Really cute place, we took our 9 mo old son today and had a great time. I read other reviews and was a little nervous, but had NO issues. Yes, the parking is along the "highway" but there's a crosswalk & it's not constant traffic, then you walk about a minute down the entry and your in. As for strollers, I would say don't go with an umbrella stroller, because you WILL get stuck in sand, but our jogger was fine. While we're talking sand, wear sneakers or closed toe shoes, the sand is gritty and there are lots of exposed roots. We were there for a good 2 hours, it's a GREAT value, $5 for adults and free for kids under 3 yes old. The popcorn is $2.50 for a large and peanuts are $1.50 and all the animals love it and come right over to get some! They run off donations so don't be stingy. There are plenty of different animals to see: Monkeys, Tigers, Bears, to name a few and they all have unique rescue stories. The one downfall was that the bathrooms are outside the zoo area, but not far. They have a picnic area, soda machines, sell ice cream and there seemed to be a hotdog truck set up today (8/28/14). Lastly, they also run a shelter where you can adopt domestic animals, so maybe you save a life before you leave! read more

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Have been coming here for years. It's a great place to spend some time, figure about 2-2.5 hours to walk around and see everything and read about the animals. They are a non-profit zoo so any donations you give help the animals which are all abandoned, injured, ill, exploited, abused or elderly animals. read more

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I loving coming here with my small daughter. We like all the different animals and monkeys.

Admission was not expensive - they go to the care of the animals. It's ran by the American Humane Society and it's a great cause; the animals are rescued and taken to the Popcorn Park Zoo to be taken care of. I loved the peacocks that are all over the zoo, the ducks that are everywhere nesting - my daughter got to see eggs and she was very excited. Before I knew that the animals in the zoo were "rescued" I felt sad by the condition in which the animals looked. Then I understood. I would recommend it to anyone. read more

This was supposed to be our first time visiting. The parking was extremely screwed up. Plan on parking across Lacey Rd if you want to visit. There are peacocks everywhere so be careful driving down the driveway of you do try to park there. We ended up leaving before we got into the park because someone in my party fell trying to cross Lacey rd. read more

Cute zoo and a great cause! My niece & nephew...ages 5 & 8...loved this little zoo. It was clean and a great way to see how well the rescued animals are taken care of. I would highly recommend for younger children. read more

This place is great because it's primarily a rescue, and secondly a zoo. All of the animals in their zoo are rescued from bad situations. As others have mentioned it's very affordable, and runs off donations. The animals are more interested in you than at regular zoos because they are expecting you to feed them popcorn. It's a really fun place, with a really great purpose. When the parking lot fills up you do have to park on lacy road, but the interior parking lot is not an employee lot as one other reviewer claimed, the street parking is only when they're having a busy day. I have also adopted a dog from them, which was a really great experience. Also they accept donations of blankets and pet supplies for their shelter animals. read more

Went there on a whim with my g/f and it was great! Loved seeing the rescued animals and feeding them popcorn. read more

Popcorn Park Zoo - Zoos Near Me - Forked River, New Jersey

I came here back in August. I love this place. The Big cats are awesome. This place is for big and small, Young and elderly. Fun place. If you live animals they have a large place, I especially love the Big cats... read more

We went on a hot day, which was not perfect, but the facility was great. We love to support organizations that rescue animals, which this one does. The kids loved feeding peanuts to the animals. They particularly loved how the bears could deshell the peanuts with little work. Great place for kids and adults a like. read more

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My family and I love this zoo. Not just because it's relatively close by, but because of how they help the animals. It's a rescue and the money you spend goes to helping these animals. Popcorn park has all types of animals, too! Plus, you can feed them with the popcorn (I get extra since it's good and we eat it too). Check out my pics and videos from the other day. read more

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Great place for family time. Kids of ages seem to have fun and there is a lot to learn about the animals there.

Not so much a zoo, as it is a rescue facility for a variety of animals that have had bad experiences in other facilities and places. That said, in many ways, this place reminded me of an old fashioned zoo from the 60's and 70's. There are many varieties of animals there( lions, tigers, and bears, oh my!) It's a nice way to spend a few hours with the kids. Remember that Popcorn Park is basically a rescue type of operation( which is admirable). If you're expecting the Bronx or Philly zoos type of operation, Popcorn Park is not that type of zoo. read more

I love this place its is a sanctuary for all animals . The people that run this establishment are loving caring individuals that truly care about the well being of the animals they house . God bless you all ! read more

There were so many more animals than the family expected to see! What a wonderful place to spend with the kids. I would highly recommend this place for anyone, give those friendly animals some popcorn! read more

Really great place to spend the day with the kids and see some great animals. The favorite exhibit is the tigers and feeding the goats... just feed the goats it's such a hoot watching them eat the popcorn and the kids love it! it's well priced and very fun. read more

It'll fill up the day to visit, and little kids love it, but The cages for the lions and tigers and deer are very small. There are also no bathrooms inside the park. read more

