Pretty small and half-filled with farm animals, but all very cute and admission is very cheap. You probably wouldn't need more than an hour here as it's a brief circuit. Free street parking and when we went it was cash only. read more

Applegate Park Zoo - Zoos Near Me - Merced, California

See all

DO NOT SUPPORT! Animals were clearly stressed pacing back and forth due to the loud music and water park theme they are too busy running for the children. This is no longer a zoo and it's clear the animals aren't being taken cared for and are on sedatives to keep them drowsed until the water party is over. ABSOLUTELY INHUMANE AND THIS PLACE NEEDS TO BE REEVALUATED IF IT REALLY WANTS TO BE A ZOO OR A WATER PARK FOR KIDS. read more

All the animals are clearly not taken care of well and there is little to no animals. The black bear looked depressed and dead super skinny.

Small zoo, but well loved. Loved the misters on the hot day! The animals looked well cared for. I felt the bears' enclosure seemed awfully small for such large animals. read more

See all

This is an exceptionally well run smaller zoo. It is very inexpensive to go to and very well organized and will kept. The zoo has two bears several emus some deer a coyote a fox or two and quite a few other animals. The staff is always friendly and professional. read more

Applegate Park has been a central place for family activities for anyone who's lived in Merced. I have so many fond memories here and spent many evenings running in the playground with my siblings. One of Merced's largest parks, it is home to the Applegate Park Zoo, a huge playground with swings, a skate park, an amphitheater, a rose garden and fountain, a small amusement park, and a nice, long bike trail along Bear Creek! There's plenty of room in the park to hang out and during certain times of the year, you'll find many groups playing volleyball in the evenings. read more

Applegate Park Zoo - Iconic statue by the rose fountain of Steven Stayner and Tommy White - Zoos Near Me - Merced, California

A wonderful place to take young ones. Great way to spend a couple of hours. There's also a really good playground nearby.

Such a cute and fun little zoo. Perfect for the littles who just need a quick outing or any animal lover.

Hey Applegate, So.. I came with small expectation.. I expected a very small area with a few animals, hopefully a few interesting ones. The cheap ticket price was a plus bc I think it was appropriate to the size of the venue. If you charged like any other zoo, I would have been very upset, but the price was appropriate to the experience. $2 child 5 and older. $3 adults. Under 5 free. Can walk thru in maybe 20-40m if taking your time with kids. You are a very small and nothing too crazy or big BUT for my two toddlers it was perfect. Even better is that you are shaded so it's comfortable going thru it amidst the hotter temps of Merced. Great place to take toddlers for an hour or two. Some of the cages were empty but again I sort of expected that... Highlights were the Deers, Emus, the Alpacas because they were big. You have the black bear but feel sad looking at it in that small space. Not sure why you have raccoons, that seemed random. Liked how some animals were mixed in same area. Funny to see birds following turtles... Until next time I need to kill an hour with my toddlers :) read more

On the drive back from Yosemite, we decided to stop by here. It was such a fun place, it is small but for a quick pit stop, I think it's perfect. We had a great time seeing the animals and feeding the goats. The lady at the ticket booth was so sweet in giving us additional recommendations & even personally came over to us when we were leaving to give my kiddo a keychain! We will definitely be back & we've been recommending it to people we know. read more

I have been coming to Merced a lot with my co workers for training and being stuck inside a training room for 8 hours with no windows feel like I am in jail, I need Sunshine! So the co workers and I decided to take our lunch to the park. The park is right next to the Merced zoo, it has a play area, skate park and several grassy areas. However this park does lack shade under the shaded areas to sit. But overall, it is a good park...it was clean when we went but needs more trees for the tables. I did see a lot of kids especially since it is Spring Break and skaters skating. If I am in the area I will return. read more

Our 4 year old granddaughter had fun at the Applegate Park Zoo. We will visit again once she returns to Merced.

The skate park is more street than vert. While there are rules, I didn't see them for a while, and in reality, they feel more like suggestions. I'm not even sure I saw anyone wearing any safety equipment. Unless you're very new to skate parks or you're advanced and doing something that's unlikely with this skate park, you probably won't need the equipment so much. The skate park is close to some parking. There is a shallow bowl at the far end with ledges to grind and ramps and a pyramid to jump on the way. Everyone seemed to enjoy it, although I heard a few people grumbling, but that is always the case. Behind the skate park, there was a fence, and behind that, some small train tracks and a picnic table. read more

See all

A very nice park with a little zoo. I didn't go inside, I was just exploring around town on my lunch hour. Lots of green space, with tons of nice green grass for kids to play. Picnic areas and playground equipment for the kids, too. There's a small parking lot by the zoo and one by the park area, also street parking. read more

