Turtleback Zoo Reviews

A wonderful place for kids, they have well collection of birds, reptiles, fishes and other animals too.

Very nice but we missed the alligator they removed that section because it s in construction ..

A great zoo. The exhibits are all nice and the zoo is kept very clean. Food is not too expensive either.

Perfect day for the zoo, all of the animals were out and about with the cool but sunny day. Cannot wait to go again. Even had the opportunity to watch the lab and cheetah companions.

The zoo looks great! New exhibits and new animals like the flamingo!! Also feeding the giraffes was very fun!!

This zoo is amazing. Free parking, great price, beautiful, clean and fun.

The staff is VERY racist... 90 percent of them! But the animals are amazing that's why I gave this zoo a 3... They weren't only racist to me but also to my 2 boys... It's very sad I wish all races would get along and not judge...

I love going to Turtle Back Zoo. Some complaign of the door price being a little high. But i believe is worth every penny. I love all the animals. They constantly add new ones n renovate space. The people who work there n volunteer really love n take great care of all the animals there. They have live shows, stores, even a place where you sit indoors n learn all about amphibians. Owls etc. Is not a petting zoo. This is a place to learn & get informed as they show them & you get to touch and even carry & pet them. But They also have a petting zoo. A Fun train ride that travels through the woods & around this great huge and peaceful Lake. You get to watch the deer and their fawn travel & hide quickly as they hear you comming in your choo choo ride. This train moment is got to be ine of my favorites. The Turtle Back Zoo is huge inside, great for walking around with family n friends.
But I suggest Sneakers or very comfortable shoes and a Water bottle.
I had my daughters Isabella's birthday there a few years back. They made a great Ice Cream Cake with "Bratts girl" picture my daughter wanted it. It was like a " Hand painted Cake" exactly made to her likings. Plus each kid had pizza, hamburgers or hot dos n fries n all the cild beverages they wanted. Olus Cake for dessert.We gave each kid a bag with a diffrent stuff animal.(That i bought else where). As a gift bag. IT turned out great!!! We had it after they went around the zoo. Everone loved it. I cant think of a better place for a birthday. They have a pic- nic area n you can buy food there or bring your own too. The prices for food are not cheap, a bit higher than your Supermarket but they are pretty reasonable. They have great animals & keep adding more. A pair of bear sister's, the wolves are owesome. I love the old Crow that speaks when you come in. The beautiful squirrel monkeys, Bold Eagle, the gorgeous small owls that are old but tiny. The diffrent fish species. Everrything is kept clean, and the people or very kind n friendly. You can adopt pets, n help financially. They do great work with "Birds", Parrots of all types that people end up giving up. Or that pluck their feathers and are mentally unstable or just loose their homes. They take them in, feed, aid & bring back to health. There they have a permanent & stable home. Its definitely a great place to spend the day, walking, viewing the natural sights, checking your animal friends, taking pictures etc. But also following the map to the "Shows" for kids. Another one of my favorite is watching this man, bring this gorgeous Falcon, that he sets loose n flies all around and comes back to him n he later feeds in front of all of us. Oh and right before Thanksgiving every year you can bring your children, grandchildren n friends to pick a free Pumpking of their choice from hundreds or thousands n each take one home free. They also have a day a week, after a certain time that you can bring your children free.
Like I said its an extremely dedicated n great place for all animals n people too. Turtle Back Zoo is much more than a zoo. It has alot to offer and it stands for alot more than just appearances. Which are beautiful too.
Of course they are named n use to be known for their great giant turtles, hundreds of years old walking around. But every few year they add on to their great family of Animal friends.
Everyone shoulg go atleast ONCE, then youll be hooked & your find it hard to just come 1-3 x per year. ITS a wonderful place for kids & people of all ages. But is also great to be a part of it all, if you like. By adopting, helping, and by giving. To one spicific animal or to this owesome place that put their time, labor, heart n love into it. Go n check it out & be sure to bring your loved ones n friends along. Then share your thoughts & experiences with everyone. But most important; Tell everyone which animal or place made you fall in love with Turle Back Zoo???? Enjoy

Treetops adventure course is fun, but exhausting in summer heat.

First time back in 30 years and I was like a kid again. The main exhibits are open and lots of great animals are right there close up to see. A good hours walking to hit the main exhibits with mist stations setup to help you cool off.

We always enjoy coming to see the animals, We have been coming since my oldest was one years old, brought my 13 year old and 9 year old and it was still as much fun as when they were toddlers. They love feeding the farm animals, my oldest could have stayed with the budgies all day. We can't wait till the butterflies are open, we'll definitely be back a few more times this summer.

The zoo is good but if compared to Bronx zoo this one is a little small with less variety of animals presence. But overall fun if you visit in summers.

