Turtleback Zoo Reviews

Had lots of fun there. It's not a very big zoo, However a great place to take your kids

Excellent experience. Some animals were not viewable due to the heat, but that's nature for you. Otherwise, the zoo was an excellent experience.

They really upped their game. The enclosures are sizable and visibility is good. Animals don't seem as trapped as it old fashioned zoos. Super crowded on the day we went.

Brought the two toddler grandsons with us. It was perfect for them! Not too large. Had a nice variety of animals.

This park is beautiful. Went with young children and they loved it. It's small enough to do in one day and big enough to spend a day here.

Warning: The parking was confusing. When you enter, drive all the way down the straight path to the main parking deck. This deck will be on your right. I got stuck in a parking loop by going left too soon. Also, the zoo is on a hill so wear walking shoes and comfortable clothes. For a moment (with an overloaded double stroller), it was a zoo-hike. Good shoes. Essential.

The facility is beautiful and clean with lots of diversity in animals and attractions: giraffes, penguins, sting ray touch tank, reptile zone, barnyard petting zoo, prairie dogs, lions, cheetahs, hyenas, bald eagles, wolves... Amazing! We paid the extra $2 for a pony ride and .50 to feed goats. Other things you can pay extra for are a train and a carousel. They are also lenient about food so pack a cooler and sit in one of the many picnic areas for lunch. Also, there was a playground appropriate for young kids. The best part is that there is only one entrance to the playground so easy to monitor. Obviously, we had an amazing time. We will definitely be back!

New and improved if you haven't been there you got to pay them a visit it's not just for kids

A great local spot to take the kids for a day! The kids will love it and you won't hate it, what more can you ask!

Been lots of times. I know its covid and all but so many exhibits were off limits, and gone. I did not see the big tortoises at all, long lines waiting for reptile tank, time limit shoukd be put in for each amount of max people. People were going thru one way the wrong way, obvious not able to read English! Things climbed on that stated do not touch or climb ! To many people especially since if your child is underage you do not need a ticket! With covid shoukd not have been so crowded. Signs need to be posted and security or staff should be walking around to enforce the people and parents that let the kids do whatever they want !

Such a diamond in the rough. Never knew there was a zoo like this in New Jersey. I highly recommend a family day there.

If Disney did a zoo with a few limited species this would be the results. More like a shopping mall with animals. Nice for small children, not a lot of science.

Our family always enjoys going to Turtle Back Zoo. They are always adding new exhibits and remodeling older exhibits. Great place for younger kids!

Great zoo for younger kids. Has a choo choo train playground pony rides carousel and petting zoo. While it doesn't have a huge selection of animals like other zoos they do have lions giraffes penguins kangaroos sea lions etc. Definitely a fun zoo my whole family loved it and it's reasonably priced.

I haven't been to the zoo in many years. I am so very happy and excited about how much it's grown and changed. The focus is clearly on the education and preservation of our animal neighbors. The zip lines and tree top adventure is exciting and exhilarating for any age. My 12 year old daughter says that it is a wonderful place to make happy family memories.

Great place for the kids! Petting / feeding goats is one of my girls favorites. And walking through the bird enclosure is a blast. Great place to spend the day or just a few hours.

The most interactive zoo around! From the folks at the ticket window to the woman selling food for the sting rays they were great. Was there in elementary school, graduated in 82 and drove 2hrs and not disappointed.

Oh mygoodness so many awesome changes!!! Become a member its so worth it!!

Great zoo! Parking is free. Perfect for families with kids. The sea lion show is excellent. The sting rays are super friendly and you can touch them as they swim by. It's lots of fun to feed the mini parrots in the aviary; they fly and hop all around you. The prairie dog exhibit is very creative with little tunnel lookouts you can crawl in. The list goes on. And the size of the zoo is just right! (it doesn't take that long to get from one side to the other, so long as you have a stroller for every kid...)

Get a yearly membership! It's barely more that the cost of going twice, so think of your third, fourth, fifth (etc) trip as free!

