Reviews of Hollywild Animal Preserve (Zoo)

Stacy D

This place is closed. Has been for a while. Poorly taken care of. Animals escaped multiple times too. All kinds of code violations. Even after new ownership it wasn't brought up to code. Its verifiable via google. Sad, but true!!!

Jessica Wilson

Love this place! Ever since I was a child, this place has a magic about it. It's a family tradition to go to the Christmas safari

Dale Haase

This is a fun place! Too costly to keep open though. Seems like they are only open for the Christmas lights season. Daytime there is much more fun. Hope they ate able to re-open.

Karel Bell

Was NOT worth the money, especially the extra 10$ for the deer park. There were a lot of lights out, it was an absolutely muddy mess people we're sliding and getting stuck. The crackers we were given to feed the deer, they didn't even want them. You and other cars are corralled in fenced area to drive around freely, and to try to get out was a nightmare. First and last time ever there!!

Sara Erb

The drive of lights is great, and the petting area is fun. They have hotdogs and popcorn and cotton candy and hot chocolate. It's fun!

Robbie Travis

It was awful. A lot of the lights weren't working. It was so muddy we got stuck. We paid to feed the animals but it was a waste of money. They wouldn't eat the food. Car lights should not be allowed to be left on. Can't take good pictures with car lights on from every angle. Just a terrible experience. I would not recommend this place to anyone.

Vickie Gower

We were excited about having quality family time, seeing Christmas lights and being able to feed the animals all in one shot. It was a 2 hour drive from home. We get there and it's 6 dollars a person to get in, and an extra 10 for the "deer forest". We bought extra feed which turned out to be very stale bread and a pack of triskets. We followed the line of cars into a mud pit with deer, goats and cows walking around. It definitely wasn't worth the extra money. They had a big sign stating they weren't responsible for damage to vehicles. We were not aware that this deer forest was actually code for muddy demolition derby. There were cars stuck in the mud, and we slid all over the mud pit trying to just get out before somebody slammed into us. Luck was on our side, the truck sliding towards us caught traction before he hit us. We got out of the mud pit, and arrived at Santa's village. Low and behold they are selling tickets you really don't need unless you just want to throw more good money after bad. We did see a zebra, a hybrid cross between a zebra and a donkey, camels, water buffalo and regular buffalo, so there were animals to eat the stale bread. The lights were pretty and worth seeing. It was a lot of different things you don't see often. We did enjoy that part, but the safari part left a lot to be desired.

Lady Johanna Gutierrez-Monge

We went to see the Safari lights. Santa's village is a cute little place for small children. They have lots of farm animals. I was not a fan of the reindeer forest, lost of cars in different directions and animals in between. I don't know how healthy that is for the well-being of the animals.

Brian Kelly

We had a great time at Hollywild for their Christmas light display. The workers do a good job getting lots of vehicles through the trails to see the lights. We also had fun at Santa's village. I was amazed at how many and the variety of animals that they have in their care. My daughters especially loved the yaks and buffalo. At Santa's village all snacks and animal food has to be purchased by getting tickets. $2.00 or $3.00 to get a bag of animal food. Food is a bit expensive, comparable to other attractions.

B Pitner

What an experience so much fun. Fantastic time for family and for couples get to see wild animals and feed them and there is a petting zoo. The lights were fantastic very family friendly place definitely worth seeing around the holidays.

Jane Wiley

Hollywild has been a special place for many years. However this year there were just so many lights out it wasn't quit as nice. The animal feeding is the best part.

crystyl29

We really enjoyed the lights!! The deer forest was nice, but they should reall have some kind of staff supervision out there to keep order! People were driving reckless, putting the animals in danger and getting out of their cars when we were clearly asked to stay inside!!

Holly Thomas

We come to Hollywild every year, and this will absolutely be our last year going. After employees knew the “deer forest” was a muddy DISASTER, they continue to let people pay $10 to get stuck. We were so disappointed in this place. Not to mention these were the LONGEST lines we have ever seen here. We were giving a “wait a minute” finger at the little hut where you pay to enter, so the teenager working could finish her text message. Have better customer service, and put pride into your business. Gravel would be a great start

Melissa Watts

Run! This place is awful. I was optimistic after reading the reviews but this place is an absolute dump. Half of the lights don't work, the road is bumpy, nasty mess and most of it is plywood cut-outs and trash. You can't see any animals other than an overpopulation of deer. The animals don't want the stale bread and there is no line so once you get in there it a free for all cluster. It's way overpriced at $6/per person and $10 for the "Deer Village". I feel sorry for the animals that do live there. Save your $$ and go to Saluda Shoals.

Nylah Osborne

For me It’s perfect

Shirley Clark

Really unique experience.

Claudia Burnett

Great Christmas experience with the family.

life of

Miss this place being open all year. Sorry azz peta should be shipped off to North Korea. Hollywild always took great care of their animals.

