Discover The 4 Absolute Best Zoos In New England (And The Ideal Time To Visit Each)

New England is home to some amazing zoos with a wide range of exotic and endangered animals. These zoos provide an exceptional educational experience that is also highly entertaining. Whether you want to learn about wildlife or spend a fun day out with friends, the zoos in New England are sure to satisfy your needs. In addition, the conservation efforts of these zoos ensure your experience helps endangered animals!

Southwick’s Zoo

As New England’s largest zoological experience, Southwick’s Zoo is definitely worth a visit. It is located in Mendon, Massachusetts, and spans over 200 acres! Over 850 animals represent 150 different species from all over the world. This zoo prides itself on making naturalistic habitats for the animals to ensure they live in a place that feels like home.

Southwick’s Zoo includes large animals such as African lions, Bengal tigers, Grant’s zebras, white rhinos, chimpanzees, and giraffes. Smaller animals, such as the North American porcupine, ring-tailed lemur, and capybara, can also be found here.

IA petting zoo allows you to pet and feed the herd of pygmy goats! You can also view the Vietnamese pot-bellied pig and alpacas! The Parakeet Landing is a walk-through aviary filled with parakeets and cockatiels. You can also purchase seed sticks to feed the parakeets! Southwick’s Zoo has seemingly endless attractions, including pony and camel rides, a 35-acre deer forest, Skyfari Sky Ride, Woodland Express Train, Soaring Eagle zip line, and a rainforest adventure maze.

The conservation efforts at Southwick’s Zoo are provided by EARTH Limited, a non-profit conservation and education organization. The organization supports local and global conservation efforts through fundraising, educational programs, and memberships.

Best Time To Visit

Southwick’s Zoo is open from early April to October. It is best to visit during the week, as the crowds are bigger on the weekends. You will likely need a full day to see everything, so arriving when the zoo opens is an excellent idea. As a bonus, parking is free!

Roger Williams Park Zoo

Roger Williams Park Zoo is in Providence, Rhode Island. With around 40 acres to explore in the woodlands, you can see over 100 species of animals from all over the world. Each species is enclosed in a naturalistic habitat, ensuring the animals feel right at home.

Roger Williams Park Zoo houses a variety of animals – both large and small. Some of the large animals in the zoo include African elephants, Ankole-Watusi cattle, Babirusas, Komodo dragons, and alpacas. Some of the smaller animals in the zoo include the barn owl, Bennett’s wallaby, and the golden lion tamarin.

The zoo offers exciting attractions such as a farmyard, a zipline, and a train ride. The Alex & Ani Farmyard includes many domestic farm animals, such as goats, sheep, alpacas, and chickens. There are also fun opportunities to feed giraffes, harbor seals, and some of the farmyard animals. In addition, the Explore and Soar area of the zoo provides some unique fun with an exhilarating zipline and a train excursion through the woodlands.

The conservation efforts at Roger Williams Park Zoo are tremendous. They participate in breeding programs to help endangered species survive. The zoo greatly emphasizes conserving wildlife and habitats by practicing sustainability in everyday operations. Furthermore, energy and water are conserved as much as possible – the new filtering systems save 1,000,000 gallons of water per year in the elephant pool alone! The zoo also does what it can to reduce, reuse, and recycle and encourages guests to do the same.

Best Time To Visit

Roger Williams Park Zoo is open year-round. The zoo offers half-priced admission during the winter months of January and February. It is usually cold and snowy during this time, but you can enjoy the animals without crazy crowds! However, it’s worth noting that the Explore and Soar attraction is closed during the winter months from November to March.

Animal Adventures Family Zoo & Rescue Center

Animal Adventures is located in Bolton, Massachusetts, and is New England’s largest privately owned animal rescue center. There are three acres to explore and three buildings full of common and exotic animals. Around 200 to 400 animals are housed here, across roughly 175 different species. Additionally, the zoo offers many unique tours.

