I preface this with other zoo reviews I've done, both because its true and because it helps allow…read morefor an objective viewing. And that is, one can always debate the efficacy of a zoo, but I always have fun seeing animals I wouldn't normally see and learning more about them. Sometimes they'll even interact with you. Anyway, Franklin Park is a 'no-thrills' zoo. It doesn't have a zipline like RWZ or Southwicks. It doesn't have a trolley like the Smithsonian Zoo or Bronx Zoo. It doesn't really have any amenities; it keeps it simple, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. Staff is friendly, and the zoo is easy to navigate. Parking is free, and it's still a fun zoo. But compared to other zoos I've been to, it's not as good. You'll still have fun, but it's not as fun as it could be. 1. Bronx Zoo 2. Southwicks 3. Smithsonian 4. RWZ 5. Franklin Park 6. Buttonwoods

!!!!!!!!! The spotted/painted dog was pacing the whole time…read morewe were there. And almost every enclosure but the BIRDS, has enrichment activities. The lion also looks so sad. Disgusting to see. Don't recommend.

The king vultures are back! Goofy (M) & Nubs (F) were off-site for a few weeks, & I was starting to…read moreget concerned. I love visiting the king vultures & sitting with them for a while. They make excellent eye contact. Thankfully, they're back now! I visited them this week & was so relieved to see them. Goofy celebrated his 44th birthday in July & Nubs celebrated her 43rd in May. Happy birthday, you majestic creatures. Pro tip: the zookeeper who mostly tends to the king vultures is super friendly & a wealth of knowledge about these amazing birds. If you catch her around, be sure to say hi & ask her some questions!

My husband and I went to the zoo for the first time. Let me start by saying that the ride in…read morethrough the park was amazing! The park itself where the zoo is situated, is absolutely gorgeous with a lot of stuff going on from tennis, to kids playing, to people exercising. The zoo itself is not huge, but what we liked about it was we saw at least three animals that we had never even heard of! And we go to a lot of zoos and know animals! It was interesting that when the elephants were let out, they had different areas close to the fence where the elephants could grab a snack in an enrichment type toy that kept them very close and visible. We actually found that with a lot of the animals that they're enrichment toys were located in areas that kept them close to the crowds, and they seemed more than happy to be snacking in those spots. The enclosures were not huge, but seemed to be very clean. I was very satisfied with our visit. There are not a ton of food options, but would recommend the bacon cheese Smashburger meal, which came with a drink and very respectable french fries. Seems like a great zoo for kiddos and has a goat petting zoo where they can brush the goats.

Oh my goodness - how did I just discover this today?!!!…read more Free zoo, multiple playgrounds, disc golf, hikes, porta potties, beautiful views, and parking!!! Today was a wonderful adventure for my family with our toddler daughter. There are even 2 other playgrounds that I didn't get pictures of. One is called the beach and is playground toys with sand instead of grass. The other is for school aged kids but had toddler swings too so my daughter loved that. There is feed you can buy to give the animals at the zoo but the staff take in the despensers when the animals have had enough each day. COVID-19 precautions masks and one way paths but it's large enough grounds to social distance too. If you're just doing zoo and playgrounds stroller is fine but hiking leave it in the car. Enjoy!

I've been to World War II Memorial Park before, a few years ago, when I brought my dogs here for a…read morewalk. I really liked the paved walking trail because it's easy to navigate, so this was my second visit--and this time I brought my dog and my one-year-old daughter. One of the things I really love about this park is how quiet and peaceful it is. Even being here on a weekend, there isn't a crazy amount of people, which makes it a really nice place to enjoy some time outdoors with a young child. The small zoo area is definitely minimal, but honestly, the fact that the entire park is free makes that a huge plus. It's a great little outing for kids without having to spend any money, and my daughter really enjoyed seeing the animals. There is a small container where you can purchase food for the animals using quarters, which I thought was a cute addition. However, there are also several signs throughout the park that say not to feed the animals, so I found that a little confusing. I'm assuming the food from the designated dispenser is okay, but clearer signage explaining when and how visitors can feed the animals would definitely help. The animals appear to be well cared for, and the trails and park itself were clean and free of trash. It also seems like the staff are doing a great job maintaining the property and caring for the animals. Overall, I would definitely recommend World War II Memorial Park for a cute, simple outing with young kids. If you're looking for something free to do on the weekend where the kids can get outside, walk around, and see some animals, this is definitely worth checking out.