Ashley Wallen

It's always a great experience. Love the lights and animals. Little muddy this year and hard to get Thur.

Theresa Wilson

Muddy mess!! Lights were ok.. the best part was the animals and bonfire!

Anna Harvley

Awesome experience. We all loved it!

Rachell Hayes

I've been going here year after year. It seems the prices are getting a little bit more and more expensive to go. It is the best light show around here locally. If I had to recommend something I would say they need assistance in guiding traffic out of the Deer Forest back into the light show pathway

Debbie Weible

My grand daughter loved it. However, be prepared to get stuck in the mud and the porta potty were disgusting.

Sandra Reed

We loved it! The lights were great! The animal feeding was so much fun. People are complaining about things I would like to address. First long lines. Get there early. They open at 6. We were fourth in line at 5:15. The cars were lining up down the road by the time it opened. We went through with absolutley no problem with lines or congestion!!!! GO EARLY. Yes it was very muddy. It's winter and has been raining a lot. What do people expect? Do not go without an SUV. You won't make it. There was plenty of staff helping if cars got stuck. Wear boots! We had a blast and will definitely be making this a yearly tradition. And if you want to complain of the cost STAY HOME! We thought it was very reasonable. It must be very expensive for the lights animals and up keep of the park so the cost was expected. $34 to see all the lights and feed the animals for four of us was money well spent on a holiday family night out!!!!!!!!!

Pat Larson

Loved the Holiday light show but not all the mud!!!! Feeding the animals was the best part of it all. Put on your calendar for next year.

Nick Love

Lights were not as good as some other drive through late places. Prices were $6 per person which seems a little high. Lots of animals to see and most were friendly. Bonfire was burning but it was windy and cold so to warm up, you had to get smoked out.

Dakota James

I went here during their Christmas event where they put up lights and let you drive through. The twist here is that they have this huge open area that you can drive through and feed a bunch of animals from deer and sheep to ox and zebras. At the end of the lights, they have an area where you can buy drinks, food, and pet a bunch of different animals. It's a really cool experience.

Press Man

Fun holiday event for the family. Thousands of colorful lights and holiday scenes. The drive-through deer park allows patrons to feed not only deer, but cattle, yaks, lambs, donkeys, and even a zebra or two. Animal food is provided with admission to the park attraction. Last night was a muddy night in the animal pen, so be prepared for that. Admission prices for all attractions is available on the Hollywild website. Inside Santa's Village is a petting zoo with a wide variety of animals to interact with: buffalo, camels, goats, and more. Pony rides for kids is available. Food vendors provide snacks and drinks.

Tonya Green

Amazing as usual. A wonderful family tradition....

Michael Clark

I love Hollywild Animal Park. It's so nice to have something like this so close to home. It really gives you a feel of the wild up close. I love hearing the lion roar and the way it actually vibrates the ground. This place has seen its ups and downs over the years. The workers here really seem to care and to try hard. I pray for the success of this zoo. The Christmas Light Safari is really nice and peaceful and well set up. It gives us somewhere to go every year at Christmas time. I highly recommend this place to everyone.

Amber Johnson

Best Christmas Light Show!

Stacy Jackson

Did not know what to expect going to this place. My 7 year old loved the forest and the animals at santas village. Not sure if this is every year but the mud was a terrible mess. So dress accordingly! Many people getting stuck in the enchanted forest to feed the animals. Its a pasture you get to drive in. Many snaller vehicles were getting stuck. It was neat to see the different animals come to your window. Buffalo, cows, deer, goats and some others.

Linette Jensen

It's not super professional and slick but it's a lot of fun. Lots of lights, not in great repair but the addition of the animals makes up for it. For an extra ten bucks per vehicle you get to drive through an area where deer, antelope, zebras, cows and donkeys wander around. They come up to your vehicle and you get to feed them with food provided by the Safari. Then you move on to Santa's village with an extensive free petting zoo and a variety of activities that cost money... food, drinks, photos, pony rides. There's a bonfire and a pit for roasting marshmallows ( you have to pay for them). There are a number of religious themed exhibits. There's sporadic music throughout. Very few moving displays. We were satisfied with what we got for our money as an adult couple. It can get rather pricey if you have a number of kids and do more than the basic drive through.

LaToya Merrill

This is my favorite place to go with my family during the holiday season

tammyakay

I would not even give this place one star if I didn't have to before I posted this. Took my girls to this place tonight and we were not impressed at all. The roads were a muddy mess. The lights were okay but I would enjoy a nice neighborhood much more. It just wasn't anything special. I did not pay to feed the animals but saw them in the distance. It looked like a red neck run down mud pit. Kids standing on their cars, feeding animals, the animals dodging cars. It was sad. I was trying to leave and got stuck in the mud. Thankfully, a nice gentleman pulled me out of the mud pit, aka, the parking lot. We will never go back. Terrible experience. No employees anywhere to help at all.

