Very attractive zoo for family. Very clean and very huge zoo. We didnt even get to see a lot. This was voted as number one zoo in New Jersey and we can see why, theres a lot of good photo p opportunities in the zoo for the kids. They try to maintain social distance signs everywhere. sanitizers I wish there was more of around the zoo. There is also train that goes through the forest since its part of bigger park and a Lake nearby. Definitely recommend a good day trip with the kids but closes early at 3 oclock and we didnt know that

Turtle Back Zoo is really amazing! They have all kinds of animals, and most look very well cared for. My favorite exhibit was the reptile area. Food is a bit pricey, but they do have some meal deals. I skipped the petting area, because of covid.

We went on Sunday of the Thanksgiving weekend with our 22m old son. The entire zoo took about 2.5 hours from start to finish. There were a few animals missing - theyd been removed from the enclosure but at the same time, there was more than enough entertainment for my 22m old. He enjoyed petting the sting rays and watching the sea lions play in the water. We didnt go on the train as the line for it was massive and also Covid-19. Overall, we enjoyed our day and was completely worth the the $34 we paid for the 2 adults. Kids under 2 are free.

This is one of the largest zoo I’ve ever had the chance to visit. Essex county turtle back zoo is huge and during these uncertain times, is well prepared to handle people while abiding the guidelines in regards to social distancing and masks. There were signs all over to not touch the glass walls and maintain appropriate distance. Even before you enter, there was this large tent to check your body temperature.You have to buy tickets online and the price for an adult is around $17 while for kids it’s $14 for general admission. They also have a membership which would have different pricing (please do check online because prices may vary). You also have to pick your time of arrival and can’t be late than 30 minutes of your posted time of arrival on your ticket. The online ticket process was a little broken when we tried but we still managed to get a few when everything was working. Also, they close at 3pm so you might want to plan a day trip accordingly.Let’s talk about the zoo itself. It’s huge and has lots of places to explore. There were flamingoes, lions, bisons, sea lions, chickens, horses and everything else that you’d expect from a zoo. They have a reptile only place as well as underwater viewing of sea lions which were fantastic. There were also a lot of places that weren’t open for the public due to the ongoing pandemic but rest assured, you won’t be disappointed to explore tons of other places and animals within this zoo.The food options were limited (as expected) and to be honest, weren’t at all good. We went to this Savana cafe to try something out. To begin with, we didn’t have a lot of options since by the time we went at around 2pm, the staff told us that they were closed and the food that was on display was the only thing they could offer and so we got what was left there - chicken tenders, fries, grilled chicken burger and hot cocoa. The food was soggy due to the pre packaging and wasn’t that good. The only good thing out of this was the hot cocoa. If you’re planning to have a dine in experience (which you shouldn’t given the current circumstances), you will be disappointed.Overall, this is great place to enjoy with family and kids and will entertain you for hours. If you’ve never been to a zoo and want to experience one, this place should be on your bucket list

Now during the pandemic, there is a tent for temperature screening before you are even able to approach the gate. There are signs everywhere to remind people to not touch the glass. They have one way paths for indoor areas. This place is well prepared for the states current situation. The animals also looked to be in great condition! I enjoyed my time here!

Great place! Clean! And lots of cool animals too see. They did great despite the covid rules and regulations.

Fantastic! TBZ has been here for many years and never disappoints. Very clean and very professional staff. Animals seem very well cared for. On this summer day all animals were out and about. Water fountains and vending machines are unavailable due to COVID. Great varied exhibits. The park train ride is a great way to cool off and is included in the price of admission. Full COVID protocols are in place with face coverings required and temperature check prior to entry. Great new signage for exhibits as well as COVID reminders. They really thought of everything. Free covered safe parking. Very nice gift shop.

Great outdoor activity to do with your kids when weather permits. Their COVID19 new rules made me feel more at ease. everyone is required to wear a mask at all times. my kids ages 8 and 12 enjoyed it too. I noticed lots of changes since my last visit a few years ago.

The kids had a great time at Turtle Back Zoo. We purchased our tickets ahead of time. The process was very smooth. They check your temperature before entering the zoo and there are many sanitizer stations throughout.

