Zoomars petting zoo and bird park

Living in south Orange County, it sometimes seems it takes longer to drive to the zoo than the time you spend there. That's why the Jones mini farm in San Juan Capistrano was such a great atraction. While small and only a handful of animals, it provided a nice interaction with animals for young children. A great family outing that didn't require half the day driving. An added bonus was it's proximity to the historic mission of San Juan Capistrano where the swallows return every year.

Well the Jones family sold the farm, and the new owners have rebranded it "Zoomars petting zoo and bird park". I little play on the owner's name: Omar.

It still has the pony rides, but now the ride is a little longer and takes the kids past a row of exotic birds in large cages. And of course you can feed and pet the bunnies and feed the goats. You can also climb in the pen with the little piggies and pet them. Well, one is little and one is quite big.

They also have a miniature donkey, some alpacas, and a couple emus that you can also feed. Feeding the emus can be a bit tricky as they have those long necks that come right out of the pen and snatch the carrots from your fingers.

They've set up an area in the back for birthday parties (is there any kid's place that doesn't offer birthday parties these days?) complete with thatched roof and picnic tables.

The littlest ones will be glad to know that the train is still there and rides are available with tickets. If you join their kid's club, you'll get $2 off the price of admission.

All in all, it's a great time for the under five set.

Zoomars

Petting Zoo and Bird Park

Address:

31791 Los Rios Street
San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675

Telephone:

949-831-6550

Directions:

Near the mission of San Juan Capistrano.