We’ve all visited a farm with a petting zoo before, but most of us have not visited an exotic animal farm with a petting zoo. Located in the small Illinois city of Nashville, Rainbow Ranch offers visitors a close encounter with some of your favorite exotic animals. It’s a one-of-a-kind farm where you can take the family on a tour and have an experience like nowhere else.

Over 170 years old, Rainbow Ranch is a family-owned farm located in the countryside of Nashville, Illinois. This terrific destination for family fun is open seasonally from April 1 until November 1.
Rainbow Ranch Petting Zoo/Facebook
Rainbow Ranch is filled with both exotic and domesticated farm animals. Visitors can get up close and personal with just about every creature on the farm.
Rainbow Ranch Petting Zoo/Facebook
Among the exotic animals, you'll find a Macaw named Max, fallow deer, four-horned sheep, pot-bellied pigs, emu, camels, and kangaroos.
Rainbow Ranch Petting Zoo/Facebook
The farm even has a zedonk! "What's the heck is a zedonk?", you may be asking yourself. It's a cross between a zebra and a donkey and if you've never seen one before, you'll have to make your way to Rainbow Ranch to check it out.
cheryl s/Google

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Among the more common (yet still adorable and wonderful!) animals are donkeys, horses, sheep, cows, goats, llamas, alpaca, rabbits, chickens, and a whole lot more.
Rainbow Ranch Petting Zoo/Facebook
Tours of the farm are given by the owner Alan Blumhorst and last between 60-75 minutes. On the tour, you'll see the 170-year-old barn, meet and pet plenty of animals, and, if you visit during the spring, you may have the chance to bottle-feed baby cows, goats, and lambs.
Rainbow Ranch Petting Zoo/Facebook
Alan will tell you some of the history of his family's farm and share stories of some of the critters who live here.
Rainbow Ranch Petting Zoo/Facebook
Over 200 animals call Rainbow Ranch home. Some of the larger animals, like the cows and horses, are fenced in but you'll have the opportunity to interact with many of the smaller animals who will be vying for your attention.
Rainbow Ranch Petting Zoo/Facebook

Tours are available between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday, and by appointment only on Mondays and Tuesdays. Rainbow Ranch also offers a traveling petting zoo for birthday parties, festivals, and other events.

Have you visited Rainbow Ranch Petting Zoo in Nashville, Illinois? If you have, we’d love to hear from you! Share your experience and photos in the comments. If you haven’t yet been, start making your plans to go by visiting the Rainbow Ranch website and Facebook page.

For another one-of-a-kind animal encounter, take a drive-thru safari tour at Aikman Wildlife Adventure in Arcola.

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