fort zion gift shop & petting zoo

On our way from Vegas to Lake Powel, looking for a bathroom. You get the drill. Dropped in this place and found it hilarious. The Petting Zoo? Eh. Cheap, but still not worth it. And as one or two have mentioned, I wonder if this place is up-to-code with the animal's conditions. I'm not going to say yes or no, as I have no clue.Beyond that, what a neat joint. There was food, didn't eat it, but did get ice cream, and it was mighty fine. A good selection of Indian goods that were no more overpriced than anything I saw in AZ or NM, good quality. The owners were fun and playful. For some reason, they had the best salt water taffy I've ever tasted. That's part of the quirkiness of the place. You'll get that "pioneer fort" feel, then it will hit you after about a half hour that the whole thing is a semi-joke, out of place.Best of all, the nice, older lady (there were two, the older one had more spice!) gave amazing directions and suggestions on what to do entering Zion, and gave us perfect directions to not only see Grafton, but what routes to take in and which ones to avoid. The views outside (as with most of the views you'll see in this area) were amazing. If you're coming to Zion from the West, or leaving to the West, or just staying in the park and want to get out of it for a half hour, this is a real dandy stop.

We drove out here when we had time one day while visting Hurricane. The views were great and the kids had fun feeding carrots to the animals. I wouldn't make a special trip to see this place, but if you are driving by, take a break and check it out!!

Nice shop and very friendly staff! Visited 2 days ago. Had the buffalo burger which was good but the home made ice cream was heaven (that is coming from a non ice cream person)! Make sure you have it in a cone!

Need a knick knack of your trip to Zion area? A bite to eat? Bathroom break? If you answered yes to any of these then you should stop here. If not, keep going to one of the beautiful parks and enjoy the beautiful sites!

The food looks above average and the pricing is in line or lower than Springdale. It is a tourist trap but it has character. I enjoyed walking around the store and looking around. People were friendly and helpful. Good place for yound children to get out and run around the outside "village"

I was absolutely appalled at the conditions of the petting zoo in this facility. The animals have very little shade. They are in small dusty miserable enclosures and apparently never have the freedom or pleasure of grazing freely in the fields around their enclosures. I am a regular at Zion park during all seasons and these poor creatures are always stuck in this pathetic excuse for an existance! The only difference being, that during 'off season' they don't even have the occasional visit from a tourist waving a carrot at them so they can get their picture taken! Apparently during the cold and very windy desert winter the animals still have no adequate shelter from the elements. Maybe the owners of this facility should try spending a day or two outside in the blazing sun or the ice cold wind and rain with nothing to do, no where to go and no way out! What a miserable existance!I don't understand the need for a petting zoo in the middle of the desert!!!!!! Most of these animals are not indigenous to the area and most were not part of the "cowboy and forts' era.Could it be that the owners aren't happy with the profits they already make from their gift store and restaurant and feel the 'greed' to exploit animals in their tourist business. Come-on people really? You can go feed these poor critters a carrot (which ,by the way you had to purchase) and feel good about their pathetic existance and explotation????As for the owners. If you must have a petting zoo then please make it more humane or better still just stick with the great little gift store, restaurant with awesome food and the wildwest buildings for drawing tourists and making profits. You already have a good thing going. Please leave the animals out of it.

What a neat gift store. It took us a good 45 minutes to look at everything. Not much for Zion Park shirts. Make sure you take a good look at what they have hanging on the walls and ceilings. Sort of like a mini museum too. Look for the "Utah Werewolf" hanging above the entrance of the bathrooms. Once you see it you will understand..... The best part of the store. You can buy carrots inside to feed the donkeys and alpacas for one dollar which they are right outside the store. Would I come and visit again? For sure...... Good place to burn time I guess and not to far from the Zion River RV Resort. If you want some cool souvenirs and t shirts, go to the town before the entrance of Zion National Park called "Springdale". On your right side of the town, a store called Wild Cat Willeys. They sell bumbleberry pies at the back of the store. If the name is not right, ask someone where they sell bumbleberry pies and they will point you to the correct store. Have fun!

