I love going here. Have been three times this year and it is only August. Photo and playtime with Bear and Tiger cubs is amazing and an experience to remember!! The tour guides also make it entertaining by telling stories about the animals and playing games with one of the big cats. I am so glad that these animals have a great forever home!!!!
This place is so amazing! This is the closest thing to being in the wild with these beautiful animals you can get! All along the tour your learning things about not only these individual animals but facts about the species! The people who run this place are just amazing individuals! All volunteers and wow! I just can't tell you how great this place is. Please stop in and support these beautiful animals and have a great time!!
Did an early morning your with my 6 month old and 2.5 year old and it was so amazing! The facility is great - so well kept! The animals were all so well loved and the interaction with the staff was amazing. Thank you!! Will be going again for sure!
What an exceptional facility! The place is so well kept... not even any of the funky animal smells you usually encounter where wild animals are kept. Tour guides were very informative, providing history of each animal on the tour. Great way to spend a few hours, and help support these beautiful animals. Lion, tigers, ligers, bears and more! Don't miss out... and the tour price is so reasonable (only $10/person). TWO THUMBS UP!
Been to Serenity Springs a couple of times now, with different friends and family. Once during their family fun day and the other time on a regular weekend. (I highly recommend fun day - the burgers were awesome).
The tour was great, our guide did a wonderful job telling us about different cats and some of their behaviors. I did note that they had a LOT of tour guides (someone complained earlier in a review about the tour guide - musta not been the one I had). It was a great time... Took a lil less than an hour. The bears and Lemurs were very cool. And Willy the tiger sprayed some kid (that made my tour the best). Hey, the kid was warned and everyone else backed up...LOL Oh, somoene mentioned no photos on another review. Everyone in my tour group had their phones out and was snapping pictures left and right.
Regardless, both time I have been, have been a blast!!! The cats are great, the staff was nice, then again, I was nice to them. And it was a fun way to spend time with friends and family. I highly recommend it... And yep, I will be goin back soon!
Oh, did the play time and that was amazing! Some great selfies with a tiger cub.
Serenity Springs is all about the animals !!! They make sure their animals know love. What is more important than that ? The owner Nick and ALL the staff genuinely care about each and every one of the animals that reside there and beyond.......................
We visited Serenity Springs with a lot of anticipation and were not disappointed. The staff was friendly, the animals healthy and happy, and the amount of care and attention to detail to keep the animals safe, secure, and happy was wonderful. I hope to visit many times to come. They definitely deserve consideration for any spare change someone may have because it all goes to such a great and heart-felt cause. Well done guys!
I love big cats and I love that Serenity Springs never turns away a big cat in need of rescue. They do a wonderful job with what they have and deserve more funding and support than they get. Love this place!! Well worth a visit, and all the money from tours goes directly to the animals.
What an amazing facility! It is very clear that everyone there has the best interest of the animals in their hearts. From the founder to the volunteers you can tell how much they care and how much the animals feel their love! There are strict rules you have to follow while visiting but this keeps the animals and the public safe as you are allowed to get closer to the animals!
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I have been volunteering at this facility for 6 years. This is one amazing facility. These animals are very well cared for and loved, you can absolutely tell when you go on a tour. I do not know how many people have mentioned how relaxed all the animals seem and how healthy they look although they have come to the facility in horrible conditions. See for yourself what an amazing facility this is before believing any negative comments or reviews by others. The staff and volunteers work very hard to provide these animals with a loving forever home.
Review from Guidestar
This is the most amazing place!!! The cats are happy and healthy. The guides are knowledgable and we learned amazing things about these animals.
This is a horrible organization! We visited over the winter and learned about an opportunity to feed the cats and have a private tour. We decided despite the cost, we were going to save up and purchase the tour as a gift for our daughter who was turning 18. Before I bought the tour online I emailed the facility and asked two questions: Is the tour still available and can I go and just take pictures. Their response was YES and told me how to book it.
We just recently were able to schedule a date for our tour. When my daughter mentioned something about me going and taking pictures they quickly said that I couldn't and I had to pay. We talked the founder who was rude but was willing to honor the deal if I could produce the email. I went home, produced the email and they said again, no. This time it was because I misunderstood what they meant, they were only answering one of the questions not both. It became all to clear to me that they were not going to keep their word. I was concerned too that they would cheat my daughter out of some of the things they published online so I cut and pasted the advertisement and said that this is what my expectations are for her tour. The responded back by telling me that they were not going to make me happy and were canceling her tour with a full refund.
