Central Park is an oasis in the middle of New York City, and the Central Park Zoo is one of many hidden gems inside it. At only 6.5 acres, it is a tiny part of the 843 acre park. But what it lacks in size, it makes up for in quality. It is well worth the hour or two it takes to explore. It is especially great for young kids, as the small size makes it manageable to see all the animals and less overwhelming for little ones.
We had been once before with the boys about 5 years ago, but it was essentially a new experience for them this time around, as memories from ages 3 and 5 can be understandably foggy. The zoo has also made some changes since then, including the addition of two grizzly bears relocated from the Bronx Zoo.
They’re sitting on the wrong sides, but still a cute comparison pic…
The sea lion exhibit is the central point of the zoo and is a fun place to start. The boys loved watching them swim around and play. They were so playful and fun to watch. Two of the sea lions took a rest on the rocks right by the edge and seemed to be interacting with the crowd. And then one was kind enough to strike a pose for me…
The rest of the zoo forms a circle around the sea lion exhibit and after we had made our way completely around, we actually headed back to the sea lions and were lucky enough to catch their 3:30 feeding. They gave their trainers high fives, spoke on command, and did some amazing jumps in the water. We were so excited that our second visit to the sea lions was even better than the first that we actually ended up making two complete loops around the zoo to see all the animals twice. (Spoiler alert… a second lap paid off with some of the other animals too!)
From the sea lions we took a counter-clockwise route around the zoo. The penguins were next and they were a big hit as well. It was fun to see them slide into the water, swim around and play, and then build up speed to zip up and out of the water onto the rocks again. They were probably the boys’ favorite. The only reason we didn’t spend hours there was that they were pretty stinky. Ok, really stinky. There were also puffins and a few other sea birds in there as well.
We watched a harbor seal swim back and forth for a bit and then headed to the (new to us) grizzly bear exhibit. Previously a polar bear exhibit, the habitat was remodeled for the two grizzly bears, who moved in about a year after Gus the polar bear’s August 2013 passing. This exhibit has a few levels and different viewing stations so you have a good chance of spotting them. Our first time to the exhibit we saw them lounging around, but when we made our way back to the lower level on our second lap of the zoo, we were rewarded with a close-up of one of the grizzlies. He was swimming in the water right up against the glass. It was amazing to see him so close! He seemed to enjoy the attention from the people lined up to get a picture and a closer look.
Next up was the snow leopards. They have two viewing areas, one that is a covered indoor viewing area and one outdoors. On our first lap, we spotted the tail of one of them hanging over the edge of a cliff, viewable only by kneeling down, leaning against the glass and looking up. Not very exciting. But again, we got lucky on our second lap and got great views of both of them from the outdoor viewing area.
My personal favorite exhibit is the snow monkeys because I think it highlights what is so unique about the Central Park Zoo: its location. While you are in other parts of the zoo, it is easy to forget that you are in the middle of the largest city in the US. The view from the top of the snow monkey exhibit will immediately remind you of just how close you are to Manhattan. I doubt there are many zoos in the world that can boast a similar skyline view.
And the snow monkeys are pretty cute too! I wonder if they know they have the best view in the zoo.
Our visit to the Central Park Zoo was completed with visits to the rainforest to see the lemurs and to the temperate territory to see the impossibly fluffy red panda. I seriously could not get over how fluffy he was. He looked like he had just gotten a blow dry after a bath.
Even making two complete laps of the zoo and spending a decent amount of time at each exhibit, we spent less than two hours there. But I think part of the appeal of the Central Park Zoo is its small size and its convenience. The Bronx Zoo is a destination – it takes a while to get there from most parts of NYC and is so enormous that you can’t see it all in one day. The Central Park Zoo is a destination within a destination. It is certainly well worth an hour or two of your time while spending the day exploring Central Park or the surrounding area.