Turtle Back Zoo is a great zoo that gives you a very good option outside the NYC Zoo's. It's easy to navigate with lots of animals and updated areas to visit. Having said that, I'm giving it 1 star for the HORRENDOUS Bee infestation they have! They are EVERYWHERE, every garbage had a wasp trap that did nothing along with dozens of bees swarming above. There were over 50 trash areas.. My wife is allergic and we have 2 toddlers that we don't know if also allergic. After spending 30 minutes walking *past* exhibits cause of bees chasing us we decided to just leave! It was a total waste of money! I told the staff about this and if they was any way to get a refund or even passes to a different day, say in the winter with no bees, I was told it's all part of the zoo and they can't do anything about it! I guess someone will have to go into shock from a bee sting and go after them before any changes are made.

Be warned, if you don't like bees or allergic to them to steer clear until they resolve this issue. It's a nice zoo but not worth you or your kids life!

Wonderful zoo ! I have not been here since my oldest grandson was 3 ( we had his birthday there ) wonderful improvements. Makes for a wonderful family day !

Great zoo, varied exhibits that change constantly and a huge assortment of animals. Due to COVID 19, there are certain precautions imposed (temperature scans, mandatory masks, etc.). Unfortunately, 30% of the visitors either don't wear their masks properly or don't wear them at all.

4 out of 5 stars since I didn't see one zoo staff enforce the rule (which is to keep us ALL safe). Either hire security to enforce the rules or more staff.

Great place, haven't been here since I was a child. Loved it then and loved it now. My kids had an absolute blast. Fair pricing. Bring comfortable clothes and shoes

For a local zoo, the variety of animals you can see is really incredible. Lions, giraffes, African penguins, and flamingos. The touch tank lets kids get up close with sting rays and bamboo sharks. The train ride is fun for kids under 10. COVID restrictions mean that you must buy tickets in advance and they are times.

Not a huge zoo but perfect size to be able to cover everything in a day.

Loved it. Train ride is pretty nice. The water play area is great too.

This is a beautiful place for go with your kids or alone too it s so nice and clean and all animals are well cared for, the zoo has to many places in construction and that is great because it's going to be even better.
Definitely we will back for other amazing day

Lots to do and see. Layout makes it a fun adventure, kids loved it!

My family love this place and enjoy the cleanliness!

The atmosphere is amazing and the animals are pretty cool too. Both my children love this place

I have membership and it s worthy, my kids love this place we have a lot of fun and we spend our day there learning and discovering new info about
Animals

Good for a Sunday funday with kids. Lately lot of work which keeps part of the zoo empty

Very educational and a full day of fun for the family all in one

Great place to have a wonderful day with the family, the variety of animal is great, is an small zoo with great attractions, my family kids loved it and the adults we amazed with the animal and the care their personal puts into the animals. In Christmas they have the Christmas lights exhibition for free.

Perfect zoo for small children. I plan to bring my son back when he gets a little older

They take good care of their animals and very clean place

Between the spring, summer, and fall, my grandson and I visit the zoo almost weekly. It is always fun and never gets old. Great new exhibits coming this summer!

a nice place to visit with the kids but too many bees they have to find a solution because i ask my 2 kids school why they don't do school trip to this beautiful zoo they just said tooooo many bees not safe for the kids anymore they were too many accidents related tooo bees .

While it's always exciting to go to the zoo and see all of the animals, the enclosure sizes were destitute and depressing, especially for the big cats, and the jaguar in particular was very aggitatedly pacing due to the sheer amount of children screaming and trying to climb the gates to him. I would recommend a capping for each exhibit, and bigger enclosures, because that was, as stated previously, depressing. There is little to no stimulation for them. And the bird exhibit? Multiple children chased, grabbed and almost stepped on those birds. Get rid of that for children because now you're endangering the animals.

Best zoo in New jersy its best if you take your kids on weekdays Because on weekdays its crowded!

fun zoo to take the kids. there are picnic tables to bring food and eat there but you can also purchase food from their cafe. tons of kids brought here for field trips. there are some set times for animal feedings and options for interactive sessions. the staff there are nice and pleasant and seem knowledgeable. even though a group of us didn't pay for the giraffe feeding, the staff members there told us about some cool giraffe facts and answered our questions. another member showed us how wirey the tail of a giraffe is. kids would love this place. adults would learn some things but I feel like it's more of a zoo to bring kids. I wouldn't visit by myself. I don't think it's as appealing to adults to come alone. there's also free parking which is nice.

Great place for everyone! Very spacious and there's tons of seats available if you want to rest.

The zoo itself is clean and looks nice, but the exhibits are dissapointing to say the least.

We were there after hours for a wedding... It was wonderful.

Nice place to take the kids and spend an afternoon looking at the different animals available...The food there isn't the best but it staves off hunger after sightseeing

If you love walking and animals this is the place for you.

Very clean and well-maintained zoo. Sue personal are very friendly and helpful.

Great small zoo with events all year round. Kids love it.

