United States
Maryland (MD)
Rising Sun
Things to Do in Rising Sun
Plumpton Park Zoo
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Plumpton Park Zoo

See all things to do
See all things to do
Plumpton Park Zoo
4
237 reviews
#1 of 8 things to do in Rising Sun
Zoos
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9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
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About
Maryland's favorite family Zoo. Stop by and see Jimmie the Giraffe, or many of the other amazing animals.
Suggested duration
1-2 hours
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
237 reviews
Excellent
126
Very good
71
Average
24
Poor
5
Terrible
11
DocBill100
Media, PA87 contributions
Good small local zoo
Mar 2023 • Family
Small local zoo with good variety. Surprisingly, they have 2 tigers. First time I’ve seen an arctic wolf, or a marsupial with baby in pouch.
Tip: paths are unpaved, wear farm shoes especially if it has rained.
There is a picnic area but I did not see any playground equipment.
Written March 1, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Dawn L
Baltimore, MD1 contribution
Poor Customer Service
Oct 2022
I do like the animals at this zoo. But, I am sorry to say that the management has changed our view of Plumpton Park. I called ahead or our visit to discuss something that involves my daughter's disability, and they were very rude. Out of privacy for my daughter, I will not discuss the details online...for now. The manager told me basically that "she didn't have time to deal with me" and would have someone call me back. I ended up emailing back and forth with one of people who bought the zoo (he says he is not an owner because it is non-profit). While we settled the issue that I had a question about, I was also still upset about how I was treated on the phone. In the end, he told me that they "simply do not believe my account of what happened with his employees." Well, I cannot simply believe his response! All he had to do was to thank me for letting him know, apologize for my experience and tell me that he would speak to his staff. I wouldn't even know if he did it. But, he chose to be rude and accuse me of lying. After my concerns with they way they handled the other matter, this was inexcusable to me. We also went to another zoo in Thurmont, and it was beautiful and much better run. I love animals and care about the ones at Plumpton Park, but I do think people should be aware of how a zoo, that relies on donations, treats people--especially people with a disability.
Written December 4, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
donnajs716
Newark, DE166 contributions
Family outing
Oct 2022 • Friends
Very nice place for families.I came with my cousin. She enjoys zoos. Animals are well cared for .Would come back . Every peaceful place to walk around. Few small hills but not a bad walk
Written October 7, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Scott B
West Chester, PA36 contributions
Brew at the zoo
Sep 2022
My wife and I attended the Brew at the zoo. We had an excellent time and the animals seemed very cared for and there were areas that were being updated or built upon which were good to see. Walking around the zoo almost by ourselves at times was really cool and almost felt like we were the only people there. We had 2 complaints and both were related to the catering. One is it was a little misleading saying Woody's carb house would be catering when there was no seafood ( Not even peel and eat shrimp) The Mains were pulled pork and chicken ( The chicken ran out along with the pasta salad before we had a chance to get our food) The other was beer choices. For example, they had Yuengling, Coors light, and Sam Adams pumpkin. They could have added more varieties of the same Brands for the same prices if not even cheaper. Other than that is was an excellent evening and a great experience
Written September 19, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Dramaminequeen
Hunt Valley, Maryland15 contributions
Beautiful Day at the Zoo
Sep 2022 • Family
I visited the zoo with a friend and her 1 year old granddaughter. We were surprised at how many different animals were there! The property was so clean and well maintained. The animals appeared to be well cared for. There were signs posted to tell you all about them. Some were rescues, which was nice to know.
This was our first trip and we were pleasantly surprised. We didn’t eat there but there was a very nice snack bar with a good selection of things to eat and drink.
We were there on a Friday afternoon on a beautiful day and it was not overcrowded so we enjoyed strolling around at our leisure.
I definitely would recommend a visit. Would be enjoyable for any age. Saw everything from roosters and Koi fish to bears and camels! Many, many animals of all kinds.
Written September 18, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
John T
1 contribution
Wonderful visit. Pleasurable experience overall
Sep 2022 • Family
Animal interaction , staff friendly and beautiful weather! Whole family had a great time . Never a dull moment
Written September 11, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Mark F
Havre de Grace, MD2 contributions
Great Experience For The Entire Family!
Sep 2022
My wife and I went to Plumpton Park for the first time on 9/3/22. We absolutely loved it! All of the animals appeared well taken care of. We loved feeding the donkeys, and goats. The bears, tigers, cougars, wolfs and camels were amazing. We loved it so much that we decided to get an annual membership and make a small donation. In a time when it seems that everything is so expensive and not worth the cost, Plumpton Park Zoo is worth the price of admission and then some.
Written September 4, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Terry T
6 contributions
Extremely cute small zoo!!
Sep 2022 • Family
Great fun for our 9 year old granddaughter and for us. She loved feeding the giraffe, goats, sheep and llamas. The bears and tigers were fascinating to watch. Our favorite was the adorable cute sloth. Extremely cute small zoo. We loved it!
Written September 4, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Kbrat!
1 contribution
Absolute Gem!
Aug 2022 • Solo
If you're looking for an intimate zoo experience without big crowds this is for you! I worked at Plumpton Park Zoo and lived in the old house on the zoo property throughout early 2000's when Ed and his partner were the hands on owners. Through the years Ed's health slowly declined. He loved every single one of the "residents" at the zoo and spent every penny he had ensuring they had everything that they needed. Our admission prices were too low in my opinion but Ed wanted everyone to have the opportunity to enjoy the animals and that there I believed was one of his 1st financial issues.. He had a habit of allowing people in even if they couldn't pay the admission! Bring a non-profit we depended on those admission costs and of course donations. Times got tough and we got tougher! We had an excellent crew at the zoo and we all worked there for the love of the animals. Nobody got rich while employed there, lol! When all was said and done and the new owners were renovating everything I had already moved out of state but couldn't be happier for the remaining residents 🦒🐅🐒🐪🦙🐂🐆🐢🐊🦘🦉🦚🦜🐦 PLEASE visit Plumpton Park Zoo it will not let you down ❤️ Enjoy
Written August 21, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Melissa D
Ephrata, PA12 contributions
Family’s first visit
Aug 2022 • Family
The zoo was nice. The size was just enough. It could have cost a little less. Loved that the sloths were right in the front and I found all the animals were active.
Written August 14, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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Plumpton Park Zoo (Rising Sun) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go

Frequently Asked Questions about Plumpton Park Zoo
Plumpton Park Zoo is open:
  • Sun - Sat 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM