Bronx zoo Reviews

Very nice but alot of walking and can get confusing

The Bronx Zoo is a zoo located within Bronx Park in the Bronx, a borough of New York City. It is one of the largest zoos in the United States by area, comprising 265 acres (107 ha) of park lands and naturalistic habitats separated by the Bronx River. On average, the zoo has 2.15 million visitors each year.
The Bronx Zoo is world-renowned for its large and diverse animal collection, and its award-winning exhibitions. The zoo is part of an integrated system of four zoos and one aquarium managed by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), and it is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).
In 1895, a group made up largely of members of the Boone and Crockett Club founded the New York Zoological Society (later renamed to Wildlife Conservation Society) for the purposes of founding a zoo, promoting the study of zoology, and preserving wildlife. Credit for this belonged chiefly to Club members Madison Grant and C. Grant LaFarge.

The zoo (sometimes called the Bronx Zoological Park and the Bronx Zoological Gardens) opened its doors to the public on November 8, 1899, featuring 843 animals in 22 exhibits. The first zoo director was William Temple Hornaday, who had 30 years of service at the zoo.
Heins & LaFarge designed the original permanent buildings as a series of Beaux-Arts pavilions grouped around the large circular sea lion pool. In 1934, the Rainey Memorial Gates, designed by noted sculptor Paul Manship, were dedicated as a memorial to noted big game hunter Paul James Rainey. The gates were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.

The Rockefeller Fountain, that today adorns the gardens just inside the Fordham Road Gate, was once a famous landmark in Como, Italy. Originally built by Biagio Catella in 1872, it stood in the main square (Piazza Cavour) by the lakeside. It was bought by William Rockefeller in 1902 for 3,500 lire (the estimated equivalent then of $637, and today of around $17,600) and installed at the Bronx Zoo in 1903. In 1968, the fountain was designated an official New York City landmark, and is one of the few local monuments to be honored in this way.


The zoo's final thylacine died on September 13, 1919.
In early 1903, the zoo was gifted a pair of Barbary lions, a subspecies which is extinct in the wild. The female was named Bedouin Maid and male Sultan, who went on to become one of the zoo's most popular animals. Displayed in the Lion House, Sultan was four years old at the time and described as being both "a perfect specimen" and "unusually good tempered". In May 1903, the pair produced three cubs, the first to be born at the zoo. On October 7, 1905, Charles R. Knight painted a portrait of Sultan and the animal went on to be the focus of many of the zoo's postcards. Sultan was also the model for the lion which sits atop the Rainey Memorial Gates.
In 1916, the zoo built the world's first animal hospital located at a zoo.
In 1937, the zoo became the first in North America to exhibit okapi.

Since I live in the neighboring area I'm a frequent visitor and I'd recommend visiting the Bronx Zoo to everyone no matter the age or the time of year. Plenty to see and do and right next door to the zoo is the Botanical Gardens which is also an excellent visiting attraction! !!

The only reason I am giving a 2 is because the clerk at the parking toll was super nice. We were upset that we decided to purchase the 9 dollar refill drink but there was only one restaurant that was open. We want our money back from the zoo for this. 17 to park is a rip off too!

Also, they need to upkeep the areas more. There was trash everywhere.

Even though it was kinda cold they still had some pretty good animals outside. Cant wait to go back in the summer.

There are a lot of animals to see
The park is huge and very well organised and clean

Great place to bring kids. Foods expensive but animals are amazing

Nice zoo, and most of the animal residents look happy and have enough space. Great gift shops too.

great place to explore but just sum areas requires u to pay more like bats n other exbitions

Awesome. Very ample parking. Staff is very helpful. Food court is a little pricey but they do offer picnic areas. Great place for class trips. Wednesday's are free!!

Awsome place to take the family right in the boogie down Bronx! I always love to visit, except on Wednesdays. Wednesday is free, and a great way to go for first timers, but it gets super crowded, so if you like going regularly you should get the season pass. It is also great way to contribute to the Wildlife Conservation Society. They now have zip lines as well, so you you can satisfy any urge for an adrenaline rush.

Amazing place. As much a beautiful city park as it is a zoo.

It was better before. We went during pandemic and most of the places were closed with no live performances.