Even though there were lots if renovations being done, and covid restrictions in place, they did a wonderful job directing you around the park to see everything. Lot of close encounters with thr animals which the kids love. Great job. Not very expensive either. 45 fit kids and 1 adult and we were there for 3 hours.

Hands down one of the best zoos in New Jersey! Even though COVID has caused for some exhibits to be closed there are still many new ones that have opened and are absolutely beautiful! The grounds are very clean, the animals are very well taken care of and they keep the crowds to a contained amount. The admission is a fairly decent amount considering all the exhibits they have! The best hands down thing to do is the short train ride through the grounds that is truly the highlight of the trip. The staff is amazing and polite and it’s just an all around great place to go for a great family day- Hopefully next year they will be fully open...

Everything was awesome I just went here! The experience even with masks on was great..i recommend bringing your own snacks and drinks as the vending machines are closed but the savanna cafe was open..not to many options but good food. The treetop adventure, well no words. Amazing. The adult one is challenging in my opinion but thats just me. The zipline is great, I just wish we could go more than once and its very short, but the view is very nice. Overall great experience. Definitely coming back

Seeing the wolf, lion and sea life animals was amazing... its a fantastic zoo and theres hand sanitizer in every nook and cranny of the zoo. I felt safe being there.

Great outdoor heated dining experience with an overhang and an umbrella. Spectacular views of the changing leaves on the mountainside across the water. Great service, fabulous fall beverage menu and broad menu. Many gluten free options as well.

Visited Zoo 2 days back. First of all got temp checked and I didnt book the tickets online so had to be in a long qqq for 45 mins while guys who booked the tickets online was bypassing us and entering zoo.. so if you wish to visit zoo purchase ticket online.. Staff were welcoming but I found very less Maps inside zoo it seemed to me like everyone one was lost.Ticket price was 17 USD.

Wonderful place. Not every exhibit open but more than could have asked for during covid time. Felt safe and secure and everyone wore a mask.

This is a fun place to visit. Itll take you about and hour or two to see everything. Even though most of the animals arent out it was still a blast seeing the ones that were.

I love going there. Perfect place to bring the kids for an hour or two. Definitely bring the kids to the train ride. Thats always fun. If you want to see all the animals, be sure to go during the summer months. Some of the animals are not there in the fall when the weather start to change.

This a great place to be with your family. It has plenty of space to walk and not be close to other people. Also, they have playgrounds for kids. Very nice !

This is always our favorite zoo since its close to our house(its in south orange and close to many places like livingston, milburn, summit etc.) and great for family to spend weekend there. Also for young kids you should definitely try the train.

First time back in 30 years and I was like a kid again. The main exhibits are open and lots of great animals are right there close up to see. A good hours walking to hit the main exhibits with mist stations setup to help you cool off.

Amazing place.... Very well maintained.. FREE parking right in front of entrance, which is so rare as most zoo will charge you good money for parking..Lots of animals and good viewing areas FREE train ride too.. has carousel for$2 .. fun trip for people of all ages!!

The zoo is great. The enforcement of masks is severely lacking. Weve been multiple times since spring and besides the train ride employees no one was enforcing masks being worn.

One of the best zoos in the area. It is a spacious zoo with lots of animals to see for kids and adults. There is also an open fun train that families with kids can take and it goes around the mini lake just a bit outside the zoo. Pretty pleasant views there. There is also a cafe with food if needed. It can be a bit crowded but if you dont mind it or can pick a better time option for your family to visit, totally worth the trip. My fav is the cave with wolves. Hard to look at the animals in cages but they are treated with love there and I understand that this zoo also serves and educational purpose.

From gorgeous flamingos, cute giraffes, colorful birdies, giant turtles, quaint little penguins...to fun cho cho train ride. We surely had a blast in our first visit!

Great place to spent time with Family. Need to book tickets online (although I did see people standing in line to get tickets). Closes at 4. Better go right once you enter the Zoo. Have insect repellent spray handy as the place is filled with yellow jacket. Also plan ahead you have waterfront nearby which is open till 7:30. There is a nice play area for kids near the waterfront.

