Space Farms: Zoo & Museum

218 County Road 519, Sussex, NJ 07461, USA

Address:	218 County Road 519, Sussex, NJ 07461, USA
Phone:	+1 973-875-5800
Site:	spacefarms.com
Rating:	4
Working:	9AM–5PM 9AM–5PM 9AM–5PM 9AM–5PM 9AM–5PM 9AM–5PM 9AM–5PM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 4

Karen Insussex

I agree with the review from Mr Smiths review of the zoo. I do not agree with the review that was written 8 months ago and a few others that were unjustly negative. Space Farms Zoo has been a part of Sussex for 85 years. The zoo is family run. It is not run on state funding such as the Bronx Zoo and Turtle Back Zoo. Of course they will look more modern than Space Farms , however, this does NOT take away from the care and well being of these animals.Like Mr Smith stated, the animals at Space Farms are here until they are called away. Some of these animals are rescues that had been abused or put in unhealthy situations, and Space Farms took them in, cared and showed compassion for them, now they are thriving.I am an huge animal advocate. I have found nothing wrong at this zoo whatsoever. The living areas the zoo provides is MORE than the state mandated amount. The animals are surrounded by other animals as visual stimulation , entertainment if you will.This also is a requirement . One poster said that a few animals were pacing . Well yes, certain animals do this it is because they are patrolling. Perhaps if you asked any zookeeper about this, they could have told you.You can not compare one zoo to another , as each zoo is funded in a different way. You have safari parks, exotic zoos , game farms and so on. They are not all the same. I have been to Turtle Back Zoo a few times and honestly I was not impressed. It looked as if the animals were on display in a fake environment. The animals were switched in and out during the year. Where did they go? I am curious as to that. Anyways, I prefer Space Farms Zoo overall . It is in a country setting with dirt( and paved) pathways . It has many picnic tables in grassy areas with huge old trees surrounding it. We have had a few family picnics there ( we brought in out own food). Ducks and chickens run free for children to watch and feed. ( My granddaughters favorite part) I found it to be very quiet and laid back and relaxing. I enjoy the hands on experiences that my children and grandchildren have had over the years and currently experience. The zoo also offers many museums on its property as well as one in their main building.It houses many artifacts you can not see any place else in NJ. Some people that posted forget that here in Sussex many families are big into hunting and fishing. What you see in the main building is nothing different than what you would find at Cabelas . Come and visit Space Farms and see for yourself. My tip is , to look at the weather. If it is going to be hot out , come in the very early morning . If it is real hot the animals will be in their enclosures in the shade. Look on the zoos website and see what time the feedings are. Children from time to time are allowed to help feed the baby animals. You can also watch the meat eaters be fed( always a favorite of my son) There are Purell dispensers around the zoo for your hands but I like to bring extra handi wipes for the kids before we eat . If you are bringing in a cooler, ask the person at the desk for a wheelbarrow. You can bring it to your car to put your things in, then bring it to the picnic area. SO much easier than carrying it! I hope this review helps a little. If you have any questions at ANY zoo, always bring it to the attention of the zookeeper. They are very informative :)

MrMikebutkus

April 2017. For a history buff, real neat palce. This was our weekly trip out. Way out in Sussex, NJ. Right off Rt 519, there a number of ways to get here. Google drove us on a number of back roads, even across Rt 519 twice. Nice ride and views if you are not from this area. I will not get into animal rights about this attraction. There is no parking in front of the building. Nor did I see handicapped parking spots. This was a nice early April weekday, basically empty here. The large building houses a pizza place and their entrance / gift shop. I would not recommend a wheelchair. The walkways are crushed stone and you need to go on the grass many times to get close to the cages. This is a massive place to walk. The entrance (heated - cooled) and museums are the only sheltered buildings. So 90 degrees or 45 degree temps may affect your plans. The museums have many rare items and motor vehicles. The blacksmith building was blown down by a winter windstorm, so that is out of action for now. These are no-touch museums. A couple of the buildings do not have lights. Bathrooms / sanatizers are out in the fields, museum, and pizza area. The outdoor ones are not heated. Subs, salads, wings, pizza (Nice thick crust), ice cream and drinks are available here at the entrance. Picnic tables also available. There is also a huge display of items upstairs in the main building, Indian artifacts, dolls, guns, bones and much more. Spend another half hour just checking out that collection. We had a nice time, perfect weather and no crowds. This place takes large groups, so Im sure it could get very busy. Lots of room outside, small bathrooms. Mr. Ralph Space originally started this way back in the day. Many of the items you could never find these days, or afford to buy them. This place has nothing to do with rockets, like I though for years.

A Private User

This place is FANTASTIC! We spent the entire day there. The museum portion in the main building is free. The articles are great. Everything from Indian arrow heads to stuffed animals. There is even a large antique doll collection There is a fee for the zoo portion. They have a large array of animals and the enclosures are set out very nicely with plenty of space between them. I read one review on this site which said that the animals were treated poorly. I totally disagree. I think the majority of enclosures were well thought out and gave tha animals plenty of room. None of the animals looked mistreated to us. I liked it a lot better than the Bronz zoo mainly because the crowds of people were not there. I would also say that it reminded me of the old Catskill Game Farm when it was at its peek, except Space Farms is better. Also in the animal area they had many displays of antiques. Everything from automobiles to plows to farm equipment to tractors. To sum up my experience there in August 2008, the place is well worth the drive and the admisison price to see. The animals are well taken care of, the antiques are wonderful and the Space family should be congratulated in the fine job they are doing. I highly recommend that everyone visit.

MF Ricci

Ive been going to the Space Farms for over 50 years and have always had an enjoyable time. I took my children and now take my grandchildren. Its a unique place with plenty of room for the kids to run around. The antiques in the museums are incredible and theres plenty of animals to photograph. The folks are always friendly and youll even get a lesson or two regarding the animals. I try to make it at least two times every year and as I will be going this week, Ill reach my goal. The only thing that I find has changed are the items in the gift shop. I remember the wonderful items they had when I was a child. Now its the sort of stuff you can pick up anywhere, except for the items with the Space Farms logo on them. This is my only gripe. I wish they still sold some of the beautiful items that they did back when I was a young lad. Those folks who dont like seeing animals caged up should just stay away from this and all other animal farms/zoos. I encourage anyone who enjoys the outdoors and who likes to photograph wildlife to take a trip to the Space Farms & Museum.