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Children who love animals have a lot to choose from around Palo Alto. The city runs its own small zoo. A mile's walk into the hills brings you to a homestead with sheep and goats. A volunteer group cares for two donkeys beside a public path. Out on the bay, flocks of ducks and shorebirds arrive every winter. Most of these cost nothing.
This guide covers where to go, when the animals are most active and the rules each place asks visitors to follow. The common thread is simple. Look, listen and wait. Do not feed anything unless staff hand you the food.
Junior Museum and Zoo
The Junior Museum and Zoo at 1451 Middlefield Road is the closest thing Palo Alto has to a classic zoo, scaled for young children. The museum counts about 400 animals of 60 species. Kids can see American flamingos, ring-tailed lemurs, slender-tailed meerkats, hornbills, poison dart frogs and a bald eagle.
Plan around the animal moments
The best way to visit is to time your entry for a daily encounter. The flamingo flock has been fed at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. in the Wildlife Circle. The bald eagle has met visitors on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 12:45 p.m. in the California Dinosaur Garden. A 10 a.m. entry puts you in place for the morning flamingo feeding with time to explore first. Schedules can change, so ask at the desk.
Teen and adult volunteers called Discovery Guides sometimes help with front-facing encounters such as flamingo feedings. The JMZ accepts Discovery Guides from age 15. Our teen volunteering guide has the details.
Tickets and timing
Entry is timed at 10 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. The museum lists $16 tickets on weekday mornings, weekends and holiday breaks and $12 on weekday afternoons. Reduced $3 tickets are available to eligible families. Children under 12 months are free. From November 1, 2026 the museum closes at 4:30 p.m. It is closed Mondays. Book on the museum's visit page, since it cannot guarantee entry without a reservation.
Deer Hollow Farm
Deer Hollow Farm is a working homestead inside Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve, entered from Cristo Rey Drive in Cupertino. The nonprofit Friends of Deer Hollow Farm says it is home to 75 to 100 farm animals. Sheep and goats are the stars for most kids. Ranch buildings, an organic garden and the restored Grant Cabin round out the site.
You cannot drive to the farm. Midpen says it is about a mile's walk from the main lot on a wide farm road, which turns the visit into a small adventure. Entry is free. The buildings and pens are closed to the general public, so casual visitors watch the animals from outside the enclosures. Closer contact happens through school programs and camps run by the City of Mountain View.
In October 2026 the farm was open Tuesday and Thursday to Sunday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. It is closed on Mondays. Dogs are not allowed anywhere in the preserve. Mornings are best, both for parking and for animals that are up and moving.
Hidden Villa
Hidden Villa at 26870 Moody Road in Los Altos Hills is a 1,600-acre farm and wilderness preserve run by a nonprofit. Its farm has gardens, pastures and animals that visitors can view from outside their pens. Instead of admission it asks a $10 parking fee and says it will not turn anyone away who cannot pay.
The rules are worth reading with kids before you go. Do not feed the animals. Handle chickens only with a docent. Animal pens and most buildings are closed to the public except during programs. Hidden Villa asks families with children under 5 to take extra care around the animals and asks everyone to wash hands after visiting them.
For a closer look, check the farm's calendar for individuals and families. It has listed a 90-minute Behind-the-Scenes with the Farmer visit at feeding time, at $35, along with free family volunteer days.
The Barron Park donkeys
Donkeys have lived beside Bol Park, on and off, since 1934, when Cornelis Bol came home from the county fair with a donkey instead of a horse. Today the Barron Park Donkey Project, a volunteer group, cares for the herd in a private pasture along the public path through Bol Park. In 2026 the project lists two donkeys, Buddy and April.
The herd's most famous member was Perry, who animators studied while creating Donkey for the film Shrek. He died on January 2, 2025, at 30. Kids still ask about him, so it helps to know.
Visit from the path and keep fingers outside the fence. The volunteers ask visitors not to bring food of any kind. Donkeys are prone to diabetes and even carrots, apples and fresh grass can harm them. Volunteers have walked the donkeys into the park on some Sunday mornings so people can meet them. Check the Barron Park Donkey Project site for current visiting times before you plan around it.
Birds at the Baylands
The Baylands Nature Preserve is the biggest animal show in town and it is free. Late fall through early spring brings the most birds, as ducks and shorebirds arrive to spend the winter on the bay. Pelicans, egrets and herons are easy for children to spot. Smaller sandpipers move in flocks that wheel and flash in the light.
Start at the Lucy Evans nature center and walk the boardwalk over the marsh. Birds feed on the mud at low tide and gather closer to the shore as the tide rises, which makes a rising tide the easiest time for kids to see them up close. The Duck Pond nearby lets toddlers watch ducks and geese at close range. Feeding them is not allowed. Bring binoculars if you have them. Our birdwatching guide explains what to look for by season.
Wildlife in the foothills
The city's foothill preserves are good for patient spotting. At Pearson-Arastradero Preserve, western bluebirds hunt from fence posts over the grass and hawks circle overhead on most days. The short walk to Arastradero Lake is a good place to look for turtles and herons. Deer are common in all the preserves. Teach kids to stay on the trail and give every animal space.
Animals at Stanford
Stanford is called the Farm for a reason. It began as Leland Stanford's horse ranch and the Red Barn on the west side of campus still stables horses today. It is a working equestrian center, not a museum. The Red Barn says the facility is open to its boarders and that other visitors should contact it to arrange a tour.
The O'Donohue Family Stanford Educational Farm nearby grows crops on six acres and keeps beehives. It welcomes visitors during its open hours but says it cannot take in animals. Families with kids 10 and older can join its volunteer shifts, with an adult alongside anyone aged 10 to 14.
Good to know
- Never feed animals at any of these places unless staff give you the food.
- Wash hands after farm visits. Hidden Villa asks for extra care with children under 5.
- Dogs are banned at Rancho San Antonio, including Deer Hollow Farm.
- Bring binoculars to the Baylands. A cheap pair makes a big difference for kids.
For a bigger animal day out, the Monterey Bay Aquarium is a classic family trip from Palo Alto. You can compare Bay Area aquarium and zoo tickets and read our guide to family day trips.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a petting zoo in Palo Alto?
Not in the classic sense. The Junior Museum and Zoo offers animal encounters such as flamingo feedings, but most animals are viewed rather than handled. At Deer Hollow Farm and Hidden Villa, pens are closed to casual visitors and close contact happens through programs and camps.
When are the flamingo feedings at the Junior Museum and Zoo?
The flamingo flock has been fed at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. in the Wildlife Circle. A bald eagle meets visitors on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 12:45 p.m. Animal programs can change, so ask at the front desk when you arrive.
Can you visit the Barron Park donkeys?
Yes, from the public path through Bol Park, where their pasture sits behind a fence. The Barron Park Donkey Project lists Buddy and April in 2026. Do not feed them. The volunteers say even carrots, apples and fresh grass are bad for donkeys.
Does Deer Hollow Farm cost anything?
No. Deer Hollow Farm inside Rancho San Antonio Preserve is free to visit. It is about a mile's walk from the main parking lot and is closed on Mondays. Dogs are not allowed in the preserve.
Can kids see animals at Stanford?
The Red Barn is a working equestrian center where horses still live, but it is not a museum and visitors should contact it to arrange a tour. The Stanford Educational Farm keeps beehives and grows crops. It says it cannot take in animals.