Turtleback Zoo Reviews

Very pleasant experience overall. Insufficient infrastructure and understaffed for a busy day. Restrooms not adequately attended.

Beautiful and very well maintained Zoo. Very recommended, specially if you have kids. The train track and the Carrossel are great additions too.

Must see new penguin exhibit. Zoo is always expanding

Place very clean. Many animals to see. Staff all over park were very friendly and educational. Got asked if we needed help finding our way around the map. (Map easy to follow but we got turned around) Great place to take kids. Have a few nice places to grab a bite to eat. There is a gift shop. Most things are free unless you buy food to feed birds and sting rays which is only a few dollars.

Attractive at first glance but seeing some animals and raptors inside the small cage made me uncomfortable. I stood by the cage of two raptors that were placed inside the small cage. I saw hawk flying above us and raptors were very responsive to hawk. I can tell that they wished they could rock the sky once again. I just left feeling uncomfortable with the fact that the quality of life isn't really there for them. I prefer to enjoy animals in the wild. I saw some animals depressed and it is just not right. A lot of families bring kids to look at quite lonely and depressed animals - sad reality. Nature and location is not bad but the small cages dedicated to animals is a joke.

Great zoo. Animals are well cared for and it s not impossible to see them. The layout isn t exhausting. They have a good variety of animals and even a petting zoo. We always have loads of fun there. I just wish it were open later.

Great local zoo with lots of animals. Train ride, pony rides, merry go round, feeding birds. Great time for all

Such a beautifully maintained zoo! We love coming to this zoo as an alternative to the crowded and expensive Bronx Zoo. It is much smaller, but a very enjoyable experience!

I really like this zoo my son loved this place!! But it s too far from the station so i don t know im gonna come here again or not

It was pretty dope. I surprised my wife, driving 1hr and 45 mins, and she wanted to take home all the monkeys and goats, lol. Feeding the giraffe's were great, just wished it was a longer exp. You give them a Roman lettuce leaf then the staff kinda urge you to keep walking seconds later.

Been going to this zoo since I can remember. It has made lasting memories for me and my brother.

The kiddies went here for a field trip and had a blast! Loved the mini train ride, did that a bunch of times. they enjoyed the playground and looking at the different animals. Very clean and well maintained facilities. The lids loved climbing the animal sculptures and enjoyed the roaming peacock.

Park in the tower so that your car stays cool in the summer heat. It's free anyway!

Cheers!

Great place for kids! Interesting exhibits. Lion, giraffes & free train ride

Lovely family zoo, not too big with so many beautiful animals. It is kids favorite place for sure

Lovely place. A lot of amazing animals and fun for children.

My family goes here several times a year very clean and affordable
Food is also good and well prepared

Nice sized zoo that's very clean and has free parking. This has become our favorite zoo in the tri-state area. Some of the new additions are really great. My son can spend all day at the petting zoo and the train is always really welcome to cap off the day. The staff is great and you can tell that there is a lot for care to the park itself.

We come to Turtle Back Zoo every Father's Day but we use a season pass all year. The kids love it. You can spend the better part of a day here or just an hour or two. Lots of fun and education for the kids.

Nice zoo, enjoyed it with the misses and it was a great time. Loved the parakeet room thing, was really cool. Still feel a bit bad because it's a zoo but kids love this place

So many different animals and the zoo space has become much more open in the past few years. Good day trip

TBZ is a must if you have kids in northern Jersey . All types of animals and educational attractions. The best thing is you can bring your own food and drinks + they sell alcohol!! :). Totally worth the price of admission only 30 min away from the metro area. My daughter loved the bird feeding and the Giraffe feeding. We've already visited 6+ times this year and this is like best plan B place if you have nothing special for the weekend and your kids wanna get out of the house.

I go once every couple years and it's always been a great zoo. Its gotten even better throughout the years. I think the African adventure is new since my last visit and that's now my favorite section. Definitely worth checking out. I also took my daughter to the Regatta park after this (5 minute drive around the lake) and that's always fun. Huge playground and paddle boats

We really enjoyed... Small place to roam with family.. Half a day time pass. We really liked it..

I love to see the animals, buy it has changed so much.

Perfect place to go with kids, they love it there. The miniature train espacialy.

Wonderful Zoo and park. Great value and free parking

Great family experience for all ages. New exhibits and constant improvement

Cannot say enough good things about Turtleback Zoo. Over the years this zoo has expanded and evolved into one of the best values for a family friendly attraction in our entire state. The kids love it, and since they add a little every off-season, it never gets old. Price is reasonable, animals all appear to be very well cared for, and some of them are stunning. Highlights for our family include the Wolves, the Andean Condors, the Bald Eagles, the Giraffes, and the Jaguar.

Need more benches throughout.
More parking close or have the shuttle has to witk

Nice little zoo. Increased the admission fees considerably since last 2 years. Free parking.

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

Great place to take the children, very affordable, and free parking.

Great place. Had lots of bees around the trash cans.

Excellent zoo and surrounding area with lots to do. A family favorite!

Always amazing for the kids .cheap for all that you get worth getting season pass

Nice place for kids and adults. Will come back next year In'sha'Allah (God willingly).