Turtle Back Zoo is an awesome place! My family and I have visited this zoo at least 3 times and it never disappoints. The best part that my kids love is the train. Love to see the various animals either playing, sleeping or just relaxing in their respective areas.

My son enjoys coming here soooo much. So close to home and not as crowded as the LA ZOO. Every time we have a chance we come here loves the tiny monkeys.

Turtle Back Zoo is a great zoo that gives you a very good option outside the NYC Zoos. Its easy to navigate with lots of animals and updated areas to visit. Having said that, Im giving it 1 star for the HORRENDOUS Bee infestation they have! They are EVERYWHERE, every garbage had a wasp trap that did nothing along with dozens of bees swarming above. There were over 50 trash areas.. My wife is allergic and we have 2 toddlers that we dont know if also allergic. After spending 30 minutes walking *past* exhibits cause of bees chasing us we decided to just leave! It was a total waste of money! I told the staff about this and if they was any way to get a refund or even passes to a different day, say in the winter with no bees, I was told its all part of the zoo and they cant do anything about it! I guess someone will have to go into shock from a bee sting and go after them before any changes are made.Be warned, if you dont like bees or allergic to them to steer clear until they resolve this issue. Its a nice zoo but not worth you or your kids life!

Perfect for toddlers and kids. Unlike the bigger zoos, most of the animals are within close range so even toddlers are able to see the animals up close. We went mid sept.. watch out for bees! They are everywhere! Otherwise, my daughter had a blast. Will be coming back!

Went there last week. Amazing experience. Train ride was closed due to rain but overall a good trip. Kids enjoyed a lot.

I was there two days ago it’s very a good place for kids and adults

Nice zoo! Decent collection of animals. They are well taken care off. Nice settings.

The timed ticket and signage inside the park were well executed. Felt safe, easy enough to social distance, made it easy to see the animals!

Still good. Pony rides are closed due to Covid-19. And at times it feels too crowded for comfort, but kids are having blast.

They did a good job encouraging social distancing and most were respectful of your space. Everyone was aware when we were waiting to view and would not take too long before moving on. Plenty of places to step off to the side when you need to rest.

This is a well designed zoo (as far as zoos go), with plenty to do for kids: a free train ride, petting zoo, touch center, outdoor/indoor eating areas, giraffe feeding, a walk thru aviary, and of course plenty of animals. There’s some exciting animals to see, like bald eagles, a cheetah, kangaroos, and a lynx. The penguins, wolf, and cougar were right up at the windows. The amenities are solid (several clean bathrooms), and while the food court was clean, the food choices need an upgrade - pizza, burgers, chicken fingers, etc is fine for the kid stuff, but they could use a few more options for those with various diet preferences. The parking was free! Just watch out for the nutters taking turns in the garage like there’s no other cars coming down (the garage needs better signage and mirror on the count).

Not a world class zoo, but what they have done in setting it up makes it look like one! Took 2 of our grandchildren there and had a great time! Son is a member, so they go often, and, as we did as members of a really big zoo in another state, we only stayed as long as the kids could handle, a couple of hours. Definitely got our moneys worth! Lots of eye-level things for the little ones to enjoy, though due to COVID-19, no touching of animals. They still enjoyed seeing and watching them!

Always love the turtle back zoo. Not too big, fun close to the animals attractions. Ive taken all for of my kids here for the past 16 years and theyve all loved it. Is this enough text characters to get my credit? Who knows, but I do know we love the turtle back zoo.