Love going to Turtle Back. It is a small zoo compared to the ones nearby (Bronx and Philadelphia) but it is the perfect size for little kids. They have big animals like Giraffes, Lions, Bison so kids can see those plus some of the animals that are impressive but not as big. The train and carousel help make the zoo experience memorable.

What's not to like about the zoo. It's clean, the animals are well cared for, and they just keep expanding it!!!

Visited during on 30th December. The place was decorated with lights and was free for all to visit with family. There was also a night toy train ride as well. Really appreciated the effort put in by the zoo.

Turtle Back Zoo just keeps getting better. Every year we go there are so many improvements!

Loved the place. Lots of animals to see even though the weather was a bit cold. Most of the people were following social distance guidelines in the open. Trains were cleaned every 2 hours or so. A good experience overall.

Great place for kids however it is very hilly so wear sneakers and minimal clothing if it is hot! All animals expected at a zoo were present with minimal if any empty displays. Guide reassured us Bald Eagles were brought to zoo because they were found with injury and are unable to fly.

Worst zoo ever. For the price I feel I've gotten ripped off. Get set for disappointment cause this place doesn't deliver, alot of walking up and down hill for mediocre exhibits by the way 70% of them are empty and all the animals are sleeping or on medication. Literally the worst and I've been to all the zoos in the tristate area. Save ur money and go somewhere else cause this place SUCKS.

This place has come a long way since the old days. With the additions of the waterfront, mini golf and aerial ropes course, this place is so rad.

I love going to the zoo with my son. Turtle Back has a great petting zoo and friendly staff.

This is a great adventure for the smaller set of children. It is a small zoo, so very manageable for a day trip. The exhibits have kids in mind and much of it is interactive. Clean zoo, nice staff. My kids loved the train ride.

Nice to see the big cats and reptiles. Good fun adventure

Wonderful zoo, and growing! Plus the train ride is free with admission.

Seems ok but not the best zoo. They don t have tigers. Entrance fee is bit on higher side.

Excellent. Great attention by staff. Neat clean and convenient for a toddler.

Good size for small children even 1-2 year olds but not too small or simple to be boring for older people. Friendly employees, nice crowd, snack bar a rip off as usual.

Amazing zoo. Has a train ride for kids, and has some animals that are incredibly interesting

Terrific zoo, but there are always multiple exhibits closed each time we go. Fair warning, there are STEEP HILLS all over, so it's not great for anyone with knee issues. Also, pushing strollers up and down is tough. There's also not much shade so bring sunscreen or be prepared to burn. Birds, butterflies, animal feedings, pony ride, and carousel all cost extra AND only take cash. On top of that, the only ATM is at the front of the park.

Always fun! The new exhibits look great and everything is just spaced out enough. We enjoyed the carousel ride which is only a couple dollars and the train which is free!!

Great zoo! I enjoy going to zoos and this one is ome of the better ones in the tri-state. First, it was well-kept and they had sanitizer everywhere plus checked temperatures and monitored the number of people at exhibits. We came about an hour before they closed so we were kind of rushing and did not get to see everything - keep in mind when planning that exhibits close half hour before close time. Either way, the animals had plenty of space to wander around, they even had toys, and snacks laying about. Will definitely be back here next season!

Oh also they have other activities in the same complex, like zip-lining and stuff for kids!

Great zoo especially for the kids. Nice variety of animals and exhibits. Friendly staff.

In my opinion a way better experience than Bronx Zoo, unless maybe if you live in The Bronx. Getting in and out is easy, the zoo is nice, clean, a pleasant walk through. Great animals and there are usually employees walking around to offer info or advice.

Our 1 year old loves it so much that we got yearly membership. Small but with high variety of animals. Even parents can enjoy it.

Loved it and pretty big... I just wish they had more restrooms around the park

My family and I walked around here a number of times and always loved the wide variety of animals we've seen. The place is fairly clean and we had a great time.

Beautiful landscaping, not to mich animals, lion and bear weren't out, closing early even summer

Small, convenient and fun zoo. Great place to spend time with kids

Lots of fun. Very well kept up and clean. I love pretting the rays and watching the wolves. The whole complex is great.

I enjoyed it with my toddler. Very family friendly & everyone that works their is very pleasing to talk to. The carousel & the butterflies are a must when visiting this zoo

I've never been here before but I read in google that Turtle Back Zoo had a Christmas light show going on from 5pm - 9pm so I decided to check it out today & I enjoyed it.. The animals I got to see some of them bcoz it was already dark but the ones I did see were indoors so I had a great time... Need to visit during the summer & check them out during the day time...

Almost everything is open; the Social distancing is in place and the food is expensive. Best bet is to bring your own sandwiches & snacks.

Nice and clean Zoo ! Especially with good weather !! Beautiful animals but unfortunately only one of a kind sometimes like the bear or the sea lion

Amazing zoo. Better lion exhibit than the bronx zoo.