Has changed since a few years ago. More people, less exhibits but still fun small day trip with little kids

I love this zoo. It's smaller than the Bronx Zoo, but it has everything that would keep a young toddler/preschooler entertained. The highlight so far for the kids have always been the train ride, but they love getting ice cream at the cafeteria. They have a pony ride for the toddlers and a merry go round as well.

With the addition of the lions, hyenas and giraffes to the exhibit, it feels more like a full fledged zoo.

Great experience, a lot of walking but well worth it. Good area to take kids or just go in. A lot of different animals.

Great experience both times we took our kids. Not too crowded and rides do not have a long wait time.

Great place for kids. Our young boys really enjoyed feeding the goats. The whole zoo can be done in 2-4 hours.

A nice place for children of all ages. I have also been to the carousel for two private events.

Very nice & clean zoo, train ride was lots of fun ,they close at 4 so we couldn't see giraffe that was very disappointing

Though this zoo is on the small side there are plenty of exhibits and events to keep you busy the entire day. The grounds, buildings and enclosures are beautiful and well maintained. We've been taking our family here for 15 years and the improvements they have made to the park keep getting better. The new exhibits are well designed for both humans and animals and the wildlife conservation messaging throughout the park is not just lip service as the management is actively involved in conserving endangered species (like turtles and sea lions).
We love Turtle Back Zoo!

Had a lot of fun with my kids they loved this zoo!!

Definitely recommend. I have kids ages range from 8-14 boy/girl. They all had fun

The zoo is always a good time. It would have been better if everything was open. For instance, the seals where closed. The touch tank was closed. And another thing. How is it that we spent a couple quarters for actual goat feed pellets, and you have the audacity to charge $3.00 for 2 leafs of Romain lettuce, to feed the Giraffes are you serious!!!! That really got me, had to mention that. Besides that we had a good time.

The zoo is amazing, we were there for over three hours and didn't see everything. Every detail is well thought out. This is what a zoo should be, I'll be back for sure. Thank you Turtle Back for a great experience.

Its a nice little zoo, though some of the amenities are pretty dirty - and we were here on a very quiet rainy Saturday so it isn't as if they were so overrun with people, they just didn't clean the restrooms

My friends have been seeking for some place to spend a few hours. I recommended them turtle back zoo since we had visited it last year. And i had very strong reasons why i suggested them to see this zoo.
This zoo has such diversity of animals as well as birds. My friends couldnt have been happier after experiencing this place.
They have animal feeding, bird feeding activity, farm animals, animal safari, pony ride a saperate playground, carousel and what not.
Additionally, there s a boat ride too however thats located at a saperated area.
We were lucky enough to see albino wolf which we never thought of having experience of.
Besides all this, theres tree top activities too but thats for some older kids. Our kids were too young for that activity.
My daughter was so amazed to see the peacock flaunting its feathers and dancing for atleast half n hour.
Their cafeteria is good, organized and tidy. Face painting is available for the kids which is great.
So we spent around 4-5 hours and totally worth it. We came back only after the zoo was closed entirely.

A great local zoo. Be sure to check out the penguin exhibit if it a hot day. The aviary is a must and please but the food sticks to truly enjoy the experience.

Turtle Back Zoo has come a long way in the last few years. Now including lions and giraffes in addition to touch tank, petting zoo, pony rides and the fun train ride. Not too large so you can cover most of the zoo without getting awfully tired. A carousel is also available. Enjoy a wholesome family fun day at the zoo! PS, also close to the zoo, you have play area, mini golf, boating and an obstacle course in the tree tops.

The price is reasonable. My only complaint is that they had several vending machines throughout the zoo but the drinks inside were hot.

I loved seeing all the animals especially the red pandas. I'm hoping to come back to see the butterfly's and foxes since I didn't get a chance since the zoo was starting to close.

Beautiful zoo and had so much fun on the treetop adventure!

You pay at the gate and still have to pay for alot of stuff inside

Not too crowded anymore, it feels safer these days bringing my kids there.

Love the animals, kids had an awesome time. Love the Aviary birds fly all around you

Awesome zoo for the area. We get memberships there and sometimes take the kids for just a few hours. Hills make it a good exercise for walking. They will also have lions in 2017. Kids love to ride the train and pet the sting rays.