Awesome zoo! Great access to so many beautiful animals and the BEST feline displays I've ever encountered. Lions, tigers and bears... and pigs, you will enjoy seeing these exotic and some not so exotic but just cute, animals up close and personal. Plus I could tell they seemed well taken care of and happy especially the boisterous pony who knows how to grab everyone's attention by knocking around the bucket for food ;) Definitely arm yourself with extra peanuts for the peacocks who are not shy at all, and popcorn to stave off the geese. read more

was there 2 weeks ago. they have 2 new tigers not in the area with the lions and white blind tiger.i walked over to the 2 tigers and one of them started getting totally ferocious.double fence and i was still wary.never saw any animal (lions, tigers and bears, oh my) there act like this.not even close. wasn't just me.within minutes of my going over to those tigers, many many people came over to see what the tiger noise was all about.everybody was scared! if you go there, make sure you mention this to the woman at the front entrance and see if she knows what you're talking about. btw, my favorite animal here is BooBoo the bear. read more

Outstanding place. Taking wonderful care of diseased and injured and aging animals. A real sense of love and respect of nature.

Everybody should go that if given a chance. Portion of the money goes to help out the animals. You could also buy popcorn on your way in and feed the animals. Nice day out. read more

Such an impressive array of animals and it's so wonderful Popcorn park is here to provide a home for them. Great for kids!

Never ever take your pet here to be cremated. I paid for a private cremation, they told me I could pick up his ashes on Thursday. Then it was Friday. Then it was Monday. Then I finally got a call that he had accidentally been put in a communal cremation, and the ashes were disposed of. They threw away my babies remains like garbage, and as applogy they're mailing me a check to refund the private cremation I paid for on my card. read more

Was wondering if they take any humans in at the zoo? I know someone who eats like a Horse,smells like a Pig, looks like a Nanny Goat,climbs like a Monkey,sleeps like a Lion,strong as an Ox,tough as a Bull,thinks like an Elephant,acts like a big Ape but as quiet as a Mouse. And.....likes popcorn( with butter). He would be a perfect fit at your Zoo. read more

The zoo was fine and only cost 5 dollars so it was really worth it. My poor review is for the pet adoption center. I tried to adopt a cat and give it a loving home but my application was denied. There are over 200 cats in this dirty and smelly facility. Most have been living in a cage for years because their screening process for adoption is unprofessional and unrealistic. I am a cat lover and would have provided a great home. However, one of the employees overheard us talking about maybe getting a declawed cat because we knew the cat would be safe because we would be keeping the cat inside at all times. However we fell in love with a regular adult cat who had claws. We handed in our application and all of the proper home ownership papers. We went and bought all of the supplies for our new friend including toys and scratch posts. But when I called they would not let us have the cat because that one guy thought he heard us say we will declaw this cat. We would never declaw the cat which we told them on the application and in the interview. They unfairly judged us based on part of a conversation they where eaves dropping in on. All of the employees we spoke with were rude and cold (except one very nice young girl who was hoping we would get the cat). This place is more like a kitty prison then an animal refuge. A home for a pet is better than years caged in a kennel! REALLY disappointing!! read more

I took my niece and nephew here and they had a blast. The Bronx Zoo this is not. It is all about rescued animals here. Every animal has a story and you can see some of them have been through the ringer. We went on a 90 degree day and I recommend you go on a day that isn't so hot. You can buy popcorn and feed some of the animals. My niece and nephew fed the deer and pigs. I had sponsored an animal for each of them and they really got kick out of meeting "their" animal for the first time. I can see how some may find this place depressing, but you can make it a learning experience for children. It is a great way to discuss animal abuse/neglect and rescue. Give this place a shot- you won't be disappointed. As someone else said- watch out for the roaming peacocks! read more

If you don't love this place chances are you don't have a heart and you suck a little. Theres peacocks running amuck, in the trees and the pens. Theres bears chilling out looking for some popcorn. There's big cats that sleep while you're there and wake up and do cool things when you're not (typical cats). The goats and lambs will eat out of your hands and thats enjoyable. Makes you feel one with the stinky little freaks. If only they yelled taylor swift songs like in the videos on the interwebs. i love em. i love em all. read more

I would absolutely not recommend this shelter for anyone looking to adopt an additional dog to their family. They refused to accomodate to my resident dogs fear issues. As a result my dog was terrified meeting our potential adoptee and it became a disaster. The Newark Humane Society is at least polite and caring despite their limited resources. The staff at Popcorn Park seemed arrogant, as if they are the be all and end all of understanding dog behavior. I will never consider adopting from them again. read more

One of the best privately owned zoos I have seen. The animals have have nice enclosures that are maintained. They all look to be well cared for. I'm not sure if popcorn is a good thing to give to zoo animals since carnivores can't even digest it... but the animals seem to like it. There is a good variety of animals and the landscaping is well thought out. I would definitely recommend this place as a relaxing way to spend the afternoon. read more

A really cute & inexpensive zoo with an extensive array of animals from near & far! They sell bags of popcorn for everyone to feed the animals, ergo, the name! Remember to wear sneakers or comfortable shoes. My only complaint is they should have picnic tables near the hot dog truck so you could sit down & enjoy lunch instead of eating while sitting on a bench. read more

