The reason why you should visit Southwick's Wild Animal farm begins with its location and ends with its family friendly approach. But of course the real reason why you visit Southwicks's Wild Animal Farm is to see and enjoy every animal, every show and every snack in between. Once you have made the trek to Southwick's Wild Animal Farm, you will become part of Southwick's generations of friends and you'll also know why you should visit Southwick's Wild Animal Farm again, soon.
Location is one reason why you should visit Southwick's Wild Animal Farm. First, Southwick's Wild Animal Farm has a location in local history that extends back over 200 years. The property first was owned and operated as a simple farmstead and dairy farm. In the twentieth century, owner Justin Southwick became involved in the hobby of collecting and caring for a variety of wild game birds. Interest in birds was picked up by other family members and the Southwick bird collection took on a growing and diversified life of its own. At the suggestion of a friend, the Soutwick's put out a small box for donations and visitors to the bird collection began to contribute funds that were then used to purchase additions to the original collection. Southwick's Wild Animal Farm opened in 1963 and has continued to grow and improve sine then until today it is a fixture in the area.
Geographically, Southwick's wild Animal Farm is located in the small, rural community of Mendon, MA, in central Massachusetts. By car it is approximately forty minutes south of Worcester, MA. You can find Southwick's Wild Animal Farm by turning off of Route 16 and driving on winding country roads for about 4 miles. Location is part of the allure of Southwick's Wild Animal Farm. You can't get there by way of the ''T''. It's not in the middle of anything. There are no other tourist attractions nearby, unless you count a modest pitch and putt mini golf facility on Route 16. Southwick's Wild Animal Farm is at the intersection of nothing and nowhere. This allows parents the opportunity to build the excitement of arriving there for their children and themselves as they go around one bend in the road after another drawing closer and closer to the animals who await them. Its location gives Southwick's Wild Animal Farm the feeling of a hidden treasure, a place tucked away, your special place, a place long remembered. Location alone is a great reason for why you should visit Southwick's Wild Animal Farm.
Exhibits of its collection of animals are the primary appeal and the chief reason why you should visit Southwick's Wild Animal Farm. Billing itself as ''New England's largest zoo'', Southwick's has proceeded to stock its sprawling facility with some 500 animals of at least 100 different species, many of which are on the endangered species list.
In its collection, Southwick's Wild Animal Farm includes family favorites like the rhinocerous, camel, griaffe, lion, tiger, tortoise, zebra and two rollicking chimpanzees. Southwick's also maintains its generations old fondness for wild birds with several unique exhibits. As almost a bonus Southwick's Wild Animal Farm maintains a Deer Forest, a fenced in area including pond which is set aside for a community of deer. The terrain allows for families to walk about and if very quiet perhaps see or even have the opportunity to feed a deer or two.
There are rides and shows if you still need another reason why you should visit Southwick's Wild Animal Farm. Just consider the attractions beyond the animal exhibits. Southwick's makes available a potpourri of children's rides and animal presentations. The rides represent an additional per ride expense but the shows are offered free of charge. You can have a perfectly full day at Southwick's without either but the the rides and shows do provide some extra fun and a perhaps welcomed chance to stop walking.
Southwick's Wild Animal Farm offers train rides and moon bounce as well as camel , elephant and pony rides. Throughout the day Southwick's offers a rotating schedule of animal shows including an elephant show and dog and pony show that the whole family will enjoy.
