Central Park Zoo
Central Park Zoo
4
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 5:30 PM
About
Oasis of wildlife in downtown Manhattan where visitors can encounter more than 1,400 animals in a variety of habitats, including a tropical rain forest to view rare birds and icy Antarctica to view penguins and other chilly creatures.
Duration: 2-3 hours
Meets animal welfare guidelines
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from
$19.95
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The area
Address
Neighborhood: Central Park
How to get there
- 5th Ave / 59th St • 5 min walk
- Lexington Ave / 63rd St • 8 min walk
Reach out directly
Best nearby
Restaurants
10,000 within 3 miles
Attractions
2,912 within 6 miles
See what travelers are saying
- Amy BBelpre, Ohio185 contributionsWhere are the animals?This is not a true zoo. The animal offerings are very limited. You could easily complete everything within 30 minutes. The bird and red panda exhibits were very well done, but the others were lackluster.Visited March 2024Traveled with familyWritten March 9, 2024
- Amy19 contributionsLovely little ZooAmazing little zoo to see some great animals and unique animals and even some animals in here that big zoo's do not even have. Our favorite was 100% the bears. Definitely pay a visit if you go into central park, It won't take you long to walk around the full zoo but definitely worth a look.Visited January 2024Traveled with familyWritten June 10, 2024
- SASACT59 contributionsSmall zooThe zoo is quite small compared to San Francisco. Animals are confined in small spaces and do not have much freedom of movement. When you enter the hall to see the penguins the smell is incredible. To be improved and expanded since the central park spaces are in abundance.Visited August 2024Traveled with familyWritten August 18, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
3,348 reviews
Excellent
1,062
Very good
1,173
Average
694
Poor
266
Terrible
154
E.L.E
Brno, Czech Republic19,323 contributions
Oct 2023 • Couples
Visited the Zoo in the Central Park. Paid $13 for the limited admission (no kids zoo or movie theater). It’s small, nothing special but worth walking a bit and it’s something to do if walking around the area
Written October 11, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The Trusty Trip Gal!
England, UK244 contributions
Sep 2023 • Couples
Located in Central Park the zoo is a breath of fresh air!
It’s not too expensive to enter I think it was about $13 maybe? There are quite a lot of animals, birds, lizards, penguins and much more to see!
I really enjoyed my afternoon at the zoo! The only downfall for me was I felt that some of the enclosures were too small for quite a few of the animals, especially the bears. Maybe look into expanding the park if possible or try making the enclosures bigger and more homely for them?
But overall the animals were great to see and it’s a lovely little break from the busy city.
It’s not too expensive to enter I think it was about $13 maybe? There are quite a lot of animals, birds, lizards, penguins and much more to see!
I really enjoyed my afternoon at the zoo! The only downfall for me was I felt that some of the enclosures were too small for quite a few of the animals, especially the bears. Maybe look into expanding the park if possible or try making the enclosures bigger and more homely for them?
But overall the animals were great to see and it’s a lovely little break from the busy city.
Written October 11, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
NE2020
Ottawa, Canada41 contributions
Aug 2022 • Family
The zoo is small but a nice break from the hussle and bussle of the city.
We paid the gate price and it was quite affordable and comparable to prices we found previously online.
The animals looked in good health and their habitats were clean.
We paid the gate price and it was quite affordable and comparable to prices we found previously online.
The animals looked in good health and their habitats were clean.
Written August 8, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
GB_UK13
London, UK162 contributions
Oct 2023 • Couples
Absolutely not worth the money. A tiny zoo, hardly saw any animals and the ones we did see looked very sad. We felt ripped off! We wished we had avoided this. Much nicer just walking the length of the park - which we did. We actually preferred the children’s zoo - pretty rubbish but we saw more animals there and that’s saying something!
Written December 17, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
HClaire68
Pulborough, UK196 contributions
Oct 2023 • Couples
I expected more from America in relation to welfare of animals and was shocked by the size of enclosures for these poor inhabitants. The bear and snow leopard enclosures are woefully small and the animals have been clearly affected. A bear was abnormally pacing and showing concerning signs as was a snow leopard who had a ridiculous amount of space to roam. The aviary too was over-populated for its size - in fact there was not one area that I thought provided a suitable habitat for its occupants. Whilst the zoo would argue it’s all in the name of conservation, I was saddened by the environment provided by an organisation that claims to care.
