- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Stone Zoo
- Nearest Transit:
-
Main St @ South St (132)
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 10 am - 4 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
30 reviews for Stone Zoo
30 reviews in English
-
Review from Bryan K.
Watertown, MA
12/12/2011
After a long day of shopping, Zoo Lights was a great way to regain the holiday spirit. The line was very fast and the lights really brightened up what looks like kinda a sad little zoo. The owls and reindeer were our favorites. Great holiday atmosphere.
-
Review from John P.
Berkeley, CA
12/10/2011
I hope the animals at the Stone zoo find their way to a much happier place :/
The zoo is clearly trying.... but whether that's an effort worth pursuing is a separate question.
It's painful to give a zoo a bad rating. I'm sure these people are doing their best.... But don't go, it's depressing. -
Review from Sam M.
Belmont, MA
6/18/2011
Wow, I went there with a friend today. I almost cried.
Other than the bears, the animals were not happy.
The cages were not clean, the habitats were not realistic. The animals indoors were in cement rooms painted to resemble the plains of Africa. Some monkeys, which the sign informed us that they spend most of their lives in trees, had no trees in which to spend their lives.
The outdoor habitats were covered in pine needles, and also lacked realism.
Several animals were alone, I mean, if I had to be stuck in a cage where people stared at me, I would at least want a buddy.
I don't approve of PETA's methods, but this experience made me feel like signing up. -
Review from Julie S.
Boston, MA
5/11/2011
The Stone Zoo was always the sad but convenient zoo up the street from me as a kid. We received a membership to this zoo and the Franklin Park Zoo for Christmas and I must say I was pleasantly surprised how well they have rehabbed the place since my long ago youth.
My favorite part? the bald eagle when you first enter the park on the left is amazing to see so up close. I had no idea they were so large!
While still smalller than the Franklin Park Zoo, the STone Zoo is good for a little walk with the kids and includes a playground too for when they just need to burn energy and you just need to sit for a minute.
Other highlights include the wolf pack, the reindeer (currently growing a new set of antlers), and of course the big cats.
One benefit of the Stone Zoo over the Franklin Park Zoo (besides that it is closer to me) is they keep their bats behind a heavy curtain which makes it easy for me to avoid them. I just don't like bats. At the FPZ they are flying free over head in one of the indoor exhibits. Not a fan of that at all.... I prefer to avoid guano droppings whenever I can. -
Review from Anna W.
7/18/2011 1 Check-in Here
I *hate* giving any zoo less than five stars... but in this case, the Stone Zoo really deserved it :-( I love zoos -- I'm an animal lover and the last two zoos I went to were San Diego and the National Zoo in D.C. -- both of them among the best zoos in the country. In no way did I think that this one would compare to either of those Zoos, but I still walked away disappointed.
There are a number of things wrong with this zoo:
-- way too small. Took less than an hour to walk the whole thing.
-- most of the exhibits were boring and/or empty. A lot of animals were either out of sight, or not on display. Very disappointing :-( Additionally, there was a poor selection and variety of animals.
-- animals don't look cared for. At other zoos I've been to, there are always caretakers milling about, enclosures being cleaned, animals being fed, etc. None of that was taking place here. I'd hate to think these poor animals are being neglected.
-- not nearly enough food vendors, bathrooms, etc. You would think any business would want as many ways possible to take your money. Nope, not here. I walked around for a good 15 minutes before I could even find a place to get a bottle of water.
I was disappointed to say the least. Admission was $13 for adults, $9 for children over 2. I think kids may enjoy it a bit more, because I did see a playground there as well as a handful of kiddie rides (they cost extra $$), as well as a petting zoo. I still don't think it's worth the price of admission, though. You're better off driving down to Southwick Zoo or Roger Williams. Well, at least parking was free (even though the lot is incredibly small!). -
Review from Vito P.
