Wendt’s Wildlife Adventure

About Wendt’s Wildlife Adventure

Wendt’s Wildlife Adventure is a family-owned wildlife park on Maysville Road in Carlisle, Kentucky, in Nicholas County. The park describes itself as offering an up-close experience with animals from around the world, where visitors can view, interact with, and learn about the animals, with opportunities to pet and feed many of them. According to the park, it houses more than 35 species, with origins that include India, North Africa, and Argentina.

The park is privately owned and, as it states on its website, funded entirely by visitor sales. It is not accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. The park states that it is licensed by the Kentucky State Veterinarian Office, Kentucky Fish and Wildlife, and the United States Department of Agriculture, and that it has been in compliance with the Animal Welfare Act since its beginning in 1996.

Beyond the animal areas, the grounds include a playground, a creek, picnic spots, a gift shop, Cookie’s Café, gem mining, and a historic cabin associated with Daniel Boone. The 130-acre farm property also holds two guest houses that can be booked for overnight stays.

History

The park’s website traces the business to 1996, when the Wendt family began providing exotic animal experiences at events across the eastern United States. Shaun Wendt is described as the third generation of his family in animal husbandry. He and his wife, Julie Wendt, established the business Animal Enterprises after moving from Wisconsin to Kentucky. Their children Colt, Eli, and Eva are described as involved in the family enterprise.

According to the park, the family relocated to Nicholas County, Kentucky in 2018 to establish a wildlife park on their family farm, and the permanent facility opened to the public in 2021. According to the park, the family has taken part in events such as Southern Lights and the Bluegrass Fair, which made them familiar to many Kentucky residents.

Exhibits and habitats

The park’s animal page lists a range of species, each with a short note on where it lives in the wild. Hoofed animals include giraffes and Grant’s zebras, along with dromedary camels, which the park notes are also called Arabian camels, and West African pygmy goats. Red kangaroos are listed as native to Australia.

Two-toed sloths are among the animals the park highlights; its website mentions a baby sloth born in 2023. Capybaras are also part of the collection, and both sloths and capybaras are the subject of the park’s keeper-supervised encounters described below.

Birds on the list include blue and gold macaws, kookaburras, African crowned cranes, and parakeets. The park also names a Parakeet Encounter among its featured activities. Other species on the animal page are the African crested porcupine and the African spur-thighed tortoise.

On the grounds

The park’s grounds page describes a playground with swings and slides, a gift shop, and picnic spots scattered through the property. Brushy Creek is described as a place to wade in the creek and look for small creatures; the park’s FAQ says visitors are welcome to get into the creek at their own risk and hunt for crawdads. The Daniel Boone Cabin is described as the last Kentucky homeplace of the pioneer Daniel Boone and his family, and the park offers tours of it. The park’s home page also lists dual slides, a splash pad, and gem mining among the amenities.

Conservation and programs

The park lists several programs beyond general admission. Sloth and capybara encounters let participants enter the enclosure and hand-feed the animals under zookeeper supervision. According to the park, each is a 20-minute session with a maximum of four people. The park states that the level of interaction is determined by the animals, and that children ages 8 to 15 must be accompanied by an adult holding their own ticket for the same session. General admission is required separately, and experience tickets are non-refundable. Capybara sessions are listed on the hour from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and sloth sessions on the half hour from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday, according to the park’s website. Reservations can be made by phone, or experience tickets can be selected during admission purchase.

The park also lists field trips for schools, homeschool groups, and camps, along with birthday parties and group events. The park’s 2026 events calendar lists a season pass holder appreciation lunch on October 3, an October homeschool day on October 7, and Autumn Adventure on October 31. Earlier 2026 events included an Easter Adventure, a homeschool day in May, holiday weekends, Grandparents Day, and Beasts, Brews and BBQ in June.

The farm has two guest houses, the Outback Retreat, a remodeled home that the park says sleeps up to nine, and the Hilltop Retreat, a guest house at the back of the property. Both are bookable through Airbnb, according to the park.

Planning your visit

As listed on the park’s website, Wendt’s Wildlife Adventure is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and is closed Mondays and Tuesdays. The website lists exceptions: the park is open on Memorial Day and Labor Day and closed on Easter Sunday. The park’s 2026 season opened on April 1, according to its events calendar.

Admission categories listed on the park’s pricing page include children under 2, children 3 to 15, adults 16 to 64, and adults 65 and over, military and first responders, with standard admission and season passes offered. Current ticket details are on the park’s website. According to the park’s FAQ, admission tickets are sold only in person at the admissions counter, not online. Admission includes a wristband that allows re-entry until closing at 5 p.m.

The park’s FAQ says many visitors stay two to three hours on average, and that the majority stay three to five hours. Animal food is sold on site, and the park says visitors cannot bring outside food for the animals, though outside food for people is permitted. Cookie’s Café is on site. Strollers and wagons are allowed. According to the FAQ, one side of the park has sidewalks, accessible restrooms, and a concrete petting barn, the other side has gravel paths, and there are no steps on the property. The Daniel Boone Cabin has parking and ramp access.

Under the park’s Zoo Manners page, the facility is non-smoking and non-vaping, balloons and dangerous objects are not allowed, and teasing, chasing, yelling at, or hitting animals is not tolerated. Personal pets must stay home; service dogs as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act are welcome, and the park states that emotional support animals do not qualify as service dogs.