I am happy they are closing the zoo. This is so depressing. We left so sad…read more Half of the animals were missing. The skunk, the leopard and many others chose to stay hidden or they were gone. The lion was not available, on hospice care. I think more animals should be on hospice care as well; so old energy-depleted and looking miserable. The python snake looked like she committed suicide; literally coiling hard on itself cyanotic and completely motionless. All the animals looked severely depressed. I did not make any eye contact with any animal. They were all looking away. The servals were hitting the walls. Only ones were sort of ok the Meerkats, they were seemingly mating. I promised myself long time ago not to go zoos. I do not like them. Never again.

My kid loves this zoo! It's pretty small, so it's perfect for toddlers. They have a cute splash pad…read moreduring the summer and they have a lovely playground there. Some of the exhibits look a little outdated, but they're always renovating and improving, and they are AZA accredited so I trust that the animals are being well cared for. They do cute family events here (Halloween trick or treating, touch a truck, and Christmas tree lighting) which are a lot of fun! They also have the only Palawan porcupine on display in the US which is cool!

Southwick Zoo is an end-of-summer tradition for our family! It is a large zoo with many animals to…read moresee, such as lions, goats (and a goat petting and feeding zoo!), monkeys, gorillas, giraffes, flamingos, and so many more! It has a 10-15 minute train ride ($7 per person) through the woods to spot animals, a sit-down zip line ($12 per person) and a little maze ($5 per person!) and a carousel (not sure how much that costs though!) ! There is a playground for the little ones, and many gift shops and food shacks around the zoo. We have always had a great experience here, and it will be our tradition for many years to come! Thanks for reading! -A

I had come here once before, so I was prepared to walk and came with a water bottle since it's a…read morebig zoo. I don't remember the entrance being as expensive as it was: $38 per person but as a AAA member we scored a $2 discount each. There were three free shows/ presentations going on that day, which were posted on a big dry erase board: bird show, sloth talk, and an earth discovery creature feature. We made 2 out of 3 of them. My favorite was the bird show where they brought out 6-8 unique birds and each of them did a trick for the crowd, all while the trainers gave us fun facts about them. They had bleacher seating so very comfortable show. At the end, they had one bird who could take your money (voluntarily) and put it into a box with its beak. The money was going towards a good cause, so I donated. The sloth talk was also cool. We got to hear interesting facts about sloths and watch the sloth eat their lunch. They were also doing a Frozen skit / play for the kids when we arrived and it was pretty good and kept the kids there engaged. They have a great selection of animals throughout the zoo including large ones like rhinos, giraffes, tigers, and lions but also smaller ones like pigeons, ravens, parakeets, and prairie dogs. I did not go on / into any, but they have an overhead lift you can ride, zip lining, and a maze (not free). There is also a petting and feeding area with goats. One thing I remember there being was a deer park but I think it was closed off this time which was a bummer. For the most part, the zoo is shaded. They also have gift shops, snacks/drinks, and bathrooms throughout the park. We spent about 2.5 hours there, but might've missed a couple animals. The staff is friendly and helped us find our way around. There is a map and it's pretty good but we were just running low on time to make it to one of the events.

We came here for pick-your-own peaches and had a great time!…read more We got here early on a weekend morning and were able to park right near the main farm store. They had a separate tent for pick-your-own checkout, where we chose our container sizes and then headed out to the fields. When we went, they had PYO available for peaches, blackberries, raspberries, beans, and sunflowers. All of these were located within a 5 minute walk of each other and were easily marked with signs on the path. The peaches we got were so juicy and delicious, and we had a great time picking them and enjoying the beautiful day out at the orchard. The farm store was also convenient to pick up other produce afterwards, including both items freshly grown on the farm and items from other places. We would definitely come back to try their other PYO options!

