Turtleback Zoo Reviews

Cute little zoo ..don't forget the mini train ride..it's free

Reqt environment doe Animals. Animals there are awesome and onloved the layout of the grounds

Thiiiiissssssssssssssssssssssss placeeeeeeee isssssssssssss love

Amazing place to take your kids or just walk around. Touch tank is being renovated but that would've been awesome. Still a GREAT time!!

Handled well during covid , my kids love this place

Absolutely love this place!!! We visited over the summer with my children's Aunt who was visiting from out of town and had a fantastic day. There is certainly A LOT to see so if you want to see it all I suggest getting there early. My kids LOVED feeding the giraffes and playing with the playful little penguin that follows your hand movements from behind the glass in the water. I'm hoping they have their Christmas event again this year. We were unable to make it last year but we're hoping to make it this Christmas, I hear it's beautiful.

Not crowded! Clean! Able to see the animals up close, very good experience.

I hadn't been to Turtle Back Zoo since the early 80s. Wow! What a change! Visited while family members were in the area and my wife and I were not expecting much from a "kids zoo". We were pleasantly surprised! Animal selection was vast and very educational. Kept both the kids and adults entertained. Don't forget to ask about the military discount.

Just keeps getting better. The turtle back zoo had been an trip for me since childhood and now when I take my child it is less and bounds beyond where it once was. The animals and environments are amazing the facilities are spotless and the price is fair

Animals and exhibits are great.
But the toilets are dirty or not functional, I couldn't find one bathroom with a hand soap or paypertowels.

This place is great for everyone! On a day off this would be a good place to visit. It is very crowded. I recommend that you bring water.

Clean and safe. Got here at 10 for the park opening, saw all animals, done in hour and half. Kids loved it

The animals were very active which made the zoo so much more fun for the kids. The prices for food are not outrageous.

We love turtleback zoo. Very well maintained exhibits and lot of fun things for kids like carousels, pony rides, feeding, face painting ( in summer) and kids favourites... , the zoo train rides. Over all its a very good place..

Great zoo with many upgrades over the years. My children have enjoyed the zoo for many years and never get tired of it. Facility and staff are outstanding.

Great zoo. Expanding every year with large exhibits such as lions and giraffes. Won't find that anywhere else in Jersey. Hop on the free train, and pay just $2 for a carousel ride.

Very clean just way too many bees they need to control that.

One of the best zoos out there. Clean, well stocked with plenty of exhibits and a great staff.

We're fortunate enough to live close to the zoo which is great because our kids love going here. We've been taking them for the past 10 years and they always ask to go back. They keep investing in the facilities so there's always new attractions. Right now they're working on a section for lions thats expected to open next year. We're looking forward to heading back again next year.

Good and free parking. Family oriented outing with no gate fee. Amusement park and zoo theme right here in the city.

Awesome awesome place, amazing species that you can se in full greatness and color very close. The entrance fee is very affordable and the staff is very friendly. Can't think of a better place tobspend a day with your child!

Had a great time. Was a little too hot so some of the animals were not out but it was a great experience. WEAR SNEAKERS!!! :)

Awesome place to visit with kids, area to eat, picnic area, you can reserve a area for birthdays. They have food court, or you can you order from local pizza to deliver there four groups The Admission price is ok, but some activity prices are expensive

Lots of fun for the whole family!
Nice variety of animals.
...
The touch tank for the stingrays is awesome.
...
Love the LIONS & HYENAS.
...
The giraffes are cool
... But
WHY can't visitors FEED the GIRAFFES??
&
NO NEED to charge $2
for 1/5 of a stick of BIRD FEED
in the aviary.
(should be AT LEAST 1/2 STICK for $2)
...
The Food is AWFUL
(& way overpriced).
Bring a sandwich & leave it in a cooler in the car!)

Not a huge place, but very cozy. It was busy on Sat in warm clear September day, but enough space for all. We loved the free (well included) train ride, week later out toddler keep talking about it. The animals afe great, the stuff is nice. We did pony ride for extra $2 and for a few times fed jerafs for extra $3. Amazing, we wil l be back.

