- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Bronx Zoo
Rating Details »
2300 Southern Blvd
Bronx, NY 10460
(718) 220-5100
Bronx, NY 10460
(718) 220-5100
Holiday Fun this December!
Meet live reindeer, enjoy ice carving shows & witness a special competition on Dec. 27th. Visit http://bronxzoo.com for a full list of activities.
Announced 6 days ago- Hours:
Mon-Fri. 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sat-Sun. 10:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
115 reviews for Bronx Zoo
This business is a Yelp Sponsor
7/2/2009
Updated - 11/8/2009
9/8/2009
4 photos
9/1/2009
8/23/2009
3 photos
11/4/2009
9/23/2009
9/14/2009
7/2/2009
8/31/2009
1 photo
6/15/2009
11/7/2009
7/7/2009
6/30/2009
3 photos
7/10/2009
6/23/2009
4/21/2009
6/18/2009
4/27/2009
3/19/2009
2 photos
9/3/2009
8/1/2009
9/4/2009
8/29/2009
2/9/2009
1 photo
8/10/2009
12/1/2008
1/22/2009
8/9/2009
9/29/2008
3/4/2009
10/3/2008
7/28/2008
12/6/2008
6/17/2009
7 photos
2/21/2009
7/23/2008
12/19/2008
3 photos
8/18/2008
10/24/2008
One of the Business' Favorite Reviews What's This?
I haven't been to this Zoo, or any Zoo for that matter since I was probably 7 or so. I love this Zoo, and it reminded me of why I love the great outdoors. How funny that I felt like a little kid again, and sounded like a wide-eyed five-year old in awe of a giraffe's neck.
"LOOK AT GEOFFREY!!!!!" (Toys R' Us mascot)
"WOWWWWW THAT LION HAS BIIIG TEETH!!!!!!!!!!"
"HEHEHE LOOK AT THOSE ELEPHANTS EARS"
It was that kind of day thank you Bronx Zoo. My ride home on the 5 train was even fun when I saw a group of kids asking a Zookeeper questions about monkey's.
How fun!!! GETTTTTTT ITTTTTTTT!!!!!
One year later, I'm now a card carrying member who lives across the street from my beloved zoo, so I figured it was time for an update.
First of all, I'm gonna take some time to gloat about the wonders my membership allows me;
-Free entry and parking to the BZ for myself and a friend
-All special exhibits, rides and shuttles are gratis (except for the Camel Rides, which are $5)
-10% off all purchases made in the BZ
-Free admission into the Central Park Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo, Brooklyn Aquarium, and the Queens Zoo (who knew they had one?)
Bragging aside, I love this place for the simple reason that it combines learning with fun and exercise (walking around the BZ over the course of a day racks up serious mileage, so put your Fitflops/MBT on). I have yet to experience an exhibit that wasn't insightful, interactive and interesting...and I'm here at least once a month.
Since I no longer am under 4 feet (nor do I want to be the creepy giant child who got stuck in the gopher hole playground), obviously the Children's Zoo is beyond comment - but best believe as soon as I get my hand on a toddler (be it my own or a friend's) I'm going back.
My favorite attribute of the zoo would probably be the feral peacocks roaming around - it's a nice change to the squirrels and pigeon turf-wars I usually witness on the streets.
The only reason I'm deducting a star is for false advertising for not being as handicap and family-friendly as the website would have you believe. Since the BZ is open year-round, many of its visitors (especially this summer and fall) that's I've seen have been families with children in strollers or wheelchairs, however the BZ's geography is not compatible *AT ALL* for people with wheels. I can't imagine how nerve-racking it must be, when trying to help your wheelchair bound child use one of the public restrooms with dignity because there aren't any wide handicap stalls with handrails and raised toilets.
-Or attempting to change a baby's diaper without an actual changing table and safety straps
-Or constantly having to ask strangers for help, because you need help carrying your stroller/wheelchair to the top of the stairs on the winding trails.
I want to give you 5-star lovin', BZ, but please get on my level and check out the American with Disabilities Act or something - learning + fun should never equal a struggle for certain individuals.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
12/10/2008
AMINALS!!!
Just a short bus ride/long walk from my door!!!
AMINALS!!!
Wednesdays are free (but watch… Read more »
Words do not describe how excited I was to go to the zoo this weekend; I woke up every hour on the hour the night before. My first experience at this zoo was not the best. I dragged my little sis there last spring and to our surprise saw NO animals and a ton of construction. It was like standing on a Michigan highway!! So you can imagine my shock and disappointment to return during peak zoo times to discover yet again NO animals.
