Visit Rattlesnake Ranch in Arizona for free on World Snake Day

The facility houses more than 200 rattlesnakes.

CAVE CREEK, Ariz. —  For Cody Will, rattlesnakes aren’t creatures to fear, but animals to understand and respect.

Will, who operates Rattlesnake Ranch in Cave Creek, takes care of more than 200 rattlesnakes at his private, state-licensed zoo. On Wednesday, in honor of World Snake Day, he’s inviting the public to visit his facility free of charge from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“I’ve always loved snakes,” Will said. “As I said, as a kid, I’d always, you know, chase them, catch them, that sort of thing. Obviously, it was taught to not touch the venomous ones. So maybe it’s the testosterone in me, but I always thought they were especially fascinating.”

What started as childhood curiosity has grown into what Will believes is the largest and most diverse collection of rattlesnakes in Arizona—and possibly the world. The facility houses rattlesnakes from North and South America and showcases about 60 different species, each safely displayed behind thick glass with specialized locks.

“As far as I know, this is the largest, most diverse collection of rattlesnakes in one place, in Arizona, in the country, and the country, maybe part of the world, honestly,” he said.

But Will isn’t just collecting these reptiles; he’s on a mission to change the way people think about them.

“They get this reputation of being aggressive or all sorts of other things, but most of it is fluff. It’s not true,” Will said. “They’re like any other wild animal. They want to be left alone.”

Visitors’ reactions vary. 

“If it’s a non-snake person, it’s usually like, uhh, there’s a lot of snakes in here,” Will said. “For anybody who is a little more open to learning about them, or especially reptile enthusiasts, usually total opposite reaction. They walk in here and go, ‘Wow.’”

Will is offering free admission on Wednesday for World Snake Day. 

“This is like year of the snake and there’s lots of organizations around the world right now that are actually celebrating this week,” Will said. “So to be a small part of that, this was a special day that we wanted to kind of bring awareness and education and make it totally free.”

Will also operates a dog training business on the same property, where he teaches dogs to avoid rattlesnakes entirely. 

“It’s kind of funny,” he said. “We’re trying to get people more interested and respectful of snakes, but we also want to teach dogs to want nothing to do with them. And so we kind of do both here.”

Will hopes Wednesday’s free admission will help people see rattlesnakes not as monsters, but as beautiful, diverse creatures that play a valuable role in the ecosystem.

Visitors can stop by Rattlesnake Ranch AZ between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Wednesday at 30528 North 59th Street in Cave Creek. The zoo is typically open Tuesday through Saturday by appointment only. 

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