What to See in Central Park Zoo

Central Park Zoo isn’t the largest zoo in the world. In fact, the entire zoo covers less than 6.5 acres. Regardless, its a popular tourist attraction in New York City, particularly for those visiting with children. As the name suggests, the Zoo can be found within the boundaries of Central Park. Unlike the zoos in many major cities, this one can be comprehensively toured in about an hour, making it a perfect stop on a wider visit to the Park area. I visited the Central Park Zoo on my latest trip to New York and was surprised by the amount of unique species packed into such a small scale attraction. Having gone in without knowing what to expect, I decided I’d give you an overview of the zoo’s exhibits in this post so that you can decide if visiting is something you’re interested in.

• If you’re looking for things to do in New York City, check out my 4 day itinerary HERE.
• Headed to Central Park? Check out my post on all the things to see HERE.

Central Park Zoo – The Basics:

• Where? East 64th Street, New York.
• When? The Zoo is open daily from 10.00am to 5.00pm Mondays to Fridays and until 5.30pm on Saturdays and Sundays. In the winter months (November to March), the Zoo has slightly shorter hours, closing at 4.30pm daily.
• Admission: Admission to the Zoo is $19.95 USD for adults (13 years and over). Children from 3 to 12 get in for $14.95 (kids under 2 are free).
• How to get there: The Zoo is located in the bottom right corner of Central Park, a short walk north from Grand Army Plaza. The closest Subway station to the Zoo is Fifth Avenue – 59th Street (serviced by the N, R and W trains).
• Website: https://centralparkzoo.com/

Tips for Visiting Central Park Zoo

You don’t need to do a whole heap of planning to visit the Central Park Zoo. Owing to the zoo’s small scale, you’ll easily see everything, even if you’ve only got an hour for your visit. As of the time of writing however, you do need to reserve tickets online. You can’t just rock up and buy tickets at the entry booth. Of course, I always recommend buying attraction tickets in advance anyway to avoid waiting in lines.

You can purchase tickets on the Zoo’s official website. Admission to the Zoo is also included as part of the New York Sightseeing Pass (however owing to the Zoo’s current policy, you still need to contact the Zoo in advance with your Pass to reserve an entry time). Either way, once you get in, you can stay at the Zoo for as long as you like. The Sightseeing Pass is particularly worth looking into if you’re doing a ton of tourist attractions in New York as you’ll save money overall.

Regardless of how you get your ticket, I suggest arriving at the Zoo for opening time. The Zoo gets busier as the day goes on and this way you’ll be able to see most of the exhibits without too many people around. Aim to do a comprehensive tour of the zoo for an hour or so and finish up with the sea lion feeding at 11.30am (there’s also other sessions throughout the day).

Exhibits at the Central Park Zoo

The Central Park Zoo contains an impressive array of wildlife, considering its small size. I was surprised to see an assortment of animals from such varied regions on my visit. While there are many animals you won’t see on a trip to the Central Park Zoo, those that you will see are quite memorable. The animals all appear to be well looked after, with the Zoo being operated by the New York Wildlife Conservation Society (the same organisation that maintains the impressive Bronx Zoo).

In addition to the Zoo’s exhibits, kids will enjoy the Tisch Children’s Zoo next door. I haven’t been, but it features a number of domestic and farm animals, including the only cow in Manhattan!

Tropic Zone

The first exhibit I entered on my visit to the Central Park Zoo was the Tropical Zone. This indoor rainforest is an immersive exhibit in which you’ll venture through the various levels of a tropical jungle. Along the way, you’ll come across species that live in these different habitats, starting at the forest floor all the way up to the canopy. One of the standout animals you’ll find here is the Black and White Ruffed Lemur. Perhaps best known for their appearance in Dreamworks’ Madagascar (funnily enough which took its inspiration from Central Park Zoo), these primates are unique to the African island nation and live in complex social structures.

Other species you’ll find roaming about the tropic zone include the banded mongoose, Rodrigues fruit bat, mountain coati and a whole heap of colourfully exotic birds. There’s species representing rainforests from all over the world here.

Temperate Territory

Moving back outside into Temperate Territory, this section of the Zoo transports you to the jungles of Asia. The most popular species on display here is the agile Red Panda. Similar to their much more well known cousin, the Giant Panda, this tree dwelling furry creature lives off a diet of bamboo. You’ll notice their thick, bushy tails, which they use for balance. You’ll also come across a troop of Snow Monkeys. Endemic to Japan, they are known for being the primate species that can live in the coldest climates (fitting for being outdoors in the New York winter – though they do have a heated pool in their habitat!).

Snow Leopards

Technically part of Temperate Territory, but worthy of their own mention are the Zoo’s Snow Leopards. Critically endangered and next to impossible to sight in the wild, these mountain cats are well acclimated to cold temperatures, growing the thickest coat of any big cat on earth. With snow leopard numbers declining due to poaching and environment loss, the Wildlife Conservation Society plays a critical role in protecting their population in countries such as China, Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan and Afghanistan. It was really cool seeing a leopard up close, knowing just how rare of an opportunity it can be.

Grizzly Bears

Moving closer to New York State, the Grizzly Bear enclosure is another popular habitat for guests coming to Central Park Zoo. The bears at the Zoo were orphaned in the wild and relocated into captivity as their habitat grew closer to expanding human settlements. While watching the bears here, you’ll learn how bear encounters with humans in the wild have become more frequent as humans move into their territory and the steps that can be taken to protect the diversity of species on the planet from human impacts.

Polar Circle

Things get colder as you cross into the Polar Circle exhibit. This part of the Zoo covers species that live in the Arctic region through a combined indoor and outdoor exhibit space. You’ll come across harbor seals and other seabirds, but the penguins are the main draw. The Zoo is actually home to four distinct species of penguins – the well known King Penguin, along with the less prominent Macaroni, Tufted and Gentoo Penguins. You’ll learn all about the differences between the species and be able to tell which is which from their distinct physical features.

Sea Lion Pool

When you’re finished taking in all the other exhibits around the perimeter, return to the heart of the Zoo to see its population of California Sea Lions splashing about. You can see them both above and under the water in their enclosure that stands in the middle of the Zoo’s main plaza. The sea lions are quite active, and while they perform many acrobatic tricks during feeding times, they are not trained, but simple reinforced positively for unprompted behaviour. Interestingly, the sea lions are the only animal species that can be found in all five of the zoos run by the Wildlife Conservation Society, and on occasion, particular sea lions are moved between the various facilities for breeding purposes.

You can watch the sea lion feedings each day at 11.30am, 1.30pm and 3.30pm. It was probably my favourite part of my trip to Central Park Zoo.

Although the Bronx Zoo is definitely the best Zoo in New York City, getting there can be a hassle. With Central Park Zoo being so convenient to get to and easy to fit into an itinerary due to its low time commitment, I recommend it to people who love animals and are on time crunch in New York. Since you’ll probably be coming to Central Park while in the city anyway, it makes sense to stop by, especially since there’s some unique species on display. If you’ve been to Central Park Zoo, I’d love to hear about what you thought of the experience!