The Children’s Zoo

City-Kid Review:

To the goats: ‘No, I already gave you one, now I’m going to give him. No, stay back, you’re being too greedy. There you go. Now you get to eat’
To me: ‘ Can I get some more food, please?’

I have shared about our experiences at the children’s zoos at Prospect Park Zoo and the Queens Zoo.
They are great.
They are fantastic.
They offer all of the opportunities city kids desire to engage with friendly animals, particularly farm animals.

Something magical happens in the Bronx after the Easter/Passover Holidays. Depending on the weather, entire chunks of the zoo, closed up during the colder months, opens up to the public. The monorail, the trolley, the gorillas, the giraffes, the zebras get to go outside…And the Children’s Zoo opens its enormous gates to visitors.

The Children’s Zoo at the Bronx Zoo is off-the-charts fabulous. It merits an entire post all to itself.  They recently upgraded and expanded it and the new half is double the fun. Clearly, a ton of thought has  gone into this children’s zoo, which has been created for kids from the child’s perspective, rather than a top-down what might be ‘good’ or ‘educational’ approach for children. Although, it is, indeed, educational and it is great for kids because it is fun, interesting and interactive.

They have flamingos! You can pop your head up within a Prairie Dog Hill. They have snakes, turtles, any number and range of different animals.

The Children’s Zoo is a place to nurture curious and caring minds. Wooden walkways wind around a number of exhibits, from flamingos, to snakes, to sloths, to anteaters, to turtles and more.

In the center is an enormous slide twisting within the hollow of a tree. Merciful benches line the bottom where parents can rest while City Kids mount the stairs, slide down the slide and endlessly repeat.

Then the new half opens into the domestic animals area, where children can feed llamas, goats, sheep  and miniature donkeys as well as a few others. There are chickens, geese and boars. In the center is a tractor play area on which children can play farmer.

Another really great thing about this children’s zoo is that you may only enter accompanied by children. Here the children (and animals) rule!

In the summer, you can also visit the gorillas, travel on the monorail and the tram, which are only open in the warmer months.

Need to Knows:

The zoo is open daily except for Thankgiving Day, Christmas Day, New Years Day and Martin Luther King Day.

It closes earlier at this time of year. At 4.30pm. Mid-April it closes later at 5pm and on holidays weekends during the warmer months, it closes at 5.30pm.

The children’s zoo is opens at Easter and stays open until October (the date changes each year)  and during the summer the zoo shuttle, monorail or butterfly exhibit are open.

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 opened a new, healthier cafe called The Watering Hole. This used to be where the staff dined and they have, now, opened it up to the public.

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. The Children’s Zoo is an additional fee, as part of the total experience. The ticket prices have gone up, recently. Adult total experience costs, $36.95, Children $26.95, Seniors $31.95

Your NYC-ID card gives you free membership for a year.

Go for lunch or dinner at nearby Arthur Avenue. Use the Southern Boulevard exit for nearest access to Arthur Avenue.

Watch ‘The Zoo’ on Animal Planet. It gives a great insight into the importance of the Zoo. It really is more than a Zoo!

Do you have any thoughts, ideas or questions about the Children’s Zoo? Please share with us in the comments section.

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