Huge local park in the neighborhood. It has a playground, water pad, carousel, pony rides and train…read moreand the zoo. It has multiple parking lots BUT it gets filled up quickly. Great place for kids to run around and release their energy. Ice cream truck and shaved ice truck on site. Good for the summer. The park playground is well maintained. It's spread out to different sections. It has for bigger kids and smaller toddlers. Many staff at the Carousel and train. Well organized. Tix required. It could be a long wait during weekends. Overall a great place for kids. Easily spend a day here.

One of the very, very BEST parks in NJ - if not the best…read more Bordering Paramus and River Edge, Van Saun County Park is definitely one of the most popular parks I've ever been to ... and there's very good reason for it. First, the park probably has the LARGEST playground I've everrrrrr seen at a public park with multiple playgrounds WITHIN the playground itself. As you can imagine, it gets quite busy on nice weekend days. Surrounding the playground are many pavilions and picnic tables for those that want to have BBQs or large gatherings, which can be had with a permit. In addition to one of the best park playgrounds, the Bergen County Zoo resides inside of the park, which is free to EVERYONE during the colder months of the year. During the warmer months, there's a small fee for Bergen County residents and non-residents. If that's not enough, there is a miniature train ride that takes people around the entire park for a small fee. And, let me tell you first hand that the train ride is actually quite long at 5-7 minutes. Nearby, there is also a carousel that you can ride on for a fee. And, guess what?? There's even more! There is a barn with ponies that let's people ride the ponies for a fee as well. There are also jogging, walking and biking paths too along with a few tennis courts. Besides all of the permanent amenities, there are also events during different times of the year including the Winter Wonderland, which ... surprise, surprise ... takes place during the winter months. If you're worried about parking, no sweat, there are multiple large lots inside of the park, so once you arrive you can start your day asap. Like I said, DEFINITELY one of the best public parks in all of NJ.

This was the best part of my daughters first birthday! These ladies were so sweet and made my one…read moreyear old fearless of the animals . This was the best birthday ever Thank you so much I highly recommend, The Friendly Farmyard to everyone!

What a wonderful experience, I can't say enough great things. The friendly farmyard came for my…read moredaughters 4th birthday party and they were amazing. The animals were so friendly, the ducks and goats ate right out of the children's hands; my daughter especially loved holding the bunny and chicken and brushing the goats. The pony was a huge success, ride after ride I have never seen so many smiling faces. The staff is wonderful; no one was rushed; all of the children spent as much time as they liked with all of the animals throughout the day. Such an easy, happy day for everyone. Thank you for an amazing party!

PROS: this place was amazing! Fresh food that's locally grown/made, petting zoo, staff is friendly,…read moreloads of parking, good prices, great hours CONS: on a Friday afternoon the petting zoo was closed despite all the animals out and no snow on the ground OVERALL: I will absolutely come back here with friends! As long as my friends and I aren't looking to play with the animals

A little bit of everything at this fun location…read more You're either coming here for the petting zoo and finding out there is also a farmer's market, or you're here for a farmer's market and finding out there is also a petting zoo. Either way, everyone's a winner. The petting zoo is much larger than others in the area, giving the pets and the customers a lot of space to roam around. You can buy your tickets online, or with the QR code on site, or with cash at the booth located at the zoo entrance at the top of the hill past the upper parking lot. The farmers market provides amazingly fresh produce, fruits, veggies, baked goods, and a pre-made food selection. You can order a fresh sandwich, sides and soup. A delicious bonus. Somethings look out for include sparce parking at the top of the hill where the farmers market is, but plenty further down and towards the greenhouse. Also seating to eat is located in the back past checkout in the playground area that is also lacking a number of tables, but make meeting new people an experience when sharing seating. A fun adventure rolled into one location.

