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Prospect Park Zoo
Rating Details »
450 Flatbush Avenue
(between Empire Blvd & Lake Dr)
Brooklyn, NY 11225
(718) 399-7312
(between Empire Blvd & Lake Dr)
Brooklyn, NY 11225
(718) 399-7312
- Nearest Transit:
-
Prospect Park (Q, B, S)
- Hours:
Mon. 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
19 reviews for Prospect Park Zoo
This zoo is small, but it's perfect for little kids. The baboons are pretty awesome and so are the kangaroos.
It doesn't take long to get through the zoo which is why it's so perfect for little ones (under 5).
So I found a Zoo that's smaller than Central Park Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo. But I didn't care, I still enjoyed it. Regardless though, my nephew loved everything and to me that's all that matters. He loved the lazy fat seal the most, "look tio jo water fall something something water fall". We literally watched that seal do nothing for 10 minutes because my nephew didn't want to leave him, we had to bribe him with ice cream just so we can see the rest of the animals or in his words "see anemanels?" CUTE right?
** Only thing I don't recommend is giving the kids ice cream because they get extremely hyper after, dude we paid for it when we got home.
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IF I RAN THE ZOO
there would be sea monkeys
a monocle wearing tepesquintly
some dr. seussian characters would be gainfully employed
and the little mouse perez , in his sartorial splendor would be eying your teeth.
however, i do not run the zoo.
it is an excellent zoo for little ones.
the prairie dogs are intriguing social networkers.
my favorite is the red panda.
eat before or after going, as the food is inedible and i suspect that the zoo citizens would agree.
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Your website lies.
tear.
Opened 365 days a year and yet... barely any animals out? And when there are a few out I feel incredibly horrible for seeing kangaroos outside, next to flatbush avenue in 30 degree weather.
+1 more star for being quaint.
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I love this zoo.
Kangaroos.... tortoise.... capibara ..red panda... merkats... monkeys
and more
Has a nice eating area by entrance.
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Honestly, the PPZ is my favorite zoo. There's a lot to be said for not having to trek all the way to the Bronx or deal with the crowds. It's small, but every animal they have there is worth looking at. The Bronx Zoo's red panda is tucked away in the Asian Safari or whatever their monorail thing is called. While the Bronx Zoo may be slightly more PETA friendly (I guess as much as a zoo possibly could be), the Prospect Park Zoo is people friendly... the animals are so close that it's impossible to miss them. Granted, they're in little pens in the woods and it's a little sad, but the red pandas seem pretty content to walk along the branches and around and around and the otters (yes, OTTERS!) seemed happy swimming around.
The Prospect Park Zoo may not have lions or tigers, or even bears, but they do have a lot of really cool animals that you probably haven't had the chance to be in such close proximity to. If you leaned your arm over, you could probably pet the red panda... but I really DO NOT recommend it.
The Prospect Park Zoo may not be the type of place you can spend the entire day at, but its location close to the park makes it the perfect place to stop in, hang out for a while and then enjoy a day of relaxing in the sun or exploring Prospect Park.
Like others have said, all they have as far as food goes is vending machines. Even though they supply a microwave to heat some of the vending machine food up (like the white castle burgers), it hardly qualifies as a food court. Fortunately, it's right near Park Slope and close to tons of awesome places to eat.
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It's no San Diego Zoo, or even comparable to the Bronx Zoo, but if you're in the area you shouldn't overlook the Prospect Park Zoo. This small zoo, set in the middle of Brooklyn's Prospect Park, doesn't have the big ticket animals (no lions, tigers or bears, oh my), but it does offer an opportunity to get very close to a handful of smaller exotic animals.
Try and schedule a visit around one of the sea lion feedings, and make sure not to miss the baboons. I am amazed by how close you can get to the kangaroos, where only a minimal fence steers the visitors away from the animals. Here you can actually see the red pandas, unlike the Bronx Zoo, where the monorail zips you past them. There is also a barnyard area where you can feed the cow, goats and sheep - somehow I'm never too old for that.
While I'm sure that the Prospect Park Zoo is great for kids, it's great for adults too (particularly the young at heart). I have made multiple short visits due to the convenience, relaxed setting and low cost ($6 for an adult, cheaper for kids). Don't expect to spend the entire day here - a couple of hours should be enough to enjoy all there is to offer.
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For $6 you really can't go wrong. Theres plenty of free parking on Flatbush so you don't get stuck in that aspect. Its easy to get to from the subway if you take that route.
The zoo takes about 2 hours to get through....even less if youre a rusher.
I love the baboons. Theyre so much like us. The facial expressions are amazing. They roll their eyes at you like you're completely stupid. I love it!
I enjoy the petting zoo part too. I milked a cow and also fed one and reassured her that I would never eat her or her brothers and sisters. She loved me.
I also Fed a llama that had a curly brown toupee on the top of its head. No, really thats what it looked like.
Theres kangaroos that have no fence around them which surprised me...I guess they're not social animals.
The zoo is clean and wasnt crowded at all considering it was a pleasant sunday afternoon.
Great place for a daytime date.
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Sometimes I just go here alone. I feel like in my next life I may not live within walking distance of a zoo! I watch the sealions swim around and around and sometimes catch the 2PM feeding. I go check out the Red Pandas, the Porcupines, the Kangaroo, the owls, the turkey. Then I go watch the babboons for a while. Walk over to the barn and pet the cow, the two llaamas, the goats, the sheep. Look at the chickens. By now I'm exhaused so I go ride the carosel and then walk home.
Beware, there is no cafeteria. Just a bunch of vending machines. But you can make those flat pennies. Also, the sheep-shearing is pretty fun.
