Turtleback Zoo Reviews

That s one of the places that you should visit during summer.
Kids can ride the pony.
They can feed the goats

It's a very nice little zoo. They have fun and interactive exhibits. Since it's on the side of hill, you can expect to get a workout just by walking around. Perfect way to get your kids tired.

Nice zoo. Actually got to see lions and Jaguars. In a lot of the bigger zoo's, the animals are hard to see.

Best zoo in the area. I've been going since I was a child, and am now visiting with my family. They have very nice facilities!

The workers are very friendly it is a great place for kids and family

Great place to spend some time with kids . The exhibits get better each year .

Clean simple hometown zoo with loads to see and do.

Beautiful day and fun zoo! Post more signs of the places to see outside the locations and have more arrows pointing the way there. More petable animals are needed in the petting zoo. Thanks for your nice staff.

Wonderful experience. The animals looked amazing and the Lions looked majestic. Giraffes were beautiful. Prairie dogs were adorable. The place has plenty of bathrooms in all locations directions. The cafeteria was clean and had a good selection of food and snacks. We had a great time.

The new giraffe exhibit is great. Lots to do for the little ones. If the kids get bored looking at the animals there are plenty of other activities such as face painting, or the train ride to mix it up.

We ve been here with my daughter this summer. A couple things were inconvenient like they didn t accept credit card on registration dest and it was too much reconstructions. But in general we loved that place.

Great zoo. Very clean, organized, friendly staff and just a great time all around. I visited recently during covid times and I could not be more happy. They were organized and the place was not overly crowded. I would go back the next day if I could. Priced at $17 per adult which is not cheap but I appreciate that the place is clean, staffed and offers exactly what you would expect from a zoo.

Amazing and big zoo yet the walking is not terrible, they have a lot of different type of animals, and free train ride. Kids loved it

This is such a nice little zoo and the family annual membership is a great deal. With a membership it is so nice to just stop by close to closing when the crowds have left. Weekdays are much less crowded.

Great place, kids love it.. specially the new Giraffe area and train ride along with lake..

All the exhibits were closed to be opened for summer. It was one good day after winter and didn't see any animals except a peacock that escaped. Might be a good place for the summer and for kids above 4yrs

Really well designed especially for kids - the Africa exhibit is the new one but a good walk around the entire zoo is a nice day trip.

Great zoo. Every year there seems to be something new added.
Where else are you going to find penguins in Northern New Jersey?
Smaller children will enjoy the miniature train ride through the woods.
Families can join the zoo for discounts on repeat visits.

Wow they've really fixed up this place. I was very impressed and my family and I had fun. The Flamingo and Penguin exhibits are awesome. I'd highly recommend coming here to a lot of my friends and family.

Can't believe how great this place is. Too my granddaughter daughter. She loved it. She Fed birds. She saw penguins from under the water and got up close to the giraffes. Hidden Jewel in Essex County.

Turtle Back Zoo is great for the children they even have a petting area where the kids and pet the animals.

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

Great experience all around; reasonable entrance fees, clean, and offers a great variety of animals. Highly recommend.

Makes for a FUN AFTERNOON, especially if you enjoy wildlife

Tons of fun. We got there late for the holiday lights but can't beat free. Family had a great time. Crowded but not ridiculous. Recommend for a good time. Lights, animals, hot cocoa! Check it out for good family fun!

Now, a full size, wonderful zoo! Great for kids. You will get a workout with the hills!

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

Great zoo. A little too crowded in these Covid days, but that's not their fault. And very easy parking. I was very pleased with the whole experience.

My great grand daughter birthday party was held there..had a wonderful time..

Zoo is always under construction, other than that it is lovely. Parking is free and the entrance is reasonable. They have touch tanks, pony rides, and during the summer they have a butterfly walkthrough area.

The perfect zoo for toddlers and small children. When someone suggested this zoo as an alternative to the Bronx Zoo, I was skeptical. Now, I'm a big fan. I have to first preface that we are a family of 2 parents, a baby and a 2 year old. The size of this zoo is just right for small children. It's not a walking nightmare. Our little guy walked the entire zoo without getting into the stroller. The number of animal exhibits are reasonable and age appropriate for kids. There are plenty of rest stations and food concessions for frequent stops. And our 2 year old loved the train ride. When it started to rain, we were at the furthest end of the zoo and easily got to the exit and into the parking garage.

Great zoo for day trip with young kids. My toddlers loved the train especially (approx 10min ride). The zoo isn t huge but has more than enough to explore for young kids and worth getting the family annual membership if you come more than once.

Perfect zoo for families.

Although the amazing and monstrous Bronx Zoo is not far away it s just too much of a production.

Enter Turtle Back Zoo. This great zoo is actually very compact but has lots to see. The design of the habitats allow for close viewing of animals. There are plenty of picnic areas to take a break and sit down for a snack. The park is very stroller and wheel chair friendly.

The new Africa exhibit is stunning and beautifully shows off the lions, hyenas, and the elegant giraffes. Furthermore the new flamingos are very serene to observe.

Well worth a visit.

We brought our three year old granddaughter and she loved it.