Haley Hughes

I've honestly haven't been to the actual zoo part since I was maybe 5(23 now) but we go to the Christmas lights every year! And it's awesome! We just like to spend time with family and let the kids see the different animals come up to your car and you can feed them and then roast marshmallows over the fire after. It's great!

Joy Crosby

definitely a new family tradition for us! We had a blast!

Kevin Dickson

Excellent time for families. We especially enjoyed feeding the animals. The baby goats were so freaking adorable!

Stefanie Smith

My son and I had a blast!

Carol Gonzales

Well it wasn't open but we talked to the keeper, he was very nice and I could tell that he really cares for the animals. I can't wait until they open.

Dawn Buff

Have been taking my grandson for year's, hate that it shut down.but they still do Christmas drive threw- and it's Awesome!!!

Haley Walker

I love Hollywild. Their Chritmas lights never get old.

Alyssa Jones

So amazing!!! I look forward to going with the family every year! I love this place

ARelentlessYeti

First, i would like to say that this place was a lot of fun and great for the whole family. The only thing I must say was feeding the animals from your vehicle was a little chaotic because it's unorganized and there's cars going in every direction. And I did read a few of the review saying that you need an SUV in order to complete the trail but that is not true at all. We used a Toyota Corolla and we were just fine. But overall all the lights were lit up and feeding the animals at the little festival site was a lot of fun!

Terri Luc

The Hollywild Zoo has had some really bad times within the last several years. It was reflected in the Christmas Lights. It was apparent that money was issue. I applaud the work that they do. Their intentions are genuine. They love the animals. Hope the money raised will help.

Katherine Turner

Muddy but great other than that!

Alanna Harper

Children truly enjoyed this experience. Feeding animals, smores, pics with Santa, beautiful lights...very enjoyable.

Shana Brookshire

DO NOT EVER spend your time going to this UNORGANIZED, UNAPPRECIATIVE establishment. This is not a business what so ever- it is pure chaos. After driving an hour and half, we waited 4 hours in line to be talked to in the most unprofessional manner at the gate. As we were told "this is their busiest night of the year " , they had zero traffic guidance, zero ETA to the park, or any updates on when we were even close to entering the park. After a drive with toddlers and waiting an hour in, we had no idea it would be an additional 3 hours or the trip NEVER would have been made . You can't be a "business" if you don't know how to run the establishment on the night YOU know is the busiest night of the year. Take business classes to learn how to operate a business if you expect to have high traffic and RETURNNG clients. None of the 9 of us will ever be back, reccomend or consider this establishment as a fun Christmas adventure- and I guarantee the people all around us who also waited 4+ hours will be either. Oh, and don't forget that to even see the animals after 4 hours of wait was an additional $10- um, hello- you can see lights ANYWHERE, is the animal part not what sets you apart and is the whole point?? What a joke.

BRUCE PEESO

Great place to take grandkids at christmas time

Tiffany Eakes

This was our first time and we were very disappointed. The lights weren't impressive at all, some of them weren't lit up or were missing lights but we mainly came to feed the animals anyway which you have to pay $10 extra which was fine but what was NOT fine is that once you get to the feeding area they gave us parmesan crackers!! Then you have to pay extra money to get corn. NONE of the animals would eat the crackers!! They would come up sniff them and run away. My kids were soo sad that the animals wouldn't come to us but they crowded around people who had corn!! Why did I pay $10 and couldn't get corn!? Why give us PARMESAN crackers! What animals eat that! And it was chaos in there not organized at all. Then it was sooo muddy in there my car got stuck in mud several times and is now covered in mud so I will have to pay to go through a car wash afterwards. There were also pot holes all along the road driving through to look at lights. Then at Santa's village more mud so our shoes were covered in mud. This was a waste of money and we will not be back

Linda Parker

First time I have been for the lights and to feed the deer. Best part was seeing Santa.

Angela Shealy

Extremely disappointed. Unorganized in the feeding area. People brought in their own food so the animals didn't want the triskets they gave us. Also, so many lights were out like no one cared. I would pass on this and go to the drive through safari in Virginia much better and more organized.

Ashley Hansen

It was ok the Animals didn't touch any food that they sold for u to feed them and it wasnt nothing but a mud pit. But my son loved the lights and the animals.

Wes Rogers

Great memories. Muddy but great place for Christmas lights

Grayson Addy

I feel like I paid to watch animal abuse. The animals are enclosed by cars, things thrown at them, and hit by cars who are not paying attention. There is no supervision for the animals. If I could give them lower than 1 star I would. Everyone I went with is also disgusted by the treatment.

Jonathan Ames

It was fun. Bring veggies though. Most of the animals don't like the crackers.

