Essex County Turtle Back Zoo

We arrived at 3 PM on Sunday so there was a good amount of people but it wasn’t too crowded. They had a wide variety of animals from different regions around the world, including Australia, Asia, and Africa. There were so many animals to see, from penguins and flamingos to even a bald eagle. It was my first time ever seeing a bald eagle in real life, which was really exciting. The zoo was very clean and well-staffed, and everything felt organized and well taken care of. One of the most popular attractions was feeding the giraffes and they have they have other attractions too. Overall, I highly recommend visiting this zoo. It’s definitely worth the visit and is a great place for people of all ages.

This is a review for Christmas experience at the Zoo Wow… can’t believe I didn’t know about this despite living in NJ for 8 years! Turtle Back Zoo turns into a complete Christmas paradise after 5 PM, and it’s absolutely magical. I recently found out about this and, after seeing the lights and activities, I was genuinely impressed. During the holiday season, entry is free after 5 PM through sponsorship, which is a huge plus. Timings are 5 PM – 9 PM. Parts of the zoo remain open, so you can still see animals and birds like bison, giraffes, toucans, and more, which makes it extra special for kids. The entire park is beautifully lit with festive decorations and multiple Christmas trees. The area near the carousel looks amazing. For Kids’ Activities - There’s no shortage of fun for children- Face painting, Meet & greet with Santa (on specific days/times), Carousel rides, Pony rides etc… Food and beverages are well taken care of, like Starbucks or Zoo’s own food sections spread across the park Perfect for grabbing a warm drink while walking around. They also have private igloos available: You can rent for 4 hours that can accommodates up to 10 guests, Includes hot chocolate and snacks Its located in West Orange, Essex County Parking: Two multi-level parking garages—parking is hassle-free and well organized. Overall, it was an amazing 2–3 hour evening spent with friends. Festive, family-friendly, and surprisingly delightful. Highly recommended—especially if you have kids!

Clean and a complete family zoo park. We spent very good time there with family. You can spend 3-4 hours in a greenery environment, Train, carousel, pony rides are special. Parking is free ( better you come early to get spots). Staff is helpful. Overall nice experience!! Only drawback is animals are very limited. Otherwise, this place is perfect to spend a decent time.

Good price, clean, good variety of animals. It’s not huge but a great 1/2 experience for young kids. They have a cafe as well with really nice cheese pizza. Buy tickets in advance so you don’t have to wait in line, just makes entry easy.

It was a beautiful zoo. My daughter and her son who is 3 and myself and the baby who is 4 months old had a wonderful day. We got to pet the sting rays amazing. My grandson loved it. We enjoyed seeing all the animals. My grandson Alfred Bob the giraffe lettuce. Definitely going back again. We even ran into my niece and her son who I haven't seen in a long time. Great place to spend the day

1st time visiting the zoo and my son enjoyed it especially the monkeys and penguins. For being a smaller zoo, it had plenty to do and sprinklers for the extremely hot day we went. It was also very clean and not super packed. Had a good assortment of animals. Will visit again.

This zoo is a great size for small kids or a very hot day. All the exhibits are close together so there isn’t a lot of walking required. The overall zoo is well maintained and reasonably priced. The merch at the zoo is 0. Definitely needs help

You cannot beat the price per person on a weekend to enter this Very nice zoo! Stop by if you love animals and take a look at all the beautiful wildlife that lives here !! The zoo is very clean and the staff is so helpful and kind , consistently walking around the property to make sure the animals are good and the customers have any questions or concerns there is always a staff member near by , you can also pet and feed the cownose stingrays which is very cool! I highly recommend stopping in to this amazing zoo!