turtle back zoo

I had a great time at The Turtle Back Zoo. The animals all looked well cared for and Happy. I cant wait to bring my grandson. The staff was also very friendly. The Zoo is also very close to The Hilton Short Hills were I was staying. Five Stars, Thanks again for a great time.

We took two of our granddaughters to the zoo, and it was a great experience for all of us! There is sometihng for many age groups, particularly younger children, under 12 years old. The climbing up and down hills is a bit difficult if you are not a good walker. I would expect it could be a physical challenge for some older or unfit people. Wonderful train ride and carousel tops off the day. I'd go during the week, to avoid crowds. I could see this not being enjoyable with many people there, as it isn't that large a place.

We hadn't been to this zoo for several years since our kids grew up and we moved to Central a Jersey. It has been significantly improved with the addition of many exhibits and a train ride. The butterfly exhibit was the highlight.

The best zoo that Essex County Tax payers could buy. If you live in the area is not to be missed. Check out the zip line and the petting area.

We took the kids for the holiday lights and they had a great time. The animals were pretty active for night time. The zoo is just the right size for little ones. The lights were free but we bought cat food and treats as a donation. The zoo is great no matter the time of year but the lights were pretty cool.

Have visited several times with grandchildren. Convenient, clean but expensive. Disappointed in the lack of enough different animals. Too crowded on weekends.

This zoo has been completely upgraded, expanded and improved since my kids were young. While not the bronx zoo, it makes for a very doable and pleasant afternoon with a younger family...not overwhelming or excessively time consuming to see it all.

I have been living near the turtleback zoo for around 20 years, and every year I have noticed wonderful improvements. It's a perfect zoo to take smaller children to because of its size. I had a wonderful party for my daughter there when she was 4 which she still talks about it 15 years later. I love this zoo, it's clean, animal friendly, and a must go at any age!

Zoo is easy to get to and can be easily seen in a few hours. The zoo is very animal friendly with an emphasis on providing as close to natural habitat as possible. The zoo is also next to the South Mountain reservation, which has wonderful hiking, throughout the 2000 acre preserve, and also the restaurant McLoone's.

Thats a good thing. This local gem is worth the drive for any north jersey family. With a great restaurant on the grounds, as well as mini golf, plan a whole day. I am a grandfather and ask to go every fathers day.

I have 3 ear old daughter who loves animals and this zoo is perfect for her. they have done amazing renovations to this zoo we have the season pass and it s great to just take her whenever even if it is for a few hours. The zoo is not overwhelmingly big like the Bronx zoo. they don't have lions tigers or elephants but they have wolves bears and some local wildlife if you have kids and are in the area you should try it.

We took our 14 month old to the light show this year and he had a blast. He loves meeting life size Mr. Turtle as well as Randolph and Snowman. The lights were throughout the park so it gave us a chance to walk around the entire the zoo. Many areas were lit up so you can see the animals sleeping. The carousal had nice music but we did not go to the long lines. We look forward to visiting next year.

Lovely little zoo - cheap to get in and the animals seem happy ! The cafe isn't great, so worth bringing your own lunch.The train ride is fab - through the forest side... With a toot toot..

If you live or work in NJ then you must go to the Turtleback Zoo. The zoo continues to add exhibits and improve its facilities. We love the penguins, sea lions, and especially the prairie dogs exhibit where you can look them eye to eye as the burrow around their dirt hills. In the summer, they hold talks and demos outside in the round. Love the staff - so helpful and knowledgeable. Can eat there and lots of kids stuff including carousel and train ride.

We waited a long time in traffic just to get in off the street and thankfully us and one other vehicle were waived into the main lot which was great since a family member had 2 knee replacements in recent years. Most cars had to go in the parking garage closer to the road. We donated 5 cans of soup, one for each person. It was a bit busy on this Sat night but it was a clear night and not too cold for late Dec. I noticed more bathrooms around the zoo than I ever saw previously which was nice though I only went in the one by the gift shop and the stingray indoor area. The lights were nice, there are a ton overall but they are very spread out too so it's hard to appreciate what they must go through to do this throughout most of the zoo. We didn't see much animals other than in the barn on top of the hill. It was about an hour for us to get through, including walking in and out. We did not bother with the carousel, train, or hot chocolate but we left very hungry for dinner. You could spend much more time here.