Nice little zoo! Took about an hour and half to see everything....We were able to get a discount through our local public library which saved us about 60% My one complaint is the parking and flow of pedestrians through the parking area is a little problematic. That being said, the parking is free, but that would be a great thing for them to work on.
Great small zoo, close to home and good for little kids to run around and see some animals
I am a justice of the peace and performed a wedding in one of the cabins within the zoo's property. First the cabin is very well maintained. The outside give a beautiful backdrop for wedding photos. The price point was exceptionally cheap considering what's included. Honestly if you are looking for a venue for a wedding babyshower or even a birthday party. You should consider having it here you won't be disappointed!
Great zoo!! Animals looked happy and healthy. Lovely paths and plenty of benches for little ones to take breaks.
Semi easy walk in a short loop with multi animal exhibits and inexpensive food cafe. Cute gift shop. Animals look well cared for and WOW this is unique so much packed in a small package. Tigers and prairie dogs, cheetah is real plus some of our fine feathered friends, super family friendly.
Really enjoyed this zoo. Layout was very nice. They have made the areas so viewing the animals is pretty easy to do. Only negative is the area with the bobcat and monkeys smelled very strongly of urine.
It's small but good for kids to visit for couple hours.
Always a great visit. The kids loved the tiger Cubs and the manes wolves.
SO much space and beauty to enjoy whatever activities you want!
It's come a long way since the last time I was there, my grandbabies loved it.
It's fun place but alot of animals missing when we went on memorial day not sure why no new or notice about it. Food cafe is good. Beautiful place overall
It is a small place, but very well maintained, perfect for a pleasant walk in family or alone, the food they sell is affordable
I Love This Zoo. The only Zoo in Ct. Bring The Kids For A Good Time, Then After You Can Have A Picnic
It is always fun to go to the beardsley zoo because the place is clean and the animals are always cool to see
The children enjoyed this small Zoo. They were particularly taken with the giant anteaters, the tigers, and the leopards. Enclosures are small, which is nice for viewing the animals, but some animals seem to be suffering from being penned in.
Nice outside walking zoo. Some really great exhibits and some oddly boring ones....like the American Domesticated House Cat...? Probably won't be back for another trip, kind of a one-and-done experience but we enjoyed it.
Cool little zoo to spend a few hours at. Animals are close up and active, the tigers love to play tag. Maned wolves, big tortoises, giant anteaters and big cats. Lots of kid stuff too if you have one of those things
My friends are family we love going there and we can't wait for this new 2018 season because we have new exhibits and it's going to be great
Small zoo focuses on North and South America. No African animals here. Many exhibits are quite dated. However, it is manageable with small children and they now have an app that takes you on a sort of scavenger hunt. Great addition to the experience. They also offer a kit for children with sensory issues that you can check-out at the entrance and return when you leave. Noise cancelling headphones are included.
My husband and I have been taking our son to zoo's since he was born - he is 6 now. We love Beardsley Zoo because it is here in CT and also like that it isn't a huge zoo that we have to spend the entire day at to see everything and end up having a tired, cranky child by the time we leave. We LOVE the tigers! They are the most active tigers we have ever seen at zoo's. Most every other zoo we've gone too the tiger are just laying in the shade and your lucky if they walk around a little. It seems every time we've been to Beardsley the tigers are playing with a ball or in the water playing. The price of $11 or $12 is extremely reasonable considering it includes parking!
Was a good time need to go out when all animals are out though
$15 admission is steep for the hand full of animals, the felines looked malnourished and annoyed in their small spaces. I wish there were more animals available. Good location I must say.
Great experience at the zoo today. My class really enjoyed it. The staff was kind and cooperative. We would bring our students back again.
The birds were all so cuteeeee!!!!! Oh and there were tigers and stuff I guess.
Great place for the family to go. Its not the Bronx Zoo but to us we enjoyed it just as much.
A love the outdoors and makes you feel like you are in the country side, very beautiful, animal friendly, the zoo in right in the entrance and has parks for kids to play and a new little water park for children too
I was very happy be over there with my nice husband Cameron,and their cute son Casey.
We just bought a membership to the zoo!!! Love the animals...
Always a go-to attraction for us during the spring. Great experience and even though we've been to Beardsley Zoo plenty of times, we never get enough.
