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So I'm driving down the 246 just off the 101, minding my own business, when I see some strange looking vegetation off to my right up ahead. Obviously, by the name of this place, they weren't bushes but ostriches, dozens of them, all over.
Now, I am a city boy so I did what any self-respecting man would do...I pulled over and paid to feed them and would have bought an egg to make omelettes but they were out. Inside the little shack of a store, they sell anything and everything ostrich / emu. Jerky, feathers, blown eggs, leather, crafts...emu oil for your skin. you get the point.
Tourist trap or not, I had a great time and will stop by again if I find myself in the area (which is full of wineries so you know I'll be back).
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It's just some big birds running around in a field, but I got to admit it's fascinating to see them up close.
Ostrich Land produces ostrich chicks through breeders, feathers, eggs, ostrich meat and unique leather used for briefcases and boots.
It has become a petting zoo of sorts where you can buy feed and pay to go see and feed the birds. I didn't think that it was worth doing, so we didn't. However, you can buy meat and jerky as well as ostrich eggs, which is pretty cool. They say that one ostrich eggs is the equivalent to 24 chicken eggs. That oughta make one hell of a Flintstone omelet! Yaba Daba Doo!
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this place is scary. not fun. ostrichs smell and bite. no no no. creeeeeepy beyond anything i want see.
One word: awesome. Laughed my ass off watching my boyfriend attempt to feed these things. Great photo opp - $10 bought us two "admissions" to the viewing/feeding area and 2 plates of food. We came away with some hilarious photos and some of the best memories from our roadtrip. Highly recommended stop if you're in the Solvang vicinity.
I am giving this place five stars, simply for the name and the prospect of going there. It was CLOSED when I went...but, that is because I stupidly chose pastries in Solvang before stopping at this amazing sanctuary. This mistake will not happen twice, I assure you. The next trek to SoCal will be epic. And it will include Emu.
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If you are driving up 101 from Los Angeles to San Francisco, definitely plan on stopping here to stretch your legs. Ostriches are SCARY looking!
you get to see and feed ostriches. $10 for 2 people. the entertainment lasts about 30 minutes, and seriously you probably will never do it again. it's one of the most unique things i'll probably do. plus it lends itself for a great story and something i won't ever forget when i talk about it for years to come (prob while drunk).
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Ostrich Land! What can I say? I came to the Santa Ynez Valley for the pinot noir, but stayed for the ostriches. Experiencing these wonderful paragons of evolution firsthand is worth more than words can describe. Feeding them is a consciousness-raising experience that will leave you with such an amazing sense of personal enlightenment and enrichment that you will never forget it. During my visit, I fed an ostrich and experienced what I can only describe as a moment supreme clarity. As I gazed into the eyes of the ostrich, it gazed into mine, and contact was made. I actually wept. I now believe them to possess telepathic ability. These magnificent creatures wield an almost unearthly sort of benevolent grace. Feed one, and you will understand. I heartily recommend stopping at this wonderful little oasis of hospitality during your visit to Buellton.