Animal Adventures receive over 300 animal surrenders per year! Some of the zoo’s most popular animals include the ring-tailed lemur, bobcat, Arctic fox, Carpathian lynx, chameleon, and armadillo.

The zoo provides a host of tours, including private tours, custom tours, extreme tours, and reptile tours. These experiences allow you to get up close and personal with some of the exotic animals. Some of the attractions also encourage close contact with the animals. The Sloth Encounter gives you 20 amazing minutes with a sloth – you can feed, pet, and take photos with her! The Owl Connection allows you to hold and take pictures with a Eurasian eagle owl while learning about other rescued owls.

This zoo is unique because it is a rescue center housing surrendered animals, providing them with the care they need. They emphasize educating the public about the animals they house.

Best Time To Visit

Animal Adventures is open all year round from Tuesday to Sunday but is closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and Easter. Because most of the animals are housed within three buildings, you can enjoy the animals no matter the time of year. If you don’t like crowds, it’s best to visit outside of the holidays and weekends.

Beardsley Zoo

Beardsley Zoo is the only zoo in Connecticut and has been open for over 100 years. It has a mission dedicated to the preservation of endangered animals. Located in Beardsley Park, the zoo is home to over 300 animals. It spans 52 acres and features many endangered species, a New England farmyard, and a tropical rainforest with a free-flight aviary.

The animals at Beardsley come from all over the world and include Amur tigers, giant anteaters, Vietnamese walking sticks, dyeing poison dart frogs, and even red wolves. The zoo’s website has live cameras of many of the animals, for those who want to “visit” remotely. You can check in online between 8:30 am and 6 pm to see what they are up to.

Check out the Peacock Cafe for delicious coffee and homemade food or bring your own and take a moment to relax in the Picnic Grove. They also offer venue hire for any occasion, so you can impress your friends with a function amongst the animals! They offer discounts for large groups, school trips, and non-profit organizations with more than 10 people attending.

Besides animals, Beardsley Zoo is also active in cultivating plants. Many of these plants are endangered, just like the animals they grow amongst!

Best Time To Visit

The best time to visit Beardsley Zoo is in the winter. While it sounds odd to be out in the cold, many animals are more active in the cold weather. In addition, they offer seasonal programs that are included in the cost of admission, which provide fun and educational experiences for the entire family. Avoid the weekends and holidays if you can, as these times are naturally the busiest. The zoo is open seven days a week, from 9 am to 4 pm.

Summary Of The 4 Absolute Best Zoos In New England

What Is the Largest Aquarium in New England?

Now that we’ve taken a look at the best New England zoos in the U.S., you may be wondering about aquariums. Typically, bigger is better when it comes to these popular tourist attractions, as they can house more freshwater and marine life. So what is the largest aquarium to visit in New England? It’s the New England Aquarium, located on the waterfront in Boston Massachusetts. Opened on June 20, 1969, this amazing aquarium houses California sea lions, harbor and northern fur seals, giant Pacific octopuses, southern rockhopper penguins, weedy seadragons, and thousands of freshwater and saltwater fish.

The complex includes the main aquarium building, the Simons Theatre, the New England Aquarium Whale Watch, and other research facilities like the Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life and the Quincy Animal Care Center. Over 1.3 million fish enthusiasts visit this massive aquarium annually.

Some of the exhibits enjoyed by visitors include the Giant Ocean Tank, a 200,000-gallon cylindrical tank that contains a coral reef, sea turtles, tropical fish, stingrays, moray eels, and sharks. There are separate exhibits for the penguins and for the marine mammals like seals. Four levels of smaller galleries showcase jellyfish, crabs, goliath groupers, piranhas, and even reptiles like poison dart frogs and a green anaconda. And children will be thrilled to interact with marine life at the Shark Ray and Touch Tank.

And a unique feature of this aquarium? It’s partnered with a cruise company to take tourists 30 miles out into Boston Harbor for whale-watching excursions. If you are in love with creatures that inhabit the rivers, lakes, and oceans around the world, the New England Aquarium should be on your bucket list of places to visit.

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Nik Bruining/Shutterstock.com