Amy Emery

Only disappointment was the hotdogs were lukewarm on cold buns($3) and after buying the bottles($5), the animals didnt want any. Otherwise, great experience!

kayla cothran

Our family visited lastnight and we absolutely loved it!!!! The lights are so beautiful and the staff is very friendly. The kids loved feeding the animals,riding the ponies and taking pictures with Santa!! I definitely recommend this place and we will be visiting again!!!!

Priscila S

Pretty awesome place! Kids will enjoy it.

Melody Barnette

Had a great time with my grandkids and daughter! We love to go every year! The kids really love the animals and feeding them!

Julie Hydrick

I have many memories as a kid coming here and it's just as amazing as an adult! Love bringing family and friends and interacting with all the animals and Christmas spirit!

Steve H.

Loved it, as always it was a very great experience! Our family enjoyed feeding the animals and the lights were beautiful.

Lisa Searfoss

This place is awesome for Christmas lights, feeding animals, bonfires, and pictures with Santa.

Kent Freeman

It is a mud pit. They need to do a better job maintaining them.

Wayne Richard

Fantastic evening of fun. I loved the "demolition derby" where you can feed animals from car. Fed zebra, lamb, bull, etc.

Joel Escamilla

Great holiday lights experience, and the kid loved the Santa village

Mercy Romero

Wonderful Christmas at Hollywild.No better place to spend time with your love ones. Merry Christmas Kevin,Kaylee, Dylan, Ezra I love you

Mounica Manepalli

Animals,campfire,hot chocolate and popcorn I had a nice time here but the holiday lights not impressive they can make it better.

Dewayne Gantt

Our second time in less than a week going to the Hollywild Christmas Lights. The kids loved it and adults as well. The animals look great. Happy and healthy and the lights were amazing. I recommend visiting. We started a tradition this year and hope to be able to visit every year from here on.

Shelby Minish

We had a blast! Well worth the money and the two hour wait! My three year old had the time of his life feeding the animals. We’ll definitely be back next year!

Kait Moorman

We waited in line for two hours just to get in, which was a little nuts, but the experience itself was fun. My eight-year-old nephew really enjoyed it, Santa's Village especially. There were so many animals for kids to pet and feed.

Yelizaveta Karastanov

Great place for a change! in any season ! But for Christmas here, of course, absolutely fantastic atmosphere !! Thank you very much ! It is a lot of enclosed work, well tried! We have come here for Christmas for many years and we are not tired ...

Ricky Crane

Its okay. Majority of it, lights, where burnt out or not on. Looks run down. 6$ a person. Light tunnel was cool. Santa.. Yeah let's not go there. Most likely won't be going back. Great at one point long time ago. Oh well.

Vadim Smal

Good for the kids. But the cashier wait is the worse part. Not enough cashier's and slow turnaround.

Lisa Weaver

This is great for a one time experience if you have children. Although, I think overall the experience is slightly overrated. It was $6/ person 2 & older, & $10 extra for a range where animals could roam up to the car to feed them. I think that this part would have been better if there were more animals & if the feed they gave was actually something the animals would eat. All we saw were people trying to get the animals to take it, but none did so most ended up throwing it out their windows in the animals' direction. The car line to get in, around & out is ridiculously long with it taking 30 min to an hour for any section. Overall, I'd not really recommend going due to the price not really being worth it, the large crowds, and this year was rainy, so the area was really wet/muddy making the shoes easily wet.

ashley lynn

I had a blast. It was so funny and the animals had such fun personalities. Staff was pleasant although it sucked waiting until EXACTLY 6pm to open especially with a cranky toddler. I suggest wearing sneakers and only using bread. The crackers got EVERYWHERE. Overall, this was a fantastic experience.

Laura Bryant

Christmas lights are awesome! Road needs some work. Deer Park is fun to drive through and feed the animals. Santa's village is fun to walk around and see the smaller animals.

Brittany Johnstone

Do not do the deer forest part of their Christmas special! Your car will get stuck in the mud, it’s pure chaos of ppl driving in 80 directions and you pay $10 for a bag of triskets in which not a single animal ate. We just ended up throwing them on the ground after spending 20 min getting ourselves out of the mud. Cute lights and very friendly staff.

Bobby Lawson

My kids loved it there is not a big selection of animals and not much to do but it is something to pass time

shannon surratt

They have lots of animals. It is a relaxed scene. I enjoyed the lions and tigers. There are a lot of exotic animals. As well as a petting zoo. It is a great place to take the kids

IllIIllIIllIl

I took my daughter last night, it was our first time & we loved it. Goin try to make a trip down there every year from now on... really nice place ;)

Kristy Lancaster

This is a tradition for me. Ivevbeen going for years and I love being able to interact with the animals and see all the Christmas lights.

