The Central Park Zoo

This zoo is located near the southeast corner of Central park at 64th Street and Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, New York.  It features more than 150 species from around the globe.  It is a terrific family destination where you can visit for an hour or a day.  Every attraction is beautifully designed.

Zoo Exhibits

The Central Garden and Sea Lion Exhibit is terrific and allows you to get a great underwater view through the pool's glass walls.  The sea lion feeding and presentation must be fit into your schedule.  At various times during the day zookeepers demonstrate how they give routine care and feed the sea lions who love to impress the crowds.  Enjoy the Polar Circle where you will find polar bears, penguins and seals.  The polar bear view area is three levels: underwater, rock level and from above. You can see these beautiful animals glide and tumble in the water, or play with toys and eat on the land.  Enjoy videos of penguins in their natural habitat and check the schedule so you can meet with the seals for meal time.  The Allison Maher Stern Snow Leopard Exhibit  is a terrific exhibit where you can see these awesome cats play and leap on rocks from two viewing locations.  Temperate Territory is home to snow monkeys, red pandas and migratory birds.  Tisch Children's Zoo, designed for kids 6 and under, is a great interactive place for the kids to hop on lily pads and climb on a giant spiderweb as well as feed some barnyard animals.  It is sure to be a hit with the kids.  The Tropic Zone: The Rainforest  is a walk-through rainforest exhibit which is a unique experience with viewing platforms at various levels to see all of the animal activity that is happening in this exhibit.

Hours of Operation 

The Central Park Zoo is open 365 days a year and the animals are on exhibit all year round  Winter Hours (November 1 - April 1)
are daily from 10am - 4:30 pm.  Summer Hours (April 2 - October 30)  are10 am - 5 pm on weekdays and 10 am - 5:30 pm on weekends and holidays.

Admission Information

Adult tickets are approximately $12 and for children (3 -12) entrance fee is $7.  Senior Citizen and group discounts are available.  Tickets can be purchased in advance online.  Major credit cards and corporate checks will be accepted at the ticket booth.  For detailed information on hours and admissions fees see Central Park Zoo Hours and Rates.

Insider Tips

Visit when the weather is cooler for less crowds and more activity amongst the animals.

Benches outside the zoo or in the park make a great place for a picnic lunch brought from home.

Be sure to check the feedings and enrichment demonstrations that are offered daily at scheduled times and fit it into your itinerary. 

Directions

The Central Park Zoo is easily accessible by mass transit.  Parking is NOT available at the zoo itself but public parking lots are nearby.

Subway
Take the N, R, or W trains to the Fifth Avenue/59th Street station in Manhattan, and walk north four blocks to 64th Street. Or take the Lexington Avenue #6 train to the 68th Street/Hunter College station, walk west 3 blocks to Fifth Avenue, then take a left and walk four blocks south.

Bus
The M1, M2, M3, M4, M5, M30, Q32 buses all stop on Fifth Avenue between 59th and 64th Streets.

Car Parking Garages Nearby
Narragansett Garage at 124 E. 63rd Street
Regency Garage Corp. at 245 E. 63rd Street
Renoir Garage at 225 E. 63rd Street
Distinctive Parking at 35 E. 61st Street.