This FAMILY TO DO in CHARLOTTE series is sponsored by CEENTA.
Spring is the perfect time to go see animals with your family and the Charlotte area has a wide variety of places to choose from. Here I’ve included a list of seven of the best places where you can see, touch, and learn about a variety of animals throughout our area.
Follow House of Hensen on Instagram for lots more family activity ideas in the Charlotte area.
Sweetwater Farms
Sweetwater Farms located in Huntersville is a teaching farm that offers children an amazing outdoor experience with natural play spaces and a variety of animals including ponies, miniature horses, donkeys, pigs, goats, ducks, and rabbits.
The farm is open to the public Wednesday-Saturday 9am-2pm and Sundays 10am-2pm. Adults and Children 2 years and up are $5.00 per ticket when purchasing online and $6.00 per person when purchasing at the farm. Children under 2 years are free.
Two Little Acres Homestead
Two Little Acres Homestead is a small family-owned and operated farm in Southwest Charlotte. They raise dairy goats, yard ducks, rabbits and a variety chickens. They offer year round animal learning experiences and special events where families can visit the farm to learn about and hold the baby animals. They also offer short term in home baby animal experiences where you get to care for a baby chick, bunny, or duck.
All farm classes and events require pre-registration and start around $25.
Carolina Raptor Center
The Raptor Trail at the Carolina Raptor Center located in Huntersville is a three-quarter mile walking trail and zoological facility. It permanently houses and displays more than thirty birds of prey including hawks, eagles, owls, and vultures. Guests can enjoy learning about the birds as they walk the shaded trail. They also host regular keeper chats and fly-bys with dates and times listed on the website.
In the spring the Raptor Center is open seven days per week from 10am-4pm. Adult admission is $12, senior/military/teachers are $10, students are $8 and children 3 and under are free.
Discovery Place Nature
Discovery Place Nature located in Myers Park has a wide range of exhibits including Insect Alley with cockroaches, beetles, and millipedes. They also have Creature Cavern that includes chipmunks, snakes, and opossums. They also have regular live animal encounters where guests can have an up close experiences with some of the animals.
Tickets are $8 for adults and children. Children under two are free.
The Hunter Farm
The Hunter Farm is a family owned and operated farm in South Charlotte that offers a wagon ride to their petting barn to see and learn about a variety of animals including calves, chickens, bunnies, and miniature horses.
The farm is open Friday April 7th – Sunday, May 28th for the spring season. Their hours are Wed-Thurs 2pm-7pm and Fri-Sun 9am-7pm. Reservations are required for the wagon ride and cost is $10 per person which includes a flower plant. Children under 2 are free.
Lazy Five Ranch
Lazy 5 Ranch located in Mooresville is an animal park that offers a drive-thru experience to feed and see the animals which includes antelope, cattle, deer, elk, giraffes, sheep, and more. You can drive your own vehicle through the park or ride their wagon. The animals tend to come up to the vehicles so it’s easy to pet and feed them.
The park is open Mon-Sat 9am until one hour before sunset. Sunday hours are 12pm-one hour before sunset. General admission rates are $15 for adults, $11 for children, and $11 for seniors. Wagon ride rates are $21 for adults, $15 for children, and $15 for seniors. Feed buckets are $3.
SEA LIFE Aquarium
SEA LIFE Aquarium located in Concord Mills Mall has a variety of exhibits including Tropical Ocean, Interactive Touch Pool, Sea Turtle Rescue Center, Stingray Bay and the Jellies Exhibit. It’s also home to North Carolinas only ocean tunnel where you get a close view of many varieties of fish including sharks, stingrays, and sea turtles.
The aquarium is open weekdays 11am-5pm, Saturdays 10am-6pm, and Sundays 11am-6pm. Tickets start at $15.99 for kids and $18.99 per adults.
Charlotte Eye Ear Nose & Throat Associates, P.A. (CEENTA) has nearly 140 providers in almost 20 locations bringing specialty care to the community. CEENTA provides comprehensive pediatric and adult eye, ear, nose and throat care, and highly specialized care, too.
These services include but are not limited to: audiology, allergy treatment, cataract surgery, cochlear implants, cornea diseases, diabetic eye care, glaucoma treatment, head and neck cancer, neuro-ophthalmology, oculoplastics, optical and contact lenses, pediatric airway care, sleep medicine, thyroid treatment, and voice and swallowing care.
To schedule an appointment with any of CEENTA’s board-certified physicians, please call 704-295-3000.
