Turtle Back Zoo

My new favorite zoo. Smaller and clean. The sea lion exhibit is great! A handful on NJ wildlife too.

The perfect zoo for toddlers and small children. When someone suggested this zoo as an alternative to the Bronx Zoo, I was skeptical. Now, I'm a big fan. I have to first preface that we are a family of 2 parents, a baby and a 2 year old. The size of this zoo is just right for small children. It's not a walking nightmare. Our little guy walked the entire zoo without getting into the stroller. The number of animal exhibits are reasonable and age appropriate for kids. There are plenty of rest stations and food concessions for frequent stops. And our 2 year old loved the train ride. When it started to rain, we were at the furthest end of the zoo and easily got to the exit and into the parking garage.

I love this zoo.. every year they are adding new animals... very affordable and good for the children and family, I love the pizza lol,

It is very well priced and there are some really great animals there. The overall presentation was a little depressing in some cases, though. The layout is awkward so we had to circle back a couple of times to make sure we saw everything. There were some features that appeared unused and it seemed like they made no effort to disguise them. Just empty, unclean enclosures. I found myself unsure of where I was expected to view some animals like the buffalo and the wallaby/kangaroo exhibits. The prairie dog that we coaxed into popping his head up was great. The Gibbons are always fun. The sea lions were feeling frisky so that was cool. We liked feeding the birds, even if they were just pet store varieties. There was a big old Capybara that gave us a few candid grins and some tortoises that were (slowly) destroying a pile of greens. The main thing that left me feeling badly though was a very sad-looking penguin exhibit. Not only did it appear cramped for even the two penguins who occupy it, but one of the two little birds was splayed out on his stomach making pained noises with a large accumulation of projected feces behind him. It was pretty jarring so the next employee I found, I had to share with him. He didn't seem to know how to respond, and to be fair the kid was opening the door for the customers at the touch pool, but I don't think anybody got the message regardless. I hope the little fella/lady is okay!

Great small zoo ..we go at least once a month
$90/seaonal pass for family of 4 well worth it!!!
Staff is super friendly nice and professional and GREAT w kids
I love it during the off season best it feels homey