We have been at Turtle Back Zoo in the past, and it is truly a wonderfully simple place. However, after going to the zoo today, I have two MAJOR complaints that people need to be aware of before they arrive at the zoo:1. If you want to go from the zoo to the Treetop Adventure course (with zipline), you need to actually exit the zoo, and you will not be allowed back in without purchasing zoo tickets again. Because tickets must be purchased online for specific time slots during the day ahead of time for the zoo (and strongly suggested for the Treetop Adventure), you should space them apart and plan ahead. We did not, as we were not aware that we could not come back into the zoo after taking a break and experiencing the Treetop Adventure course; therefore, we had to skip the Treetop Adventure (which we already paid for ahead of time) so we could see the rest of the zoo. Lost a good amount of money there, and we wish that was more clear to us when we purchased the tickets online.2. BEES!! There are hundreds and hundreds of bees all throughout the park, and it is getting really out of control. Many of them surround trash cans (see picture), but there are tons of them simply around the whole zoo, and it was constantly a scary experience for everyone at the park. In fact, my 9 year-old daughter did get stung by one of the bees, which made the remainder of our stay at the zoo very unpleasant. Luckily, she is not allergic to new stings, but for people who are allergic, BEWARE! The zoo really needs to find a way to control this, as our family does not feel comfortable coming back to the zoo until something is done about this.Other than these two unpleasant experiences, the zoo can be a fun place to visit. There were several animals not present, and overall it was a bit too crowded (the zoo could have controlled this a little better), but when it comes down to it, Turtle Back Zoo can be a very family-friendly place.

I had so much fun I was an adult on my own checking out all the exhibits. The staff couldnt have been more friendly or accommodating. Everyone there seemed to be families but we all kept our distance. The gift shop waa a little pricey but most are and it had a.c.. I really recommend it.

Great zoo! I enjoy going to zoos and this one is ome of the better ones in the tri-state. First, it was well-kept and they had sanitizer everywhere plus checked temperatures and monitored the number of people at exhibits. We came about an hour before they closed so we were kind of rushing and did not get to see everything - keep in mind when planning that exhibits close half hour before close time. Either way, the animals had plenty of space to wander around, they even had toys, and snacks laying about. Will definitely be back here next season!Oh also they have other activities in the same complex, like zip-lining and stuff for kids!

The turtle back zoo is a lovely little establishment that has a wide variety of exhibits and great walking paths. Be sure to stop by in the evenings in December for the free holiday lights spectacular.It is free admission with a canned good and a great event to attend with the whole family. One word of advice, bring the smallest stroller you have as itCan get crowded, and do not expect to see much of the animals During the event.

Great place to visit with family. The staff are. Very nice & professional. The animals are all very beautiful. Especially the LION.

Its always fun to come walk around for a few hours. Friendly, safe and clean!

It brought back memories from when I was a kid to be totally honest, the last time I was here was on a school trip.. a lot has changed since then. Its a lot bigger an better than I can remember. Im glad I went again,,But I had the excitement level as I did when I was a kid..So I suggest everyone should come an revisit there youth lol. And its still very educational regardless of your age.

For a local zoo, the variety of animals you can see is really incredible. Lions, giraffes, African penguins, and flamingos. The touch tank lets kids get up close with sting rays and bamboo sharks. The train ride is fun for kids under 10. COVID restrictions mean that you must buy tickets in advance and they are times.

Its a beautiful zoo but you gonna be a big meal for bees

The place offers great learning experience, especially for young children, the excitement on the childrens faces as they move from one area to the other, is really satisfying. getting to see different animals, both farm and wild and their habitat and how they interact, its not only rich for kids but for all ages, I will visit whenever possible as the entrance fees are also reasonable,,

Returned again after a few years and loved it just as much. We are a member of the Philadelphia Zoo, so through their reciprocity program, we were able to get the tickets for half price. Lots of animals to see. Very neat and organized zoo. Try visiting earlier in the day (morning preferably) when the animals are most active and the crowds are minimal. Lots of hills so wear comfortable shoes. Also feel free to bring your own food...stay hydrated. Their food prices are typical for these types of venues...$3 drinks, $10 sandwiches..

Excellent place to take the kids. With the coronavirus, they went above and beyond to make us feel comfortable bringing my daughter with me. Temperature checks at the gate, touch-less entry, hand sanitizer everywhere, social distancing signs & stickers, everyone had a mask & almost everyone wore them correctly, and timed tickets to keep amount of people at the zoo at an acceptable level. Highly recommended even with coronavirus.

Such a cute, clean zoo to visit with an infant and toddler! Not over whelming and plenty of animals to see!