The ploy is they get you into the zoo for a flat fee and you have unlimited access to the shops and restaurants but to actually see any of the good animals, you have to pay more $$. My friend and I ended up shelling out $25 each to see a sick lion, 100,000 species of birds, and a pair of jungle rats doing it. And my souvenir? A bad case of pink eye from the masses of children running around!
We did get a great idea out of the whole thing. 21+ Zoo Hours. The gist would be unlimited drinks served by monkeys AND you would get to watch all the ferocious animals feed/stalk live prey!! (Pls contact me if you are interesting in pursuing this idea)
Love the zoo. We got the general admission pass. One thing I did not like is that you have to pay additional money if you want to go to different exhibits. There are a few basic exhibits that are included in the general admission...but not a lot.
Make sure and go on a day when it is not as humid and hot. I hated that part of it every bit. Getting there by subway is the most horrible mistake you can make if you have kids or are physically challenged since the closest stations have a lot of stair...i mean a LOT! You cannot find any taxis either. None of the taxi cab drivers like coming to the Bronx.
Take your own food, drinks etc as the food stands are pretty expensive.
Best Zoo in the entire world, hands down.
Ok I am biased, but really...zoos don't get any better than this. If I was an animal taken from my natural habitat to be caged to be peered at by humans all day, I would pick the Bronx Zoo.
I went to high school in the Bronx, so I used to make an almost weekly excursion here on Fridays after school. Wednesdays are free (suggested) admission, but my family are members so I had plenty of free passes. This is one charitable tax write-off worth purchasing--all the money goes to wildlife conservation, and you can't help but be put in that altruistic mood after seeing all the wonderful creatures at this zoo. Absolutely the best zoo and a must-stop for anyone visiting New York City.
One tiny negative: they no longer have the Skyfari ride, so you can no longer ride on the sky cable cars when you need a break from walking and look down at the magnificence that is the Bronx Zoo :(
Good for time pass with children (especially on wednesday). Having been to quite a few zoos, I didn't really find the bronx zoo outstanding. The rides were all closed when I went in November and there are no play areas etc for the kids to have fun in (like in the Phoenix, AZ zoo). Didn't see any elephants, gorillas or rhinos, which appear to have been moved god-knows-where.
It wasn't bad but my kid didn't enjoy it as much as the phoenix zoo (which is much smaller in comparison). I'm glad I went on Wednesday which was donation based entry day.
After the Botanical Garden, I headed to the Zoo where it was "pay what you want" day (Wednesday). I headed in and decided to forgo looking at the map and just wander around the zoo, looking at animals wherever my feet took me.
I don't remember the last time I was at the zoo, but the Bronx Zoo was great. I saw a rhino, sea lions, a polar bear, red panda, baboons, monkeys, lions, giraffes, reptiles, birds, bison and more. I wanted to see the Congo exhibit, but you had to pay and I also wanted to take the train tour around the zoo, but you had to pay. What's with these additional fees?
I explored all of the zoo that I could (without paying additional for some exhibits). Didn't attend any of the shows and still had a great time.
So, my boyfriend finally came up with a date idea on his own. So I was super excited to make the trip to the zoo. Overall, it was an A-Ok day. I found the zoo to be more like a humongous nature park with a sideshow of animals more than anything else. Being cheapy, we got the general admission tix for $15, not "Total Experience" (almost double the price) and more to the point, probably could not have made it to all the special exhibits in the time that we had. We spent about 4 1/2 hours here and you definitely need a fulll day to do it right. We saw about half of the park and there was a lot of hiking up steep trails involved. Wear good shoes and be prepared to navigate overcrowded trails with tons of strollers and screaming kids. Though I expected children, I have never seen this many strollers in one place in my life. Wow.
Animals wise - it was okay, most of them looked lazy, not that spectacular or mind blowing. Typical zoo fare. But, the special exhibits seem to be where the semi-cool stuff is.
Transportation here was very convenient though. We took the express MTA bus from midtown for $4. It was super convenient, comfortable, easy. Highly recommended. We took the subway back, which took a while since the 2 was running local the whooole way. The subway station is about 3-4 blocks east of the Bronx River zoo entrance.
Overall, I'll be back, but not in a rush. I much prefer the botanical gardens for a more relaxing, better priced date/excursion. Really... $30 for a zoo.... And most people work on Wednesdays so the free thing is moot.
I've never been to a zoo.