But wait there's more. My daughter called because she really wanted to do this tour and plead her case. The first time she called and got the founder, he yelled at her and said he had nothing more to say. Then she called again and he hung up on her again. Then she called a third time (yes shes persistent) and he answered and put her on speaker phone and said "Im going to block this a$$hole". I later got one more email from him and I had to tell him to stop contacting me.
This is how they treat people. I really hope that they treat the animals better than they treat people.
DO NOT go to this place. From the top the attitude is bad so I cant imagine that the volunteers that work there are any kinder.
My husband and I recently visited Serenity Springs and I cannot applaud them enough for the love and care they are giving these gorgeous animals. Visiting here is unlike going to the zoo; it is not about food or gift shops, it is about education. Thank you again for the care you provide these creatures. I look forward to more visits and maybe even some volunteer time.
Donna
My husband and I volunteer at Serenity Springs as much as we can it is the most rewarding experience we have been going out there for 2 years and hope to do it for many years to come
I visited Serenity Springs 8/3/13
The tour was wonderful. the guide was very informative and most important all the animals were happy and looked well cared for! The staff was very nice. I will go there every time I visit Colorado! I had a great time! Thank you
I take issue with this organization attending Fairs and allowing pictures to be taken with these animals. The babies they took to the Denver County Fair were miserable, locked in cages and allowed to be handled by all sorts. Shouldn't a sanctuary ultimately look to make their lives as stress free and natural as possible? Also, where do the babies come from? Are they allowing mating? Are they perpetuating the mistreatment and imprisonment of these animals? For a real sanctuary, check out the Wild Animal Sanctuary in Keenesburg Colorado where the animals are true rescues and allowed acres of land and natural pride and/or pack behavior.
I've visited Serenity Springs a couple of times and was disappointed in their presentation and the guide's attitude. The tour goes on a loop and the cat enclosures that are shown are nice and the cats seem content enough. However, if you look back towards the right side of the facility, the cats that aren't shown, they appear to have none of the luxuries of the ones on the tour. In fact, they appear to be on a concrete slab only. What really got me as a military family was the guide speaking about a smaller cat (a lynx I believe, its been a couple of years) that had been owned by a Soldier. When the Soldier deployed, he gave it to his mother to care for but she was unable. According to the guide, the mother begged serenity springs to take the cat and promised to pay monthly for its care. "But of course, " the guide went on," we haven't seen a single dollar." I found this to be very unprofessional. What was more irritating is the talk about how people are irresponsible with buying big cats then throwing them away landing them in rescues, but bragging about the SEVERAL cats they have from Las Vegas magicians, who when the cat will no longer cooperate ship them to the facility. It seems to me if a staff member is going to bad mouth a Soldier on a tour, they should say something about the apparently immense turn around on big cats by the magicians in Vegas. I also thought it was troublesome that they prohibit photography because according to the guide, "of animal rights groups complaints". Overall, the tour, or perhaps it is just the guide herself (I had the same one both times a year apart) seems shady and unprofessional.
info29 09/24/2013
tankerswife, It is very sad that in this day and age of technology people find the need to go on the internet and slander amazing facilities where people give all they have to rescue and care for animals. All the animals on or off tour have the same type of enclosures, so how can you "speculate" on something you have not seen? Just an attempt to harm this amazing facility. It is a beautiful place for these animals to live out their lives. NONE of the animals are only on a concrete slab so this is deliberate slander. Additionally, no one bad mouthed any let alone a soldier. The story was 100% true about an animal that was sent to our facility that was a Bobcat not a Lynx, so you obviously didn't pay attention to the story. Serenity Springs was promised funding to support the animal but did not receive the support promised. This is merely stating the truth about the animals and why it came to Serenity Springs in the first place and why this non-profit needs donations to care for these animals! How aweful of you not to see the real meaning of the tour and to care about the animal not about how someone may feel about the person, regardless of their employment, who dumped them there!
I've visited Serenity Springs quite a few times and even set up a private tour for my squadron. They are the nicest organization that I've ever had the pleasure of being around. They are more focused on the proper care of the animals and doing what is in the best interest of the animals at their facilities. I wish I had more time to be able to actually volunteer with their organization. But until I do, I'll continue taking tours and bringing friends and family members with me on the tours.