The variety of their menu is amazing! Excellent prices with generous size servings. Delicious food - from the homemade hamburger rolls to the delicious thick cut french fries, even homemade ice cream, cookies and pastries, fried chicken, pizza, ribs with their special sauces, also delicious bison burgers. We live down the road and eat there a couple times a week. Seating capacity for large groups. Outside of building resembles a fort and inside is amazing. Stop in and see for yourselves. You won't be disappointed.

Great place for lunch or dinner. Seating can handle large crowds. Great views of Hurricane, Smith's and Gooseberry Mesa. Good local hiking including La Verkin overlook, and short drives up Mesa Road. Burger specials, ribs and unique ice cream flavors Nice turquoise and silver jewelry pieces. Great find even for locals.

We drove right past Fort Zion to our hotel in Springdale with a sense of bewilderment as to why there was a little fake town and petting zoo at the mouth of Zion. Once checked in and looking for a bite I was encouraged by other reviewers to give the Fort a try. I am so glad I did.The food was all made locally from scratch, with huge portions, and high quality. I was too full to try some of the incredible home made ice cream, but it is certainly on my to do list the next time. The $1 for the kids to go in the petting zoo after was a nice distraction and the animals are well cared for.I would encourage any traveler to give Fort Zion a stop.

Every turn of a vacation cannot be planned just as this stop was for us. We were taking in the breathtaking scenery of the landscape driving out of Zion heading west on Hwy 9, when my three year old needed to use restroom. A rooster welcomed us on to our unscheduled stop and the miniature little village with a jail, bank, etc was fascinating. Inside myriads of long cowboy boots hung from the ceiling. But the best part was the homemade ICE CREAM! We tried four flavors. Chocolate (unlike any other chocolate flavor I had ever tried), pear, strawberry and "butter rum". It was so good I wondered if they would be willing to part with the recipe for after returning back home several states away, I knew I would crave that taste again and wished to return to just get another bite of the delicious ice cream! Oh, this turned out to be one of those unscripted, unscheduled surprise memory from our vacation but one you can plan to add to your trip!

This place is wonderful! My family and I stopped by for dinner, and we all loved it! The food was delicious and for a good price. All the staff where friendly and helpful, and the kids enjoyed the gift shop. Outside, there are some lovely western styled houses, a motel and a jail ( great for family photos!) The kids loved it! If your looking for some great burgers and some family photos, go to Fort Zion!

Stopped in on way back from Zion and found it very interesting and fun place. Lots of kitschy items to look at, try the home made ice cream. Younger kids will have fun in petting zoo area and only costs $1 person.

Locals have passed by this place dozens of times and never bothered to stop. It looks like a tourist stop (it IS a tourist stop) and not a place a lot of folks would even consider stopping in. But, it has lots of shopping - lots of junk mixed in with some pretty nice stuff. And, lots of stuff. The odd buildings out front are great for photos - I didn't have my camera along - sorry. But, I'll get some next time I pass by and maybe I can add them later. And, I will stop by again. Not for the shopping, but as a place for a nice burger & fries lunch. I had some of the homemade ice cream and it was pretty good. It was mid-afternoon and I wasn't ready for my evening meal. But, we had been hiking in Zion for a few hours and my hiking buddies were hungry. They ordered the burger and fries special - $4.99 and that included a beverage. Boy, were they ever surprised. All reports were that the burgers were big and juicy and the large order of fries were delicious. The final verdict by our entire party on this first time visit - it will be a regular stop for hiking ventures in the area in the future. Highly recommended!We didn't take the time to check out the petting zoo - that will be up to you.

This place is great! It has a petting zoo and fake old-West buildings to pose for pictures in. It has some of the most varied shopping I have ever seen! You can buy everything from cowboy boots to samurai swords, even crossbows! They have great ice cream and even unique food like kabobs that include rattlesnake, elk, wild boar, and mountain oysters. (Yes, those kind. Ewww...) The staff is super friendly and always happy to help with any request you have. You can even feed the animals at the petting zoo, which is free to go to by the way. You can buy carrots to feed the alpacas, horses, deer, and donkey. 3 carrots for $1. You can't beat that! The only thing I have to complain about is the animals didn't have enough water to drink. We went on the first day they opened, so that should have been taken care of.