Yes, you heard that right. The realization had never occurred to me until I had spent over an hour or two at the Bronx Zoo and my internal dialogue delivered this zinger:
"You know what? I don't think I've ever been to a zoo period!"
"What?!? What kind of a sad, pathetic individual has never been to a zoo before?"
"Um, me. Thanks a lot. Asshole."
So yeah, my first trip to a zoo resulted in a knock to my self-esteem and a birthday surprise for my girlfriend. We had a great time. The "everything" pass (don't quote me on that) ran about $27 for an adult. One turkey wrap, which was surprisingly edible for park/zoo food, was $7.25. With the aforementioned pass you can ride the Asia monorail thing, get into all the special exhibits, and literally have free reign all over the zoo.
The exhibits are set up as close to the animals' natural habitat as humanly possible. Not exactly because humans suck at creating natural habitats for animals. We're at the top of the food chain, but hey, we can't win 'em all.
Margot G. and I spent nearly 5 hours here and we still didn't cover the entire zoo. We saw elephants, monkeys, tigers, gorillas, lion, oh my! Got pretty close to seeing the entire zoo in that 5 hours but probably needed a few more. If you're looking for a relatively cheap day activity, this is a good bet.
Been to zoo so many time, I've never got the chances to visit the Asia area. We decided to make a different route to visit this area in the Bronx Zoo this past weekend.
It turned out to be a quite different experience. We took the monorail and visit those animals in more natural habitats. Those Mongolian wild horses look exactly the same as the one in those countless Chinese painting. Elephants are more active. Rhinos are playing with mud happily. Even this red panda looks more relaxed than the one in the other area of the same zoo.
Kids were excited about the experience. Different from the previous one we've done, we are the ones who need to be confined in the cart instead. We need to open our eyes to search and to feel those animals in the nature. I have a dream to bring kids to a real safari one day. I hope I can see more animals have better life quality (including human) in the natural habitats ..
I've always loved the bronx zoo ever since i was a child and till this day I still love it. They organize the park very well and they have a broad selection of animals; from the insects to the birds to the mammals...
I am such an animal lover and every time I come here I always get teary eyed because I wish this world was more sympathetic to animals.
Huge! great variety. Also has a children's section. If you life in NY or CT and your children like zoos, worth the membership just for the parking passes and guest passes alone. Plus you get into Bronx Zoo and the Aquarium.
As a wee lass, my need to pee during a school trip at the Bronx Zoo once stymied any desire to see cute lil aminals. The zoo seemed HUGE and I thought we'd never find another bathroom! Post-pee, I frolicked in the fake turtle shells, rode a camel, and relished the wonderfulness of artificial skunk stink. Ah, memories....
As a big girl now, my bladder is no longer pea-sized and the zoo seems a lot smaller. Bank of America's free 1st-Saturday-of-Month general admission (w/ a BOA card) provided plenty of entertainment: Moxie the playful lion cub; squawking peacocks (pretty to see, cacophonous to hear); and the mouse house (which gave me nightmares of giant rats, despite how cute I thought the little mongoose [mongeese?] were). Downside: the food sucked (to be expected, I guess), many attractions cost additional money, and several exhibits were closed for repair.
It's still a great zoo though, made even greater by easy MTA access. I can't believe I waited to long to return as an adult (yay big girl)!
I have loved the Bronx Zoo for YEARS. When my sisters and I were younger we used to come here in the summers for "Zoo Camp" and my family also had a membership for many years. It was such a big treat to come to the zoo, I remember having many fantastic times here as a kid.
Imagine my delight when I was brought to the zoo as a surprise for my *gasp* 24th birthday...the first time in 10 years that I had been there!
We bought the Adult "Full Experience" tickets since Shea had never been to a zoo (I KNOW!) and I hadn't been in so long. The tickets included all of the special exhibits and rides...The Zoo Shuttle, Asia Monorail, Madagascar, Congo Gorilla Forest, Butterfly Garden, Bug Carousel, and Children's Zoo. The tickets were $27 each and were worth the money, seeing as the zoo is so big and there is so much to see!
We ran around that place like 5 year old children. I know I chanted several times, "I'm at the zoo!!!"
The 265 acre zoo kept us busy for four and a half hours; even the fastest walking New Yorkers would have trouble seeing everything in one day. Highlights included the Asia Monorail, a ride which tours you through the southern end of the zoo and many animal exhibits; the Gorilla Congo, which is celebrating their 10th anniversary this season and provides and spacious home to many species of apes, and Tiger Mountain, where Shea was able to get close (5 feet away....albeit on the other side of thick glass) to a massive tiger. There's just so much to see and do there...