A great way to spend the day. Love the snake house. Informative and fun. Plenty of souvenir shops as well as snack bars. No alcoholic beverages. So for some parents it's going to be a really long day. Seriously, it's a must see. At different times of the year they have seasonal events. The light show at Christmas is spectacular!

Always nice to visit and spend the day walking around.

It's a great place to take the family. I am not an expert but I just feel that the animals could use more space though. I feel the polar bear should have an exhibit as big as the brown bears instead of just being in that tiny pool.

Beautiful place .. super expensive unless u have a membership u wont be able to visit without breaking your pighy bank

Pretty expansive zoo with a variety of animals. I find it appealing to all ages. The monorail (Asian exhibit) is really cool.

This attraction does require a lot of walking. So, be prepared with strollers, rider boards, water, etc. Also, Wednesdays feature free general admission but this also means larger crowds.

A great place for everyone. My son's school went their for a field trip and they had a blast going from one animal to another. He is in pre-k so I thought they would get tired as Bronx zoo is a very large zoo but it was just opposite. They enjoyed so much that they didn't want to leave. It have a good amount of animals and in close range so kids can examine up close. We have been to other zoos with the kids and it hasn't been as much as fun as Bronx zoo. My 2 yr old even enjoyed looking for animals.

Loved it! Its great just wish the speakers on the ride in the asia exhibit where you ride above are louder. Kids loved it and so do I!

The best zoo in the world, I absolutely love this place

The zoo is huge with many animal from around the world. I couldn't finish seeing everything in one day.

Great and fun experience! The animals were amazing. I'll surely be back a little earlier so I won't have to withstand those long lines for specific areas of the park. All in all, I'll be back.

I went to see the Bronx Zoo holiday light show. It was amazing.

Biggest Zoo. Tiger enclosure is good. Too many indoor attractions. Must visit.

Great for kids also Wednesday is always free lobe the animals

This is a very large zoo compared to any other zoo in NYC. There are lot of exhibits. You may not able to cover entire zoo in a single day. They have trams to take you to different parts of the park. You will see a lot of varieties of animal species. Food is bit over priced.

Great place to visit with family, but not on a weekend, crowded, lines everywhere. If you planning to visit it at least 2 times a year, buy a membership, because you have to pay for every other exhibit extra.

Much better than expected. I thought it would be depressing, since it's in NYC and a zoo, but they're putting in work.

One of the best zoos in the country. Exhibits are to die for and plenty to do. Great place for families or just a trip by yourself or with your significant other. Well worth your money and your time.

Great experience, expensive parking. Recommend going on a Wednesday. Can get crowded at times

It has been a few years since I visited this zoo. So much has changed. The only way you will see the elephant, is if you get on the monorail in Asia. They do not have as many animals as before.

A dazzling spectacle of the Animal Kingdom's most glorious and endangered treasures.

Alot of animals not out. But still great. Zip line folks were the best

Horrible no supervision and sell you ticket at 2in the afternoon and told us that we can go to dinasaur safari where we never got to see.It was a very bad day at the Bronx Zoo for me and family.Dont think I will be coming again..

Disappointed. A lot of walking around to see nothing. Saw a lot of trees, not too many animals.

Awesome place to spend a day looking at animals. A place for kids as well as adults

Amazing and a well maintained zoo, covering wide variety of animals.If you have children, they would enjoy the most. If you are planning to be a frequent visitor, it s better to get the membership - saves you money. Their restaurant is pricey $$. It s better to get your food especially if your a vegetarian.

Great zoo, have more than one day if you want to watch the zoo completely. The rides are great, especially the monorail. Must visit for kids!

Wonderful day spent in the Bronx Zoo. One of the better zoos I ve seen.

Wonderful urban zoo, where u can see and discover all types animalia.

Wonderful venue for walking on a warm sunny winter's day. Some animal exhibits are closed during winter time, so be aware of that so that you aren't disappointed when you arrive. Also several of the concession stands and the monorail are closed until spring time so make sure to pack some snacks as only a few of the larger facilities are open near the main entrance.

Went on Friday July 12, 2019. The staff were friendly. It wasn't crowded at all. Got onto the monorail without having to wait on line. Did Nature Trek twice and went on the Dinosaur Safari with no waiting around. It was much better than Wednesdays.

If you looking for a safari like adventure, you find the best place. I love the way the place is designed.

