Boo at the Zoo
City-Kid Review:
I’m going as a tiger. No a lion. No Santa Claus. No tiger. Can I visit the tigers? I want to meet my brothers. And sisters. The two new sisters. City Kid promptly dresses as a tiger to visit the tigers.
The Bronx Zoo really knows how to do Halloween.Period.
There is a hay maze, pumpkins, activity trails…oh, and animals.
Kids dress up; grown ups dress up, (at least some of us).
They have a wonderful magic show which repeats on a schedule, and a scary pumpkin parade inside the mysterious semicircular building right in the center of the zoo. You walk around in the pitch dark and allow yourself to be thrilled by the candlelit pumpkin display. They, also, give out free candy at the event stations – which is good or bad news, depending on how you feel about candy overload at this time of year. (City Kid loves it; me not-so-much. No news there). It changes and modifies every year, but these seem to be the common themes.
Many of the rides are closed at this time, but some are still open. It depends on the weather. Last year, the monorail and shuttle were still open; the butterflies may be closed as will the gorillas, if it is too cold. Last year it was quite warm, so the gorillas and giraffes were enjoying the unseasonably warm weather. It is always warm for the butterflies.
We have been going annually since we started going to the zoo. It is a great way to kick off Halloween season.
We highly recommend.
Need to Knows:
The zoo is open daily in October.
It closes earlier at this time of year. At 5pm.
You can bring your own food. There is a cafe which is mostly a burger and fries type of place. The food is not the cheapest. They have recently opened a new, more healthier restaurant, called The Watering Hole. There is a new chicken food stand close to the Polar bear, called The Pecking Order.
Location: 2300 Southern Blvd, Bronx, NY 10460. You can find more visitor information here.
By public transport, you can easily get there on the 2 to Pelham Parkway. The BxM11 bus from Madison Avenue. I have never taken this bus route but you can get further bus and car directions, here.
Top-Tip
The zoo is free on Wednesdays.
Your NYC-ID card gives you free membership for general admission.
Go for lunch or dinner at nearby Arthur Avenue. I highly recommend Tino’s Deli for daytime, delicious Italian fare.
Watch ‘The Zoo’ on Animal Planet. It gives a great insight into the importance of the Zoo. It really is more than a Zoo!
Where is your favorite place to spend Halloween? Do share with us in the comments below.
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