I recently went on a tour of Serenity Springs, and I have to say it was the best $10 I have ever spent. I went on a day that was a little brisk, with snow on the ground, and it was possibly the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. Watching these enormous and incredibly graceful and fascinating creatures, in the snow no less, was like something out of a movie. Everyone NEEDS to go, and keep going back, I plan to!
Serenity Springs provides refuge for throw-away big cats. The staff provide shelter food and medical care; the volunteers provide enrichment and for $10 per person, the public can get an experience of a life-time. Great place.
The first time my family went out to Serenity Springs, I didn't know what to expect. We had only been in the Colorado Springs area for about 3 years, and had not heard a lot of information about the place. At work, I had a discussion with some co-workers about the Ligers out there. I honestly thought they were some kind of mythical creature, bred for their skills in magic. I was instantly intrigued. My husband, 4-year-son and I made plans to go out there that weekend. When we got there, we were immediately amazed at how many cats were visible from the parking lot. Like true cats, the moment my son left the car they began pacing along the front of the cage tracking his every movement. It was incredible and captivating. I had to remind myself there were 2 layers of chain link fence between us and the cats. When the tour began, what stood out most to me was the love and respect the volunteers and owners of Serenity Springs have for each of these animals. Each cat has a story. Some are sad stories, but the happy endings prevail because Serenity Springs is the forever home for many of these former pets or show cats. None of these animals were born in the wild, and none could survive in the wild if they were released. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about each of these amazing animals. Watching them interact with the tour guides made some of them seem as gentle as house cats. It was easy to forget how powerful these animals could be. The experience of getting to know cats of Serenity Springs was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. We had family come to town a few weeks later, and took them out to see the cats as well. After learning about the mission of this incredible organization, I can honestly say that I fell in love with the place. It would be easy to make an uninformed assumption about Serenity Springs. To decide that the animals are held captive against their will, and would thrive in their natural habitat. The truth however, is that many of these cats were once owned by humans who could not properly take care of them or control them. Without a place like Serenity Springs, these animals would end up euthanized because their humans chose to unsuccessfully try to make them pets. The one thing that is clearly seen from a visit to Serenity Springs is how majestic and regal these magnificent cats really are. Even after Colorado Springs is no longer my home, Serenity Springs and the amazing cats will always have a place in my heart. I am so grateful that this organization has the will and the skill to give these cats a home to live out the rest of their extraordinary lives.
I can't volunteer but I do donate. The Facebook updates, stories and pictures are wonderful. I am proud to support these wonderful cats and the people who care for them.
Serenity Springs is a wonderful place to take someone who loves animals. It is a place that loves and cares for animals and Im glad I was able to go there in 2011 and get a first hand experience of what an amazing facility this is.
Serenity springs is a wonderfull place. The oppertunity is amazing right when you pull in the magic begins. The tigers have a special bond with the staff. We had the oppertunity to see some of the interaction such as one of the tigars sneaking up on one of the guides it was almost like a game of red light green light! What an amzing oppertunity to be so close that you can hear the cats purr and cooo. The lions made quite the impression talking well its more of a roar but beautifull to hear! The guides are verry sweet an knowlageable. I love it! How wonderfull these cats storys of privat ownershipp. My husbands fave are the ligars!
Went to Serenity Springs in Aigust of 2011.. FELL IN LOVE WITH THEM!!! Julie had me hooked from the get go on facebook.. was sooo impressed with the tour, asked for a donation can to put in the store I work at... I would spend every weekend there if my job allowed me to. but encourage EVERYONE to go at least once... you will love it!
The staff is very knowledgeable and makes the visit very educational. I have visited twice-the first visit I had my picture taken with a baby tiger and the second visit I got to see the tiger all grown up. My brother-in-law liked it so much he sponserd the tiger we had our pictures taken with. If you haven't been out to Serenity Springs what are you waiting for It's great for all ages and makes for a great day.
We went out to Serenity Springs after it was recommended by my cousin. It was so incredible to see all of the cats in their awesome enclosures. We're going to go back soon to see them again.
Wow this place is amazing. The cats there are very lucky to be in the care of Nick and Julie. We just went on a tour and was amazed how many cats and how happy they all were. If you have been out to visit it is a must do.
