The Capybara Cafe, located in a St. Augustine, Florida real estate office building might appear that way. Here, fans of assorted fauna can meet capybaras, the adorable semi-aquatic cousins of your pet guinea pig. St. Augustine, America’s oldest city, provides a stunningly beautiful backdrop. This rare opportunity is a big departure from the usual encounters you find at the zoo.
When guests first walk into the cafe, they are welcomed with a warm and inviting reception space. It has comfy sofas and a delightful open pen with frolicking baby chicks. This beautiful, open, and airy space introduces guests to what they’re about to experience—close-up encounters with these unique, complex animals. After the lobby area, a smaller room conducts capybara interactions that are tailored to smaller groups of about six people.
During these encounters three capybaras accompany the small groups. This one-of-a-kind experience provides a literal face-to-face encounter that’s hard to find in most wildlife sanctuaries. Guests are provided with colorful blankets to drape over their laps, helping to foster a relaxed setting conducive to connection. Leah Macri, a visitor, noted, “Their fur kind of feels like straw a bit,” highlighting the unique tactile experience of interacting with these gentle creatures.
The Capybara Cafe offers two types of encounters: a half-hour session priced at $49 per person and an hour-long encounter, which includes interactions with other animals, for $99 per person. With this pricing, it becomes accessible for everyone to make such a significant experience with these massive rodents. They’ve become the “it” animal, bringing tons of new fans along with them.
Chris Cooper’s wife said she was happy they had met after their fateful encounter. She explained, “He was the cuddly, like the most bestest. He was just the softest.” That kind of thinking speaks to the cafe’s mission to give every visitor an unforgettable feel-good encounter.
A whole host of other zoological institutions across the United States allow you to meet capybaras. Yet, The Capybara Cafe successfully goes a step further in developing a more intimate connection between guests and these beautiful animals. The casual atmosphere allows people to interact with the capybaras. In larger facilities, this bonding opportunity frequently goes to waste.
The Capybara Cafe is flourishing at its new location. Most excitingly, it’s getting bigger — soon opening a new venue in St. Petersburg, Florida, helping more animal lovers discover the delight that only capybaras can bring. This expansion is a testament to the allure of these immersive experiences which are becoming an integral part of the animal care and interaction industry.
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