Things to do / Travel Guide
A port city where sea life is highly-accessible and well-appreciated, New York City is home to some of the greatest zoos in the country, including the world-famous Bronx Zoo. Indeed, there's much great wildlife to see in every borough of the city.
Zoos in the Bronx
If you only have enough time for one zoo in New York City, make it the Bronx Zoo. With over 4,000 animals featured in award-winning and cutting-edge exhibits, visitors are treated to a one-of-a-kind viewing experience. Among the exhibits you'll enjoy are Congo Gorilla Forest, the Himalayan Highlands Habitat, and a 1-acre indoor Asian rainforest. You can also learn about the zoo's special history involving snow leopards and how it played an instrumental role in rehabilitating the American Bison population over the last century. On the cutting edge of natural habitat design, the Bronx Zoo also includes exhibits like Wild Asia, the Aquatic Bird House World of Birds, World of Darkness, and JungleWorld.
Zoos in Manhattan
Even if your trip's itinerary doesn't take you outside the urban jungle of Manhattan, there's still a place for you to go to satisfy your zoo craving. The Central Park Zoo, right in the center of town, is small enough for you to enjoy while darting from activity to activity, and large enough to hold a satisfying collection of animals in naturalistic settings. Your kids might find the zoo to appear somewhat familiar, as it was the “home” of the main characters in Disney's animated hit movie “Madagascar.”
Zoos in Brooklyn
Then there's the borough of Brooklyn and its modern Prospect Park Zoo. Again, you'll find many activities for your kids here, including an inviting barnyard, and the Animals in Our Lives exhibit, which encourages children to observe and draw wildlife.
Brooklyn's Coney Island also has what to offer in terms of sea life. The New York Aquarium has over 8,000 animals for you to see and meet. Watch sea lions perform at the Aquatheater or marvel at the Jellies in the Alien Stingers exhibit. Another exhibit, Discovery Cove, offers kids and adults a chance to touch some of the more fascinating sea creatures.
Zoos in Queens
The Queens Zoo has the feel of a small national park whose perimeter pathway leads visitors to pockets of wild habitats, from the Great Plains to the rocky California coast to a Northeast forest. The Queens Zoo is also the only New York zoo that is home to spectacled bears, endangered natives of the Andes Mountains of South America.
Zoos on Staten Island
Feel like getting away from all the hubbub? You can take a peaceful ferry ride over to Staten Island for a visit to the cozy Staten Island Zoo. First opened in 1936, this was the first zoo in the U.S. specifically founded for the purposes of education. Over the years, the zoo has specifically gained renown for its snake collection, particularly the 32 varieties of rattlesnakes it showcases. There's also a Children's Center, designed like a farmyard, with a focus on hands-on exhibits for kids.
Zoos and Aquariums in Manhattan and New York City
Zoos-Aquariums
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