I surprised my wife by taking her to Serenity Springs when they had Tiger cubs. She had no idea where I was taking her since they are located out in the rural countryside. As we got to the gate she saw big cats! We were first in line for that days tour and she got to hold a Tiger cub. After we took the tour she said, they take good care of those animals! We have been back a few more times and love going there. We've also told many of our friends and they have gone out there too. It's a great place that does good for the animals.
I have taken my boys to Serenity Springs twice now and they absolutely love it. Even my teenager. It is such a wonderful experience. Hope we get back there again sometime in the near future.
I have been going to Serenity Springs for many years and I still get goose-bumps when I see the front gate. Every tour is a learning experience and that is wonderful at 50 plus. I went with friends several weekends ago and would go again this weekend. What a great family experience.
My first experience with Serenity Springs was about 8 years ago. I had the amazing opportunity to hold and get my picture taken with a tiger cub. After that I went out to tour the facility and was amazed at how close we could get to the animals. I even recommended to friend of mine, who is a teacher, to take her class as a field trip. Her students loved the field trip. The staff was knowledgeable and friendly. I try and take any out of town visitors that I have out to the facility.
Serenity springs is a wonderful way to spend the afternoon. The staff/volunteers are very knowledgable, and all the big cats are well taken care of. They have a beautiful assortment of tigers, lions, panthers, and smaller species too. They just got a tiger lion mix too, I have too see that.
As soon as someone told me about Serenity Springs, I knew I had to go check it out. As soon as I visited, I knew I wanted to get involved with helping out. I've only been volunteering for a short while now but it is my favorite place to be on the weekend. The people and the animals there are all awesome and its such a good feeling to see so many happy and healthy cats there that can call it their forever home. :)
This is a fantastic organization that cares for and maintains a great quality of life for the big and small cats they receive from all over the nation.
My husband surprised me with a private tour for our first wedding anniversary. The second I saw the sign & what it was, I was all smiles! I got to hold a baby tiger cub, & get pretty close to all the animals. The tour was absolutely amazing, incredibly gorgeous animals, fantastic volunteers, & overall a phenominal place. What a thing Serenity Springs does, adopting these gorgeous big cats that giving them a place to live!! Cages were all clean, the animals were well fed and seemed very content. I would love to be able to go back and see even more animals housed there. By far the best experience of my life, very knowledgeable place!
I was very surprised when I visited this park, clean cages, well kept animals, and very beautiful surroundings. I have visited many animal zoos through out my years, employed by a AZA zoo, and Serenity Springs exceeds them. During my visits through out the years, the AZA accredited zoos are the worst kept zoos. The one private zoo I visited while visiting relatives in Florida was Big Cat Rescue. If you want to go out for a day, and enjoy yourself with nature, Serenity Springs is a must see.
My boyfriend arranged for us to do a photography tour for my 30th birthday last year and I couldn't stop smiling the moment we walked in the facility. It's incredible to see such beautiful, majestic animals being cared for in such a loving and responsible manner. As soon as our tour ended I immediately decided I wanted to become a volunteer to help in any way I could. If you love animals, then you should do yourself a favor and visit Serenity Springs. It truly is an amazing place.
Absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE this place, been volunteering 3 years now... The animals are well cared for and amazing, the facility is well kept and a safe/wonderful place to visit. The people are amazing both employees and volunteers they love this place and the animals so very much. I couldn't ask to be part of a better organization
Serenity Springs is such an amazing place. We visit as often as possible. I love how they provide a "FOREVER HOME" to animals, Big cats in particular, who need refuge. On their tours they truly are amazing at educating you on each feline that is housed there and they tell the story of each animal. The place is very well kept, well ran and great staff/volunteers. :)
I'm one of the tour guides for Serenity Springs and have been volunteering there for 3(+) years. Introducing visitors to our big cats is a great joy and one that I never tire of. If you've never visited Serenity Springs, you should definitely put it on your list of things to do. Spending time with our beautiful cats, you will see how well cared for and how well loved they are...and you will come away having experienced a bit of magic!