Went today. Way way too many people on top of each. Large groups of people piled together and we had trouble getting to see each animal. NEVER AGAIN!!!!

Wide variety of animals to look at as well as opportunities to pet and feed them. Big cats, farm animals, insects and birds, plenty of things to entertain the young ones. The zoo also offers jungle gyms, ziplines, train rides and educational classes. Parking is free and the zoo staff are very kind. One downside is the very tricksy and confusing layout, as well as the small paths that aren't designed for heavy foot traffic. There is a lot of walking involved, so bring sneakers.

The zoo is big but they only have one or two sleeping animals of a kind not very interesting it was just the exercise for me I would not come back

Amazing staff and amazing animals and im the 7 thousandths review

Better everytime we go. Even in the rain we have a great time seeing the animals talking to the zookeepers and walking around. The zoo is a real gem for Essex County.

Great local zoo with just about everything you may want to see!

The animals were fun to look at. Its nice they had water spray areas since it was pretty hot. And with masks on makes it even hotter.

Good place only for older kids. Lots of dirt, steep hills and garbage

The Halloween event they have is amazing. With all the tall walkers dressed up and mad scientists shows and animals are out it was just the best experience for little ones. Cant forget all of the candy stations through out the park! First time attending this event and I will continue to go ! Loved it , make sure to go next year! And also come early so you can see more and gather lots of candy

Great for young and old,remember to bring a donation of dry food for the food truck

Very underwhelming and very weird to see animals siting alone animals that roam in groups in the wild .alot of the exibits were closed or under construction.

I went there as a child and man has this place grown and had many new exhibits along with interactive fun. Such as feeding birds...

We have been taking grandchildren to this zoo for thirteen years. It keeps getting better and better! Such good habitats for animals, very educational and so well-planned in every respect from parking to pathways. Such an asset for the county.

Great place
Great day

Great place absolutely loved it seeing the animals was so beautiful had a chance to see some lions swim! It s kind of small for those big animals though

My 3.5 year old loved it! It's a large zoo with Lots to see. We has some lines for experiences but nothing so long that he got too bored (Thursday afternoon, 2021 March).
Pandemic: No snacks, couldn't find a place toget drinks, outside of the restaurant. Couldn't pet at the petting zoo. Touch Tank was open but we didn't try that one. Would definitely go back.

excellent zoo for a random casual day trip. best for small kids and toddlers. many playareas, many event and programs. neat zoo. exhibits were clean and wonderful! never imagined that your local zoo will be this good! a must see often place if you live nearby.

Great place to take the kids just about any time of year. You can actually see a good 90 percent of the animals in the exhibits. They have a bit of a big problem in the hotter months (lots of wasps). And the parking situation can be a bit daunting, you have to be very patient in the parking deck.

Good place for all ages. There are some construction going on for some of their exhibits right now, but there are still plenty to see. Very clean and parking deck is right in front of the zoo main entrance.

Nice place to spend time with the family and friends meeds a little update with the animals exhibition but great place and prices are good

My family loves the Turtleback Zoo so much we got a year membership!

Very beautiful Zoo! They have a lot of animals in their nature surrounding. We cannot find some of them, maybe they were hiding, but we saw a lot of them also. Highly recommend to visit a place with parrots inside. They are free range so you can feed them, play with them and enjoying them around you) that s really nice!

Very stroller friendly. We had a fun day with the kids!

Nice zoo.
I'll go back.

Wonderful place. Not every exhibit open but more than could have asked for during covid time. Felt safe and secure and everyone wore a mask.

We had a blast great social distancing activity they also check temperatures before admission to zoo making us feel safer with the extra precautions.

Love the bird area, they fly all around you.... so cute!

I haven't been there since I was a kid, I was a little disappointed they didn't have as many animals as I would have liked to seen, and I think the lions didn't have enough room to roam. It was clean and the staff was pleasantly nice and informed. My wife and I were the only ones that were there without children, it was still a good way to spend the day.

Great set up and great creatures. Have to return to see the giraffes and a few others

I love this place. it s very huge and it s not very expensive. $12 per person, and it is very clean

So many things to look at when coming to this zoo. has a touch tank, reptiles and different types of wild life. The shops are pretty expensive but the food is average prices for what you get

Great Zoo, always updating exhibits and expanding. The park next door is great too. Awesome spot to spend a day. I go with my daughter twice a week in the summer!

