Love this business! They came to my son's school once. The kids had so much fun. Everyone was super…read morefriendly. Can't wait to visit them again!

Jack and his petting zoo came to my building it was the 3 rd year and I really enjoyed petting all…read moreof the animals Sadie the alpaca seems to be everyone's favorite. I look forward to seeing them again

This was the best part of my daughters first birthday! These ladies were so sweet and made my one…read moreyear old fearless of the animals . This was the best birthday ever Thank you so much I highly recommend, The Friendly Farmyard to everyone!

What a wonderful experience, I can't say enough great things. The friendly farmyard came for my…read moredaughters 4th birthday party and they were amazing. The animals were so friendly, the ducks and goats ate right out of the children's hands; my daughter especially loved holding the bunny and chicken and brushing the goats. The pony was a huge success, ride after ride I have never seen so many smiling faces. The staff is wonderful; no one was rushed; all of the children spent as much time as they liked with all of the animals throughout the day. Such an easy, happy day for everyone. Thank you for an amazing party!

5/31/26 (Update) Having been coming to this zoo forever. In…read morethe last 5- 10 years, I've really seen Turtle Back Zoo grow into a first rate zoo! It's not as large as the Bronx Zoo, but it's certainly getting there. -Animals: We saw beautiful, large flamingos, penguins, numerous wildcat species, giraffes, bald eagles, hyenas and more... -Living Conditions: All the animals are protected by high fences. The animals appear to be very healthy. Their living conditions appear to be very clean. -Sea Turtle Recovery Center: Besides the wonderful animals, there's a Sea Turtle Recovery Hospital on the premises. You can visit the "patients". It was an interesting experience. Once the sea turtles have regained their health, they're be released back into their natural habitat. -Food: You'll probably get hungry during your visit. The zoo has several food kiosks and a large indoor and outdoor café called Zanzibar. -Gift Shop: Of course, there's a cool gift shop at the zoo. Lots of adorable stuffed animals for purchase. -Parking: Parking was free this past Sunday. There's several indoor parking garages with clearly marked animal logos. Looking forward to my next visit to Essex County Turtle Back Zoo.

Besides visiting the Turtle Back Zoo a bunch as a child, I only returned a few years ago for their…read morewinter light show and again recently for an afternoon stroll through the park. For a zoo in suburban New Jersey, this one was truly impressive and would surpass most expectations. They had a wide range of creatures across various species and even interactive opportunities, like feeding lettuce to giraffes and riding on a carousel. Their train ride only went through a small part of the animal park, but also took you by a neighboring lake, which was beautiful and part of the larger, surrounding South Mountain Recreation Complex. It was clearly a favorite with children and adults alike, as acted a reprieve from navigating the zoo on foot, which could be exhausting in warmer months (lots of hills and little shade) and brutal in cooler months. There were various food carts and a very nice restaurant on-site, though we did not try any of them. Their membership passes were an affordable option for parents that planned on frequent visits, and the parking was free, so there certainly were economical ways to visit. I would recommend the Turtle Back Zoo for a fun and engaging way to spend a family-friendly afternoon. Watching the monkeys swinging about in their habitat was a particularly amusing highlight.

Brought my daughter to a great birthday party here--a lot of fun checking out the animals and…read morewaking around the farm. They did a nice job turning one of the barns into a birthday space. Lots of things for kids to play with at different ages. Lots of parking. The bathroom situation is a bit tough with porta-potties, but unless you have a kid that has issues with that, you should be fine.

I had my sons 5th birthday party here. The kids ranged from 4 years old to 9 years old and they all…read morehad a blast. We had pony rides, animal feeding and animal petting, monster truck ride, and toy coaster ride down a hill. The kids couldn't get enough. They took care of pizza and cupcakes. They also had very packed goodie bags filled with snacks and toys! I can't say enough positive things about High View Farms. They hosted the party very well. All I had to do was show up! I would definitely recommend this place for birthday parties!

We've taken our toddler here a couple of times and he has a great deal of fun. Besides the farm…read morezoo, where you can buy cups of carrots to feed the many varieties of animals - I wouldn't say petting zoo as you are advised to feed the animals only with the plastic shovel and not stick your fingers into the pens - there are several little play houses with play activities (train set, corn cabin, kitchen, grocery store, etc), a playground with a sandpit, and tractor and train rides. The sandpit even has toys like dump trucks - my kid would be perfectly happy to just stay there and call it a day! The condition of everything in the main areas is a little grubby, however. I appreciate that they put out plenty of chairs and benches all around for parents to sit on (cos waiting for your child while they play is an unavoidable part of the game), as well as some picnic tables. Prices are fair and reasonable, and entry for kids under 2 is free.

This little farm is super cute and is perfect for families and small children. We have been here…read more a few times, most recently for a birthday party. They have a large variety of animals that the kids can feed (they get a bucket of carrots) and there are lots of small areas to play. But the big hit with our family is the playground and sand pit with diggers and toys. My kids could stay there all day. It's a good way to spend a local day.

I took my kids and visiting family here on a Thursday when the kids had no school. I hear it can…read moreget crowded on the weekends, but on Thursday when we arrived a little before noon, it wasn't bad. They had a steady stream of newcomers but not too crowded. It was fairly easy to find though going there, my map told me to go down a treacherous gravel road which I wasn't terribly fond of. They have a moderately sized parking lot and you'll see this large, red barn. That's where you get your goodies (there's often a line) and where their store is. We stopped by for a treat first. They sell ice cream, cider floats, and what is a "TikTok famous" coffee float with donut. We got: Cider ($4) - I didn't actually drink this. I got it for my kid with food allergies. He wanted ice cream but they do not know if the ice cream they use contains eggs or not so we played it safe. My kid thought it was okay but finally finished it later. He typically prefers regular apple juice. Cider float with donut - you have a choice of no donut for $2 less. It's like a root beer float but with cider instead of root beer, black and orange sprinkles around the time of the cup, whipped cream, and a powdered cider donut over it all. I shared this with my daughter. That donut was delicious! Warm, tender, and crisp on the outside. The drink was great! I do wish it came with a spoon because it got difficult finishing the last of it. Warning: if you have one of these, the bees are coming for you. They use some sort of caramel-like sauce to get the sprinkles to stick. Overall, quite good. Maple cider donut ($3): my sister got this and she said it was amazing, but she said she thought $3 was a bit much (the unglazed donuts are $1.25 each). She's vegan, so didn't partake in the float, but she also wasn't going to ask if there's milk in the donut. If you're getting only donuts, they are purchased in the store. They have tables and chairs nearby for you to picnic and enjoy your treats. Going through the gates, there was a table but they were busy with other people so we walked right in. There is no entrance fee, which was nice. You go through the apple orchard first. It seems like most of the apples have been picked through, though there are a lot of developing apples. Some of the nicer ones were way too tall for us; they don't provide ladders. We only managed to find one that looked nice. At the end, there used to be a sunflower field and the corn maze. It's epic but you don't know how formidable until you're past the point of return and realize it's not a kids maze. We were in there for a while! Even met other kids that thought they'd be lost forever. The corn stalks are taller than a human and they're pretty dense so you can't look over or through them. It's a true maze and I was impressed. I wish they would provide a paper maze puzzle of the corn maze because I'm so curious how it is from above. Lots of dead ends. What I can say is don't lose hope. You'll get there! (When we finally found the exit, it was almost like a dream because we had been staring at corn for so long.) In hindsight, it was good we ate something first. Once done, we explored the sunflowers and saw the pumpkin patch. As we headed out, we went to pay for our lone apple and we discovered THE CORN MAZE IS NOT FREE. It's $10 per adult and $5 per kid. They charged us $1 for the single apple. I guess they work on the honor system? I didn't mind much because that maze clearly took planning. Before we left, we visited the store full of baked goodies. I got a few cider donuts, a dumpling, and a piece of crumb cake because they just brought out a fresh tray. Plus a lattice harvest pie. The pies with crumble aren't vegan, but the lattice pies are made of vegetable shortening. Restrooms! They have a row of port-a-potties by the parking lot. They're actually the cleanest ones I've been to before. No sinks but they do have a dispenser of antibacterial hand gel. The openings are a bit large so if your kid needs to use the toilets, hold onto them. Overall, it was quite enjoyable and I definitely think everyone should go through a corn maze of this caliber at least once in their life. The apple pickings were sparse but at least you get delicious floats and donuts! Note: they have gluten free goodies in the store but they are nut based (almond flour). They also had one gluten free-vegan item.