A great day out for the family. We don't like zoos on the whole but we were pleased to find one nearby for rescue animals that is doing the best for it's guests rather than trying to make a quick buck at the expense of their welfare. It's very cheap as well and kids under 3 go for free. I was surprised at the great selection of animals here...they have tigers, a lion, a camel, monkeys, some bears and a bunch of peacocks and other more domestic varieties. The animals all seem happy and certainly happier than they would have been prior to arriving here. Our Son is 15 months and he loved running around and helping us feed popcorn to the animals....which they all seem to love. Some of the enclosures seemed a little sparse but this place relies solely on donations to keep running. A great day our and keep up the good work Popcorn! read more

Excellent staff every well mainteen animals as well as very well mean teen grounds and parking facilities

As a kid this place was always kind of a joke to us. We would take school trips here and I remember it not being the fanciest of zoo's. After not visiting for years I finally went back recently and was quite impressed with the place. I'm just not sure if I was a pretentious little jerk or the township has made major improvements. Either way it really is a great spot to take the kids on a nice day. Admission is very reasonable and it is a ton of fun to see the different animals. The best part is all the animals are rescues and their lives have been saved because of this place. Definitely worth a stop by if you are an animal lover and looking for something to do in the ocean county are. read more

I really like this zoo but it definitely needs a bit of improvement. My visit there today wasn't the best visit I've had. The parking lot was pretty bad. Not enough parking. Had to park down the road, wasn't that far but not very comfortable waking with a 4 year old. Paid for entry. The cashier was a nice, older woman. Very helpful. Found out the bathrooms were actually outside of the park, so 10 mins into entry, had to turn around. Now let me tell you. These bathrooms are trailer portapottys. In the women's section, there were 3 stalls. We were there at 11:30 in the morning. The first stall had no toilet paper. The second stall looked like rust and explosive poo was all over the toilet, the third stall was some what reasonable. I can not believe the health dept hasn't done anything about that. Being that we were there half hour after opening and they were disgusting, means they were totally not cleaned in the morning or night before. Anyway, after my son fell down the portapotty trailer stairs, we went back into the park. The park is really cool. You are so close to the animals. It's really an amazing experience. The animals aren't in the best of shape since many of them have medical issues. I love how you can purchase popcorn and peanuts to feed the animals. My son had such a blast. By 2, the park really started to clear out and the animals that were hidden before started to come out. So I think we did about 3 loops of the park which was great and it's not packed like Philly zoo. As we were leaving, there was no exit sign anywhere. Just an open door through the entrance. There were a bunch of customers lined up to pay, as they cleared out, I started to head through the 5 foot hallway hut to leave. A different older woman was behind the counter and started to yell at me to use the exit. She was so rude about it and I was quite embarrassed. I found the "exit" which was not labeled. I had to open one door. Shove a stroller through only to shove the stroller through the other door 5 feet away. Not realizing how close the curb was to the door, I fell of the curb with my son with the stroller. At this point, I was pretty annoyed. I probably should have let it go but went back to tell the elder woman about the exit sign and how rude/embarrassing she was. She just yelled at me. So it was pretty pointless to say anything. What was a pretty nice day (besides being in fear of the third world bathroom) ended on a negative note. Anyway, I do recommend this place but don't drink anything before hand. Sip on water. Even the kids. As for diaper changes, good luck. Also, stay away from the cranky old women! read more

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This zoo is too depressing. I know they rescue animals but it doesn't look like the animals are making any improvement. The first display after the entrance was I believe a bird cage and trying to see through the cloudy plastic was impossible... This is definitely not the place to take a stroller as it was like I was off roading with the baby... read more

This place is just darling. What a great place to take children and it won't break the bank like the Philadelphia Zoo. Not to mention you get to interact with the animals a little bit more here! We paid $10 for two adults and $2 for a small popcorn to feed the troops. The sheep, goats and bears (oh my!) were particularly amusing, as was a very greedy Palomino horse. I want to borrow someone's kids and take them here to see it through the eyes of a child. Very sweet. read more

Good zoo that is really cheap. It doesn't compare in size to Philly or the Bronx but if you live in ocean county it is close, clean family fin. read more

This was not what I expected. I was very excited to learn there was a place near me that housed rescued animals but was very disappointed to see it was like your typical run of the mill zoo, on a much smaller scale. These animals seemed to be lacking something. It was kind of depressing. They do, however, wonderful work with the dogs. read more

We went to Popcorn Park Zoo this weekend with our 9-month old baby. It was great! They have a wide variety of animals - lions, and tigers, and bears (oh my!) and also monkeys, farm animals, a camel and much more. It is comforting to know that the animals there has been rescued, and it was fun to feed the animals with popcorn... read more

This is an awesome zoo. It is a wildlife rescue zoo. Most of the animals were saved from owners who were in violation and got reported or couldn't take care of the animals anymore. Others were from zoos that couldn't take care of disabled animals. It was an amazing walk through the place. The staff were so nice. The place opened at 11 and we basically had it to ourselves for the first 45 minutes. My daughter loved it. It was inexpensive and definitely an awesome find to visit! read more