Turtle Back Zoo

Reviews 3

MA

Madelline Triana

I love going to Turtle Back Zoo. Some complaign of the door price being a little high. But i believe is worth every penny. I love all the animals. They constantly add new ones n renovate space. The people who work there n volunteer really love n take great care of all the animals there. They have live shows, stores, even a place where you sit indoors n learn all about amphibians. Owls etc. Is not a petting zoo. This is a place to learn & get informed as they show them & you get to touch and even carry & pet them. But They also have a petting zoo. A Fun train ride that travels through the woods & around this great huge and peaceful Lake. You get to watch the deer and their fawn travel & hide quickly as they hear you comming in your choo choo ride. This train moment is got to be ine of my favorites. The Turtle Back Zoo is huge inside, great for walking around with family n friends. But I suggest Sneakers or very comfortable shoes and a Water bottle. I had my daughters Isabellas birthday there a few years back. They made a great Ice Cream Cake with "Bratts girl" picture my daughter wanted it. It was like a " Hand painted Cake" exactly made to her likings. Plus each kid had pizza, hamburgers or hot dos n fries n all the cild beverages they wanted. Olus Cake for dessert.We gave each kid a bag with a diffrent stuff animal.(That i bought else where). As a gift bag. IT turned out great!!! We had it after they went around the zoo. Everone loved it. I cant think of a better place for a birthday. They have a pic- nic area n you can buy food there or bring your own too. The prices for food are not cheap, a bit higher than your Supermarket but they are pretty reasonable. They have great animals & keep adding more. A pair of bear sisters, the wolves are owesome. I love the old Crow that speaks when you come in. The beautiful squirrel monkeys, Bold Eagle, the gorgeous small owls that are old but tiny. The diffrent fish species. Everrything is kept clean, and the people or very kind n friendly. You can adopt pets, n help financially. They do great work with "Birds", Parrots of all types that people end up giving up. Or that pluck their feathers and are mentally unstable or just loose their homes. They take them in, feed, aid & bring back to health. There they have a permanent & stable home. Its definitely a great place to spend the day, walking, viewing the natural sights, checking your animal friends, taking pictures etc. But also following the map to the "Shows" for kids. Another one of my favorite is watching this man, bring this gorgeous Falcon, that he sets loose n flies all around and comes back to him n he later feeds in front of all of us. Oh and right before Thanksgiving every year you can bring your children, grandchildren n friends to pick a free Pumpking of their choice from hundreds or thousands n each take one home free. They also have a day a week, after a certain time that you can bring your children free. Like I said its an extremely dedicated n great place for all animals n people too. Turtle Back Zoo is much more than a zoo. It has alot to offer and it stands for alot more than just appearances. Which are beautiful too. Of course they are named n use to be known for their great giant turtles, hundreds of years old walking around. But every few year they add on to their great family of Animal friends. Everyone shoulg go atleast ONCE, then youll be hooked & your find it hard to just come 1-3 x per year. ITS a wonderful place for kids & people of all ages. But is also great to be a part of it all, if you like. By adopting, helping, and by giving. To one spicific animal or to this owesome place that put their time, labor, heart n love into it. Go n check it out & be sure to bring your loved ones n friends along. Then share your thoughts & experiences with everyone. But most important; Tell everyone which animal or place made you fall in love with Turle Back Zoo????

TY

Tyler Lund

Great zoo in a compact area that makes for a perfect trip for children who dont have the stamina or attention span for larger zoos. They may not have larger zoo blockbusters like elephants and giraffes, but they have plenty to keep you entertained for several hours. With a 3 year old who rode the carousel, ate lunch, went through the aviary, saw all the exhibits, and rode the slide 3 times, we made it through in about 3 hours. Its amazing how they are able to fit as many exhibits as they have in such a relatively small walking space, without having smaller enclosures. Unlike other zoos, you arent constantly walking between exhibits, you always seem to have one on one side or the other. This helps eliminate the in between enclosure entertaining you normally need to do. The wolf, bear, and multiple large cat habitats were particularly nice, while the petting zoo and aviary impressed our small guest. I also really likied the prairie dog exhibit where they have domed tunnels under the exhibit where you can view the animals up close. After you are in, with a moderately priced entrance fee ($27 for 2 adults and one child), they dont continue to nickel and dime you like other zoos. The aviary and petting zoos are free (though you can buy some food for $2). The butterfly tunnel is a mere $2 as well as the carousel. Food was of course expensive as it is in any closed economy entertainment facility. They are very accommodating with you bringing your own food for a picnic though and have tables all over the place. This is a fantastic zoo for younger children (though it seems everyone in the tri-state area has discovered this, so expect large family crowds) due to the density of attractions and easy walking footprint.

CO

Corey Fields

It is very well priced and there are some really great animals there. The overall presentation was a little depressing in some cases, though. The layout is awkward so we had to circle back a couple of times to make sure we saw everything. There were some features that appeared unused and it seemed like they made no effort to disguise them. Just empty, unclean enclosures. I found myself unsure of where I was expected to view some animals like the buffalo and the wallaby/kangaroo exhibits. The prairie dog that we coaxed into popping his head up was great. The Gibbons are always fun. The sea lions were feeling frisky so that was cool. We liked feeding the birds, even if they were just pet store varieties. There was a big old Capybara that gave us a few candid grins and some tortoises that were (slowly) destroying a pile of greens. The main thing that left me feeling badly though was a very sad-looking penguin exhibit. Not only did it appear cramped for even the two penguins who occupy it, but one of the two little birds was splayed out on his stomach making pained noises with a large accumulation of projected feces behind him. It was pretty jarring so the next employee I found, I had to share with him. He didnt seem to know how to respond, and to be fair the kid was opening the door for the customers at the touch pool, but I dont think anybody got the message regardless. I hope the little fella/lady is okay!

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