My family and I made a trip to come here. It was a bit far of a drive about 2 hours but we wanted…read moreto check it out. There wasnt any pumpkin left in the field to pick and the apples were not event there on the trees. I would definitely have to say hand down to the cute little store - there was a bakery side and oh my gosh the donuts , the cookies and the Tik Tok famous drink was out of this world. So the 2 hour trip was definitely worth the drive. The service was okay the individuals behind the counter to order the Tik Tok drink had a bit of a attitude when I was asking about questions. Just stay patient. Other then that I would highly recommend coming here and trying a piece of all of there different donuts and cookies are soo soo good. They even had a pumpkin cider donut which I never had before. Don't forget to stop by and check them out.

Excellent customer service Very helpful and pleasant …read more Would recommend and return to purchase other items

Came here to grab one and a possible Fresh cut trees ! The reviews were light and there were few…read morepics so I had a plan B. Luckily upon arrival we were greeted and offered assistance. We immediately found several trees we fell in love with and right as I had given up on perfect tree number 2 there it was !!! The team let us know they are family run and appreciated our business. The gave us some tips about our two Fraser firs and the back story of the trees. I was pleased with the over all selection. It was plenty to choose from but not enough to overwhelm. I found EXACTLY what I needed without looking through all the sheds (unsure what you call those big long white things lol) They had beautiful wreaths also, very well put together and fresh. The store was a bit light in that not to much "stuff" which is fine, they had the tree stand we needed so that's all that mattered to us. No petting zoo, hot coco, Santa's, and winter wonderlands but exactly what we needed, close to home and the boys had a great time ! Certainly suggest you check them out.

Went here a couple of months back during their Boo Bash weekend festival. We enjoyed a few hours…read morethere to do some pumpkin picking, hay rides, and the rest of the usual activities. They have several food trucks with lots of different choices. They have a nice farmer's market that is nicely decorated and has plenty of items for sale. They have a great selection of pies too. Also, there is an ice cream stand next to the market opened daily, all ice cream is homemade and fresh! Their hot apple cider and cinnamon donut was a great treat! Since finding Ort Farms is not too far from us, we'll be back next year once the crops are back in season.

Wanted to try a new spot for Apple Picking and Ort's did not disappoint…read more there was ample space to park and traffic was guided by staff so it wasnt chaotic. The farm was beautiful and well maintained. Playground was in perfect condition and even looked new! the kids definitely had so much fun. We went to their orchard and it was very organized however the PYO apples seem pricey for a small bag of $8 or $12. This was a separate purchase from the admission ticket which also included the orchard entrance and their hayride. During our visit (Sept) was also an event so they had vendors and a live band which was neat! there were enough tables/chairs fyi. We also tried their homemade icecream and I absolutely enjoyed their pumpkin patch milkshake and their special caramel apple cider slushie float which included an apple cider donut! it was so good! they also sell apple cider donuts and other homemade breads and pastries inside their well kempt shop! sure enough we had a lovely visit at their farm and would love to revisit again some day soon!