Absolutely loved this zoo! Plenty of parking. The gift shop is at the entrance.... great prices on some nice things. The entrance fee is $2.00 for adults. It takes about 15 minutes to go around the entire zoo but all the animals were so close up!! We spent about 15 minutes watching the bears eat.... we could see them breaking the strawberries and choosing the ones to put in their mouths! The cougar was beautiful! The paws were Huge. I have never been to any so where you could see the features of the animals so close and clear!! The staff in the gift shop was very notice and knowledgeable About all of Merced.... read more

See all

I was surprise of how awesome the zoo was, I was expecting a much less exciting experience since its so small. For $3 an entrance to the zoo, this must be the cheapest zoo entrance in the California- its definitely a mini zoo, but its worth a visit if your in Merced and plus your supporting a great initiative to care for the animals. The zoo is very well managed and the animals are cared properly, exhibits are also really nicely finished and sizable for the animals to roam - all the animals have such cute names like mocha and latte; the zoo itself has quite a collection of animals, nothing huge like a giraffe or elephant, but they do house a giant tortoise, monkeys, baby llama, raccoons, deer, goats, exotic birds, black swan and more. Parking is free here and there is plenty of spaces to park. The zoo is open 10am to 5 pm Monday to Sunday, however may close if its too hot, so call ahead to make sure they are open. My favorite exhibit is the baby llama, it was so cute and friendly- and so cuddly, best of all its a super model- pose for photo professionally. I believe this zoo even offers guest experience feeding food to its animals, which would be an awesome experience for both adults and kids. Plan to vist 10-30 minutes, also bring a bottled water if your visiting in summer, and also wear a hat just incase the sun is beaming down. The zoo is relatively shaded so you don't have to worry. My suggestion is to complete a few visit if your in merced, there is the historic old courthouse museum, the new ultra modern UC merced campus to visit and also visit the gouges Yosemite lake, right next to UC merced. read more

See all

Prices are perfect . Being Merced this zoo is great for kids. Definitely recommend taking your children especially if you have little toddlers who love to walk and explore. My 10 and 1 year old had fun. We paid 50 cents extra for a cup of food to feed the goats and llamas. I personally got spit on but you are warned several times that the white one will spit . The animals enclosed do look sad but most zoos I've been to is the same.We spent no more than $15 on our trip, even with buying from gift shop. Thank you Applegate Park Zoo, it's always nice to support local businesses. read more

Applegate Park Zoo - Decal sticker we bought from gift shop . - Zoos Near Me - Merced, California

Never felt sad about animals in zoos before, but the bear pacing around in circles in that tiny metal cage with a cement floor and a random shopping bag on the ground made me feel bad. Land is cheap here. Put that poor guy in a proper enclosure with some actual dirt and trees. read more

Applegate Park Zoo - Zoos Near Me - Merced, California

It's a great small zoo to take little ones but in all honesty it's really sad. They have two large bears in a concrete, chain link cage that is way too small. A few of their animals just pace back and forth, including the bears. I would definitely suggest just going to Fresno. read more

Not a bad park at all for a small town. It is backed up to Bear Creek. It has a skate park. There is a play land there with a train. There is a amphitheater. There is Applegate zoo which is fun. My gripe is the trash. Way too much trash. Keep he community clean - grab a trash bag! read more

Applegate Park Zoo - Zoos Near Me - Merced, California

See all

We've been going to this Park for probably 4 or 5 years. Bowl amusement park is run by Kiwanis. They do the best they can with funding they have available. The people are nice there. Don't expect anything super exciting but they do have some pretty cool rides for little guys. I read one review where a guy posted that the bear looked sad. I kind of agree. I don't like seeing animals in cages without a good size area to roam. Once again it's all for charity and they're doing the best they can. These are rescue animals. Not something they caught out in the wild. If anything, look at the place and consider giving them a donation for better facilities. The park was run down really bad at one point and even closed off. That was probably 4 years ago. Brand new playground. I have one son he's 12 years old mild autistic and he loves it there. The skatepark isn't really fancy, but the people that frequent the skate park are friendly towards kids. My son gets in the way of everybody unintentionally. They've always been nice and kind to him read more

Absolutely Delightful little zoo! This place was very clean and well kept. A perfect way to spend a few hours and you can't beat the price. I brought my 2.5 year old and it was perfect for him to run around, with well fenced off areas I had no worries about him getting hurt or into something he shouldn't. Bring Cash, no cards accepted at this time. read more

My Advice: if your reading this to see if you want to go to this zoo just make the extra effort/time and drive to Fresno Zoo. Applegate Zoo is the smallest zoo I've ever been to. It is CHEAP fun for under 5 year olds. It is in a circular enclosure that can be walked in ten minutes MAX. My son (who is 4 1/2) and I went around three times in less than hour and his response "Wheres the zebra? Wheres the giraffe?" He had fun. I think this place is more of an animal shelter. For what it is my son enjoyed it and its something to do for (under 5 yr) kids if you happen to be in merced. Animals are mostly birds but also include: 2 turtles, coyote, fox, vulture, monkey, lots of goats, llamas, peacocks, two emus, a brown bear, black bear, two mule dears, 4 raccoons, and a mountain lion. My son loved the emus, raccoons, llamas most. read more

See all

Very nice way to spend a couple of hours with our 9 year old. Friendly staff. Got to feed the goats and the alpacas. One of the alpacas likes to spit, so stay back from the white ones if you want to stay dry. Bear enclosure is very small. It was a fun day at a very cheap price. read more

Very nicely laid out & one of the cleanest zoo's I've been to. Small, but had a very pleasant visit.