I've been holding back on this review because there's just so much to sayy- I don't know where to…read morestart. If you are debating whether a membership is worth it or investing on some tickets for the family, I say GO FOR IT! you really won't regret it I have a membership and it's been the greatest membership I've had thus far. I have the family zoo plus membership where three adults including yourself get in for free plus 4 children. You have the option to add another adult on the card- the purpose is so that person can go to the zoo with the card without you having to be there. The person whose name is on the card must be present. You are able to remove or add a person at anytime. For me it's more flexible and convenient to only have my name on it to not restrict the people I could take. The membership grants you access to the zoo for a full year, including the Central Park zoo, prospect zoo and queens. there's a membership that grants you access to the aquarium as well but is more expensive. Parking is not included in the membership but is available for an additional fee at the time of purchase with your membership or at any point during your membership. Every time I go to the zoo, regardless of the season we find parking so we don't need the parking at the zoo. You get a 10% discount at the gift shops and food spots. You get free access to jungle world, nature trek, the children's museum, Congo world, the big carousel, wild Asia monorail and the butterfly garden which you would normally have to pay an additional fee to get into besides your regular zoo admission ticket. You also get early access to new animal exhibits before the public does. And those are only some of the benefits that you get, you also get additional discounts for things that aren't covered by the membership such as the holiday lights show (25% off) I am delighted to say that I have never seen the bathroom at the zoo in bad conditions EVER. I don't know how they manage to keep it so clean, regardless of the large crowds. Overall, the zoo is always clean. The guests are respectful in the sense that there is never garbage on the floor. It is worth it to purchase a souvenir cup. You get free refills throughout the day and for any future visits. I've been using the same cup since last year with no issues. There are some areas where the refill is a $1 and others where it's free with that specific cup. If you are a member, remember to mention to the cashier that you are one so they can apply your member discount for your food and drinks, they often forget to ask if you are a member. The best recommendation I can make is to use the interactive map provided by the zoo, available on your phone. You share your location with the map, and tap on the animal you want to see and it will direct you to it live. It will look similar to your iPhone maps when you're walking without the audio. Trust me the interactive map will make things significantly easier and less aggravating. You can miss a lot of animalsthat are close by without the map, you would be walking in circles without it and end up note tired at the end. The signal over there is not great but the maps function work perfect for me. I recommend you wear walking sneakers because you will WALK a while lotttt. You also can't get in the nature trek without sneakers. You can bring in your own food and drinks to the zoo, there are designated areas to sit down and eat. An insulated book bag works wonders for me. There are strollers available for rent which you will absolutely need if you don't have your own. The zoo is very inclusive when it comes to people with disabilities which is great, they have alternative routes all over and tell you in advance if a particular route will lead to stairs, and if so there's alternative routes that are stairs free. There are also quiet areas and headphones available upon request. The most perfect time to go is right before spring, you will have the animals to yourself ! I discovered that solo dates to the zoo is the most majestic experience ever! You get to enjoy the zoo with no rush and it's even better without the crowds. The animals are also more relaxed and don't hide when there's less crowds. For the first time ever I got to see the tiger walk right next to the glass. Prior to the spring there will be exhibits closed for the winter but none that take away from the experience. The zoo is free on Wednesdays and so is the botanical garden which is close by. I went to the botanical garden for an hour to journal and spend time with god and proceeded to the zoo for the rest of my day and it made it 100x better to see that these beautiful animals are a gift to us form the lord 10/10 recommend