Written October 7, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sue A
1 contribution
Mar 2024 • Family
This was sad. We left very unhappy, wondering why no animal rights group has stepped in to stand up and help these animals - from the window the snow monkey was sitting in by himself in an old outside enclosure in a dark space - creepy, (what era is this area from), the penguins living inside, oh yes another glass enclosure with no outside light or much space to 2 bears in this small outside enclosure, with no real place to hide, just laying around sad and depressed looking, not even moving. Too small enclosures, most animals including sea lions and seals just swimming and pacing back and forth, doing stupid tricks to eat. This is a rich city, what has happened here. These enclosures need to be redone and animals paired, outside maybe for the penguins. This has to be breaking many animal welfare laws, can’t stop thinking sadly about these poor animals in such ugly spaces. Zoos are not great and we know this but at least makes their lives comfortable versus a sideshow attraction in ugly old fashion enclosures no longer fit for 21st century. Please fix this NYC.
Written March 11, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
pamperedPennsylvania
Pennsylvania175 contributions
May 2023 • Couples
I felt sorry for the animals Enclosures depressing and unimaginative. Nothing to stimulate the animals. Not a botanical garden. Sad. I was expecting something like on the tv show zoo Tampa or zoo Chicago.
Written May 27, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Traveller
New York City, NY3,324 contributions
Jan 2022
I walked through the Central Park Zoo in January 2022. The line to get in was very long so I decided not to buy a ticket. I had done several walks in Central Park in December 2021 on the Mall and Bethesda Terrace / Fountain and I wanted to take a different route. I think visiting the Central Park Zoo is more a springtime or summertime activity.
Written January 10, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Auntie-Christy
Canada46 contributions
Jul 2022
To start the snow leopards and red pandas were not on display, but we still had an amazing time! We got to see the bears being fed and the sea lions. We did the zoo in an hour. We had so much fun watching the bears and really enjoyed watching the sea lions being fed. The zoo grounds are nice as well. It was easy to forget that you were in Central Park in the middle of a major city. We bought the limited admission tickets as we didn't care to see the movie, and I found that it was worth it. It would be nice if the zoo let you know the pandas and leopards aren't on display, but we still had a lovely time. I've heard people say they thought the exhibits were too small and I didn't think that at all. The Central Park Zoo really utilizes the space they have amazingly for as small as they our. A definitely must see in my opinion.
Written July 20, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
christopherbO9687MP
Acton, MA748 contributions
Mar 2022
The Central Park Zoo is a nice little urban zoo with a particularly good tropical rainforest pavilion that had the various birds buzzing directly over your head or scurrying past your feet in the open air building. The heat & humidity was a nice change from the cold winter weather outside. There are a few other small animal displays, but a more comprehensive collection of animal displays is available uptown at the main Bronx Zoo. The 4-D movie included with your ticket was also cute.
Written March 4, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Are all of the exhibits ADA accessible? Are there many stairs that would be difficult to navigate for an elderly person or someone using a wheelchair?
Written September 21, 2021
Hi, how much time should we plan to see the zoo? How big is it? Also, are there any playground areas inside for the kids? Thank you.
Written January 17, 2020
Hi there, we took a slow walk around the main Zoo and the petting Zoo. Took us about 4 hours. I don't remember seeing a play area, but there was a cafeteria with seating.
Written January 18, 2020
Can I bring my dog into the zoo?
Written August 31, 2019
No it’s not possible!
Written September 1, 2019
Visiting in Nov/Dec 2019 - what are the opening hours? The website isn’t very helpful
Thanks
Written January 26, 2019
Hello, we went at 3pm and saw everything in the main zoo part, plus the 4D theatre. Our ticket included the childrens zoo, but we didn't go. We loved it, and would not have thought there would have been a zoo in the middle of NY or Central Park. Enjoy
Written January 28, 2019
Hello, I'm from Miami, Fl. I'm planning on visiting the zoo in December, is it comfortable to see the zoo is the cold weather, anyone recommends to do this attraction in the winter, anything below 50 degrees to us is COLD ?
Written November 3, 2018
It will most likely be below 50 deg . There are some indoor exhibits but you will be outside most of the time . There are a lot of indoor fun activities that you can do at other places like museum of natural history especially with kids
Written November 4, 2018
Would it be fun to just ride threw the park site seeing on a party bus?
Written October 31, 2018
Only on foot. Vehicle traffic is not allowed.
Written October 31, 2018
Janediane1
New York City, New York
What’s not included in the general admission ($12) ticket? Is the children zoo included in the general admission?
Written March 27, 2018
Oi Erika, quanto tempo em média dura esta visita? Eu vi que não vendem online os ingressos mais simples que dão acesso apenas ao zoo. Será que tem muita fila para comprar na hora? Vc acha que a parte das vaquinhas e outros animais domésticos é indispensável? Obrigada
Written March 12, 2018
las entradas on line, con que anticipaciĂłn pueden comprarse? Hay que poner una fecha para la visita o sirven para cualquier dĂa?
Written February 21, 2018
Yo compre en ventanilla , no habĂa cola !!! No te sĂ© contestar lo otro , pero en la web del zoolĂłgico debe estar !!!
Written February 22, 2018
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