This was our first time here. It may not be the biggest zoo out there but they have lots of great animals to see. It was very clean and every employee we encountered were super friendly and filled with info. They took time to give some knowledge and pull the kids in more instead of looking at a bug or plant that wouldnt have kept them there they stopped listened to the info and even sometimes asked more questions and learned more. The animals really do seem happy here they had clean areas and the food givin to them looked better than some of the fast food places I've seen serve around here. If your thinking about going just go its definitly worth the trip.
I have always had a hard time going to zoos as I tend to get emotional at the fact that these animals are cooped up in small cages, but this zoo had appropriate accessible information explaining certain predicaments pertaining to "struggling" animals not cleared for release just yet. I also appreciated the fact that some of the animals were kept offsite due to the weather not being quite right for them, it did not bother me that they were not there.
How many cities have two Olmsted designed parks? This is an urban oasis.
Small but good for a wander around quite a large selection for a small zoo.
Many of the animals are rescue animals that could not be returned to the wild.
We went on a Warm January day and many of the animals were surprisingly active.
Prices $16 for adults $13 for children.
Beautiful scenery, nice atmosphere...loved the owls, tigers and gift shop!!
We went there yesterday. It was beautiful. My favorite part was when me and my sister were in the carousel. In conclusion, that zoo was amazing
Always a favorite to bring a child, and your supporting the city!
Small zoo but kept us entertained for 90 min. Had a great time walking around path seeing different animals. Reasonable admission price. Timed entrance requiring tickets. Ample parking. Bathrooms clean. Wonderful outing especially during Covid. Indoor exhibits closed.
My kids love this cute little zoo. It is great for a day out with the kiddies.
This is good small zoo. Kids enjoyed this place, paid carasoul rides available.
One down side is lot of spots were "Coming soon". Also, $15 per person is way more than expected for small zoo. You can actually finish from start to end in one hour.
Always have a great time going to the zoo. Especially when the Bronx Zoo is so expensive.
Great for kids, and a wonderful resource in Connecticut's largest city!
Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo focuses on wildlife of the Americas, with the exception of the Amur (formerly know as "Siberian") Tiger and the Amur Leopard, which are from the border of Russia and China in the Far East.
I particularly love the peacocks, which regally stroll around the grounds at their own pace, the wetlands aviary, the three different kinds of wolves (that is, if you consider the Maned wolf a wolf, which it really isn't), the tigers and other big cats, BeeZe the animal ambassador bobcat, the otters, the rainforest, the rare breed farmyard (especially when there are baby animals in spring and summer) and the beautiful gardens. Plus the bison, with their enormous heads. But that's just me.
If you live in the area a membership is really worth it as you can keep going back any time you feel like getting outside and seeing wildlife (and there are always events and other interesting things going on), plus it goes to a good cause.
Ultimately, what makes the zoo really special to me are the employees and volunteers, who seem to genuinely want to help and share their knowledge and passion for wildlife and conservation.
I really like the zoo, is a smaller zoo but seems more intimate with the exhibits. I wish there was more to do and once they finish we doing some of the exhibits like the farm section it will be great.
Fantastic place for a day trip. Plenty of time to take your time and still see everything.
Mid size zoo. Very clean. Animals look very healthy. Good informative shows for children. Be prepared to walk. Parking is always packed
Adorable. Small but still pretty fun for all ages. Not a fan of the penguin exhibit. Food could be better though.
My husband and I have loved and will continue to enjoy visiting our local zoo. Over the years, Beardsley has made many great improvements and added some fun events. I highly recommend visiting this zoo.
Small enough to walk the whole zoo in a few hours, nice variety of animals and kid friendly.
Nice zoo. Dint need to take little ones to the bronze zoo. Too hectic
Admission is not expensive but lots of animals to see. Must see the otters. They were super adorable.
Smaller zoo with decent variety of animals. A quick walk for children.
It's small but a nice stop to see a few favorites. Mine is the prerie dog exhibit. Great way to spend a couple of hours.
Spent the day with almost grown up grandkids........super place. We all love animals ,and getting to observe so many in one place was a real pleasure.
It has to be 30 years since I visited here. Admission was reasonable, but many exhibits were being renovated. I would love to get back this spring/summer to see is all again.
Great place to visit on a nice spring/summer/fall day. Inexpensive and great for kids.
Lots of awesome animals, superb prairie dog exhibit, free parking, great for kids, animals seem very well cared for.
Loved the place and all the safety precautions they have taken amidst pandemic. Safe to take you little ones and spend some quality outdoor time with them
beardsleyzoo.org