Tanya Case

A Awesome Trip For the Family or Date Night

Cindee Smith

Very neat place lots of animals too feed

Timothy Freeman

First off let me state I never make post like this but this time I feel I have to. I went two days ago with my girlfriend and this was our experience. I grew up around farms and helping on farms and never have I seen anything like this! We arrived and before we even got in a man tod us “ you may get stuck”. At this point I locked my Jeep in four wheel drive. As we went around people were spinning wheels and sliding sideways from the mud. We followed the path around to the deer field. It may have been called something else but I was to busy watching other cars worrying about getting hit. Anyway as we entered this field we were told to not stay in line but to just drive around. This was where we could drive up and feed the animals. This field was total chaos! Animals were both running up to cars to be fed, and running from cars. Cars were spinning wheels and sliding sideways. My girlfriend said she saw a cow get bumped by a car. This was not safe for the people or the animals! I said we needed to move on for our safety and we did. Then at the top of the hill was another mud pit parking lot and Santa’s village. We parked and went for a look. We found animals in cages/pens way to small. I saw what I believe to be two buffalo in cages not much bigger that a dog kennel you can buy at Lowe’s and a longhorn in a cage where it couldn’t even turn around. No cage I saw even had water containers in them. At this point it had just about turned my stomach and I told my girlfriend it was time to go. When we got to the jeep and were on our way out we saw more cars being pulled out by four wheel drive trucks because of all the mud. I would not suggest this place to anybody!! No safety standards for the people or the animals and the animals are not being treated right! Had to give it one star because I couldn’t give it a negative mark!!!

nicole martinek

Love the Christmas lights.

Josh Taylor

My family and I were unfortunately disappointed with our visit to Hollywild. Half of the Christmas lights don't work, in need of repair, and appear to be just thrown together. The "deer forest" and wildlife feeding area were very chaotic and unorganized. The wildlife wasn't interested in the provided triscuits to eat. I think much of what appeals to people is the potential opportunity to closely interact with the wild, and potentially have a deer to put their head into your car and eat from your hand. In reality, the chances of that happening are slim to none. We couldn't get them to look our way, even with throwing food out the window. (Perhaps they hate the provided crackers.) Some people were also stuck in the mud. So if rain has been recent, bring a 4-wheel drive. This isn't the place to cruise through in your sedan after a big rain. ;) If you live close by, it's probably an ok visit if you are looking for an activity with the family, but we won't be driving another 4-hour round trip to visit again. Just don't go with high expectations and expect more of a redneck style experience that isn't professionally run. I'm sure their intentions are good and we do appreciate/applaud their efforts, but there is much, much more room for improvement. I'm sure it isn't an easy feat.

bigboytimme .

I only go here during the Holiday Lights but it is an amazing time! I really over it and it has become a family tradition each year. One note pay the extra and drive thought the deer forest! It is so much fun feeding the free animals that come to your car. Including the huge cows that are larger than SUV's!!!

ed gein

It breaks my heart that this place is closed. I have soooooo many good memories from this place. I truely think it is a well hidden jewel in the upstate. I have been their in the heat of summer.. And was there once for the Christmas lights as it snowed lightly.. Amazing.... If i win the lottery this place will be restored

Bill Warden

We just did the holiday lights and deer feeding. SO MUCH FUN! Be prepared for the animals to stick their heads into your car, and pay the $10 for the bag of fruit - you'll get lots of happy animals with that

quea evans

A great place to get a piece of mind and peace! A few animals, but a nice little getaway

karen smith

Christmas lights were good. Don't waste your money paying the 10 dollars to get to go through deer feeding part. No organization for traffic. People bringing outside food in instead of using what park provides. They need to invest in gravel so cars aren't getting stuck in mud.

Cynthia Parker

Fun place take your kids and feed the deer and other animals. Plus enjoy Christmas lights.

Terry Sinclair

Price is to high. Either per person or by the car but not both. Not worth $10 to drive in to see the animals. Don't seem to be as many animals roaming around either. It would be nice if you could have lights on the animals in the cage...we could hear the lion but never saw it.

kim batson

We go drive through the lights and deer park every year. Unfortunately there has been so much rain this year it was very muddy and I was very nervous about being stuck.