One thought: It seems to me that they now have fewer big animals in order to to give the ones they have more space. I remember that they used to have both Asian and African elephants (they now only have Asian), cheetahs, and chimpanzees to name a few. These animals have apparently moved on to other places since you can no longer find them here!
Definitely recommended for kids of all ages.
What can be said here that probably hasn't already been said in dozens of other reviews here. Overall, this was a great zoo to spend some quality time with my kids and her grandparents.
Pricing: After you pay the $12 fee for parking, you need to stroll up to one of the entrances and pay your entrance fees. We chose the Total Experience, which works out to about $28 per ticket for adults. Children under three years of age are free. Those children ages three and up are $21 per ticket. The Total Experience ticket provides each ticket holder access to seven of the various park add-ons in the park, with the exception of the camel rides, which are $5 each.
Food: The food is what you would expect... in both price and taste. It is expensive and is your average, run of the mill park food. You will pay around $8-$9 per hamburger, hot dog, or chicken fingers. If you want something to drink, a soda will cost you an extra $2.50 or so. Be prepared to spend a few bucks or bring your own lunch and drink along.
Despite the cost it was a fantastic experience. The monorail was a phenomenal exhibit as was the congo gorilla exhibit. The park had other fantastic exhibits, to include the children's zoo (not a petting zoo), the polar bears, the tigers, and seals. You will do a lot of walking at this park, but it is well shaded by very mature trees throughout, so there is plenty of shade to be found to keep you cool on those warm days.
By the way, we spent just over five hours at the zoo and DID NOT cover everything here. Be prepared for a very long day or split your visit up over several visits. If you do the latter, do yourself a favor and turn your ticket purchase into a membership on the way out.
Have fun at the zoo!!!
PROS: This zoo is HUGE. bigger than the Smithsonian National Zoo that I'm so used to going (See my review). Expect to spend a whole day there to see everything. They also have rides and attractions as well!
CONS: You have to pay! I'm used to going to my zoo for free. But in the end, the price is worth it! Such a great zoo!!
Just how many more morons have to jump into the Tiger's grotto or Polar Bear's moat ...get their heads ripped off... the innocent animal killed for people to finally wake up?
Animals belong in their natural habitats where they can roam...wild, happy and free. They do not belong behind filthy bars where they are exploited and ridiculed by rotten obnoxious children who lack respect for other sentient beings!
Boooooooooooooooooooo, Bronx zoo!
Went to the famous zoo for the first time yesterday. It was very crowded, the directions and signage inside the zoo was a bit confusing at times, but it's definitely worth exploring more with return trips.
Wednesdays are pay-what-you-wish donation day, aka free admission day, but since we didn't have any change, we donated a $20 anyway. Normally an adult is $15. Many of the exhibits inside the zoo cost addition fees upon entering. I'm not sure if going on Wednesdays are worth the free trip since many many schools and camps go on that day as well, the zoo gets very crowded. There's almost always a line for the bathroom and the picnic tables gets filled super fast. Although the line for buying food isn't as long as you expect because the zoo allows you to bring in your own food.
Some highlights are :
Asia Monorail - has good viewing of animals without you stepping out of the carts.
Tiger Mountain - get up close and personal with the beasts.
Congo Gorilla Forest
Jungle World
Madagascar
The Children's Zoo
We went with our 1 year old son and even he enjoyed looking at the elephants and giraffes. A lot of exhibits don't allow strollers inside so you have to park them at a designated area.
Baby giraffe's, a baby lion, and a baby sea lion; this place was FULL of babies this weekend. I think it was a mixture of the heat and fear that they would miss out on the exhibits that are leavinv that brought everyone and their mother out this weekend. I was not a fan of the lines for food (which was not worth the wait at all), and the nasty families screaming at their children. It was too hot and I was too tired from walking around all day for that BS.
The zoo was a little dirty, could have been kept up a bit better, but the animals were adorable. I have to say the monkey cage was pretty depressing, and the bears looked exhausted before the day had even begun. I was disappointed at the crowd who continued to taunt them with food (a topic that almost provoked me to fight with a comoplete stranger).
The zoo is so damn spread out that it is impossible to do everything you want to do in one day, but we were able to bang out most of our favorite spots.
Next time, we'll get there when it opens, have a bagged lunch with us, and stay away from all the babies. My biological clock doesn't need a reason to tick right now.