Gloucester, MA
12/6/2011 1 Check-in Here
great place for kids under 10.. awesome display of lights!
-
Review from Dennis W.
Billerica, MA
9/27/2011
This is really a sad zoo. I went with my family and expected a lot from a zoo that charges $13 per person.
There were only a few selection of animals and more than 25% of them removed another 25% was not visible.
This is truly a WASTE OF MONEY and TIME. -
Review from Krissy B.
Mid-Cambridge, MA
7/19/2010
I went for the first time yesterday. I give it three stars becuase the little ones loved it. I was there with my duaghter who is almost 3, and our friends who have a son who is 18 months. The two of them loved it.
As an adult I wasn't overly impressed... but I wasn't there for me, I was there for my daughter.
$11 an adult is cheap- and it's small and containable, so I recommend it for the chillins. As a date? Forget it. But bring the kids along and watch them giggle at the monkeys and love the flamingos. :) -
Review from Matthew A.
Salem, NH
4/18/2007
What a pathetic little zoo. I think I counted about 4 animals. Mostly empty cages here. The poor bald eagle in a very small chicken wire cage at the entrance is disturbing.
Displays and signs are worn and faded. This place is crying to be either closed or drastically updated. -
Review from Emily G.
7/22/2008
I guess you need to experience the Stone Zoo through the eyes of a child. Yeah, its not the San Diego Zoo, but its still a lot of fun if you let yourself enjoy it.
They are promoting the black bear exhibit which is adorable, but my favorite part was probably the baby flamingo trying to learn to walk. Holy cuteness, Batman! Make sure you check out the Birds of Prey show because it offers you a lot more information about the different species than the placards at each exhibit. I'm excited to check out Zoo Lights in the winter, because that was one of my favorite things in Portland to do during the holidays. -
Review from Dachary C.
Cambridge, MA
12/20/2006
I took a date to the Stone Zoo's Zoo Lights exhibit last Friday. On the one hand, it's the one zoo in New England that I could find doing Zoo Lights. The price was reasonable (4$ for adults) and they had a fair number of lights.
I was a little disappointed with the size of the zoo. Much of the regular zoo itself was closed off, with only the areas participating in the Zoo Light event open to the general public. I did get to see some nifty animals sleeping for the night, plus a couple of reindeer - what else do you want to see at the holidays? That was definitely cool. I could tell they put a lot of effort into the Zoo Lights event.
While it was neat, it was dominated by small children and not as cool as some other Zoo Lights events I've been to in other parts of the country. If you're an adult looking for something to do, I wouldn't recommend it aside from sheer nostalgic value. If you're looking for a place to take little kids, though, they'll love it.Listed in: Dating in the City
-
Review from olivia d.
12/30/2008
Eenie meenie teenie weenie zoo of a zoo. We went on Christmas Eve for the Zoolights show, and it was just barely aiiiiight. Perhaps I am spoiled by the splendor of the National Zoo in DC, which is free in all its wondrous marvelousness, but this zoo was particularly sad and decrepit and small.
The place took less than an hour to walk through. Most of the exhibits were closed for the walkthhrough light show, but they did have "reindeer" and meerkats and owls and sloths scurrying about. Although they had signs for wolves and snow leopards, there was nothing of that sort. I think those signs were actually referring to the images of wolves made out of lights that were hung on the fences.
The Santa's Castle portion had a path lined with many creepy looking Christmas themed displays. Most of them were like plexiglass enclosed dollhouses with dirty, aged stuffed animals or dolls that moved around in circles to running tapes of Christmas carols. They had a place to take pictures with Santa but when we were there, he was nowhere to be seen.
The prices weren't bad -- $4 admission, I believe -- so for that, I guess it was OK. But even my 4 year old wasn't particularly impressed, so this zoo is not worth going out of the way for it.Listed in: Nevermore
-
Review from Vanilla P.
