Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Smarty Day Trip Series: Lazy 5 Ranch
By Rachel H
Hello Smarties! We are very excited to introduce the first of many blogs in our Smarty Day Trip series! Beginning today, we will run a blog each Tuesday for the majority of Spring and Summer where we will be featuring some of our favorite places to take the family on a day trip. Of course our own Triad area has many exciting adventures, too, which we will always continue to write about and share Smarty Tips with you. Between our Tuesday Day Trip Blogs, Wednesday Events blogs, upcoming Favorite Parks blog, and Smarty Summer Camp Picks there should be no reason for the kids to claim “I’m bored” this spring and summer!
The Lazy 5 Ranch is a perfect day trip for you and your children. It is located in Mooresville, NC, so it is less than an hour from Winston and High Point, and about 1hour 15 minutes from Greensboro.
The Lazy 5 Ranch is an animal drive thru park, where visitors will see over 750 animals from six different continents. You will also see several endangered species. You can drive through the park in your own car or ride in horse drawn wagons. The kids love it! They can reach out to pet animals or feed animals. My kids especially loved feeding the giraffes. Listening to your children giggle when the animals accidentally lick their hands is priceless.
The Lazy 5 Ranch is open all year round! Spring is a great time to go to see new little animal babies including zebras, giraffes, goats and cows. Summer is perfect because school is out and your family can easily spend the day here. There are plenty of picnic areas to use. Autumn is a beautiful time to visit if you enjoy seeing the changing leaves. It’s also a great time to purchase a pumpkin to take home. In the Winter, you can enjoy hot chocolate and a live nativity scene while riding in the horse-drawn covered wagon.
You can also choose to walk around many areas of the ranch. There is a petting area, which is a favorite for the kids. You may also enjoy checking out the black smith shop, horse barn, and of course the gift store. You can easily spend most of the day here by packing a picnic lunch. There is also ice cream available and a few drink machines. There are plenty of picnic areas, plus a play ground.
Hours of the Lazy 5 Ranch are Monday – Saturday from 9am until one hour before sunset. Sundays 1pm until one hour before sunset. Adults are $8.50 and children 2-11 are $5.50. Babies under 1 year old are free. If you decide to use the covered wagon, add $5 for adults and $3 for kids. I would definitely suggest getting a group together if you want to ride in the wagons. This is a great spot to meet your Charlotte friends, too! If you have a group of 15 or more people, it is only $5 per person with $2.50 extra added for the wagon ride.
You can also contact the Lazy 5 Ranch to schedule a birthday party! Rates range from $7.50 to $11.50 per child depending on which package you choose. Click here to see the packages available.
A few Smarty Tips:
They do not accept credit or debit cards, so come prepared with cash or check.
Bring your own bottled water, as there are not water fountains around. It gets very hot in the summer season.
They do have hand sanitizer stations, but I’d bring my own. Remember, your kids will be touching the animals!
If you plan to take a wagon ride, call 704.663.5100 to make your reservations.
Arrive 30 minutes prior to your scheduled time.
If you are taking the wagon ride and have more than one kid with you, remember that they need to be sitting down when the wagon is moving and there are no seat belts. Older kids are usually fine, but toddlers may need an adult to help them stay seated. Keep this in mind and bring another adult along if you think you’ll need help!
Check out the website for more specifics. We hope you have a great time!
Email us here if you have a favorite spot for a Day Trip that you would like to share with our Smarty Readers. We’d be happy to do the research ourselves if we have not been there, or have you write a post about your own experience to share with other savvy Triad moms!
10 comments:
I agree that this is a perfect day trip for any families living in the Triad. We have met friends there quite a few times and we always have a ball.
How have I never heard of this place? Thanks, ladies!
This place is a great trip! I highly recommend it, we drove through with the minivan doors open in lieu of the wagon ride, and it was awesome.
This place is AWESOME. We went with our mom's group with church and did the wagon ride, which I would highly recommend. They give you food and your able to pet the animals. The driver gives you info as you go along. We had a great time and will be going back. This is a definite for the summer!!
As a Lake Norman mommy, it's hard to believe I'd NEVER been to Lazy 5 (a 20 min drive from me) until Tuesday when I took my twins for their 2-yr-bday. We drove thru with our windows down & they LOVED it. While it was too cool that day to picnic we will definately go back, it was pretty darn cool. Highly recommend it!! Just wanted to share my thoughts, enjoy it with your family!!
Looks like I have my first day planned for Spring Break with the kids! Sounds like fun.
Posts like this are why I am really enjoying your webpage. Not only did you give us an idea, but provided the Smarty Tips that only moms can tell us about. Fabulous ideas. Keep em coming!
Make sure when you go to the Lazy 5 that there isn't a cloud in the sky - they don't give rainchecks. My family and I recently went and it started pouring rain about 10 minutes after we got to the park. We waited in the barn for an hour - it wasn't letting up and the wagons were not moving. We finally decided to leave, having two small kids. We knew there were no refunds - but they gave no rainchecks either. We paid $62 for standing in a barn for an hour. They said we were in the park. We found out after the fact that they sold ponchos in the gift shop - but no one mentioned that in the barn as we waiting. I don't know if the wagons ever took off. I contacted management about our disappointment and was told that if we don't like their policy- don't come back. We won't.
If it rains is it still open
If it rains is it still open
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