One of my favorite emerging trends in hospitality is hotels with cool side quests.
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Bonus points if those side quests involve animals.
One of the most popular options for travelers who want a great hotel and a close encounter with the animal kingdom is to go horseback riding. Whether staying at a dude ranch or visiting stables while on vacation, opportunities abound when it comes to learning the basics and getting out into the wild on horseback.
But that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Other opportunities, even those as exotic as falconry, have popped up at hotels around the world—from Virginia’s Omni Homestead Resort to Versailles’ Airelles. Even some Airbnb rentals include a little personal time with farm animals, like the Gulf Coast’s Farm Stay Airbnb.
If any of this is piquing your intrigue, you might be the perfect candidate for a hotel stay that gives you reins to work hands-on with animals. From alpaca encounters to giraffe face-to-faces to animal rescue playtimes, these are the best hotels with animal interaction programs and side quests.
Hotels with animal interaction programs & wildlife experiences
Best Friends Roadhouse and Mercantile (Kanab, Utah)
The Best Friends Roadhouse and Mercantile lets you stay on the grounds of Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, a massive shelter for a wide range of animals, from goats to dogs to bunnies.
Best Friends got its start back in 1984 when a group of animal lovers banded together to buy a large plot of land in Utah’s Angel Canyon area. Today, it’s home to over 1,600 rescued animals, making it the largest sanctuary of its kind in the US.
When you visit, you can spend time in multiple areas, including Dogtown, Cat World, Horse Haven, Marshall’s Piggy Paradise, Bunny House, Parrot Garden, and the rehab center of Wild Friends.
Longneck Manor (Fredericksburg, Texas)
Longneck Manor gives you the chance to experience an African safari without ever leaving the country. Well, more or less. Longneck Manor is a resort that spans over 100 acres, home to three rhinos and five giraffes. Unlike other hotels with animal interaction programs, this is almost like a blend between a zoo and a conservation area.
While I’m usually suspicious of any zoo-esque destination with exotic (and endangered animals), Longneck Manor is accredited by the AZA, aka the American Zoological Association. Not only are animals cared for according to strict regulations, but funds from the hotel go toward conservation, research, and more.
That means you can get up-close and personal with rhinos and giraffes with the knowledge that staff and animal welfare agents meet high standards—and even contribute to helping keep wild populations safe and healthy.
Farm Sanctuary (Watkins Glen, New York)
Farm Sanctuary is a massive animal sanctuary that has dozens of tiny homes where you can set up shop and get your hands dirty by exploring the farm. I don’t mean that in a negative way—Farm Sanctuary is ideal for anyone who likes pigs, cows, turkeys, and other classic farm animals. (It’s me—I’m happy in barns for some reason.)
You can take tours of the sanctuary where you’ll learn about farm practices, sustainability, and, of course, the animals and how they ended up at the farm. Just keep in mind that you might shed a few tears on the tour.
Atlanta Alpaca Treehouse (Atlanta, Georgia)
In Atlanta, there’s a massive bamboo forest that’s almost a century old—and inside that forest, there’s a blended pack of alpaca and llamas. There’s also a stilted treehouse that you can rent for the night. While those things probably seem disconnected, they’re not.
The bamboo is relentlessly invasive, which is where the llamas and alpacas come in. They’re responsible for eating new growth, sort of like a last line of defense to prevent the bamboo from overtaking the city of Atlanta. But llamas and alpacas are expensive, which is where the hotel comes in.
You can do yoga classes with them, go on a weekend-long healing retreat (also guided by llamas and alpacas), and more. I could keep hammering home how unique the Atlanta Alpaca Treehouse is, but I’ll let you explore it for yourself. In addition to the treehouse, you can stay in cottages, lodges, and retreats.