San Lorenzo, CA
5/4/2009 1 photo
It's a tiny zoo but it's really good for small children. Translation for those of you not yet afflicted with spawn: This place is walkable for the under 6 crowd. It's cheap, the restrooms are "fun" (think outhouse with pizazz), and the food area is a nice central location with a decent selection.
The smaller number of animals may be a turnoff for sophisticated zoo visitors, but the proximity to the animals makes up for the fewer exhibits. Most of the larger animals are separated by (what seems like) a thin piece of glass, so you can press yourself up next to the glass when the black bear or mountain lion walks by. Don't believe me? I pushed my four month old up next to the glass every time the monsters went by, then emailed the pics to my mom with captions like "Mmmm - Dinner!"
FUN -
Review from Jane G.
Wakefield, MA
9/15/2011
We love this zoo. Yes, it's small, but the people who work there are knowledgeable and care about the animals, and there's a nice variety of species. We have a membership, and enjoy being able to pop over and take a walk around, to see what the animals are up to. Recently, the prehensile-tailed porcupines had a baby, and the there is a very successful flamingo breeding program there as well. It's fairly stroller friendly.
-
Review from Jack M.
Boston, MA
8/4/2009
My zoo! What happened to you! When I was kid, back before electricity, this place was the BOMB. Kids still use that term, right? "The bomb"? Well, it was.
I remember like it was yesterday - the big ol' polar bear, the aviary..... all gone.....
It's like a neat little walk in a park now. Not worth the $8 they charge to get in. Some of the animals seem.... depressed.
I like the yak. He's my friend.
This place won't be around for much longer. Maybe that's a good thing? -
Review from Dan G.
4/23/2010 1 Check-in Here
I gave it 2 stars because I liked their french fries. It also felt like the pink velor track suit mommies in the prudential mall with their double wide strollers dominated this small animal kingdom of $11 per visit. It was basically stroller city which is understandable since its for kids, just be aware that its maneuverable but difficult at times because its so small.
There was a long line at the food stand because they couldn't keep up with the crowd and there are not enough tables and seating. Prices were standard like $5-6 for a burger, veggie burger, chicken etc.
Also, do NOT trust your GPS to get you here because their address is not 149 Pond St. It brought me to someones house about half a mile away on a completely different road. If you plan on going and not sure where it is then the only way you will find it is by taking Rt 93 and following the tiny signs they may have posted. Unfortunately I don't live near 93 so this wasn't an option.
I feel so horrible giving this 2 stars because its not the animals' faults, they were doing all they could but the zoo is just so tiny and cramped, it made me sad. They did have sick animals but there were signs telling you so, so that you don't look at them and cry right away.
It was fun with the little nephews and perfect for little chillens, but not for older peeps! -
Review from Nora M.
Somerville, MA
8/5/2009
I love this zoo. It may not have all the frills of other zoos around the country but that animals are really well treated. Many of them are rescues so they might not look in top shape but Zoo New England is on the forefront of conservation and education.
I volunteered here for a little over a year and I now I donate my fund raising money to them.
I am a huge fan of the staff.
My favorite animals are the otters! -
Review from Marissa B.
Eugene, OR
3/22/2009
If you're looking for a giant zoo with lions, tigers, giraffes, and zebras, this is not your zoo. However, if, like me, you want a small quiet zoo with local wildlife (many in quite natural settings) and interesting animals you don't often see at the lion-tiger-giraffe-zebra zoos, then this is the zoo for you. Also, admission is just $9 and parking is free.
My boyfriend and I went to the Stone Zoo after a disappointing visit to the Franklin Park Zoo, and we were pleasantly surprised. While several of the exhibits at the Stone Zoo are on the small side, many of the exhibits are newer or encompass a large natural area in which the animals seem at home. The wolf exhibit was fantastic - the wolves looked happy and were trotting around the entire enclosure. There was also a large outcrop of rocks that housed markhors, these odd mountain goat-antelopes with giant twisting horns. The rocks continued into a snow leopard exhibit that would be a great place to watch the cat when he's not sleeping (unfortunately, we caught him in his afternoon cat nap in the sun atop his rocks). Other highlights include a jaguar, a couple cougars, and a neat leaf-nosed bat colony (a little gimmicky inside a mine shaft, but a nice exhibit overall).
