I remember going to the Bronx Zoo as a kid and having so much fun. I think the zoo is beautiful and the animals are stunning. It's around 265 acres, so expect to walk a lot. I think it's slightly outdated, but it's been around since the 1890s. I'm concerned about the size of the animals' enclosure. It seems way too small and some animals looked distressed. The dinosaur safari exhibit is actually cool. There is so much detail involved in making the dinosaurs look realistic. This exhibit is especially popular with younger children. They were running around all happily. I would say 3 something. read more

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Our son loved the zoo! The dinosaur safari was really neat! He loved the animals! The monorail ride was awesome! The staff we encountered were great! They were pleasant and helpful! I really appreciated that as this was our first visit to the area. We spent about 4 hours and had a fantastic time! read more

Nice place to spend a Wednesday (donation based entrance fee on wednesdays). Its a huuuge zoo and took me 2 days to really see everything. Some attractions require extra payment but If you have a membership, you can go to the zoo and those attractions as often as you want. Memberships also give free parking, otherwise its $20 per car. But I was fortunately able to find street parking quite quickly nearby, even on a Wednesday. My favorite exhibits were the congo/gorilla, tiger, giraffe, children's zoo. I like how close you get to see the animals through the glass. You can feed the sheeps and goats at the children's zoo. There's also a monorail that takes you through several different animals. It was a nice way to sit and enjoy a breeze, but my 2 year old nephew was unimpressed. The sea lion and penguin feedings were a bit underwhelming so don't go crazy trying to get there "on time" just to witness it. read more

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125 staff directing traffic meanwhile the bathrooms are disgusting with no soap, toilet paper, working sinks, lack of hot water, broken air dryers, and the stink of urine will send the animals running. It's been years and the Bronx Zoo has not improved the conditions of its bathrooms from the parking lot to the interior at all. Absolutely disgusting and far from family friendly. Meanwhile staff are tripping over each other in the parking lot directing traffic pointlessly. Asia parking is another fiasco with long wait time for car entry. Do better! read more

This is just the review of the Holiday lights show. First time to go to the zoo and didn't know what to expect. It was fun experience especially with the kids, to see different blow up colorful animals... ice carving, etc. It was almost a magical experience. Bundle up incase it's cold, wear comfy shoes & be prepared to do a lot of outdoor walking read more

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Great zoo in the Bronx. Enjoyed that so many exhibits were up close and personal. It made you feel like at times you could touch the animals. I also liked that they had themed areas for the animals and country it represented. read more

Bronx Zoo - Grizzly bears - Zoos Near Me - Bronx, New York

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The Bronx Zoo is a really great zoo, but note that it is expensive! My favorite exhibit was the Congo Gorilla Forest. We were delighted to see the gorillas during their feeding time, when they caught the apples and oranges that the zookeepers were throwing down into their habitat. Another highlight is the Wild Asia Monorail ride, which takes you through the treetops to see animals such as a red panda, elephants, and rhinos. The main dining option, the Dancing Crane Café, has greatly improved their food options in recent years. My family enjoyed the vegetarian panini and make-your-own salad bar. read more

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Beautiful, well kept zoo with lots of different animals. Recommend going earlier to walk the whole zoo and see everything. Love the monorail train ride. Highly recommend this zoo. read more

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This zoo is huge and it really depends on when you are visiting Bronx zoo. I don't think it is worth visiting this zoo during winter and beginning of spring. Most of the animals would be hidden or hibernating. Note that many of the attractions here require an extra cost on top of the regular admission. Wednesday is free. I came here on a Wednesday and because it was quite cold outside many of the animals were hiding. Due to the many hiding spots in the animal's fenced off area, it was really difficult to spot the animals. I do not think it is worth the trip. Almost all of their animals can be found at other zoos. the Bronx zoo is located in a very convenient location. It is close to the Bronx subway (about 10 mins walk). read more

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I bought tickets for the holiday light show at the Bronx zoo for 7pm. We arrived a little later than I expected, around 7:30. No one scanned our tickets until my littles wanted to ride the bug carousel, so basically we could have gone in for free. It was raining though so that was probably a factor. The workers were pretty nice. However I can't give this a 4 star review because no one gave us maps or told us when the park would be closing. Basically all of the restaurants were closing while we were walking around. We were able to get hot chocolate and funnel cake. It wasn't an unpleasant visit but definitely not worth the price. The bathroom was ! Easily the cleanest public bathroom I've ever seen. I do plan on returning in the spring and will update my post. read more