What a great family friendly experience!! So many options for flowers/ produce picking, farm…read morestands, deli counter, food truck, playground and event areas!

We had a great time visiting Xen's Critters! The private farm tour was very educational and lots of…read morefun. It was great to hear about the animals they rescued and rehabilitated. The tour was about an hour long and it was well worth the trip! The baby bunnies were adorable and all the animals were very well taken care of! 10/10 recommend.

Totally recommend!…read more Super easy and quick booking through Facebook messenger. Most affordable petting zoo we found. Super diverse animals and plenty to get a bunch of kids involved. We really liked Xen and Xen's mom who helped coordinate. Set up was maybe 5 minutes. On time. Reliable. Communicative. Would TOTALLY recommend again!

The staff at the Stone Zoo consistently provides great service and education. They make me feel…read morewelcome and appreciated.

This zoo is T I N Y. We visited here for the walk through holiday light display and it took us…read moremaybe 10 minutes to get through the ENTIRE zoo. The price for the ZooLights was reasonable so no complaints there. I'm not sure what animals they have as all we saw out was a buffalo and a bear because it was soooo cold out. The light setup was really lovely, though. I like how well organized it was with arrows to guide you in the right direction. The butterfly display was our favorite. There was a setup at the end of the walk through for small children with rides and snacks. There was a cookie decorating station and some other activities as well. We did not partake in any of that festive fun or any of the snacks. The gift shop is very small and really only caters to small children. Lots of parking available for this zoo so no need to worry about that. Easily accessible and organized.

I very much enjoyed seeing the owls. They are very impressive. I understand they also rehabilitate…read moreinjured raptors.

If you like animals, this a really cute way to spend an hour (or more) for $5…read more We arrived at the end of the day, and saw the whole museum/zoo are in about 45 minutes - but absolutely could have spent more time. Indoors they have several educational areas and some live native animals with medical needs or with protection status - snakes, rodents, a skunk, some owls. They also have some taxidermy animals and exhibits on animal sounds. We didn't check out the gift shop this time around, but made a bee lline for the outdoor animals after we made the rounds inside. We loved the otter the best - but there were some beautiful owls, and other birds, a fox, a deer. This museum is very family friendly and wholesome - but we were not the only childless adults there to see the animals! It is also obviously very convenient to hiking and a great bonus to a hike.

My family and I have been going to Wilson's for ten years and love it so much. It has an amazing…read moreselection of produce and food from local vendors, so happy that they carry Iggys Bread! It does get a little busy at times, but the lines move quickly and the staff are very friendly and helpful. Grateful to have Wilson's in our community.

I had the chance to stop by their Strawberry Festival last month and it was an enjoyable event…read more Unfortunately given the 1 lane road either way they caused their own traffic jam in/out and ran out of parking in the main lot. My friend and I wound up in the overflow a little after 11am when the event started. I've always seen signs around when I'm driving in the area for other events or goods that they are selling. In the fall they seem especially popular as well for pumpkins and fall activities. The market area is brightly lit. Given the neighborhood, as everyone else has commented expect prices to be at a premium. The samples we tried at the Strawberry Festival were tasty. My favorite was the short cake. They also offered tickets at $1/ticket for some other paid offerings such as their ice cream which I skipped. They had someone dressed up as the Green Monster so that was a fun photo op for the family too. The event had a lot of staff so each station was moving. In fact one of the owners/managers came by seeing a long queue near the entrance by the pasta said we could walk around to the other stations since no one should be waiting in a line (ignore the line to park and get in haha.) I wouldn't necessarily go out of my way to visit but it's an option for local. I've also gone to Wagon Wheel which is smaller for seasonal / market type items.