The zoo did have one detraction: The indoor exhibits were in bad need of renovation, especially the poor sloth who was hanging from the air vent on the top of his cage. But the zoo was in the process of renovating several exhibits and the newer exhibits were quite nice. Overall, a nice little zoo that is actively improving itself and could become a great little zoo with continued support. We had a great time and got to see some interesting animals. -
Review from Erica D.
New York, NY
3/26/2008
This is a depressing little zoo. I will give them credit, I didn't exactly feel ripped off. I might consider taking a small child here for an affordable day out.
Highlights included: flamingos, and the mountain lions. The mountain lion is arguably the least depressing habitat in there, though they do have a view of the street (this resulted in a special treat -- when a neighborhood man walked by with his dog, we got to hear the menacing roar of the mountain lion). -
Review from Lesley D.
Burlington, MA
8/22/2007
I feel really bad for the animals at this zoo. I commend the zoo for trying to put forth an educational opportunity for children and adult visitors, but it's clear that it's just not very well kept and the habitats are much much too small. The poor cougars are constantly pacing, which is what they do instinctively anyhow, but they have nowhere to expel their built up energy.
There is a nice variety of wildlife to learn about and see, but at the end of each visit when I go there, I end up just feeling kind of guilty for paying money to see these poor animals. There are some nice photography opportunities if you can find an exhibit without chicken wire or fencing in the way, but the groundskeeping is messy, many exhibits aren't open, it's just not a very nice zoo I'm afraid. I still go because I love to see the animals, but don't go here as your first zoo and assume that's what zoos are really supposed to be like. -
Review from Kate G.
Burlington, MA
9/4/2009
This zoo has changed a lot since I was a kid.
In a recent trip a noticeable number of the animals were sick, and thus parts of the exhibit were not there.
Parking is free, but the price of admission went up again since the last time we went in April. At least this time we were able to see a couple of the bigger attractions which were out but at the same time a lot of the animals were being kept from view either because of the weather, even though it was a comfortable 75 degrees and sunny, or because like I said they were sick and being seen by the veterinary staff.
Speaking of staff there's really no one around to educate besides a few stragglers who just seem to hang out where no one seems to venture. The gift shop was expensive but that's a given, although I don't know about paying 1.25 for a can of soda anywhere, nevermind almost 3 bucks for a gatorade. Come on now.
There is a way to get free admission on your next visit, but it involves taking an online survey and then going again in a certain amount of time.
I wanted to be happy with the trip but overall it's a bit of a disappointment. Sad to say. -
Review from Chu C.
Belmont, MA
8/23/2008
If you're trying to compare this tiny zoo to major metropolitan preserves, just forget it. Stone Zoo takes all of about an hour and a half to walk through the whole thing, and they don't have many animals. But it's not a bad place to take your young kids, and it's just $9 admission. They have a decent-sized, free parking lot. Pretty clean, with enough bathrooms and simple to navigate. They have a pretty nice, well-shaded picnic area for families. Didn't try the snack bar, but it didn't look that impressive.
They have an awfully-named "Lord of the Wings" free birds of prey show going on where they have a few of their birds do parlor tricks in a small arena. It was borderline boring, and their "audience participation" was pretty lame. They do have a large bald eagle on display there, as well as a cougar and a couple of porcupines, which was pretty cool. You get to see the animals up pretty close.
I would have given one more star if the animals had actually been awake and visible when we passed through. The animals were asleep in about half of the cages we passed, which is really disappointing to a kid eager to see something.