We love this place, but you may want to teach your volunteer staff better ways to speak to and interact with your patrons and donors.

Yes a most stop in if you are in the area and love animals. The baby lama loved me. My son and my wife had a good time. It's not one of the big zoo's but the price is cheep and its well worth the money. Makes for a nice 1 or 2 hours. Enjoy! PS if you get there early you can get food to feed the animals. but if you come late they run out about 1pm. read more

I like this little local zoo. You can tell the animals are well tooken care of, and the staff are very friendly and will answer any questions you may have about the park, park history and animals. They also have a cute gift shop to boot. If you want to take a stroll and enjoy animals I would pay this zoo a little visit. read more

Great day outing for family! A lot of diverse animals too for a smaller zoo. Very impressive.

I went there thinking I was going to a petting zoo, I was so sad when I walked in and saw animals in cages! there are two black bears in a concrete cage with no grass. One of the bears was pacing left and right, w and trying to avoid the feces all over his cage. I am sorry animals are not meant to live like this. The fox was also very sad in a very small cage, but at least she had some grass. if you claim to be a sanctuary please do something about those poor bears, they need grass and a bigger area where they can feel a little more at home. Really sad. read more

As someone who just relocated here from the Monterey Bay having two children my 12-year-old who loves to skate board I would love to take them to this park it looks clean and very friendly I love the community everybody seems very family orientated and kind. Looks like a great place to raise my boys and the people are just fabulous can't wait to learn more about all of you read more

Like they say: "you get what you paid for." For $3, its not going to be the best Zoo in the world, but for that price, its one of the best low budget Zoos I have been to. The goats are friendly and so are the staff. Its also right next to the park so if you're a family person, definitely check out Applegate Zoo. Its worth it. read more

Our family loves the zoo kind of small at least the animals look like they're being taken care of my two-year-old son always likes to go see the monkeys totally recommend this Zoo for something to kill time with read more

We love packing a lunch and making a day of it at the Applegate Park. The beautiful park starts on R st. and runs along a creek with an adjacent bike path. On the North side of the Park is the Zoo, there is also a children's play area with a huge slide, ladder and shoots play structure. There is also a separate swing area with 6 baby swings and 6 regular swings. A skate park, basket ball courts, and the Kiwanis Kiddy Part is the best deal in town. 50 cent tickets for your little tike to ride a little roller coaster or drive their own car. And don't miss their train ride! Their hours are April - Oct. Weekends only 1pm to 4pm. On the other side of the park is a pavilion and several large picnic areas. This is Merced's oldest city park. read more

Cute little zoo. Neat place to stop at when visiting Merced even if you're not a kid. If you're an adult, you most likely will get through the zoo within 20 minutes even if you're taking your time, but it's only $1.75 per person to get in. I really liked the bear, raccoons, monkeys, cougar, and goats the best. I also liked that they have a parking lot with an adequate amount of spaces for visitors. read more

My husband and I took our 2 year old here today, we had a lot of fun! We loved the cougar, it was amazing to see it up so close (4-5 feet away)... much closer than a larger zoo! The monkeys were adorable and showing off! My son loved feeding the goats and bears, we were amazed at the types of exotic animals for such a little zoo! Good little gift shop too, we got our son two little snakes, stickers and a grow-in-water dolphin all for under $3.00 total. We will definitely be returning! read more

Many years ago I worked here it's a great place to take your kids very clean hand fed goats plenty of animals to see great place for birthday party's also the little choo choo train still rides around same train I rode as a kid awesome place read more

Small zoo but is prefect for our small/growing town. Prices are reasonable. Always clean when I take our family there on the weekends. Animals seem to be sad. Don't know if there is a lack of food. But other than the depressing animals it's a good place to kill time. read more

Best place we found to stop for a picnic on our way through Merced. A little play structure with other kids, a couple of picnic benches and not too many homeless people. You have to go around the park all the way to the far end from the main street to find the play structure, the tables and the not too bad restroom. read more

Many towns don't even have a zoo, so kudos to Merced for maintaining the attraction for residents & visitors alike. We all know the main exhibits are the cougar and the monkeys, but pay attention to some of the others. They may not be as 'flashy' per se, but just observe what makes them unique and you will find the beauty every single creature possesses--within. Also, a tour through the zoo can be very educational for young and old alike; ask a volunteer to do tricks, they're trained to walk around with you and answer questions about their fellow exhibitors, among other basic living functions. Remember: no feeding the volunteers!!! read more