Tucked along NC-42 in tiny Macclesfield, North Carolina, It’s A Zoo Life is one of the most surprisingly magical places you can visit in the entire state. This family-run animal sanctuary is home to over 150 exotic animals, and unlike most zoos where you just stare through glass, here you can actually pet, feed, and hold a huge number of them.
From kangaroos and sloths to capybaras and monkeys, every visit is a hands-on adventure guided by knowledgeable, passionate staff who genuinely love what they do. Whether you’re planning a family day trip, a birthday surprise, or even an overnight stay right inside the kangaroo enclosure, It’s A Zoo Life promises an experience you won’t forget anytime soon.
Kangaroo Encounters and the Overnight Kangaroo Cottage
Waking up to a kangaroo hopping onto your porch is not something most people ever expect to experience in North Carolina, but at It’s A Zoo Life, it’s a real possibility. The Kangaroo Cottage is an on-site Airbnb located right inside the kangaroo exhibit, giving overnight guests an unbelievably close look at these fascinating marsupials.
Guests who book the stay receive dinner, breakfast, and a fully personalized tour that goes beyond what a regular daytime visit offers.
During the day, kangaroo encounters are available to all visitors as part of the guided tour experience. You can feed them, pet them, and spend quality time just watching them move around naturally in their space.
Reviewers have called it “truly magical” and one of the most unique things they’ve ever done with family or friends.
Owner Bobbi Jo and her staff clearly pour their hearts into making sure both the animals and the guests feel welcomed. The kangaroos are well-socialized, friendly, and comfortable around people of all ages.
Whether you’re visiting for a few hours or staying the night, the kangaroo experience alone makes the trip to Macclesfield completely worth it.
Sloth Meet-and-Greet Experience
Sloths move through life at their own relaxed pace, and somehow that slow, unbothered energy is exactly what makes meeting one so special. At It’s A Zoo Life, guests have had the rare opportunity to get up close with a real sloth, an experience that most people never get outside of a documentary.
One reviewer mentioned spotting the sloth casually hanging out on a swing set, which honestly sounds like the most perfectly chill afternoon anyone could ask for.
Sloths are notoriously shy and sensitive animals, so the fact that the staff at It’s A Zoo Life have created an environment where guests can actually interact with one speaks volumes about the quality of care provided here. The animals are clearly comfortable with people, which only happens when they’re raised with patience and consistency.
For many visitors, the sloth encounter ends up being a highlight they talk about long after the trip is over. One regular visitor who has been to the sanctuary three or four times specifically mentioned petting the sloth as something they never expected to be able to do.
If meeting a sloth is on your bucket list, this is your spot.
Capybara Personal Encounter Add-On
Henry the capybara has become something of a celebrity at It’s A Zoo Life. One family surprised their daughter on her 13th birthday with a personal capybara encounter, and she called it her best day ever.
That kind of reaction says everything you need to know about how special this add-on experience really is.
Capybaras are the world’s largest rodents, native to South America, and they have a surprisingly calm and social personality that makes them wonderful to spend time with. The personal encounter at It’s A Zoo Life lets you get hands-on with Henry in a way that feels intimate and unhurried.
Staff members guide the experience with knowledge and warmth, making sure guests feel comfortable and informed throughout.
The capybara add-on can be booked separately from the standard tour, and reviewers consistently say it’s worth every penny. Beyond just being adorable, capybaras are fascinating creatures with interesting social behaviors that the guides love to explain.
Whether you’re planning a birthday trip, a family outing, or just a quirky solo adventure, spending dedicated time with Henry is an experience that earns its own spot on your highlight reel.
Lemur and Monkey Interactions
Few things compare to the moment a monkey decides you’re worth paying attention to. At It’s A Zoo Life, guests have been able to hold and interact with capuchin monkeys and encounter lemurs up close, creating memories that are hard to top.
One reviewer described the capuchin as a total show-off, full of personality and eager to entertain everyone around it.
The lemur experience is offered as a special add-on, and the staff go out of their way to make it happen even on busy or short-staffed days. One family shared that the team stretched their resources to ensure their daughter’s lemur experience wasn’t cancelled, a gesture that left a lasting impression.
That kind of dedication to guest experience isn’t something you find everywhere.
Primates are intelligent, curious, and endlessly entertaining, and seeing them in a well-maintained environment where they’re clearly thriving makes the whole interaction feel meaningful rather than uncomfortable. The owner, Bobbi Jo, has a particularly special bond with the animals, and visitors have noted that when the monkey spotted her, it immediately clung to her like a baby.
That kind of connection between caretaker and animal is a beautiful thing to witness in person.
Guided Tours Led by Knowledgeable and Passionate Staff
One of the things that sets It’s A Zoo Life apart from bigger, more commercial zoos is the quality of the guided experience. Tour guides like Garren, Caethe, Randa, Cam, and Shea have each earned glowing reviews from visitors who were blown away by their knowledge, patience, and genuine enthusiasm.
These aren’t just employees going through the motions. They’re animal lovers who bring real energy to every tour.
Groups tend to be small, which means guides can take their time with each animal, answer questions thoroughly, and make sure every single person in the group gets a chance to interact. Reviews frequently mention that guides taught children how to respect animal boundaries, explained detailed facts about each species, and kept everyone engaged from start to finish.
Tours run Wednesday through Saturday from 10 AM to 1 PM, and booking in advance through the website is strongly recommended. Tickets are purchased online, and visitors must sign a waiver before joining.