A great learning experience. As a student of biological sciences, my professor took us here for my animal behavior course back in college. We got an exclusive backstage tour looking at many exotic animals up close.
The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is a great resource for many researchers related to animals. The Bronx Zoo is very extensive and very versatile in that it caters to the simply curious little kid to pioneers of studies of the animal world. We were fortunate enough to see African wild dogs, among other exhibitions, when we went in the Fall of 2007.
Food is expensive, but there is free admission on Wednesdays.
I've been going to the Bronx Zoo every year I can remember since my early childhood. So many good memories and experiences. I've watched this zoo grow and change over the years and Im still very happy to go every year. This is the biggest zoo I've ever been to. Its unfortunate that Gv. Patterson cut their funding so low, I guess he is BLIND to the necessary effort of conservation (haha). More so then being just a zoo the Bronx Zoo is also a facility for wildlife conservation and research. Some of the exhibits are so big and in their natural setting that you don't always get a good look, like the lion exhibit, but they do what they can to coax the animals into a good viewing spot. It's set up very nice and these are some well kept "zoo exhibitions". Pretty pampered animals. So don't expect animals to be in cruel small cages bouncing around for your amusement.
On weds, the zoo is kinda free, requesting only a 5$ donation to get in, but if u don't have it, they are very good about it either way on letting you in. But keep in mind this is a busy day due to this.
This zoo has a huge setup, usually by directions it takes you to exit 6 on the bronx rvr pkwy and u end up entering in the North America section of the zoo. If you take exit 7 and go down to Arthur ave u can park on the street and save on parking, plus get to explore the nice little Italy section of the Bx.
The older Astor court area of the zoo is really nice buildings and a fountain right by the nice sea lion area. You get a great view of them. This is where you enter the zoo if you are on foot.
This zoo has many many huge natural habitat exhibits as well as some houses (mice, bats, monkeys, reptiles), as well as a monorail ride to see some of the species of deer and the elephants in natural habitats that are huge. It's about 5$ extra but the only way to see the Elephants right now and its a nice change from walking, esp when its hot and crowded. The zoo used to have a cable car ride from one end to the other, but it seems as if they god rid of it. booo.
The Tiger exhibit is really nice, altho kinda small and VERY crowded, even when the zoo isn't very busy there's always a crowd here, same with the sea lions. The guerrilla exhibit is one of the best I've seen. You get a great view right into the center of their area through the glass windows...sometimes they just sit there head in hand watching the crowd and u have to wonder...who is watching who here and who's really the exhibit and who is studying who?
Every time we go, esp this year there are notices all over about baby animals. Besides having a nursery for reptiles/amphibians on exhibit many of the habitats have babies in them...we saw a few baby birds, some juvenile giraffes and come really cute younger sea lions.
I wouldnt suggest eating in the zoo. Some of the food is ok but its horribly overpriced and its a madhouse to get anything, we ate at a nice little deli called "Tinos" around the corner by where we parked, which I have also reviewed. They weren't fussy at all about us bringing in cold packs with bottles of water and many people were eating food from home and drinks from home. My bag wasn't even checked at all for any reason. I dunno if they allow this always or just on weds.
All around this is my favorite zoo, and I will continue to come back every year. I definitely suggest it to any1 who is into zoos and such or anyone with kids. It's constantly changing and adding on every year so there's always something new to see. What I noticed new this year was the big new butterfly garden they added.
Check this place out...it makes for a great day. Just keep in mind, the Tiger Mountain Habitat was damaged recently by weather and it is closed until October...its a shame this habitat is off the map for the end of the season as Tigers are probably one of the most crowd gathering exhibits at the place.
A wonderful zoo! This place is definitely better than the Franklin Park Zoo (Boston) Stone Zoo (North of Boston) and the D.C. Zoo (figure that one out yourselves!)
Great exhibits, and the most friendly employees!
Should I return to the Bronx Zoo anytime soon, I would be sure to purchase the Total Experience tickets, which includes admission to the zoo as well as seven other rides and attractions. I don't know why I was being captain frugal that day, but I bought general admission tickets, then proceeded to spend another $40 or so dollars for myself and my cousins to see the butterfly garden, gorilla exhibit, children's zoo...ect. The monorail was closed.
I was a little disappointed at the fact that those exhibits cost extra. Never seen anything like that before. Oh well. Butterfly garden wasn't anything too wonderful, but what it lacked, the Children's Zoo exhibit made up for. Alpacas, pigs, chickens, and goats, OH MY!
Long line to wash your hands, though.
Parking was pretty cheap, at $12.