One more strike against them - they've shut down the barnyard animals petting area, so it's just a playground and a couple animals inside fences. The explanation given to me today was that the animals have gotten older and they don't like getting stroked by kids all the time. Disappointing. -
Review from Pamela P.
Dedham, MA
4/24/2007
Ok let me preface by saying I went not expecting much, and found my foreshadowing was correct. It ain't much. But it's cute...and they do have some cool exhibits. Namely the wolves...which rocked...I think they have a pack of about 14! And they recently had some jaguars born (3) on my birthday (which I now recall was my primary motivation in venturing out there)...but anyway, they were super-cute and it was endearing. I'll say it again, it ain't much - it's no Miami Zoo - it's more like a neighborhood zoo...but if you're in the area check it out and give them some much needed support.
-
Review from Alice I.
Quincy, MA
8/15/2009
It was supposed to be a sponsored free admission day. But they decided to control the numbers by blockading all vehicles right before the road from the highway without any notifications or signs at all. Not only did we get stuck in traffic, there was no other way to get to the zoo (even the regular bus line was not allowed to go there) unless you parked somewhere far far far away and had to hike quite a bit. Many people ended up dropping off their kids and family in the middle of the road instead.....
-
Review from Brian G.
Brooklyn, NY
6/24/2008
I loved it here. There weren't many people at all. For 9 bucks I got to watch black bears, a fox, meerkcats, a lot of different birds, amphibians, sea otters, monkeys, touch goats, and got to see a whole bunch of animals. I'm glad I guess this place is underrated because it was pretty empty and I happened to have a lot of fun!!!
-
Review from Paul S.
Newton, MA
7/29/2008
A nice place to take your kids for the afternoon..
-
Review from christine w.
Mid-Cambridge, MA
11/24/2009
In all fairness this is only a review of Zoolights. I have never been during the warmer season so perhaps it's better then. But Zoolights was such a disappointment. I am a huge fan of holiday events and really don't have particularly high expectations, but this was just pathetic. What will always stay in my mind was the very (very) sad Christmas Village section. It was this very odd assortment of large glass cases with xmas scenes that looked like someone went up to their grandma's attic and pulled out all the old stuffed animals, dolls and decorations. It's so ridiculous, it might actually be worth going just to get a good laugh.
-
Review from Anon P.
Kissimmee, FL
8/4/2008
I liked some of the trails. That's about it. The place is obviously not cared for. The petting zoo was closed. The gimpy train was closed. The animals did not seem very happy.
-
Review from Samuel M.
Arlington, MA
12/31/2008
Assisted escorting a 6&8 year old through the Zoo Lights in the early evening. Through their eyes it was ok at best. All sarcasm included, the highlight for me was the lame barbie ice skating motorized display, the dolls were dressed in charming outdoor skater outfits but one had tipped over and was spinning in a horizontal death spiral. The Zoo Lights was an odd mix of 50's cheesy sensibility with recent inflatables mixed in. An who wants to take a low end carnival ride on a freezing night?
-
Review from Gina C.
Boston, MA
12/4/2009
Myself and some friends went to the Stone Zoo's Zoo Lights last night. Most of the Zoo is closed off as its night time and you can't see many of the animals. Plus animals need to sleep too! There were a few exhibits open and it was cool to see what kinds of creatures were still awake. I have never been to the Stone Zoo during the day, but might return this summer because of this visit. There are lights everywhere and its a nice walk if the weather is good. We went on 12/3 (my birthday) and the weather was warm for December, however, I'm sure it still would be fun in the chilly weather. We didn't sit on Santa's lap but did enjoy all the lights and the Christmas music playing throughout the park. The displays outside "Santa's Castle" were a little sad but still cute. The zoo has hit some hard times, so I had no problem giving $5 as a donation for our pictures with the two new reindeer. All in all, fun for kids as there are also a few rides - also fun for a quick Christmas-y activity with friends for only $5 per person. Parking is free too!