This was an amazing experience with my family and my daughter. She is 3 years old and enjoyed enormously. For her the main attractions where feeding lettuce to giraffes and the train ride. It’s a best memory for her and she is big fan of wildlife. The pony ride nice and short trip . Want to take her again to have a smile on my little princess

Very easy to navigate. Great exhibits. Crowd size is under control thanks to limited timed tickets. 99% of visitors wore their masks the whole time. Great for the family just bring shade or fans for the little ones.

Great 1.7 mile loop around a lake. If you start at the 0.0 marker and run a lap then to the 0.3 it is a perfect 2 miles on flat terrain

Wow theyve really fixed up this place. I was very impressed and my family and I had fun. The Flamingo and Penguin exhibits are awesome. Id highly recommend coming here to a lot of my friends and family.

Essex County Turtle Back Zoo is a wonderful surprise. It is much bigger than a small community zoo. Includes an African plan including Giraffe herd, a reptile house, goats for petting, a train ride and certainly captures attenion for a 4 hour trip. They have handled Covid as well as possible. Reservations are now required.

Wonderful zoo to bring the kids! If you have a family of 5 like me its better to get the year pass. It will cost you $70 for a 1 day pass but $155 for a full year! Definitely worth it!

Great visit during the Covid reopening. The exhibits that were open were great. The food and gift shop were open and both just what we needed.The only downside was when you purchase your tickets online there is no exit time.....which means the zoo becomes increasingly more crowded and of course there were rule breakers when it came to facemasks and following the one-way directional flow for certain areas. I removed myself from those areas during those times and it wouldnt take away from the 5 star rating.

Great zoo. Very clean, organized, friendly staff and just a great time all around. I visited recently during covid times and I could not be more happy. They were organized and the place was not overly crowded. I would go back the next day if I could. Priced at $17 per adult which is not cheap but I appreciate that the place is clean, staffed and offers exactly what you would expect from a zoo.

Had a wonderful time at this zoo. Many animals and attractions including a carousel and train. It is very clean and well kept. The atmosphere is very nicely themed (great decorations and whatnot). Of course we had to wear a mask for safety, but the sprinklers kept us cool!

I love coming here every once and awhile to see how all of the animals are doing. one of my favorite things to see are the peacocks that they let roam around the zoo. I also enjoy seeing the prairie dogs. They have a nice gift shop, a carousel and a train that gives you a good view of the reservoir.

Great zoo. A little too crowded in these Covid days, but thats not their fault. And very easy parking. I was very pleased with the whole experience.

This is honestly one of the worst zoos i have ever been to. the animals spaces were so small and they were pacing back and forth. a sign of stress anxiety and boredom. the bears had no interest in us or the people, it was so sad. the animals looked depressed. plus the farm animals were all aggressive . which is so weird dude. ive never seen animals behave in that way. even the llamas, the sheep, and the goats all had warning signs. really has me questioning the treatment and amount of interaction they get. animals are not supposed to be that aggressive.

At first i thought that it was going to be ok because they had a limited time and how many people can go in but there were too many people. there were big crowds everywhere!! and more then half of the people werent wearing there masks correctly and no one was doing anything about it. yes there were too many bees to make me comfortable but my biggest concern was the fact that no one really cared about getting or giving the virus. i would not suggest going to this zoo during the coronavirus.

We had a great time, but the zoo is hard to follow. They do have some unusual animals like the stingrays and giraffes that are not at other zoos in the area. The train was excellent. I recommend taking the ride. It is worth visiting.

Turtle back zoo never disappoints. My daughter is 2 years old and I brought her when she was one year old as well. The zoo is the perfect size- not too big, not too small. Ride the train a few times, take a break inside and watch the penguins swim, etc. If the sun is out, you will be sweating profusely. Especially as you push your stroller up the many steep hills of this zoo. But it is worth it for the nap your kid will take after.

This is such a great zoo! Its so much fun to walk around and see everything. You get to take in nature as well. The workers are very friendly. Theres a cool little train to ride around and see the lake on the side. Def recommend checking it out if you havent been before!!