I was born not to far from the zoo and I can always remember going every Wed. (when it used to be free!). Not living so close has made me want to go more than ever! I always remember the petting zoo portion that they would have set up and the huge outdoor exhibits and how they ALWAYS had newborn animals!!!! I always loved riding on the little cable car (even though you were sure to get stuck in the air for at least 5min every time)! It prob. is the largest zoo in the tri-state area. The zoo is well maintained and has something entertaining for people of all ages! What I especially like about the BX Zoo is that it is really in the heart of the Bronx. Since the Zoo is soo big they have various exits. On one side you can get out on Arthur Ave and visit the tons of little Italian places which all have great food, then there is a part where you can literally cross the street to the Botanical Garden and right around the corner is Fordham Univ.
I love the zoo, and I can't wait to go back!
The BX zoo is a GREAT TIME. PERIOD. Where else in the area can you go for a experience like this?? Lions, tigers & bears OH MY. You should try to plan what you want to see before you get there. The place is HUGE and you'll easily spend an entire day wandering around. Make sure to remember what side you park on - we ended up on at the wrong end of the park and had to walk all the way back to our car - not the most exciting thing to do at the end of the day.
AWESOME!!!!
We went on a Wednesday (pay what you want!) This is seriously the best zoo. I kept forgetting we were in the Bronx. It's unbelievable and seriously a true gem. I vaguely remember going when I was a kid, but it's only gotten bigger and better. We were there for hours. Bring your camera!!! I love the monkeys, giraffes, tigers, birds (although I wish they had parrots), polar bears!! The random peacocks wandering the zoo. Seriously the peacocks were hanging out with us all day, following us around. And we made it just in time to see the seals being fed and doing tricks! It's so much fun and there are lots of great photo ops. This is also a great date place and a quick walk from the subway (there are ample signs when you get out from the subway so you won't get lost.) Will definitely be going back!
There is not too much here considering the size of their zoo but I guess you have to take into consideration the fact that it is in NYC. I don't think they had an dolphins, but there are lions, giraffes, a butterfly garden, gorillas...the only other thing I didn't like about it was that you had to pay extra to see certain things. I thought that was kinda cheap.
I absolutely love this zoo. Best one I've been to hands down. I went here this past weekend with my sister. Went on a slightly chilly day. The exhibits that we saw included Madagascar and the lions. The lions gave us a great laugh. One of the lions stood up, walked over to the building everyone was standing in to observe the animals, then proceeded to pee on the window. Sort of a "can't you just leave us the hell alone for once" moment. Gotta love a lion with a sense of sarchasm!! The bird exhibits were also fantastic.
We only got to see half of the zoo. This is definitely an all day, if not 2 day, affair. Can't wait to go back in the spring or summer months to stroll around the entire zoo.
Discount tidbit: if you have the optimum rewards card, you get a few bucks off.
Spend the day and see at least once some of the most classic wild life you will ever see anywhere. Lions, and tigers, and Elephants, and
much more. There are small rides on Camels for the children, and
the park is huge. You might get tired just walking thru it all. Timeless
zoo for all of all ages.
so, i went to the bronx zoo a few weekends ago for volunteering. i was basically chaperoning young adults. i was accompanied then throughout my trip by 2 other coworkers (that i had just met) and 3 siblings aged about 8-14. we had our ticket and food paid for. work bought us the jumbo pass with all the add-ons.
we arrived right as it was opening and headed straight to the gorillas. i still cannot believe you have to pay extra to see a permanent exhibit at the zoo.
one complaint about this zoo: i feel like you have to do a lot of extra walking to get where you want to go. also, the map is difficult to follow. i cannot believe that i am admitting that. i usually don't have issues with maps, but this one kept giving us problems.
a surprise hit: the bug carousel! we went for a ride on it right before leaving. it was a nice way to get a little break before walking the last bit to the bus.
we were at the zoo until 3, so a fairly full day. the 6 (and then 7 of us in the afternoon) made it to almost everything except for "asia" and the jungle section.
times visited: 2
time in zoo: 5 hours
overall: B
http://museumhopper.bl.../
Animals smell bad. Only my animals don't smell bad.
I'm not an animal lover - I just love MY animals and the animals of my friends/family. So - random puppy on the street - wouldn't really even give it a glance until my girlfriend "awwwww" at it. The same with captive animals I won't "awww" and "oooooo" over them (unless I'm with children or my mom - to indulge her with my enjoyment).
