Urbana, Ohio: Sturgeon Petting and Trout Frenzy

Huge areas -- both inside and out -- to feed and pet fish, turtles, frogs, and salamanders. Free to see (bring quarters for the feed); super friendly people work the space. Handicap accessible and you can park right up to the feeding areas.

Freshwater Farms has expanded their Sturgeon-Petting area to a large pool with a nifty LED waterfall for the sturgeon to play in.

Turn in by the sign and drive past the first building on your right (that's the store). You can either park in the store lot and walk, or go through an opening in the tree line to the left and park along that. To reach the feeding areas and petting zoo, continue down the gravel path to the last building on the right, before the trout tanks. There is a sign above the door and they are open year round. There are pellet machines on both sides of the trout tanks; people seem to miss the one on the other side because they're not in front. Look between the two tanks on the left for the second one, and turn the handle slowly to get the most pellets.

The sturgeon building has a bottle of hand sanitizer, but if you want a more thorough scrub, walk back up the path and look toward the store building for the public restroom signs on the left. (Our daughter has requested to go three times in the past week; we've become very familiar)

A fish hatchery located just north of Urbana boasts a few unique touches. You can feed pellets to rainbow trout (and the entourage of ducks that you accumulate); you can touch salamanders, turtles, and toads (crawdads too, at your own risk); and, best of all, there's a "Sturgeon Petting Zoo" where you can get up close and personal with prehistoric fish pals. Absolutely free except for the quarters that you spend on pellets... and serious fun.