Vanessa Skelton

Had a very great time

T F

Christmas Lights festival is a ripoff. What once was a respectable family-orientated operation when it was focused on the care and rehabilitation of wildlife has resorted to price gouging in order to remain viable. The zoo has long since shuttered and has been replaced by a seasonal holiday light festival along with the option to feed animals from your car and a petting zoo village with concessions with a Santa Claus. Here are the many egregious money grabs you should be aware of: 1.Entrance fee - $6 per person - ages 2 and up. There is an option on the Hollywild website to prepay for your tickets but there is no discount and a service fee of $2.20 per ticket. And, you still have to wait in the same line as everyone else. Zero benefits other than to the park in the form of the service fee. 2. $10 extra to feed the animals in the safari park. Basically a sh*t show with a bunch of disinterested cattle, deer, antelopes, etc. They roam around a big field while everyone jockeys their cars (no - you cant exit your vehicle) for position in order to give some of the stale bagels and other kibble provided by the park. Be prepared for a real mess inside your vehicle as these critters aren't the neatest of eaters. 3. $6 per person for a 3 minute pony ride. Enough said. 4. Up to $5 for food to feed the goats, sheep, camels, ponies, etc in the petting zoo area. For your $5 you get a small cup of feed or the option of a bottle with formula. If you're lucky, you might get a full 60 seconds of feeding time - much less if you have little kids like I do. 5. $10 for a picture with Santa. The problem is that the $10 only gets you the opportunity for the photographer to digitally snap the image. You don't get an actual pic. They give you a brochure with a website telling you where to retrieve your image. That's when you find out that you have to pay an additional $4.95 for the 'rights' to download your pic. In addition there is option on the Hollywild website to prepay for a pic with Santa for $8 ($2 discount). The issue is that they charge a $1.76 service fee to do this giving you a whopping savings of .24 cents. On a more cheerful note, They do a great job with their Christmas lights display. It is approximately a mile (I'm guessing) of driving through some well done scenes and displays. In addition, The staff are friendly and hard working. They were working diligently to mitigate the muddy mess that threatened to envelope the entire village section but with the past and imminent rains it seemed like a futile exercise. Luckily my kids wore their rain boots. Overall, the whole property was a car-trapping mud bog, but that can be attributed to bad luck (throw in some global warming) and really not the fault of the park. My suggestion to Hollywild would be to charge a separate (lower) price for those who just want to enjoy the lights and avoid the rip-offs that are the feeding safari and Santa's Village. I was always a fan of the zoo and visited a couple of times a year before they closed down but have had enough of the holiday scam and will avoid in the coming years. There are many lights displays this time of year in this area and plenty of options to take your kids to see Santa for free. I would also suggest visiting the Greenville Zoo. It is small and there aren't as wide a variety of animals as other zoos, but at least there is value for your $.

Viktoriya Kolesnyk

The line is reasonable after Christmas. Before Christmas you can expect a 2 and a half hour + wait. The price is very reasonable. 5 per adult to drive through the animals. 7 for admission. Well worth it

Aly Briscoe

It is fun for the Christmas Lights but make sure you bring patience for the line to get in the wait is long.

Kevin Westwood

Christmas lights were great. My wife and my little one loved it. Traffic sucked like usual, but that is to be expected. However though, if you own an SUV, drive it! The place is muddy, like big time. If you dont have one, find one before you go there. Several cars got stuck. Also, wear boots because once you get out of your car to see the animals the walk way is also very muddy. We didnt know so ofcourse we drove our small hybrid car, and did not wear boots. We still made the most out of it, but if you go there prepared you will have a great time.

chaitanya mehta

Good place for family time. The holiday lights were real good. Kids love the animals. Deer park is also worth visiting. Be patient with the animals in the deer park. They will eventually come to you.

Alex Cholak

It was a wonderful place to see an feed the animals and the Christmas lights. But most of all JESUS is the reason for the season.

Kailey Kinman

I don’t support a place that believes in animal abuse! And inbred dogs, this place is disgusting! I would never recommend this place!

Aaron Westafer

My family has made our visit to hollywild a Christmas tradition. Make sure you get there by 5:30, the line to drive in gets pretty crazy. The staff isn't the most helpful, but, the memories are great!

Kelly Marshall

Their Holliday Lights event has become a family tradition of ours. It's the best in our area! Seeing the animals up close along with the bonfire is a fun family event.

Mary Stepp

Awesome. Don't miss the deer forest. It was incredible feeding emu, deer, bulls, zebras and zonkeys. Long line. I live 8 miles and it took us 2 hours to get in there, but they move you through as efficiently as possible. We have all adult kids, but we had a blast.

Amber Montoya

We go every year for xmas and the children love it.

Ragan Morrow

Wish this place was still open year round! But found zootastic in troutman and it's very similar!

Kayla Joyce

Excellent place it's a lot of fun and certainly worth your while.

John Tolson

Only open a few months during the year.

mike liberty

The park was great but the photography company are scam artists. We were told we pay for photos there and then we download off their website later on. This is a lie you pay for the picture and then you have to pay Again online. After contacting them I was told normally they charge $10 but they decided to charge $5 then an additional 5 on their website. They don't tell you that all they tell you is you pay 5 for the photo. If they're gonna charge you an additional fee to download it they need to tell you that when you ask them for details. not lie to you. Not very happy. I contacted them and they just gave me a bull excuse. Any professional business should tell you any additional fees before you make a purchase not blindside you with them later on. Yes it's only $5 but it is a principle of it. And furthermore when you're scamming someone and they email you about it don't and your scam of an excuse with God-bless it is disrespectful.

