Perfect for toddlers and kids. Unlike the bigger zoo's, 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!
Nice place and family friendly. Seasonal themes make it even more fun.
There were areas designated to the continent and there animals. There was also a building where you could pet the sting Ray's and small sharks. Overall, Amazing zoo, I will probably come back soon.
This zoo is nice.. it was my and my daughters first time going. definitely worth checking out. We both had a very nice time. Theres also things you can do inside the zoo... feeding the giraffes, carousel ride, train ride, and more.. Worth the 1.5 hour drive!
Fun but the animals look extremely drugged up. They are not lively anymore.
Excellent zoo and beautifully landscaped! New Jersey should be proud!
Gorgeous zoo! Tons of animals, train rides..... animal hospital..... feeding the animals....pony rides....great family fun and very well priced!
I think this is a very good zoo if you have little ones.
I went yesterday at 12pm and it was crowded, there was no one walking around to ensure that masks were worn so naturally there were ppl with their masks down to their chins in the exhibits. Guests did not respect social distance guidelines. And there are a swarm of bees at every garbage bin.
My hands down most favorite place. It just all around great. It a must for kids and adults. Great for dates
Great fun. Not overly crowded and plenty of knowledgeable staff on hand.
Had a great experience with our three year old grandkid. Very accessible, family friendly and well maintained exhibits.
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.
Love Turtle Back Zoo! We recently bought the membership because we love it so much. It's small enough to get through in a shorter amount of time so it's perfect for our toddler. They have timed slots which made us feel very comfortable in terms of smaller crowds and maintaining social distancing. The train ride is a huge hit with the little ones too! Would definitely recommend a visit to anyone looking for a fun day trip!
I took my girlfriend to a Christmas themed light show here in December and it was very beautiful.
Fantastic little zoo. Came here as a kid, now I bring my kids. They have done a great job expanding and keeping the place clean and modern, while at the same time maintaining the nostalgia of the old stuff like the prairie dog exhibit and carousel. Very reasonably priced and not too crowded.
Very stroller friendly. We had a fun day with the kids!
My daughter loves it too much.Tickets are not too expensive.
Especially enjoy the treetop adventure courses and ziplining. Everyone is friendly to boot.
Wonderful place to walk, relax and enjoy our natural world
Lots of animals to see. The railroad is a great attraction and the zoo itself is very nicely laid out, I would definitely take my kids there again!
Great experience. It would have been nice if all of the animals were out.
Took my twin 5 year old girl granddaughters & 3 year boy grandson to the zoo. They had a FABULOUS time there everything was amazingly clean, and the staff was knowledgeable & very friendly. It was a great adventure & the kids couldn't have had more fun if they tried. It was GREAT!!!!! Can't wait to go back!!!!!!
Holiday lights at the Zoo! Great holiday tradition for our family. Essex County does a great job of capturing the holiday spirit!
It was a nice time even though it was hot.. that have a deal going on right now for Essex county residents...for the months of July and August after 2pm on Tuesdays is $3 u just need a state ID to show ....we had fun
We always have a great time there. My girls love the pony rides.
Nice place and family friendly. Seasonal themes make it even more fun.
Great zoo to visit with young kids! The family and I love it there, and admission is priced very well!
Great Zoo. Touched a babi shark. Feed the birds great experience.
Enormous, free parking, cheap tickets, amazing place to spend the day
An excellent zoo, but especially fantastic considering the location is easily accessible from New York and Northern New Jersey. Very family centric and has a tremendous collection of animals. The new giraffe exhibit is an example of their commitment to keeping the zoo modern and fresh.
Great day for family. Bring food and drinks or it will cost you!
I have been going to this place for many, many years and in the last few years it has only been getting better, bigger, cleaner and nicer year after year. Hats off to whom ever is running this place. We are close by and have a family membership which is also convenient.
It's always fun to come walk around for a few hours. Friendly, safe and clean!
Nice zoo in the middle of the city. Good outing with the kids.
Came here to visit from NYC and really loved how things are laid out and organized. Its interactive for the whole family. I loved being able to feed the giraffes; i know my nieces and nephews did too!
This exceptional zoo was a big discovery for our family! We had a great time watching all sorts of animals, big and small: from bugs, snakes, birds to cougars, zebras, kangaroos, giraffes, hyenas and lions. It was fun to feed the goats at contact farm, also we enjoyed oviarium with green parrots: hundreds of birds chirping, flying around, sitting on your shoulders and arms, waiting for you to give them a stick with corn! Toddlers were traveling across the zoo in carts that were offered in the beginning of exposition. The perfect ending of our adventure was riding a mile on childrens train across the wood and by the shore of the beautiful lake, not to mention the gift shop which is located conveniently. In three words - this was great! If only the zoo was closer to Brooklyn - we would be spending every weekend there))))
WOW! I absolutely love animals, especially all kinds of cats (including big cats). Went here with my girlfriend and it was absolutely a blast seeing the animals! You can buy some food for the goats and hand feed them! You can also pet the stingrays! So cute!
Its very tiny, and you can go through the whole zoo in about a few hours, but it's so fun!
Hard to get to. The animals were few and most of the zoo was under construction. The train ride was the highlight, and it was free. The sea turtle rehabilitation facility was interesting to see too. Perhaps is much nicer when it is warmer.