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YO! Welcome to da Bronx where we'z got da best zoo in da woild. Where else can you see my boyz get it on in da Congo Gorilla Forest? Yep, one male gorilla was, shall we say, manually satisfying the unsavory needs of another male gorilla in front of a lot of unsuspecting families. That viral moment was captured where else but the New York Post a couple of weeks before Jamie W. and I came to visit the world famous zoo for the very first time. Good thing that wasn't our first impression of da Bronx Zoo. Needless to say, we didn't make a beeline to the gorilla pen even though we saw baboons and other primates who were likely capable of such acts. We were otherwise preoccupied with the other animals that know how to act in front of unsuspecting humans. After all, this menagerie covers a whopping 265 acres and constitutes the largest metropolitan zoo in the country. Over 650 species are represented here, and they're geographically organized for easier navigation. We particularly loved the African Plains section where we relived some of our own safari memories of lion, giraffe, and zebra sightings. As expansive as the zoo is, it was overrun with bumper-to-bumper baby strollers when we visited. Regardless, it's a small price to pay for what you and the rest of New York City can see on a daily basis. Admission is $39.95 though the price goes down in the winter. Besides, it's a good excuse to visit the city's most underappreciated borough. RELATED - Exploring NYC? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://bit.ly/2ZvQA2F read more

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I have been to this Zoo ever since I was 4 years old and even now as an adult it's a great zoo. You would never imagine that you are in the middle of the Borough of the Bronx because being in this zoo transforms you to another time. The animals are so very healthy and the grounds are clean. I have been to the San Diego Zoo and others yet I still like this zoo better. read more

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The 2025 Holiday Lights is terrific! The stilt-walkers and light show near the north entrance are the best part, but the whole thing is huge and fun. I am impressed that the Zoo has repaired the trails since last year; they are now much less muddy and pot-holed. There are lots of lighted maps so you can't get lost. Excellent hot chocolate (spiked if you want it) in multiple locations. Very decent sandwiches and pastries (as well as heated restrooms!) are at the Dancing Crane building. And the Southern Boulevard entrance, where there is public transportation, is open! I recommend arriving near sunset, as it's a lot of ground to cover and you need to start leaving about 8:30. Skip Halloween, do this instead! read more

I became a member of the Wildlife Conservation Society (NYC Zoos) this year. I visited the Bronx Zoo with 5 other family members (2 kids and 2 adults). We parked at southern blvd, a great entrance near the childrens zoo. The Childrens section is great There's a wide variety of animals, including flamingos. They love climbing the rope spider web and sitting in the rabbit ears, but the best is the last part where there are penned in goats that can be fed and some roaming birds. Kids had a great time. The. We walked down to the Dinosaur Safari En route we stopped at Madagascar. We arrived at the Dinosaurs and were amazed. There were so many and most were animated. It wa great and quite a long walk. We went back past the childrens zoo to eat lunch. Food was ok. Nothing great: burgers, chicken nuggets, fries and salad. The salad wasn't good. Then we were off again for a long walk to Wild Asia. Along the way we stopped at Tiger Hill, but we're disappointed: no tigers to see. It was a hot afternoon so they were probably sleep. After what was a 1-2 mile walk, we arrived at Wild Asia, climbed down a lot of stairs, and took the tram ride. That was great. Enjoyed the narration and seeing lions, elephants, and so many other animals in natural settings just beautiful and, amazing, it's the Bronx. Before we left the zoo at the end of the day we had to stop so everyone could buy souvenirs. A few plushy animals and a shark tooth necklace (for Aunt Melissa's surprise gift) later, we took the tram back up to the southern boulevard entrance. The staff were terrific. My only request would be more trams with more stops. It would make the day so much more enjoyable. If you live in NYC, become a family member. It's worth it. read more

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I don't remember if I have been to the Bronx Zoo as a kid. Thus, I have it on my bucket list. Yesterday, my friend assisted me on crossing it off. We were there from 10:30AM to 2PM and we didn't see everything in the zoo. It's massive. You would need to dedicate a whole day to see most of the animals. My friend's favorite part was the butterfly's exhibit. I enjoyed the monorail because it reminded me of my trip to San Diego Zoo. I loved seeing all the animals from afar and the picture perfect background of the river banks. I highly recommend taking advantage of the trolley. My friend's daughter was exhausted that she passed out during the car ride. I also took a long nap when I arrived home. Tip: Bring a lot of water and snacks. You would get thirsty and hungry from all that walking. read more