Fallon English

The family and I try to go here every year. It kind of jumpstarts the holiday spirit. From the amazing light displays to feeding the Fallow Deer, goats, cows, and zebra from your vehicle this place is amazing. Then you get to go to the village and feed more animals or get warmed up by a cozy fire while drinking hot chocolate. The kids get to get their picture taken with Santa and you can visit the gift shop. It is lots of fun for the adults and kids.

James .G. Burnette

Christmas light show was great, just avoid going on or after a rainy day

crockerdiles

Bring your 4 wheel drive!

Dale Duberry

Loved the animals walking around and feeding them from the car.and the hot cocoa.

wolfs lg

Best Christmas lights and you can feed animals.

Sherry Hess

Absolutely love Hollywild. The decorations are awesome. Feeding the animals of all kinds great.

Will Williams

Great family place to go .

Arthur Bien

My first time I went and loved it. Best part is feeding the deer and big cows in the open field. The lights are real nice. My advice would be to take a truck and put the family in the back so they have a better chance to pet the animals.

Ricky Godfrey

Words cannot express why I liked this place.

Jean Bair

Was not impressed by no means too pricey and went and Santa's village was closed! Was given a voutuer to come again for that. The trouble is there is no direction riding through the lights and I just picked wrong night to go so muddy after the snow and was sliding and almost got my car stuck at the deer feeding. I feel they had Santa's land closed due to the weather, well they should have shut the whole place due to weather. Seemed greedy for what ever buck they could make. I'm not happy and should have listened..

Carol E Jones

GREAT Animas to see among a beautiful display of Christmas lights. If it is true it has been closed down like I have heard it was, I hope they bring it back one day!! I loved it! Grandaughter loved it!

James F

Two stars.. Only open 2 months out of the year for Christmas lights. Used to be a great place to go.

Amee Nation

The lights themselves are a little lacking, but we really enjoyed the Deer Forest and Santa's Village.

Stephie Walls

Not sure what’s going on this year. I’ve been coming here every year for the lights, and this is by far the longest lines. We waited for over an hour to get into the parking lot, another 45 minutes in the parking lot, and once inside we sat unmoving for long periods of time. It seems the fire of 2015 is continuing to have lingering and damaging effects. This has been a disappointing year, and at $28 for 3 (plus the deer park) I can’t imagine giving it another shot. This is like paying to be stuck in a traffic jam you can’t get out of.

Stephanie Fowler

My kids had a blast and my daughter got to pet a zebra and that's her favorite animal and my son got to pet a llama and that's his favorite animal.

Alan Moreno

Lots of friendly cows and lots of fun. Would go again with the family since it's funny feeding animals and being closer to nature.

Adam Aschenbrenner

We went here for the Christmas lights they put up, see some animals and the little Christmas village they have. It was pretty cool.

Luke Willis

Very cool place. Great to bring a date and drink hot cocoa.

Amy Herrera

The "Deer Forest" is a depressing experience. We got there at 6 pm and waited in a disastrous line for almost 2 hours. Half of the lights don't work and when you get inside it's very muddy. Prices were $6 a person plus $10 for the "Deer Forest". Cars were getting stuck, hitting the little animals and people were acting straight up idiotic. Your suppose to stay in your car but people with big cars and tons of kids don't know how to follow a simple rule. Bringing their own food, smh, I saw someone feed a cow a Slim Jim. The road is not well marked and not easy to get around. There should have been a warning that it was a muddy mess! In Santa's village it was a bit better than the Deer Forest but watching bratty kids hit the animals was not my cup of tea. They had one small area where kids could come in and hold a baby goat while the attendant "watched'. What a joke, these kids were picking up the baby goat and tossing it around while the mom goat watched and the attendant just stood there texting. I really had to fight myself to not do anything about that. What an awful way to celebrate an outing for Christmas. It was just like black Friday with more senseless people. I really don't mind if you all want to act stupid but leave the animals out of it.

Mary Barber

We went on Wednesday. Not busy at all like the weekends. Perfect so we could take our time.

kasey miller

The lights were OK. The safari was very cool. I would describe it more as anarchy safari. Big circle with wandering animals where your free to drive lol. It was a hoot! The petting zoo part was a blast as well.

bryan davis

The lights & animals were great. The whole place was a muddy mess saturday evening. We had less than 1/2 inch of rain the previous day. If you have a nice car dont go. The exterior will look like you just went mud bogging. The interior will have to be thoroughly cleaned, if you get out of the vehicle at the end. With the amount of people that visit this, gravel should be in the budget.I think your business would be increased. I would give 4 stars if road & parking lot were in better shape.