The tours typically last around one and a half to two and a half hours depending on the group and add-ons selected. For families with kids of any age, the guided format makes the whole experience feel safe, organized, and genuinely educational.
Reptile Encounters Including Large Snakes
Not every zoo lets you wear a snake. At It’s A Zoo Life, draping a large reptile over your shoulders is very much part of the experience, and it turns out that for most visitors, it’s way less scary than it sounds.
Multiple reviewers mentioned that their kids got to wear snakes during the tour, and the reactions were overwhelmingly positive, full of laughter, surprise, and a lot of great photos.
Reptile encounters are woven into the standard guided tour, so you don’t need to book anything extra to get this experience. The guides introduce the snakes calmly, explain what species they are, and make sure everyone feels comfortable before anything is placed on them.
Nobody is forced to participate, but most people end up wanting to once they see how calm and well-handled the animals are.
Reptiles often get an unfair reputation as scary or dangerous, but encounters like these go a long way toward changing that perception. Learning about snakes from someone who genuinely cares about them makes a big difference in how you see these animals.
For curious kids and adventurous adults alike, the reptile portion of the tour tends to be a surprisingly memorable highlight.
Exotic Birds, Emus, and Feathered Friends
Birds at It’s A Zoo Life aren’t just something you glance at from a distance. Visitors have had conversations with exotic birds, marveled at fancy chickens they could actually hold, and come face to face with emus, one of the world’s largest living birds.
The variety of feathered residents at this sanctuary is genuinely impressive and adds a fun layer of diversity to the overall tour.
Fancy chickens, which is a real category of poultry known for their fluffy, dramatic plumage, have become a surprising fan favorite. Kids especially love holding them, and guides are happy to share fun facts about different breeds and their quirky characteristics.
It’s the kind of unexpected delight that makes a visit here feel like more than just a typical animal tour.
Emus, on the other hand, bring a completely different energy. They’re tall, prehistoric-looking, and endlessly curious, often leaning in for a closer look at whoever is nearby.
Pairing an emu sighting with a chat from an exotic parrot and a cuddle with a fluffy chicken makes for a bird-filled adventure that most people never imagined they’d enjoy so much. It’s one of those experiences that catches you completely off guard in the best possible way.
Camels, Zebras, Alpacas, and Llamas to Feed
Feeding a camel might not be on most people’s weekend to-do list, but after a visit to It’s A Zoo Life, it becomes something they immediately want to do again. The sanctuary is home to camels, zebras, alpacas, and llamas, all of which can be fed directly by visitors during the guided tour.
Animal food is available for purchase at the ticket office, making it easy to come prepared.
Reviewers have described feeding the alpacas and camel as some of the most memorable moments of their visit. There’s something surprisingly heartwarming about having a large exotic animal eat right from your hand, and the guides are there to make sure the interaction stays safe and fun for everyone involved.
Zebras, while a bit more unpredictable in nature, are fascinating to observe up close.
These larger animals bring a safari-like feel to a property that sits quietly along a rural North Carolina highway. The contrast between the ordinary-looking surroundings and the extraordinary animals inside is part of what makes It’s A Zoo Life feel so special.
Animal food costs $2 in cash or $4 minimum with a card, so bringing a few dollars in cash is a smart move for anyone who wants to make the most of feeding time.
Porcupines, Capybaras, Pigs, and Other Surprising Residents
You probably didn’t expect to find a porcupine on your list of favorite animals, but It’s A Zoo Life has a way of changing people’s minds. One reviewer noted that the porcupine’s bowl was filled with fresh nutrition pellets, a small detail that speaks to the level of attentiveness the staff bring to every animal’s diet and daily care.
Seeing a porcupine up close, with its dramatic quills and surprisingly endearing face, is a genuinely cool experience.
Mini horses, pigs, and a rotating cast of baby animals round out the sanctuary’s more approachable residents. Baby animals in particular tend to steal the show, and multiple visitors mentioned that the babies were the cutest part of their visit.
The sanctuary takes in rescued animals regularly, which means the roster of residents changes over time and repeat visits often come with new surprises.
What makes this mix of animals so effective is the sheer variety. You go from feeding a camel to meeting a porcupine to watching a pig trot around its pen, and somehow it all feels cohesive because the care and enthusiasm behind every enclosure is consistent.
It’s A Zoo Life doesn’t just collect animals. It builds a community around them, and that warmth is something visitors feel from the moment they arrive.
Field Trips, Birthday Experiences, and Special Group Visits
It’s A Zoo Life has become a go-to destination for school field trips, birthday celebrations, and group outings across eastern North Carolina. Teachers, parents, and group leaders consistently praise the educational quality of the experience, noting that guides take the time to teach children about animal behavior, proper interaction etiquette, and conservation in a way that actually sticks.
Birthday surprises have become a specialty here. Families have booked personal capybara encounters, lemur experiences, and overnight kangaroo cottage stays as birthday gifts, and the reactions have been overwhelmingly emotional and joyful.
One teenager called her capybara birthday encounter her best day ever, while another family said their son’s 10th birthday stay in the kangaroo enclosure was truly magical.
For group visits, the small-tour format works especially well because it keeps the experience intimate and personal rather than rushed and crowded. The sanctuary’s location at 4313 NC-42 in Macclesfield is about an hour from many parts of eastern North Carolina, making it a reasonable day trip for families and school groups across the region.
With a 4.8-star rating from over 800 reviews, it’s clear that nearly everyone who visits leaves wanting to come back. Booking ahead through the website at itsazoolife.com is the best way to secure your spot.