I first heard of Serenity Springs when a friend and co-worker of mine told me she volunteered there. She brought the story of Snow Magic to my attention. I wanted to help do something to save this majestic creature. My husband and I went to see him at Serenity Springs, it was the first time we had been there. I was shocked to see that there were so many big cats. As the tour guide explained the plight of the big cat and how few there are, I was moved to tears. I was impressed by the love and attention that the caretakers give to the animals, you can see that the whole team is passionate about providing a comfortable forever home to each and every one of them. We also learned of the cost to keep them....staggering. Thank God for the team at Serenity Springs, they are true Animal Angels. I will continue to donate to Serenity Springs and Encourage everyone else to as well.
This place is the only one who will step up to the plate and help rescue when there is no money involved. I have been there, inspected the place and let me tell ya, if you have never been there you have no clue what your talking about if you leave a bad comment, they do amazing work and would be honored to support them in any way.
Serenity Springs is an amazing place. You can tell that the animals are very happy there by the way that they interact with the staff, volunteers and the public. I wish I could spend more time there.
I have only been here once but after I got there I didn't want to leave. My two grandchildren loved it. The cats are absolutely gorgeous and I am so happy this place is here for them. They deserve all the help they can get. I can't wait to go back. The only bad part of this is when we have to leave.
My husband and I visited serenity springs for the first time in the fall 2011. We fell in love with the cats and now make regular contributions. We are very thankful for the good folks there who take such loving care of those beautiful creatures.
I have been volunteering for Serenity Springs for several years. Taking in these abandoned sometimes abused animals and giving them a safe home, has meant a great deal to me. The volunteers are great and work hard to support the place in anyway they can.
Serenity Springs is a fabulous home to unprotected and abandoned wild animals our society believes they should own. We are home to 130 Big Cats and misc. animals who were homeless until adopted by our center. We have saved their lives and because of it they give so much back. Relaxed, well fed and very loving (from behind their large cages, of course), the tigers, lions, leopards, serval, bobcats and mountain lions promptly come up to visit when we are giving tours. Everyone gets to meet our family from a distance of 5 feet away, enjoying the animals fabulous size, coloration and personality. Our volunteers give mercifully to help protect these magnificent animals, they are truly a gift from God and deserve a wonderful life. The owners, Nick & Julie Sculac have sacrified everything to keep these animals alive and they deserve a huge congratulations.
Went there to pet a tiger cub. It was the most awesome experience of my life. Everyone there was wonderful and I don't even want to think what would happen to these animals without them.
A friend of mine told me about this place and the next day I took my two young boys. I have lived here for a little over 5 years now and I had never heard of this place. There is one word that describes this place...AMAZING! I can't even begin to put into words what a wonderful experience it was. Seeing all the beautiful animals and learning there stories was great. While some heartwarming and some sad, they were educational and fun. Now all the animals are truly at a wonderful place now. I couldn't stop talking about this place. I immediately told all my friends and took my family when they came to visit after Christmas and they too loved it just as much as I did. My husband even was speechless, all he could say was 'wow'. Snow Magic's story touched my heart. I donated what I could, but always wish I could do more financially to help out. I never get tired of this place and only hope that everyone who goes leaves with the same feeling as I did. It is truly a wonderful and remarkable place.
Visted this place late last year and it was fantastic. It was the closest I've ever gotten to these exotic animals (several feet away). Being able to watch them at such a close distance was breath taking and you could sense the big cats raw power even when they were just taking a nap. I was also able to take photos to remember the trip and will be back for their photography tour - definitely a unique experience!
Back in 2009 I visited the Park and became in awe of the animals and of the Volunteers there. Such a magnificent place! The people were so nice and the animals are so happy. I have been back a number of times since 2009. This past year during a visit I decided "Ive had it!" I must help and be apart of this place! I am now a volunteer and am so proud to be part of such a great and caring organization!
info29 09/24/2013
Christine, It is very upsetting that you feel the need to slander such an amazing organization. Are you an animal behaviorist? How do you feel you have the expertise to say that the animals were miserable? The animals at any display with this organization are not only loved and very well cared for but also inspected by several animal experts an approved for this activity. They had huge display cages with toys and were given many breaks and had toys to play with as well. This type of slander helps no one. This organization has rescued hundreds of animals and are very well cared for. And for your information they are actually a licensed zoological and exhibitor park. But we do see you motives as you had an opportunity to advertise with this post for another facility. If you actually visit the park you will find for yourself that the interaction with the animals makes them better adjusted to live in their enviroment. They are going to be around humans for the rest of their life and they are more comfortable at Serenity Springs then any other facility I have ever visited.