Totally worth the drive and adorable for the little ones. Merry-go-round & pony rides are just a few highlights.

One of the best places to take the kids year around.

The facility was very clean and the staff was professional and friendly. Currently the leopard exhibit is closed and parts of the park is being upgraded. My family enjoyed our visit and will return again. I wish there was an option to purchase tickets on a mobile app for speedy access to the facility...the spray stations along the path were welcomed during the hottest part of the day.

Redid the entrance and the flamingo exhibit was very nice

Fun for kids and families. Lots of cute photo ops available. The food court is easy to maneuver but get filled quickly.

Fabulous! The Holiday Lights Spectacular is fantastic

Friendly staff here. What a fun day! Holiday light show is great too!

Very nice didnt think it would be that big. Shuttle bus from additional parking if parking is full. Free parking on weekends. Good variety of animals.

I used to go here all the time when I was little but it's gotten a bit worse recently

Nice place to go if you have nothing to do. They take of veterans so I appreciate it

Very clean. Took my daughter trick or treating for halloween and she loved it. Nice family friendly place with many different exhibits and opportunities to see animals up close

Nice place to take the kids. Enjoyed the upgrades they made. Got on the train and they should really update that because it felt a lil uncomfortable but everything else was pretty cool

Most of the animals aren t in the exhibits and the ones that are in the exhibits are sleeping. Can t pet any animals in the petting zoo def not worth a full ticket price

I loved going here when I was a 3. We used to be able to ride on the backs of the tortoises. Not anymore but it's a great memory from childhood. Admission is free I believe, but Google it first. Some events are free like the Christmas light display there. The zoo has grown very much since I was a kid. It's much nicer and the animals are in much nicer containment areas. There is a cafeteria like restaurant there. Prices I'm not sure about because we didn't eat there. There is a gift shop. In the winter there aren't many animals out. But there are some. If you walk by the giraffe building you can see the giraffes from about half way up their necks and if you go now you can see the baby giraffes. It's a really nice zoo.

It's a huge Place very nice. Much different from how it used to be when I was a child. The only thing is you didn't really see any animals there was one animal to an enclosure and it was like you were just walking around and not getting to see every animal. For the money you're paying to go in to a zoo you want to see animals. The giraffes with the best part. And lunch was nice since they have a restaurant there inside the zoo and the merry-go-round was cute.

The kids loved feeding the giraffes and seeing the penguins! The zoo was very well kept.

The Zoo was very nice..2 suggestions 1. Paper maps for people to know where every exhibit are as older people tire. 2
On the backs of the exhibits a plaque with name of animal.

I went there already a lot of times with my kids they always ask on the way when are we going back we love it it's always great for a good refreshment for the kids and they have supper for the kids also

Local favorite. Great family destination for kids of all ages right in our backyard. Mcloons boathouse, paddle boats and mini golf within walking distance.

Kids had a blast and the Wolves were howling. Loved it

Had a great time today. Loved the new giraffe exhibit, and nice touch that the train stops for a bit to see them.

Great value and a day out with the family. They have been adding some exhibits the past few yrs. Still worth it if you like to see animals

I really enjoyed the Turtle Back Zoo. Brought my 5 year old son. He was very impressed, especially with the Monkeys and Train ride. Great way to spend the day.

Beautiful zoo. Ultra clean. The expansion is amazing. Great place to bring the family!

Very horrible most animals weren t on site. Do not recommend it at all!

Beautiful zoo. Love the changes they continue to make. Always an enjoyable experience

Such a sweet afternoon outing with visiting family and kids (ages 4-11). Was fun for everyone even though it was considered a busy day that day, it wasn t too cramped. Great entry prices (ended up getting a membership which includes free parking for the year)

Great on a not so busy day. Still fun but crowds can get nasty.

Wasn t thrilled with the Zoo there s construction going on and for the Taxes we pay they can do a lot better.

Fun place to take the kids. If you have young ones consider bringing a carriage for them as its alot of walking and hills

So far the best zoo for toddlers i've seen near NYC

It was nice , kept clean, staff looked a bit sad but who would want to work during convid. Oh and alot of beeeesss.