Beautiful zoo in a beautifully redone area. Always adding new exhibits

I liked the new part of the park - African animals. Well done! Keep it up!

The zoo itself is cute. parking onsite, and wheelchair accessible. You can bring your own food and there are benches to sit and eat. There's also a cafe if you want to buy lunch there. It's a smaller zoo, so you can do it in a couple of hours with kids. Check the website online beforehand if you're interested in feeding times for the animals. Make sure you do the rope course, it's a lot of fun. However, if you're going to do the rope course, it's better to go online and reserve your time slot, as it can get pretty busy. Wear sneakers and comfy clothes.

Turtle back zoo is a very nice zoo. Visited during Christmas and they had a decorated the zoo with Christmas lights. It was great and I can't wait to go back when the weather gets warmer

Amazing.. Come when it's overcast and a bit cooler like 70... All animals will be out... Is super hot today so most are in hiding but still a great time

Such a wonder place to visit with kids with just 20 mins drive from Jersey City. Zoo is small and clean but with a complete package for kids to watch animals, pony ride, train ride, giraffe feeding, bird feeding etc. Our boy is 2.5 yrs old and he completely loved the place. Have been to bigger zoo before but this one was more enjoyed as could be covered fully in 3 to 4 hrs rather than full day affair with baby/ kid sleeping in stroller for half of it.

Wonderful Zoo, for watching and touching some animals. Not a big fan before but much nicer for animals now, not natural, but natures rough also. Train rides and climbing treetops area

Some of the cages were empty but its a nice place to visit with your kids...

Very reasonable priced free parking and plenty of beautiful animals

I used to love going to Turtle Back Zoo and was excited to take my son for his first birthday. However, when we got there yesterday we quickly realized they have a HORRIBLE BEE INFESTATION! Bees were everywhere and it was not enjoyable at all. My son actually ended up getting stung on his leg and when I was asking for first aid to help they told me they don t have first aid available.

A very pleasant zoo to visit. Free parking. However, my only real disappointment, was the zoo not having a single turtle.

Love this place... my son always has an amazing time. Their winter lights display is terrific and admission to it is free... excellent

I drive by there all the time and I used to say to myself how small it look from outside but I was surprised when I went in today how big it is and how much animal they having their.

Great little zoo with animal diversity and beautiful spaces to hang as a family. Great activities for the whole family and all ages

Good collection of animals, lots of parking, not expensive

Lovely little zoo. Definitely easy to navigate. Only thing I'm upset about is we dropped my son's hat and they don't have a lost and found.

There were a lot of people
so busy

We love taking the kids here! They are always adding something new.

Its an amazing place fun for ur whole family and its cheap

Cute Zoo but I feel the enclosures are just too small. Some of the animals look stressed. My kid loves it and thats why we continue to return but I think they can enlarge or expand some of the enclosures, especially those of the bigger animals.

Good place for spending time with kids. Cafe foods are not that great though.

Visited 2 days ago with my 2yrs old baby but we left soon because there were too much bees around every trash can. Don't want to go back here.

First time back in many years and it's nice to see they have added so much more. Great Place to bring the kids

It's a great zoo, my daughter had a blast. I'm just sorry that they were renovating the sea lion exhibit.

Always cool, always fun, always great time spending

It was amazing . I have'nt been in years I took my grandson and he wants to go again

No parking available, not in the lot or anywhere around it. Drove around for more than an hour and a half and gave up. Zoo may be awesome, I couldn't tell you...

Great zoo! Great variety of animals! Very impressed! Disappointed the petting zoo was closed. Ridiculous covid rules.

Beautiful experience but wished some of the animals showed up for work but it was great no complaints

Went on a class trip with my daughter. It was a lot of fun, but overrun with other schools that had the same idea. Getting out of the bus depot area was somewhat of a disaster, because there were so many other schools trying to leave at the same time. That said, would love to come back with the family soon, especially after the leopards arrive. You can do most of the zoo in a day.

I Always enjoy the zoo. So many nice animals, zoo is very clean, employees are very nice.

What a pleasure. Clean and very well kept, not too large of a facility (perfect for children). Well layed out. The animals are in excellent condition, well manicured and playful. The cafeteria is great with healthy options. Overall if you are a parent or grandparent looking for a fun day at the Zoo look no further. You'll love it as much as we did.

I love this place I spent a quality time with my family

FREE Holiday Light Extravaganza.
There is no fee to enter and there was no fee to park in the lot. They do ask for a donation of non perishable foods, unwrapped new toys, or new or gently used warm winter coats.
PLEASE BRING SOMETHING TO DONATE. No, I do not work for or at the zoo or have any affiliation with it. It is just something kind to do, especially at this time of the year. Yes, I did bring items for donation myself.
It was the second night opened so it was a little crowded. There are not a lot of animals, very few actually, but it is about the lighting of the grounds for the season.
It is a great place to bring kids, plenty of photo opportunities for everyone young and old.
Kids can ride the carousel and there is an indoor food area.
BE SURE TO DRESS WARM, THIS IS OUTSIDE THAT YOU ARE WALKING.

A wonderfull , nice place to bring the family to spend quality time for
All day a long .

Great zoo but a few of the exhibits are down untill the fall