M n N Hawkins

My husband ned and I had a great time

Morgan Maldonado

Lights were nice. Not at nice as the WNC AG center used to do but the Santa's village was pretty cool! It was a nice family outing. We really enjoyed ourselves. Thank you!!

Elizabeth Henderson

Always a great place to take the kids to see Santa! Fun evening!

Mom Me

Had a blast feeding the deer and cows

Jessica young

Always love coming here my 2 boys 10 and 12 love it

Crystal Bivins

It was ok and muddy they shouldnt had opened up til it wasnt that nasty. Santa shop was closed due to the conditions.

Marcus Samples

Love the animals my daughter my was Smiling and laughing the whole time It's a great place to bring your kids

Anya Brichak

A lot of the lights were out! Feeding the animals was the best part and worth the drive out there as others have mentioned. However, the animals do not like the crackers provided to feed them! The fat ones that would eat anything did but majority of the animals had no interest in them. At least offer fresh veggies/fruits (apples, carrots, corn) or something that’s healthy and enjoyable for the animals.

Jason Lee

The lights were beautiful. Be prepared for a long line to get in.

Trisha Tucker

Tradition for our family to go on Christmas Eve. Love the lights and my little boy loves the petting zoo area. The deer forest portion is very exciting for him. He had a buffalo lick his hand this year and thought that was hilarious. Definitely a great place to make memories.

Doug Heller

It's been years since I've been here, and now that I have relocated a couple of years ago, it was nice to have someone to bring up the idea, and go with. Had a great time Thanksgiving evening with my beautiful friend & daughter. Other than it being pretty chilly out that nite, it definitely was a way to start off our holiday season. Even the largest bull out there was wanting to show some seasonal love, LOL

Alla Lu

Love cute animals. They look like they are very well taken care of. The only thing is that this place gets super crowded over Christmas time.

Tiff Trioxin

My daughter loved it here and she really enjoyed seeing all the animals and christmas lights

Kelly Moore

Lights for christmas are great. Animals walk up to you and you feed them . they love oranges. Provided) but not many. Bring some fruit!.

kesha White

Love their winter light show. The deer Forrest and Santa's village is amazing for the kids.

Dedra Channell

Lights were great, the best part was feeding the animals!

Amanda Hoxit

Lots of fun, Christmas tradition.

Kathleen Wiley

Our family had a great time. The light show was fun and the animals were well cared for. I would definitely recommend it to families with children. If the weather is really wet, be prepared for a lot of mud. That was the only negative, but we had a lot of rain prior to the day we went.

Amber Todd

One of a kind experience! Get up close to exotic animals! Great for kids birthday parties!

Stokes Music Studios

Fun at Christmas time! The Music Place

carmen kimbrel

This year was horrible. Nearly half of the lights weren't lit up at all. We went to the animal area and there were a whole lot less compared to previous years. And the ones that were there weren't eating because of being so full. This was Thanksgiving evening. We were handed tickets by someone exiting. Tickets are $1.00 each to be able to purchase food and drinks. My husband bought $30 worth of tickets for 4 of us. The food was very limited this year. So we actually gave our tickets left to other guests entering as well. I feel they should have knocked at least half of the cost off of the entrance ticket price knowing that almost half of the lights weren't strung or had fallen over on the ground and weren't lit. Complete scenes were entirely dark. Will not return next year. Not for that high price and so few animals and so many lights not lit! There were entire truckloads of people that had trailers attached with 10-15 adults and mainly children and what a disappointment for them, not to mention the hefty price they paid upon entry. Then having to pay $1.00 per ticket to purchase drinks, hot cocoa, (boiled peanut unit was not working so they were unavailable), feed for the animals, etc. We had (3) adults and (1) 3 year old child and the cost was over $80.00 from entrance price, and the purchase of $30.00 in tickets. Not worth it. And this was Thanksgiving night!! They should have been overly prepared, especially knowing that Roper Mountain Holiday Lights was closed down this year and they were going to be getting an excessive amount of more people just due to that.

Ray Parks

Enjoyed it very much we'll go again next

Amy Peyton

This place is so stinking cute! My kids, husband and myself had a blast seeing all of the animals. Just an fyi, get there early. Also, the extra $10 was to feed the animals. I don't know why I had the impression the animals were all around when going through the lights. Not it at all. They are in a separate area and a different cost. Completely worth it.

jason day

My children absolutely loved this place!! The grounds were well kept and the experience we had with the animals was amazing. The drive through safari was an experience my children and I will never forget! The animals just came right up to my car and ate out of our hands! There were 1000's of CHRISTmas lights everywhere and the Santa land offered a huge camp fire for roasting marshmallows and the hot cocoa was delicious! They even had camels there! All the animals were clean and well nourished and the areas where the animals lived were clean! This will be our new family tradition!

NM S

First time visiting this place. Lights were great animals were fun saw two of the biggest cows ever and had fun seeing Santa and seeing the other animals.