Every time I come its another adventure for our girls!!! Under construction at this moment, cant wait to see all the added attractions.....
Great times at the Turtle Back Zoo! Exhibits are great with great views of the animals.
Been going here since I was in a stroller. Love taking the kids here. Clean, well kept, and just good family fun.
Great local zoo to take the kids to. It can get crowded
A great zoo to take your kids and family to. Lots of exhibits and animals to see and they are constantly expanding it with new attractions. Last year they added the giraffe exhibit and this year they have added the lion exhibit. I believe they do sheep shearing once in awhile but I'm not sure how often they do it.
There is also plenty of parking and the zoo is kept clean.
Always had fun with it when I was younger but now that I understand what zoos actually do... Touch tank is cruel, and they keep building, not new animal enclosures, but new attractions. They should spend money n expanding the poor cougar's space! The poor thing is in a space the size of a bedroom! All the animals were pacing ( a sign of depression and anxiety) Parking is horrible. Pony rides are sad (animals are not supposed to be our slaves) Lastly, the bird feeding is very crowded and dangerous. The birds could get squeezed or crushed by crazy children at any moment. The sticks with seeds on them run out in a minute, as there is only 1/10 of the stick with food on it.
fun zoo. great place for a field trip and totally worth it if you obtain a family package!
Great place to bring the family. Lots to see adult $15 children $12
I love this zoo. So much fun and so little walking. Everything is so close by. Tons of new exhibits. Great fun for the family!
Great place for small kids but would be nice if bigger
We love coming here, the animals all seem really well taken care of and they do fun activities throughput the year
A little pricey I forgot how much I paid but it was not cheap. They do have some amazing animals but not that big of a variety. There is free parking which is a plus. I know that they are expanding which is a good thing. They got strollers parking and wheelchair accessible places. There are places for children to play around. There's a shuttle train two with tours. And there's also the tree climbing experience where there are ropes and hardness attach so that you can explore from tree level.
They don't have a lot of animals and most of the animals still babies
Love this zoo. Always improving with new exhibits every time we visit.
Adequate zoo, but not a lot to see. Many exhibits empty or only one or two animals. Bathrooms were very dirty and most stalls without toilet paper.
Love it! Perfect size and atmosphere for young children. Very clean. Staff is very friendly. Nice that train rides is included in admission and other extra attractions (like pony ride and feeding giraffes) is super affordable ($2-$3).
Small but excellent zoo especially for little kids. The layout is a little confusing at first but you can spend one hour or three hours there it will still be fun and you'll still see a great variety of animals.
They put more money into the exhibits and none into the bathrooms and concessions. The bathrooms are nasty and the hand driers are weak and spread germs around. Many of the hand sanitizing stations were empty. Love the animals and exhibits but the upkeep is bad.
This is a nice little zoo! I think that Essex County New Jersey and PANYNJ do a great job maintaning this place. They always have concerts there and the zoo is a part of the South Mountain reservation where they also have a huge playground for the kids. The mini-train is a great experience and the animals are very cute and friendly. There is also a peacock that walks around the premesis and pecks at everyone's feet. That's another cool feature. The only negative is that the zoo is a little on the crowded side, but what would you expect for the NYC area? My little cousin (and me) love this zoo!
Very Nice Zoo! Have been here a few times. The last few years they have been continually improving and adding more exhibits like the African section. Good place to spend a few hours and do some walking around seeing the different animals. They have a cafe here also if you get hungry. Parking is free and admission price isn't bad. Better to visit on a weekday during the summer when it isn't too hot or in the fall or spring in order to avoid the crowds and see the animals a little more active. That goes for pretty much any zoo I suppose.
Huge zoo with an adventure park. And you can go boating too (close during winter)
Beautiful. The African section is awesome! The zoo is neat and all.
Amazing place to enjoy your weekend. Zoo, zip line, obstacles courses are fun. Don't miss the waterfront walk and boating.
Nice but small zoo. The size also seemed to coincide with pretty small enclosures for many of the animals. I think they just opened for the season and everything was not available to see.
They have fixed up this place so beautiful!!! So many cool animals there now.
My one and a half year old had so much fun! The food was really expensive but it was even fun for me.
The Turtle Back Zoo in NJ is a very exciting place to visit. There are amazing exhibits from Giraffes, monkeys & penguins! A must to-do attraction is the train ride. Family fun for all.
This is a fantastic small zoo. Petting the rays is really awesome for children
It was nice, bit of a letdown due to restrictions but that's by no fault of theirs. Only thing is I find it a bit too pricey.
Turtle back Zoo is very nice located in a nice area in West Orange NJ. Even though some areas were closed off for renovations there was still enough to amuse the kids for a few hours, have lunch & a small gauge train ride ! Clean and landscaped nicely! Overall a nice morning & afternoon with the grandchildren!
Love this ever expanding zoo. Was nicely decorated for the holidays. Can get a bit crowded at times.
Great place to take your kids. Admission is not over priced. Parking is free. Place is amazing!
Perfect for kids & families. The zoo is big enough to spend a few hours but not too large you're overwhelmed. They're continuously adding new animals / exhibits.
Absolutely loved this place! Very kid friendly, my son had a great time. Social distancing friendly!
turtlebackzoo.com