Great family fun and you can always learn something new

We went on Sunday of the Thanksgiving weekend with our 22m old son. The entire zoo took about 2.5 hours from start to finish. There were a few animals missing - they'd been removed from the enclosure but at the same time, there was more than enough entertainment for my 22m old. He enjoyed petting the sting rays and watching the sea lions play in the water. We didn't go on the train as the line for it was massive and also Covid-19. Overall, we enjoyed our day and was completely worth the the $34 we paid for the 2 adults. Kids under 2 are free.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, there are several exhibits that are unavailable, and they take safety precautions seriously. However, there's still a fair amount of things to see and it was rather enjoyable!

Can get crowed but really nice place best to get there early

Great zoo! You ll definitely get through the entire zoo within two or three hours giving each attraction a good amount of attention. I love petting the goats and they do have the option to feed them in a coin operated food dispenser machine. I ve noticed that they added a sea turtle section within the building with the shark touch tank. They are also under construction for two new attractions. Can t wait to see what that will be. The number of peacocks that roam free have decreased. To name them they have prettier dogs, condors , bald eagle, lynx cat porcupine goats horses chickens pig, bull, Buffalo, leopard, sloth, snakes and a few more interesting animals, don t forget to visit the reptile building and they do have the African safari I believe with giraffes and and a few other animals . The restrooms were also clean :) parking is free even with the parking garage complex :) :)

Great little zoo for the kids. Do not go on a weekend, unless you want to be miserable in a packed zoo...

Kids always have a great time. The zoo has a big zoo feel on a smaller level so the kids can see everything in one shot.

Awesome place! Tons of exhibits and beautiful set up. Awesome for kids. Lots of attractions and reasonably priced!

Was a good venture.....although the heat was crazy hot

Such a great place and beautiful Christmas light display!!

Great place. Wish the staff would enforce wearing masks. Overall good time

The new giraffe exhibit is my favorite, and it's great to see the zoo expanding year after year. A spacious cafeteria with outdoor seating (serves wine and beer on the top floor), carousel and dinosaur playground are terrific. Even when it gets really hot, there's shady areas and indoor exhibits to visit, for cooling down. Outside food and drinks are allowed (there's seating near the gibbons and covered seating towards the middle/back of the zoo), which is a plus.

The one year family pass for around $90 is a good deal.

The best zoo in new jersey. The animals are up close and the zoo is always expanding. Get the annual family pass and it will pay for itself in 3 visits.

The size of the zoo and the price of admission in my opinion makes it perfect for families with small children

What I like about the zoo is that in the zoo you treat animals a nice way and I like seeing animals being treated nice, and I like the penguins, birds, stingrays, and sea lions.

Beautiful grounds featuring many animal exhibits including birds & reptiles

Fun place for all ages. Went with 11 adults and we enjoyed it. The hills weren't easy to climb, but still fun.

Love the zoo...went to the Christmas lights show...beyond words...take our grandchildren and they love it no matter how many times we go..bought a grandparent/grandchild yearly pass. Always improving the zoo...don't miss it

Very clean, great for familes and small children. We really enjoyed this zoo

Great for younger children. My preschool class loved it!!

LOVE. THIS. ZOO. It's incredible. Love the layout and the variety of animals. Feels like a theme park! Also...go for the x-mas light walkthrough. It was amazing and my wife and I had a great time even in below freezing temps!

Great place to spend the day with the little ones. We take our Summer Camp kids there every year.

Good short trip with kids. You can cover it within 3 hours and then can enjoy lake outside the zoo.

A fun place to spend the afternoon with kids. There are play areas spread throughout the zoo; large, open observation areas; and lots of great exhibits. The staff do a great job of making themselves available to answer questions and provide facts. Just small enough to manage in a morning or afternoon without being overwhelmed. The zoo also provides wildlife rescue and rehab facilities, so there are even more learning opportunities.

a good outting for the kids to see some basic animals.

A fun day at the zoo for young and old.constant up grading inclosers. Animals aways seem contented.