Bronx Zoo - Entrance - Zoos Near Me - Bronx, New York

New exhibit Budgie landing. Next to mouse house and close to butterfly exhibit. All animal exhibits close 30 min to 1 hour before zoo closing. Check website to plan accordingly. $3 for member. $5 for non member. Include one feeding stick. You can buy tickets online or buy at budgie landing in person. Same price. Capacity is 55 people. You have unlimited time once inside. Long line and line barely moved due to you have to wait people to come out in order to go in. Sometimes no one was let in for 5 minutes. Once inside, you can easily spend at least 20 minutes, mainly waiting for the birds to land on your stick. There are lots of birds in there and they look very healthy. They will fly in flocks and right next to your ears sometimes. I felt the wind when the flock flew by me. Pretty cool. Disadvantage: -Small kids have difficulty getting bird landing on stick since they can't reach the branches. long wait. Overall the whole budgie experience took us an hour including 40 min waiting in line. Kids love it. It's all about the kids afterall. read more

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They weren't kidding when they say it's one of the biggest zoos in the states. I was able to see everything from open to close, 10-5pm. I was pretty fascinated with all the exhibits, but I was concerned with the leopard in the jungle world exhibit. The leopard was walking back and forth, and the area for the animal was so small in comparison to all the other exhibits. I felt so bad...I wonder the reason for the small habitat. Overall, I truly enjoyed this zoo. I have been to many zoos in the states and this is by far the most lengthy and well put zoo I've seen. Thank you Bronx zoo for this opportunity! read more

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We arrived in the late afternoon and enjoyed our walk. The animals were a little shy and elusive. I wish the eating areas were more natural and comfortable. On a weekday afternoon it was a struggle to find a table which would have been more elegant if they were more natural. Worth a visit. We had a good time with a disabled but able child with us. Signage is good, staff were kind and helpful. read more

We came to check out the Zoo lights and it was super magical and so beautifully decorated. We came as visitors from Virginia and we're completely blown away by the center of the zoo where they have their stilt walker show and lights. We got to see some seals playing which was a cute bonus. We loved everything about our experience. We wish there would have better pointers for exits, as visitors we got very lost trying to wave the zoo until we eventually found the way we came back. On the other hand, shout out to some of the employees who were kind to us on our walk. We would definitely love to visit again! read more

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Went for the dinosaur safari; very well done and organized, it's tucked off in the northeast(?) corner of the park, you can take the shuttle if you're on the opposite end of the park if you don't want to walk. This is our second year as a member, and if you go to all the special events with friends and family, it pays for itself. We are amazed to still be seeing new things on our visits. Lots of walking outside, so the zoo is best when the weather is behaving. read more

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Very nice enviornment. Good place for the kids. The area surrounding it though is very loud and unsafe. However, never expect much from the Bronx. read more

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Wear your walking shoes i took my family there and it was well worth the money i would for sure go back with my family

Great Zoo, lots of animals, go in the early afternoon to see even more. It gets cool this time of year there.

The best Zoo. I'm a member and plan to come more often. I love seeing the tigers, bears and giraffes. The animals are usually out and in great view when I visit the zoo. I love the monorail in particular because it's a good way to relax and see some other animals in the process. There's a red panda always hanging out in a tree on the monorail ride. The staff is kind and helpful. I've only encountered one rude staff member at the Dippin Dots by the reptile house, but other than that everyone has been great. Everything is expensive including the food at the zoo but I wouldn't expect anything else. I went solo and my lunch cost me $20 including my member discount. But what can you do?! read more

I didn't think I'd ever go to the Bronx Zoo. However my niece who lives in New Jersey said she & her family can meet us there. That way we can enjoy our 19 month old grand nephew. That was a huge enticement. Now I needed to find out how to get to the Zoo using public transportation from Midtown Manhattan. I kept looking online for ways to get there. Finally I found my solution. After much research we decided to take the #2 uptown from 42nd street Times Square subway station. People suggested various stations to get off at. We chose the W.Farm-E.Tremont Av. station as it was a two block walk on Boston Road to the Asia Gate (Gate A). This exit isn't recommended for ADA challenged. There's no elevator. Just 2 1/2 flights of stairs. The Bronx Zoo is free general admission every Wednesday. My niece went online and secured four tickets. She upgraded each ticket $14.95 which allows entrance to the star attractions like the tram, the monorail, the Bug carousel, and children's zoo. There's more but can't recall all. Once we met up we selected attractions that a 19month old be interested in. My favorite was the monorail. It loops around parts off the zoo, and you can see many animals from your seat. And it's narrated. Highly recommended. We ate at the plaza cafe. They serve wine & beer there. Great. Hubby & I were glad we finally got to go to the Bronx Zoo after so many trips over the years to NYC. read more