I still can't give the zoo a negative review. 1.) it's free wed. 2.) It does important work with wild life and environmental protection 3.) It does educational outreach on wild life/environmental preservation 4.) It's very friendly to school and teacher.
I've never paid to go to the Bronx Zoo - I either have gone on a school trip or a Wed. It's definitely worth going. Just be forewarned that if you go to the zoo on a Wed - it's quite a "zoo" in there. So if you are a baller it might be worth paying to go on a not Wednesday. It's worth donating /paying the admissions price. As much as I don't like the idea of animals in captivity - I also know that it's part of the research/preservation/educational outreach work. I assume that a portion of the zoo's budget isn't on the actual operation of the zoo - but on outreach work.
I used to come here all the time when I lived here. It's probably the best
zoo I've been too. Lots of exhibits, and lots of walking.
Okay, way back when, I worked for the WCS at the Bronx Zoo. In the licensing department. My little flunky job was to make sure that every curator approved the artists' renditions for whatever item we were licensing our name to. It was also to do basic layout and design stuff because they were a little behind on the times. Licensing, for the uninitiated, is in the former lions house. Right outside the lions house is the penguins. Yes, this is where my obsession with penguins truly solidified.
My job also involved the very important tasks of playing with friendly animals that couldn't go back to the semi-wild atmosphere of the zoo at large because they had been exposed to too many humans before they arrived at the zoo. Best. Job. Ever.
It goes without saying that every single person who works at the zoo, even the people cleaning up your garbage, are incredibly dedicated to the animals and their well-being. I remember my bosses taking the whole afternoon off to rescue a terrified rabbit that got caught in a bush. And that's an animal that isn't even under the zoo's purview.
As part of my internship training, I got to dissect owl vomit (full of voles!) and have a sleepover in the reptile house (very warm and cozy, actually!). It was amazing. All of the zoo people hang out and have barbeques in the zoo after hours every now and then. It is such a total community.
We could all live happily ever after if people would just stop abandoning their pets at the zoo. Why do people think it's a good idea to do this? Yes, we care about animals, but it is so not safe and sanitary for the zoo inhabitants to have random unenclosed animals roaming around the zoo. What if your abandoned puppy gets into the wolf pen somehow? Do you really think that's the safest, best way to abandon your dog? Jeez.
Anyway. I have been to a lot of zoos in a lot of places and my (admittedly biased) opinion is that this one is the cleanest and safest for the animals. And they don't let this get in the way of making them visible. And their kid sections are insanely good. They're not the cheapest zoo in the world, but you get what you pay for and their membership options are actually really reasonable and awesome.
I have been coming here since I was a kid. My family went this past Saturday and it was good fun. My wife has never been here before and it's always nice going someplace familiar with a new person. Baby Maya was amazed at the animals. Real animals, not those damn Wonder Pets (they annoy me) that have my baby in a trance on the TV.
It is IMPOSSIBLE to see everything here in one-day. Maybe if you're on meth, it can be done. There were unfortunately a lot of exhibits we skipped because you couldn't bring a baby carriage inside. My wife didn't want to leave it outside. I can't blame her too much, she's not a city-kid.
We REALLY enjoyed the "new" (since 2004) Madagascar exhibit. I really liked the Lemurs. I liked them so much, I wanted to steal one. They are cool as hell. I had a slight daydream of DJing a party with a Lemur hanging on me. Maybe it's only cool to me. The Sifaka was cool too. They were pretty cute.
The Children's Zoo was nice. It's funny that I've never been to it before. I've been to the Bronx Zoo about 7 times and I never had interest for it until now. We were having a ball going through it. The baby was looking at everything with such excitement and joy. We didn't feel Maya was old enough to touch the animals. She's only a year & a half. My wife was disturbed by the cows at the end because one was missing an eye. Oh well.
The food is really expensive. Bring your own food in. Unless you want to pay $5 for a hot-dog & chips. Maybe $7 for chicken finger w/ fries. That's my hood and I made sure we bounced to White Castle on Fordham Road...word up. I'm not paying $5 for a hot-dog!! That should be a crime in NYC.
Of course, I am a little sadistic and enjoy parents losing it to manage bad-ass kids. We saw a lot of questionable parenting but it's the zoo. We have always had a plan in-case animals got loose (wanna have fun? Get Zoo Tycoon for your PC, build a pimp ass zoo and let the animals loose...funniest thing, ever).
We had a blast and we walked all over the place. We know that when Maya gets older, she will appreciate it better. This will be a yearly event. I felt like I was in elementary school again...being back here was great. The Bronx Zoo is a must see and a must have thing in your life.
