Own a Zoo & a Piece of History: Catskill Game Farm for Sale

  |  February 10, 2022

For a cool $3.6 mil, you could be the next owner of the historic Catskill Game Farm, erstwhile zoo-turned-hotel.

If you grew up in the Hudson Valley, or spent summers here, chances are you probably visited the Catskill Game Farm a time or two. Founded in 1933, the zoo was a regional destination for decades, before the last remaining animals were sold off in 2006 and the facility was shuttered.

In 2012, Cathy and Ben Ballone purchased the former petting zoo property, with is 193 acres and slew of barns, paddocks, enclosures, and outbuildings, and set about turning it into Long Neck Inn, a nostalgic, whimsical, wildlife-inspired boutique hotel. (We wrote about their venture back in 2018, just a few months before the hotel opened for booking.)

Now, a decade after purchasing the ambling property, the Ballones are ready to let it go. If you happen to have $3.6 million burning a hole in your verrrrry deep pocket, you could just be the next caretaker of this storied property. The land, in Catskill, offers panoramic mountain views and plenty of quirky structures and enclosures from its former life.

A highlight of the property is the renovated Giraffe House. Reborn as the Long Neck Inn, the reimagined space offers a large living room-style common area including a chefs kitchen, plus six bedrooms, a game room, and an outdoor hot tub. The land has multiple wells and access roads, plus a varied topography that would also allow for new residential development.

Whether you’re jazzed on the idea of keeping the old game farm as a lodging destination/event venue, or you are eyeing it as a with the eyes of a developer, the property has tons of potential for those who can pay the high price tag.

Fancy yourself this property’s next zookeeper or innkeeper? Find out more about 400 Game Farm Road, Catskill, NY from Corocan Country Living.

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