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Took our one-year old for his first zoo and this was our best visit yet. Now, word of caution, don't go on a Wednesday if you don't want to dodge multiple school trips and big groups in the earlier part of the day, as Wednesdays are free. Even then, we had a fun day walking around the park and for the first time paying for the premium exhibits, which makes the difference. These premium exhibits are the best parts of the park, so I would definitely suggest to pay more on your ticket for them. The butterfly garden is a beautiful encounter and the monkeys and apes are the Gorilla exhibit are the most entertaining animals in the whole zoo, besides the meandering and very loud peacocks. It's a lot of walking, so keep that in mind if your group has someone with ambulatory limitations. Oh, and the zoo food was actually pretty good too. Both the burgers and the tenders were tasty. Yeah, yeah, they are crazy park prices, but they have shaken off the stigma of being crappy and expensive lunches at the zoo. Bronx Zoo, we'll see you soon again. read more

I was reluctant to rate this ..It's been years since I've went to the Bronx zoo (over 10) however I decided to give it a whirl; as it brings back my favorite childhood memories..makes me feel free .. plus it's huge ..The park grounds were as clean as it could be ; despite all the little ones in the park ..Their customer service was awesome ..very jovial ..(something we don't experience all the time) the price was great as now admissions cover just about everything ; where as I remember it (I could be wrong) many exhibits you were required to pay extra ..SO NOW here are sone of the cons ..although a beautiful very sunny day in June ...many animals were not outside ...maybe I came at the wrong time or day ..there was much maintenance that day..many apologies but still took away from the experience..so some exhibits were open ; however, there was nothing to view ..I.e -the Congo Gorilla exhibit. (My absolute favorite) ..also I am a foodie ..many ,if not every food stand served the same menu ..they did have a Nathan's if you were on the right side of the park ..my favorite will always be the monerail in whch there was some animals missing there too ..as they happily explained ..Maybe I was expecting too much ..It was still a nostalgic experience. Great if you want to get your steps in or if you have children who like exploring .. read more

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I came here with a few friends to check out the Bronx Zoo Holiday Light Show during the 2020 Christmas season. Upon arriving and showing our tickets, I received my special blue snowflake cloth mask. The event was noticeably spread out to allow for social distancing, and there were safari animal lanterns from 5 different continents. One of my favorite installations was the Ocean / underwater animal section that featured dolphins, sea turtles, anemones, sharks, whales, seals, and much more. The twinkling blue lights covering the sea creatures, along with the gold, purple, pink, red of the animals and plants were simply gorgeous. I also happily took in the African safari, boasting lions, cheetahs, zebras, giraffes, lemurs, as well as gorillas. Latin America's section covered jaguar, macaws, flamingoes, while North America presented polar bears, caribou, wolves, sea lion, and bison. The Asian safari included tigers, snow leopards, elephants, rhinos, and monkeys. I felt like each safari had its own magic and uniqueness. In the center of it all, there was a beautiful Christmas tree that was decorated with colorful lights all around. There was a whole music and light show surrounding the tree with stilt walkers and dancers. A new addition was the Luminous Garden, taking place indoors full of illuminated and larger-than-life bright flowers, butterflies, mushrooms, a few insects. This was absolutely a delightful sight to behold in an inviting, warm environment with stunning pops of color all around. The different types of flowers were my favorite part. There was also an area with fire pits, which was used for the S'mores Experience. It was $6+ for 1 s'more, but worth it for me since it is one of my favorite desserts. I was given a jumbo marshmallow on a long stick and my friends joined me to watch as I toasted it to perfection. There was a funny moment when my marshmallow caught on fire and I tried to blow it out, but it didn't work due to my mask being on. Well, at least we know the whole wearing a mask thing is working. Anyways, after I got my marshmallow as melty as I wanted it, I quickly went to the station to get my graham crackers and Hershey's chocolate. The result was delicious, of course. The staff was lovely throughout. My friends and I made the most of our time here and overall, enjoyed our experience! read more

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Get the membership before going, that way you don't have to pay for anything else to see while you're in there as a few attractions have a separate fee apart from the admission fee to get into the zoo itself. read more

I got free tickets from work, which is the only reason I came here, as I'm normally opposed to zoos. Well, I needn't have made the schlep over to the Bronx, as we came during the holidays when 90% of the animals were away. If you enjoy looking at empty compounds of trees and rocks, then you definitely want to come here in late December! The most fun (and bang for our free buck) we had was the Reptile House, because all those creatures were inside. Go geckos! The saddest exhibit was the Congo Gorilla Forest, where we spent 15 min walking through a faux forest path full of empty grounds until we found one lone gorilla at the very end who looked so sad, I wish the entire exhibit had just been empty. Seriously, he looked so depressed, he could've been a spokesperson for Prozac. read more