I spend whole visits to this zoo at the gorilla exhibit, taking a seat on one of the many benches there, and just watching these primates act so much like humans that I laugh and cringe for hours. Think of human beings without clothing who lack the most rudimential culture: no modesty, no etiquette, no dignity, no self-consciousness, no religion, no political ideology. You will witness naked greed, lust, jealousy, hunger, and anger with no rationalizations or excuses.
And then, there are all the other equally wonderful exhibits to enjoy! You could definitely make this a 2-day visit if you slow down long enough to appreciate each caged area. Like others have said here, the zoo is huge. Wear your most comfortable walking shoes, or, if you are disabled, be sure to bring a wheelchair or borrow (rent? )one from the zoo at an entrance. Lots of winding pathways, many up and down hills.
went there for a gal pals birthday prior few months ago. You always have a good time. The price is moderate, the staff are quite friendly and helpful. The only thing that should change would be the pricing of the food, but what do you expect at a zoo that makes money off of admission, and food...
I am a total zoo snob, and the Bronx Zoo really is a world class zoo. It's huge, with lots of space for both animal habitats and nice shady walks between (heavily populated with free bonus chipmunks and oddly gorgeous ebony squirrels). I loved this zoo. I was exhausted from the walk at the end of the day (maybe should have used the little train, after all), but it was so worth it. The nocturnal exhibit is marvelous (sand cat! bats! night monkey!), the Jungle exhibit with the gibbons and their pet tapir is a delight, the children's zoo is very worth the price of admission (spoiler alert: fennec foxes!) and even the mouse house is surprisingly great (giant cloud rat? who knew? but ok!).
This zoo has something for everyone, from your polar bears to your poison dart frogs. Animal happiness is clearly a priority, but they don't shirk on visitor enjoyment, either. Every bit as good as people said, and I'm glad I made the trek out there.
(Monkey house was a bit of a disappointment, but not egregiously so, especially as the teeny guys here seem pretty happy and there are other monkeys spread around the zoo. )
The Bronx Zoo.
:)
I'm still pretty new to New York. Going into my second year. I recently went with my wifey to the Zoo for the day. I hadn't been to a zoo in many years prior and forgot how cool they were.
What surprised me though was that I couldn't believe how much of the Bronz is just this zoo, it's amazing. I went home and looked at it on the map to double check that I hadn't left the country because walking around this place was like walking around the outback, I totally forgot for a moment we were still in a bustling metropolis, you know until we left and had to wander through the Bronx back to the subway.
This place is a lot of fun as are most zoos. They have a good variety of animals from elephants, to bats, to flutterbeas and lizards. They have animals from all around the world. The animals generally looked comfortable there. They live in luxury with the zoo people waiting on them all day, seemingly constantly making this place look more and more like home.
hey, they fooled me.
I went to the Bronx Zoo on one of the hottest days of the year (it was June 8th, if anyone remembers) and I still loved it. Hence, the 4 stars.
I love anything in New York that makes you feel like you're NOT in NY and that is definitely the Bronx Zoo. Sure, wild animals don't wander around in Manhattan (usually) but also you can't really FEEL anything that makes you think you're in NY when you are there. Which I love. The animals are great, the tram and the little safari train are fun and have great views.
Lions, tigers and sandwiches...oh my.
Yes the Bronx Zoo is one of the most popular in the country (alongside San Diego) and has plenty to see and do.
Highlights include:
African Plains, with lions, storks,bears, giraffes and zebras.
Congo Gorilla Forest has...well...gorillas...lots and lots of gorillas.
Plus they have a world of birds, world of reptiles and the monkey house. Hmmm monkey house...that sounds like the nickname of the first apartment I had, when I moved out of my parents.
Anyways go here for a great day out in the wild, then when you are done,head on over to City Island for some good seafood restaurants..
I saw a picture of a naked mole rat the other day and it made me miss the Bronx Zoo. BEST NAKED MOLE RAT COMMUNITY EVER. I could spend hours in front of their complicated naked mole rat town, watching the little testicle-like bodies work and sleep on the mole rat-sized hidden video cameras. We used to be members of the zoo and it was totally worth the hefty price tag, believe me.
(Don't think the zoo is completely free on Wednesdays - you have to pay for each exhibit you want to get into. That's all included in the admission price any other day.)
Also of note, the Tapirs. Greatest animals ever? Probably. Stay out of the giraffe enclosure in colder weather unless you want to smell like giraffe ass for the rest of the day.