This is my favorite place in the world. I've been going to this zoo since before I can remember. my mom used to take us out of school for mentsl health days and come here. It has only gotten better with time. The events like the sleep over and brew at the zoo are so fun and innovative and reinvigorate the zoo experience for people who have been coming to the zoo for many years.

Park is clean with a lot fun activities on top of looking at the animals

It was ok. Felt like everything we wanted to see required additional $$

Cant have no better fun then going to the Bronx zoo

Annual passes are recommended for locals with kids. The value is immense!

Gigantic area with poor collection of animals. Although they do cover a vast variety of different habitats, they don't have so many different species of each kind. Definitely not worth the price. I could list dozens of better zoos around US and Europe.

Was pleasantly surprised at how much fun we had. Very clean facilities, and not too crowded due to COVID restrictions on the amount of people they let in each day. Two lines were long: The line to the gorilla camp and the merry go round as they only let so many people in at once, but the rest of the zoo was less crowded. A fun family day.

Loved the children section my 1yr old had a fun time. Will definitely go back when he is older tol make a memory for him

Love this Zoo. I mostly came here for the Christmas tree lighting but, this zoo overall is absolutely beautiful.

This is 1 of my favorite places on the planet!! Love the animals, exhibits, etc. It's pricey unless you're member but expensive to become a member.

As a long time bronx resident I love to be able to see the wide variety of animals as well as take part in the nature trek and treetop zip line

Go and take their annual pass if you re from local to enjoy benefits of multiple visit and multiple zoo

Had great fun with family and especially the kids. Minus one star because sometimes the signs in the park are not very clear, and we had the feeling to get lost.

So many peacocks!! They are everywhere. We bought the total experience tickets. I think I barely got my money worth, but it certainly made my life easier.

Great zoo we had a blast. Loved seeing such big exhibits for the animals. Our only complaint is the cafe food was cold and did not taste very good.

A fun zoo to take kids to. Easy to walk around. We saw sea lions, pelicans and penguins at feeding time.

Never posted that the dinosaur exhibit was closed for the day . We specifically went fir that. We waited for almost an hour ro get in early to mot be told this. Extremely Frustrating.

Great place overall. Yearly membership totally worth it. My only negative is there are no water refill stations forcing you to pay 4 dollars for a small bottle of water.

Love The Bronx Child... Have been enjoying going there since a child... Just wish they would lower their entrance fee... Can't go as often as I wish!

One of the best place to go in the city if you have kids, this place is absolutely huge and offers lots of animals to enjoy

Bronx Zoo is an amazing place to visit for all ages.

A great place for children and adults. They have a wide variety of programs and different exotic animals to see.

While it's a bit away from the subway, the Bronx Zoo is certainly worth the trek. You'll find animals from all over in this huge grounds. I particularly love the rainforest-type exhibits, but I could easily enjoy myself walking around the monkey house or by the sea creatures. If you're lucky, you catch one of the peacocks walking around the zoo- they jump right out of their spaces!

Everyone, go to the monorail first! It is the best way to see many animals and the line gets longer later in the day.

Urban oasis. So much to see and do. Dont miss the special events. Bring snacks and take public transport, plenty of options to get there without driving! A non-profit doing great work to boot.

The best night excursion in the world... Magnificent

The zoo has become extremely expensive venue to go to. Not only do they charge a high price for general admission, they charge for all the other activities that you want/can go to. Their staff is kind enough to remind you that you have to pay for all the yellow zones in the park immediately after you purchase your tickets. You might as well get a membership for the tax deductible benefit.

Our group of adults had a good time at the Bronx Zoo during the offseason. There's more to see than you think, so plan ahead.

The zoo is very nice, they have a lot of animals, but you have to do something with the food, because you dont have any healthy food.

Really cool place to come with family and friends. Pack a lunch, bring water, and enjoy walking around to see all there is to see

The Bronx Zoo is always amazing! The dinosaur exhibit was fantastic but depending on what day your going to see it, get there really early.

The Best experience I've had at a zoo. The animals looked amazing, happy healthy and vibrant in their own sanctuaries. So blessed and happy I came to see the Boogy Down Bronz Zoo! I even the Director and his wife rideing through

Well conserved zoo, plenty of animals. The gorilas are awesome.