Beyond Orlando: Obloy Family Ranch

Located in Merritt Island, the Obloy Family Ranch is a unique attraction featuring a petting zoo, train ride, horse back riding, monster truck rides, and even a beautiful wedding venue. There’s so much to see and do that you can easily fill an entire morning or afternoon. Your day will start at the central “hub” of the farm, containing a small restaurant and bar, restrooms, a mechanical bull attraction, playground, and a gift shop.

At the gift shop, you can choose your experiences and purchase tickets. My kids and I chose to experience the petting zoo guided tour (the only type of petting zoo experience available) and the train ride. I had to remind the cashier about the “Back to School” sale advertised for that week as well as my children’s ages in order receive the correct price. He did not argue, and I was charged the correct price in the end. After purchasing our tickets, we were told to wait in front of the shop for our guide to arrive for the petting zoo tour.

There was a pig and chicken enclosure near the waiting area, so my young children were entertained. After a few moments our guide, Samantha, drove up in a tractor with attached trailer for passengers. She helped us board safely and we began driving towards the zoo area.

When we arrived, we were first introduced to two camels and a few free running sheep. At the gift shop, the cashier had asked me if I wanted to purchase animal food. At the time, I had decided against it, but we quickly realized this was the only way to easily interact with the animals. Some of the animals would let you get close and pet them but understandably lost interest as soon as they realized you did not offer anything to eat. Luckily, my kids were very happy with the amount of interaction we were able to achieve, and Samantha continued to encourage the animals to interact with us as our tour progressed.

After spending a few minutes with the camels and goats, we walked to Alligator Alley. This was a pretty cool structure. There were concrete enclosures on either side with a walkway in the middle. Over top of the enclosures were walkways for guests to look down on the alligators and turtles. Our guide walked through the middle and explained the history of each animal as we made our way through the exhibit.

After this, we went to another barn to see an actual kangaroo and a member of the smallest deer species, the Pudu deer. My children were able to put their hands through the enclosure to touch these animals. After spending some time with the deer, we moved onto the last and largest set of animal enclosures. This set included goats, tortoise, large pigs, ostriches, and zebras among others. Samantha walked us to each enclosure, explained a few facts about the animal and encouraged us to interact with them where appropriate. She even lifted a tortoise and baby goat out of their enclosures to let my children see them up close.

After our petting zoo tour was over, we reboarded our tractor ride and left for the central hub. When we returned, I asked where to board the ranch train. I was told to wait next to the train for an employee to help us. After a few minutes, the conductor arrived to help us board the train and we departed. The ride started on the same path as the tractor had followed to the petting zoo. However, we passed the petting zoo area and continued along the horse riding trails. It was a substantial ride – about 15 to 20 minutes – through the Florida wilderness. Since “Florida wilderness” really means swamp land and palm trees, the Obloy family has done what they can to add some adventure by incorporating animal sculptures to the trails. It was fun to try to find as many of these as possible with my kids.

Once we returned to the main area, my kids took a few minutes to play on the playground called, “Recycle Playland.” It was a cute, colorful area where most of the play structures were made out of old tires. They had a lot of fun, and I appreciated the creative use old materials. We had a long drive, so after they ran out some energy (and we noticed some wasps heading to a nest inside one of the playground structures), we got back into our car and left.

Overall, this was an awesome experience. My kids still tell me how much fun they had at the Obloy Family Ranch. Samantha was an awesome tour guide. She spoke to my kids at a level they could understand and really tried to make the experience special for them. She lifted animals out of their enclosures and encouraged my kids to pet them to make sure they got the maximum amount of animal interaction possible.

I could see both families and adults having a great time at this ranch. It’s got that country hipster vibe that is so popular right now, and don’t forget about the Obloy Saloon and Barn Stall Winery! The ranch offers 7 unique Muscadine wines as well as a selection of beers and even moonshine!

​Yes, there were some minor issues. For instance, I had to correct the cashier twice before receiving the right price, and the petting zoo is obviously designed to cater to guests who make the extra purchase of animal food. However, those issues paled in comparison to the overall experience. We had a lot of fun for a fair price. If you happen to live in Orlando or are visiting the Merritt Island area, I highly recommend the Obloy Family Ranch!