This Labor Day, my family and I took a mini vacation down to Charleston, South Carolina, since my father-in-law owns a beach house on James Island. While hunting for something fun to break up the drive, I stumbled across Bee City Zoo in Cottageville, South Carolina, a tiny, obscure town that even most South Carolinians have probably never heard of. Honestly, I hadn’t heard of the zoo either until I went digging for new places to check out. My wife was a bit hesitant and skeptical going in, but since it was only about 30 minutes off our route to Charleston, we figured we’d give it a shot. I have to say, I walked away genuinely impressed.

What really sets Bee City apart from bigger operations like Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia is how hands-on the animal encounters are. It’s not a large zoo by any means, but there’s no shortage of animals you can feed, and my wife made sure the kids got to feed as many as possible. Different animals require different types of food, and none of it comes free. Between admission and feeding costs, it adds up fast. My wife is nothing like my mom in that regard, since animal feeding was never really a thing growing up for me. Still, watching our kids feed the animals turned out to be genuinely fun.

There are several types of monkeys on site, and in my opinion, they’re the most enjoyable to feed. Some will take food directly from your outstretched hand, while others use a clever pulley-and-cup system to reel their snacks in. Not once did we see an animal turn down food during the entire visit. My favorite moment, though, was watching some random guy break the rules and toss a Cheerio at a monkey, who snatched it out of the air with the reflexes of a kung fu master.

We ended up exploring the left side of the zoo first, which, in hindsight, we probably should have saved for last. The right side has much more open space, featuring barnyard animals like goats and cows, plus a genuinely cool camel and giraffe exhibit. Interestingly, giraffe feeding was completely free, unlike the $5 to $10 fee I’ve seen charged at other zoos. Alex chickened out, but Lily had a blast feeding the giraffe, and so did my wife, Jessica. I honestly still can’t believe I’d never come across this place before. We had such a great time that I almost wish we’d gone on a less scorching hot day, but that’s how it goes.

It’s worth mentioning, too, that they sell food and drinks on-site, so lunch is easily covered if you need it. Nothing fancy, just Hunt Brothers Pizza and a solid selection of snacks and ice cream. Random road trip detours can absolutely go sideways, but despite my wife’s initial skepticism, we all left the zoo genuinely happy, and I’d bet we’ll be back within a year or two.