We always love going to Turtle Back Zoo and let me just say they take your temperature before you go in its very safe and youll have a great time

Had so much fun with the kids so happy to see that it was better than ever. My 5 year had a blast on his birthday.

Probably the 2nd best zoo I’ve taken my children to besides Audubon Zoo in New Orleans. The only thing that ruined our time here was the overwhelming amount of bees that we never seemed to get away from and me getting stung while exiting the zoo. Also, a HUGE SHOUTOUT TO CLARENCE, JUSTIN AND ZACK!!! You gentlemen were awesome when my girls couldn’t finish the Treetop Adventure. Thank you!!!

This zoo is an amazing family fun destination. It has all the bells and whistles that every large zoo offers like, giraffes, lions, bears, monkys, and more. What really hit it out of the park are all the activities it offers. Once you and the family are done exploring the zoo you can swing on by to the zip lining adventure they have right in the zoo. Its an experience the whole family can enjoy while taking in the breathtaking view from above. My son can not get enough of this place and I melt when I see his face painted there. Even enjoy the magic shows they offer are fun for both kids and adults.

Great for little ones to enjoy a day at the zoo. Completely manageable, and every once in awhile they have free days for the Essex County. The only downside is parking is sometimes pretty far, so come early in the morning if you want to see animals awake and also get reasonably close parking. And though It can be crowded, always something to do.

We love turtleback zoo. Very well maintained exhibits and lot of fun things for kids like carousels, pony rides, feeding, face painting ( in summer) and kids favourites..., the zoo train rides. Over all its a very good place..

Really cool animals and a rlly amazing experience but there was a massive bee issue! Everywhere u went there were bees especially by trash cans but also everywhere in general. We were on the train waiting 4 it 2 start going and the bees came in and were on my brothers! One of my brothers even got stung and after tht we were just done and we left! We didnt even see most of the zoo it was just 2 terrifying for all of us. Its also extremely dangerous for those allergic 2 bee stings, one child tht got stung there was allergic and its rlly very dangerous.WARNING: if u are allergic to bee stings DO NOT GO HERE!! And even if ur not its still very scary. It totally ruined the experience for us and none of us want 2 go back anytime soon... Turtleback zoo needs to do something about this issue ASAP otherwise its rlly dangerous for ppl 2 go

Excellent! We truly enjoyed our day there. Make sure to take a train ride. Its awesome. I liked it more than kids on that train. Theres a great touch tank. Petting zoo. Playground. All animals look great. Giraffes are adorable. You can feed them for $3. Btw parking is free on weekends. Highly recommended.Be also mindful it closes at 4:30, but the park is big and you would want to spend more time there. A few hours are not enough to go through all of it.

This was a lovely zoo. I was pleasantly surprised by it. I went at the beginning of the year around early March in 2020 before things shut down while it was still fairly cold out, so some of the animals were not out. But that was okay!! Really cool to see all the animals I could! Would love to come back and do more volunteer photos for the zoo! Parking is convenient for the zoo.For more photos, follow my Instigram: rahsphotos

There was a COVID tent before you got to the gates. Due to COVID, tickets were time slotted. Although they sold time slots, it seemed like there were still too many people. Also people didnt know how to social distance. They just packed close together in order to get the best view. Even so, its the first time I have been there since the Africa exhibit opened. Always loved all the exhibits. Still remains one of my favorite zoos.

I love walking the zoo frequently. It is a great place to get a relaxing walk in while seeing the animals.

Went here with my boyfriend for our 5 year anniversary. we both love animals so much and I wanted to see them for a long time. overall out experience was okay I think it was a wierd time to go maybe because all of the animals were sleeping except for a few. they had a great variety of animals. I loved seeing the ravens and the big cats they had. but the music was so painfully uncomfortably loud it was more like a DANCE CLUB...im sure the animals didnt appreciate it either the flamingos seemed stressed and were fighting so we didnt stay long then came the giraffes....my boyfriends favorite animal. heartbreaking all of them were obsessively licking the building or whatever pole was in their enclosure and it was so pathetic no trees for them whatsoever you guys could do so much better for them . we stayed for 1 minute I couldnt watch it anymore. the cheetah and the dog was such a cute little friendship to watch that was the best part for me. its not a bad zoo and they seem to be expanding it also. but I just think they can do better by the giraffes .