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Small zoo. Good for kids.
I'm sorry but I love monkeys and I wasn't very happy with their monkey selection, just look at the pictures lol.
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This place brings back so much childhood memories. Came here for a school trip. I remember putting in a quarter and feeding the animals with pellets. It was fun getting up close to them. They also have a carousel here I believe, another plus.
It's a small zoo, but for a day it's worth the trip. you go in, you see these metal "spiders" or other animals (I didn't pay attention to the art, but my kids sure climbed on it!) then you go into the "main area" where the sea lions roar. (OK I enter from the merrigoround area, you can also enter from the top and you'll have a thousand steps to accend) the main area consists of a big pool in the middle with adorable sea lions (you'll hear your kids immitate them for days after the trip (ahha ahha hahha) if you're lucky you're at the "main area" during feeding time. it also has a "picnic area" with tables and benches, and it has three "trails" you can enter.
its designed in a way that you enter and exit each trail from the "main area" so you have to be really drunk to get lost in that zoo.
the first trail has kangeroos, and owls (harry potter lovers: IT'S GOT THE SNOWY OWL!!!) there are tunnels the kids love to go into by the praried dogs, (bronx zoo has it too btw)
they love the leaves you can leap on like the frogs and the giant eggs. theres this big turkey roaming around there too. the other trail has birds and rabbits and other stuff . oh and the kids just loooove the red butts of those funny monkeys
the third trail is the petting zoo.
so all in all it's a fun day at the zoo. you don't see any major animals like lions or elephants or giraffes, but you relax while your kids let out some energy
A small fun zoo if you are looking for something cheap to do in Brooklyn. Close to the park, museum and library as well.
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This isn't a bad zoo to take the kids. It's still not as nice as the Bronx zoo. But it's not a bad place to go if you want some place local to see a few animals.
Back in the 1890s, Brooklyn had established what was referred to as a "menagerie" of animals at Prospect Park, which was an attempt to add to the allure of the expanse of landscape ingenuity and design...an ecological engineering feat culminating pastures, exotic plants and trees, woodland waterfalls and springs, grasslands, rolling meadows, and structures like sandstone bridges and arches, all of which had been designed by landscape architects Frederick Olmsted and Calvert Vaux just a few decades before the menagerie. At the time, this menagerie exhibited a few bears, white-tailed deer, seals, red foxes, peacocks, and even a buffalo. By the 1930s, an official zoo was created (Prospect Park Zoo), but by the 1980s, conservationists and zoologists had gained a more appreciative understanding of the care and needs of animals and how the old approach to cages, bars, pits, and confined areas was too inhumane and despicable, evidenced by the extremely poor and dilapidated conditions of the zoo facilities.
By the late 1980s, with the help of New York City Parks and Recreation Department and funding by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), more than 30 million dollars went into renovating Prospect Park Zoo, which is still operated and managed by WCS, as well as four other animal parks in New York City, including the Bronx Zoo, Queens Zoo, Central Park Zoo, and the New York Aquarium. The new Prospect Park Zoo certainly offers up-close-and-personal, naturalistic habitats designed to be more humane and educationally engaging for the public, especially children. There are three main exhibit areas: the World of Animals (includes prairie dogs, wallabies, an emu, red pandas), the Animal Lifestyles Building (which has an impressive baboon enclosure), and Animals in Our Lives (which offers many exhibits that encourage children to observe and appreciate the natural world).
Walking through the main entrance to the zoo, you'll be greeted by a modestly impressive sea lion exhibit, much like the one at its sister zoo in Central Park. These sea lions definitely put on an entertaining performance (see my sea lion photo). Other animals that can be seen include meerkats, cotton-topped tamarins (primates), snakes, birds, porcupines, frogs, a petting zoo with farm animals...and more. The zoo also offers many educational programs for students, as well as community outreach programs, workshops for families, and an outdoor discovery trail with many learning activities along the way.
This zoo is notably small in comparison to most zoos like the Bronx Zoo or San Diego Zoo, so a few hours is probably more than ample time to see everything. The location of the zoo in the middle of Prospect Park along Flatbush Avenue is convenient for opportunities to do other things as well, whether it be hanging out in other areas of Prospect Park, or visiting the Brooklyn Museum or the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, which are within short walking distances.
Whether you visit the zoo by yourself, with a special someone, or bring the entire family, plan accordingly because there are no refreshment stands or restaurants...only a few vending machines with empty-calorie-filled junk food and soft drinks. And, please, only visit if you have an appreciation for wildlife. Be sure to also visit the Queens Zoo (more naturalistic) and the Bronx Zoo (grandiose and naturalistic), both of which definitely take natural elements of the zoo experience to a greater level than Prospect Park Zoo.
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The baboon area is my favorite part at this tiny zoo, I sit there for hours observing this family of baboons play, interact, fight, breastfeed and meticulously pick fleas off each others furs.
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i went on a cold snowy day in the winter so a lot of animals weren't present but i still liked it here.
5 stars because i got to pet a goat. ill forgive the creepy zoo keeper that kept following us just because.
If you want to see lions and tigers and bears, this isn't the zoo for you. But if you want to visit a charming zoo without having to fight the crowds, you must check out Prospect Park Zoo. It's a truly charming spot that is perfect for young kids. My kids love "Wildlife Theater" in the spring and summer. And you must go say "hello" to the new baby kangaroo, Riley.
Thanks to everyone who enjoys the PP Zoo! There's a baby kangaroo now, more monkeys and more cool critters coming. And a new vending food concession is due in April that promises fresher food (even a Glatt Kosher machine).
We love being a neighborhood zoo and love our community. We're sprucing up big time for spring - come visit!