Too expensive the ticket. There is not a lot of animals.

The turtle back zoo is a lovely little establishment that has a wide variety of exhibits and great walking paths. Be sure to stop by in the evenings in December for the free holiday lights spectacular.
It is free admission with a canned good and a great event to attend with the whole family. One word of advice, bring the smallest stroller you have as it
Can get crowded, and do not expect to see much of the animals During the event.

Great place to go and have fun seeing the animals. Great pice also

Loved the different varieties of Animals, mammals, reptiles birds etc.

Great zoo! The perfect size and amount of animals to keep the kids entertained. There has been additional habitats built in the last couple of years and cannot wait to see what this place will look like in the near future. A must go!

wow i'm a grandmother and I bring all my grandchildren here as often as possible. It is wonderful, safe, educational - I meet a lot of grandparents having outings with their grandchildren - keeps us young. I get the annual pass and include my grandchildren, best deal in NJ.

Some amazing changes at the Turtle Back Zoo since I was young. Can't wait to go again.

I was here for the second time and that is after 3 years, This time I was a little disappointed with the experience as I found multiple displays closed. Did not get to see anything in the reptile section along with farm animals area.
The worst experience was at the Train ride where the conductor was really rude to ignore us a group of 4 adults and 3 kids in the queue by prioritizing 3 families before us. He did not have the Courtesy to even let us know what he was trying to get out of it . Upon asked he apparently tried to bluff . When the train arrived I could clearly see 3 + seats vacant .

It was disgusting and annoying bad we waited unnecessarily with Kids crying to hop onboard .

I really had a very high expectations for this Zoo and the Staff and recommended lot of my friend but was ashamed this time.

Management must take a dig in to such silky and unjust acts which really tarnish the whole image and puts in vain all the good work others are doing .

I will never visit again

Always had fun there with kids one of our favorite places

Turtleback Zoo has become our go to weekend activity with the kids. It's clean, never *too* crowded, well staffed, and the membership is a GREAT deal.

Very small zoo with limited number of animals. The price is decent though.

Place is very nice i was surprised they serve beer and wine now

I love this place was an amazing day for our family.

Great lottle zoo...groupon has discount 2 for 1 tickets..could use more benches thruout the park.but great place otherwise.

It was nice to visit and spend some time outside. A lot of exhibitions were closed, could've been due to electric being out the day befire

Pretty decent zoo. Has plenty of animals to keep the kids happy.

Great animals and an amazing place to go with your family

I've been going here for 54 years. i love it!!!!!!!!

The place has improved dramatically since I was a kid. Highly recommended.

Went for a day with my granddaughter... Was so excited to feed the giraffes

What a wonderful place to bring your children and spend the day A delightful assortment of animals in a clean environment....Ride a pony or try the carousel.....for fun ride the train and then grab lunch...

Had my son's first birthday party there today--what a great day! Staff was super nice and everyone had a lovely time. Great value!

Fun for kids and adults alike. Lots to see especially in the spring and fall.

Probably my favorite zoo thus far. Really great for kids. Very affordable, lots to see and do.

Always a pleasure to visit TBZ! The park is clean and well kept. I would like to personally thank Charlie, the garage guy, for keeping my phone safe when I lost it. A thousand thank you!

Continues to be a great place for all ages, infant to elderly! Keep up the great work.

Awesome zoo. Clean, friendly, a staple if you have a toddler!

I loved it , the children loved it , but I'd suggest if your allergic to bee's be very careful because there's so many bee's, with that being said I must also admit the staff does have the traps hanging around on the tree's to maintain them. I believe you would enjoy your visit and you would be satisfied

Growing up, I visited Turtleback Zoo often and had birthday parties there. When I revisited as an adult, I was overjoyed to see that it was still the same gorgeous zoo I had remembered. It's clean and beautifully maintained. The staff is enthusiastic and friendly, and happy to answer any questions. The enclosures are beautiful and the animals definitely seem to be content. There are very interesting interactive exhibits and live animal feedings that can't be missed!

The timed ticket and signage inside the park were well executed. Felt safe, easy enough to social distance, made it easy to see the animals!

That s one of the places that you should visit during summer.
Kids can ride the pony.
They can feed the goats

The Turtleback zoo is a great place for bringing your kids and viewing animals at a safe distance. They offer a lot of unique experiences such as the stingray exhibit where they allow people to touch them with their bare hands.

We love this zoo. So much to see. Love the train ride too. My fav is the Africa exibit and love to see the bald eagles.

took my class their when it was pre covid and we had a great time; very accomadating

Most of the animals are at sleep most of the times as if they have been drugged

My two and a half years old daughter loved this zoo. It's a big zoo but you can easily cover it in one day! The zoo have a bunch of animals including giraffes, lion, alligator, cougar, snow leopard, monkeys, goats, fishes, reptiles and butterflies. You can feed the goats (50 cents for a small amount) as well as the giraffes (1$ per person). The place is big and clean. You can bring your own food and drinks if you like! Otherwise they do have cafes! Overall a great place to spend a day with your kids/family with toddlers. We will be going back there again.