In general I'll try to avoid visiting zoos due to ethical concerns, but I think the Bronx Zoo might…read morebe one of the more ethical ones out there. It is one of the few exceptions I allow. I've never once seen the entire zoo in one trip. I've been going there since I was five and wouldn't be surprised if there are parts I still haven't seen yet because it's so expansive. All my visits as an adult have all been with groups of children, and it's difficult corralling and motivate kids to keep moving in such a large zoo. I found it best to ask each kid what they want to see most and hit up those spots. Treat everything passed along the way as a bonus. These trips often include city kids. These kids are used to walking entire neighborhoods just to get to school or anywhere else, but the zoo still wears them out, so imagine suburbanites used to the car life on these trips. Those kids struggle. We've always left before even seeing half of what the zoo has to offer. If I didn't live in NY and wanted to really wanted kids to see the zoo more fully, I'd break it into a multi day trip rather than attempt it in one go. But kids are always happy with my abridged trips to just say hi to their favorites. I'm the one left wanting. I'll probably have to start going solo or with adults in order to really explore. I do think it will be possible to see everything in one trip with just adults. The zoo is just not little legs friendly. The Bronx Zoo is probably the most expensive zoo I've ever visited. If an exhibit is popular, anticipate pulling out some money to pay more to see it. That's ok for me if the money is used for good, but it's something to consider if on a budget. I wish they were more strict about not letting people bang on the glass in the primate exhibit. I leave the primates for last on trips because watching them makes me so sad. That sadness gets punctuated by bangs and taps on the glass by inconsiderate zoo goers.

We traveled to the American Dream mall specifically to do the Animal Crossing event being held at…read moreSea Life. The aquarium itself is incredible, it was above our expectations for sure. They had a large shark mascot roaming around and causing a lot of laughs. The Animal Crossing event was fun, we were able to collect stamps from staff at different exhibits and trade them for a prize in the shop. Unfortunately they were low on the Animal Crossing merchandise but getting the patch was still very cool. They had character meet and greets. We stayed for one of them, K.K. Slider. Not sure if they have other characters for meet and greets, but that is who we saw.

Few things in this world compare to the beauty of the underwater ecosystem, and fortunately for…read morethose who are fascinated by life under the sea, a trip to an aquarium will allow one to see firsthand sea creatures of all shapes and sizes, from the small but mighty seahorse to the aptly named and gently giant whale shark. While visiting the American Dream mall in East Rutherford yesterday with family from out of town, my partner, his family, and I decided to escape to Sea Life NJ by purchasing via their kiosk. Some of us haven't visited this establishment since it first opened up 4 years ago. Upon arrival, the staff scanned our time slot tickets, and we breezed right into the elevator. It's a smaller, quick-visit aquarium great for an hour and managed to pack a lot into it. It is a walk-through experience where one can marvel at the aquatic animals and read fascinating information on the walls. Especially great for young kids who love interactive features and photo ops. The touch tank was one of the memorable events, being able to touch the sea anemones and starfish. The various tanks looked clean and well maintained. One can pop one's head up into a few tanks for fun pics. The staff was friendly and knowledgeable. It's a fantastic destination for families and ocean lovers alike.

Great time here today. My daughter loved seeing all of the animals and had fun feeding the bats…read more She initially was hesitant but the woman explained everything to her and made her feel comfortable to do it herself.

AKA The Bat Cave…read more.... Came here in October as a recommendation from a colleague. Brought the kids here with the impression that all we were going to do was feed bats. Tickets were purchased in advanced online. This made checking in easy. We walked in and was greeted right away. As we approached the animals in the first room, we were informed of the type of animal and it's name. We got to feed some tortoise here. Into the second room to our surprise we found two pigs that we also got to feed. By far the friendliest pigs ever. They loved to eat but also loved rubs! The final room was the grand finale. Here they had cages with plenty of bats that we also got to feed. The feeding of these bats was truly a one of a kind experience. Aside from the animal smell which was expected as they are animals, we had a fun time! Everyone there was so informative and had great knowledge of every animal and/or reptile we had questions on.