The Bronx Zoo is one of the largest zoos in the country and is actually the largest zoo that is located within a city. In fact, you can take the subway to get there (the 2 train to Pelham Parkway). I first came here during an elementary school field trip and returned in my adulthood. This place is an absolute must visit for both children and adults as it houses a gigantic and diverse collection of animals from all over the world. The animal exhibits are divided into several categories. These include the following: rodents, bears, bugs, sea lions, gorillas, tigers, reptiles, aquatic birds, African animals, butterflies and more. As a resident of NYC, I am lucky to have such easy access to a world renowned zoo such as this. Anyone who has a chance should visit too. read more

I went to Bronx zoo today and it should be a good day. However, at the end of the trip when I walked down the stairs to the parking lot area I got injured on my ankle. The last step of the stair case's height is very low - this made me thought it should be the same height as the previous staircases. They should build an even staircase. read more

Online tickets/parking made it super easy to plan our day. The zoo is limiting visitors so the crowds were very small (each building/exhibit has people tracking visitors and limiting entry when necessary). There are sanitizer stands all over the park (and they all were full). There are a few animals that aren't on display due to the cold temperatures but we knew that going in and it wasn't an issue for us. You'll see a few of the animals we saw in my photos. Food - ONE STAR - everything was pretty much almost inedible. The kids got a pizza, looked gross. We got hotdogs and fries, even though they say Nathans, the dogs were just warm (think heat lamps instead of actually cooked on a grill)..the fries had zero flavor. You are allowed to bring food, I'd recommend that instead of paying crazy prices for their food. read more

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Most recently went for the holiday lights event. There was a reasonable amount of people in the park and social distancing was fairly easy (minus some congestion at exhibits). The lights were spectacular. The park was clean and there was hand sanitizer everywhere you turn. I didn't see anyone ignoring the mask mandate. It was well worth the time and money. I've felt the same way when I visit during regular hours. Not too crowded. Mask being worn. And I even found the bathrooms to be clean. My problem right now with the bronx zoo is the inability for me, as a membership holder, to get tickets. If I don't book early in the week or even sometimes a week or two in advance, I cannot get tickets for a weekend. Meanwhile, if I were going to pay full price, tickets are available. That's not fair. I paid for the membership so I should be able to use it with the same availability as non members. read more

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I had a great time at the Holiday Lights show at the Bronx Zoo. It was cozy , fun, and put me right in the Holiday spirit to start these holiday months... Walking around the Bronx Zoo at night, sipping on a hot chocolate, taking in the sights and lights is just an all around great experience you have to experience for yourself. I loved the funnel cake and the employees were very helpful. read more

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It was a decent zoo. A-lot of the animals are far away and not that easy to see. The prices of food and drinks are what you would expect (high). $5 for a bottle of water. $8 for a small ice cream. $20 for parking. More birds than anything. To see the elphants pigs and rino you need to wait on a long line for a 15 minute monorail ride. Overall it was a decent zoo pretty much the same as any other one I've been too read more

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We loved the zoo! The monorail is a great experience and worth the wait on the line. The children's zoo was very fun as well. It's good to make use of the tram that runs from one end of the park to the other. While street parking might be available, we found ourselves walking way too much before we could even enter the park. An overall great experience. read more

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I came here with friends for the holiday light event. It was very beautifully set up. The lights were amazing, and so were the various activities--merry to round, a s'mores station ($6), watching an ice sculptures make ice animals, and a holiday train (which cost $4 to go around in a circle). It's worth a visit! read more

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My husband and I had a wonderful visit here. The grounds are so spacious and the animals have large, natural settings. I especially loved the bird and reptile areas, and the bird and reptile gargoyles on top of their buildings. You can tell the animals are well-cared for. A great place for any age. Easy to get there from Manhattan by subway-about an hour away. read more

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Two years later and I still absolutely love the Bronx zoo! I had a wonderful time doing the sloth encounter with my boyfriend. All keepers involved in the process clearly knew the sloths very well and were dedicated to making sure that its needs are met at all times. The experience was very fun and interactive. Participants felt that they learned a lot about the sloth and its life at the Bronx Zoo. Overall, I would highly recommend the Bronx zoo and the wild encounters program to anybody looking for a special day. read more

Bronx Zoo - Zoos Near Me - Bronx, New York