Central Park Zoo

One of my favorite attractions in NYC is visiting Central Park Zoo because it’s a great way with your kids to spend a few hours outside and have fun. If you have kids you probably know the zoo, it was featured in the movies Madagascar. The entrance is located at the south east  end of Central Park, by 64 street and 5ft avenue.

The zoo is divided in two parts. There is a petting zoo named the Tish Children’s Zoo , which is a great experience for little kids. You can feed the animals from 10a to 2pm. The children love it and I have to admit it’s kind of fun. They have goats, sheeps, bunnies, pigs, an alpaca and a cow. There are a few activities for the kids set up so they can get their crazy energy out. I usually let them run around for a while. They have machines where you can get food, it is 50 cents for a couple of treats. Don’t forget to stop by the hand sanitizer station when you are all done feeding them.

Then, I usually go to the main part of the zoo, which isn’t that big but you can easily spend an hour and half exploring it if you have kids. They have sea lions, the famous penguins, some snow monkeys, 2 brown bears, 2 snow leopards, 2 red pandas… to just name a few. The bears and snow leopards are very hard to spot, I’ve been there a few time where you couldn’t see them at all. Don’t be disappointed, it happens. I really enjoy the sea lions show at 11:30a or 1:30p (Be aware that it usually gets very crowded so try to get there about 10min before it starts to get a seat.). Another of the kids favorite is the penguin feeding at 10:30am and 2:30pm as well.

They also have a 4D movie theater but I have not had the chance to stop by yet. From what I hear it sounds pretty good.

The zoo is very well organized, with a cafeteria to crab a snack while you are visiting and stroller parkings in front of each exhibits for convenience.

If you like me live in the city, I would recommend you take the yearly pass. You get free entrance to all the zoos in the tri-state area, including the world fmous Bronx zoo which I highly recommend. If you are just visiting, the tickets for kids are 7$ (3-12) and for adults it will be 12$.  It’s a great way to spend some time with the kids, it is in the heart of the city but far away from NYC crowded streets. A small oasis right off 5ft ave. I hope you’ll get the chance to check it out.