A nice zoo esp for kids 3-12. You might have to walk a lot but its worth it. Please apply lot of sunscreen if visiting during summer and carry your own food as options inside zoo are not worth it. Still 5 stars it is!

Very nice atmosphere, however, many empty exhibits. We walked for 15 minutes without seeing an animal. I called for a refund and was informed that they do not do refunds. I would definitely go elsewhere where you will actually get what you paid for.

Nice small zoo. Great for little kids and young adults...

Took my 2 toddlers there. Had a great time. We have a membership and have been here atleast once a month, and the kids love it every time. At this point they most look forward to riding the train (its free!) and the carousel, haha. Would definitely recommend, especially to families with toddlers! Very family friendly.

Turtle Back Zoo is fun for the whole family. Theyve had a number of great improvements over the years and really earned their funding as a part of the Essex County Parks System. The annual membership is an excellent value which pays for itself in a few visits. Dont miss: The butterfly enclosure (warm months only), the aviary (same), the carousel ($2 a kid, their adult rides free), holiday lights (selected November / December nights). Make sure to check out the manta ray petting pool, currently being renovated (and the bonus bathroom in the same building). There are several options for food, but with so many quiet picnic areas you can easily bring a lunch.

I decided to spend time at the zoo. I liked that they have free parking, strict control over the observance of COVID rules, and also an excellent territory. I am impressed! Thanks!

Great place to bring the children. Covid friendly

Reasonable care re masking policy. Family friendly. All of us had a great time . Wish more exhibits were open.

I was here for the second time and that is after 3 years, This time I was a little disappointed with the experience as I found multiple displays closed. Did not get to see anything in the reptile section along with farm animals area.The worst experience was at the Train ride where the conductor was really rude to ignore us a group of 4 adults and 3 kids in the queue by prioritizing 3 families before us. He did not have the Courtesy to even let us know what he was trying to get out of it . Upon asked he apparently tried to bluff . When the train arrived I could clearly see 3 + seats vacant .It was disgusting and annoying bad we waited unnecessarily with Kids crying to hop onboard .I really had a very high expectations for this Zoo and the Staff and recommended lot of my friend but was ashamed this time.Management must take a dig in to such silky and unjust acts which really tarnish the whole image and puts in vain all the good work others are doing .I will never visit again

My kids love this zoo. A nice place to to visit with the family and have a great time.

Its so clean, and the animals are very well taken care of!

Great place for the Family. Huge zoo. Wear comfortable shoes, bring a snack bag and plenty of fluids

Turtle Back Zoo is located in West Orange I used to go here when I was younger it’s been I while but the memories were amazing I love animals they have lots of cute animals I can’t remember what kind of animals they had I know they had giraffes sting rays and birds

I hadnt been to Turtle Back Zoo since the early 80s. Wow! What a change! Visited while family members were in the area and my wife and I were not expecting much from a kids zoo. We were pleasantly surprised! Animal selection was vast and very educational. Kept both the kids and adults entertained. Dont forget to ask about the military discount.

Had a great time. Socially distancing can be an issue so don’t take your mask off. My only complain is the bees at every garbage can. They are sooo bad. Other than that they did the best the can.

Beautiful zoo, lots of animals. Lots of sitting areas to rest.

We visited in early July (reserved a 12pm spot to enter the Zoo) and it was a great experience! The park was not packed but staff did a great job helping guests maintain with the social distancing regulations put in place. We ended up doing the train as soon as we walked in to the park and it was a very short wait.

Great place for family fun. Parking is free a huge plus. Price is fair considering, you can easily enjoy a fun day while cooling off with water mist all throughout the zoo. Feed giraffe up close, eat in or bring your own food. Worth checking !

Great place for the kids. Its called Turtle Back which may indicate to some that its just for little kids. We went on the rope climbing course with our teenagers and they had a blast!

It was ok and the animals looked healthy but I fell it needs more space to eat everyone is eating really close together but otherwise is was good