A constellation of creatures

Viknesh Dairy Farm

For oxen, or cows in this case, pay owner Raja a visit at Viknesh Dairy Farm. Your kids can feed the cows with their bare hands and, for $3 per person, Raja will even give you a tour around his farm and a bottle of fresh milk to take home.

Lion City Kitty

Wild big cats are difficult to come by in Singapore, but we sure have plenty of their domesticated cousins. Lion City Kitty is Singapore’s first and only non-profit cat museum, where your child can cuddle kittens in between important lessons about our feline friends. The museum is also a shelter for Cat Welfare Society rescues; visitors can adopt one of the many kitties lazing around.

The Animal Resort

Here’s a petting zoo populated by every farm animal from a children’s book. For some quality time with its ridiculously furry bunnies, head to the dedicated rabbit enclosure. Bonus: the bunnies are housed with guinea pigs!

Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve

They may not breathe fire, but monitor lizards are aplenty here at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve. Keep a safe distance, though, because these cold-blooded animals pack a mean bite if provoked.

Singapore Zoo

From itty-bitty tree snakes to ginormous anacondas, nowhere else will you find a bigger collection of serpents than at Singapore Zoo’s Snake House. There, you can find the world’s heaviest and longest snake species – the water boa and reticulated python, respectively – alongside king cobras, rattlesnakes and other venomous reptiles.

Gallop Stable

Gallop Stable prides itself for offering horse-riding experiences without charging obscene prices. With around 150 horses and ponies for the kids, learn the proper horseriding techniques and even horseback archery. Ponies for kids aged three and below; horses for kids aged seven and above.

From $45 (20-minute pony ride).

Hay Dairies

For the Year of the Goat, Hay Dairies is the place to go. This 40-year-old farm has about 1,000 goats on its premises. Drop by in the morning to catch the goats being milked, and then bring home a few bottles of freshly squeezed goat milk at the end of the day.

Qi Tian Gong Temple

As Singapore’s first – and possibly only – temple dedicated to the Monkey God, this 95-year-old temple has more than ten statues of the Taoist deity within its premises. Some of them even date back over a century, making this beautifully anachronistic building (it’s smack in the middle of hipster central, Tiong Bahru) a heritage hotspot where your kids can live and breathe history. Look out for Uncle Lim, the chatty temple caretaker who’ll tell you all about the Monkey God and its many different incarnations.

Farmart Centre

At this farm centre, head guide Uncle William takes your kids to meet chickens, quails and other animals. If you’re lucky, you can see chicks hatch right inside the animal corner! Farm tours to frog, fish, goat, crocodile and vegetable farms are also available.

For kids aged four to 12.

Dog Dot Café

Move aside, cat cafés. Dog Dot Café is the latest animal-themed eatery in town that lets your kids cosy up with its canine residents. Or, if you have your own pooch, bring it over to try the special dog-only menus.