This is a review for Christmas experience at the Zoo…read more Wow... can't believe I didn't know about this despite living in NJ for 8 years! Turtle Back Zoo turns into a complete Christmas paradise after 5 PM, and it's absolutely magical. I recently found out about this and, after seeing the lights and activities, I was genuinely impressed. During the holiday season, entry is free after 5 PM through sponsorship, which is a huge plus. Timings are 5 PM - 9 PM. Parts of the zoo remain open, so you can still see animals and birds like bison, giraffes, toucans, and more, which makes it extra special for kids. The entire park is beautifully lit with festive decorations and multiple Christmas trees. The area near the carousel looks amazing. For Kids' Activities - There's no shortage of fun for children- Face painting, Meet & greet with Santa (on specific days/times), Carousel rides, Pony rides etc... Food and beverages are well taken care of, like Starbucks or Zoo's own food sections spread across the park. Perfect for grabbing a warm drink while walking around. They also have private igloos available: You can rent for 4 hours, which can accommodate up to 10 guests, and includes hot chocolate and snacks It's located in West Orange, Essex County Parking: Two multi-level parking garages--parking is hassle-free and well organized. Overall, it was an amazing 2-3-hour evening spent with friends. Festive, family-friendly, and surprisingly delightful. Highly recommended--especially if you have kids!

This review is strictly for the holiday lights event held at the zoo. The event is totally…read morefree--they simply ask for a donation of non perishables, new or gently used coat and/or an unwrapped toy which we were excited to provide. Parking was even free. They have a small lot out front and two multi level parking garages for the overflow. The light displays were so cute and sparkly, holiday music was playing overhead, and there was a train that took us over a river and through the woods. The line for the train was lengthy, but they had a heater which helped some on the very frigid night. There were plenty of lights to admire while in line. I will say we were a little surprised that the entire train ride was pretty dark. We expected to see light displays and installations along the way, but it was really only at the beginning. Our little one loves trains and so he was content, which is all that matters. There were smores pits, a kettle corn and hot chocolate cart, and a cozy inside cafe which we really needed to warm up. Pricing for these items was a bit of an upcharge, but as everything else was free, we sort of expected it. The animals were not really on display as it was a special event after the zoo was officially closed, but we did get to see and pet the sting rays, 1 baby shark, and a large aquarium with colorful fish (Nemo, Dory & friends). All in all it was a great holiday event and was enjoyed by all.

We sure had to make the last call for Field Station: Dinosaurs before they went extinct! I'm so…read morepleased we went. We were supposed to go for their dog days and it was closed due to inclement weather and we were unfortunately not able to make their rain date. I messaged them on Instagram and Lisa, the park manager, made sure we were able to come in with our boys (pup included!). I'm so thankful for her accommodating because all three of my kids had so much fun roaming around and seeing the dinosaurs. The t-rex show was great and my son was asking to see it again before we left! I only wish we found this attraction sooner. Hats off to the establishment.

We came here with a Groupon and had a pretty good time overall! There are a lot of animatronic…read moredinosaurs around the park, plus some fun extras like fossil digging, a climbing structure, and a few shows. It was nice to walk around, though some of the dinos looked a little worn out after the season. The climbing structure was fun but got a bit hectic when a bunch of kids were on it at once. My 2-year-old was also a little scared of a few of the dinosaurs, so we'll probably wait until he's older before coming back. Overall, it was a nice outdoor activity -- more of a chill stroll than a full-day adventure, but still a cute spot if your kid is into dinosaurs.

I loved it. To be fair, it's not Sand Diego zoo, but it doesn't have to be. It's nestled in the…read moremiddle of a beautiful Central Park. Start by going to the zoo first. You can a sampling of everything from reptiles to a Red Panda. The place is not big, but it's beautiful, well maintained, clean and has a ton of areas to set down and just take a break. Grab a water or an ice cream, watch feeding of Seals, look for the Snow Leopard. It's a different world in the middle of a city of eight million. After, walk through Central Park. Can you even imagine a better afternoon?

We stumbled upon this zoo while visiting Central Park. I had no idea what to expect but was…read moredefinitely thinking it would be much larger. It's comparable to the size of an animal sanctuary. We saw penguins, seals (or maybe sea lions), birds, a bear, reptiles, a white panther (or maybe a leopard), and a few primates. The bird enclosure is pretty cool as there is no barrier between you and the animals so watch out lol. It was an average experience, not bad but nothing extravagant.

I recently visited this lovely little farm in Monsey NY after stumbling upon them on Google! It…read moredid not disappoint! It was clean, fun and just the perfect size! We look forward to returning!