We enjoy spending time with our grandchildren and are always taking them out for educational and fun play dates. When we go out with the children, we like to visit museums, aquariums and zoos. They’re at the perfect age for all three of those activities.
A couple of months ago we took them down to the Cape May County Park and Zoo in New Jersey. The zoo is about 3 1/2 hours from our main home in Pennsylvania and about a 15 minute drive from our beach house at the Jersey Shore. If you’re going to be visiting south Jersey, it’s definitely a place you’ll want to visit.
The Cape May County Park & Zoo is 100% FREE. That’s right, they don’t charge admission. However, at the entrance gate they have a bucket and you can toss in a monetary donation. We like to toss in $15 to $20 every time we go. It’s a beautiful place and I’m sure that they appreciate all of the donations that they get.
On the property you’ll find picnic pavilions, a playground, walking trails, the zoo, a gift shop, outdoor cafe, public restrooms, etc. There are a lot of fun things for you to see and do, so you’ll want to spend the entire afternoon. We always allow at least 3 hours in our schedule.
We love this particular zoos and it’s one of our favorites on the east coast. You walk through the facility at your own pace and its beautifully landscaped throughout. There are park benches that you can sit on (to rest or people-watch), restrooms sprinkled throughout and it’s a very laid-back place. It is rarely over-crowded!
The majority of exhibits are outdoors. I believe there are only two that are indoors, the incredible Bird World (in the bird & aviary building) and then the reptiles which are in another building. Everything else is outdoors, so you’ll always want to dress appropriately for the season. Yes, they’re open year-round.
When you’re walking through…you’ll see all kinds of different animals. They have a vast and varied collection. You’ll see birds, snakes, monkeys, alligators, giraffes, camels, zebra, lions, cheetahs, snow leopards, small and HUGE turtles, fish, barn animals, skunks, owls, raccoons, foxes, deer, etc. Trust me, you’ll see a lot!!!
After your done you can visit their super-cool gift shop to pick up snacks, drinks, gifts and souvenirs. Some of their items are more on the pricey side, but overall, I think their prices are fairly decent. If you need to rent a wheelchair for the day, you’ll find those rentals at the gift shop too.
We try to take our grandchildren to the Cape May County Park & Zoo at least once every year and they always have a great time! We’ve been visiting that particular zoo every year since 2000, so that’s 18 years! If you’re going to be in the area or just passing through, we highly recommend that you visit.
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I love that there is no admission fee. This is a place I would love to visit when i am in Cape May.
I love that tortoise (or turtle – I’m not up on my nomenclature). Lots of animals to see here.
I really like this ‘zoo’. I am amazed it is open year round as some of the animals are not cold weather types. I would think they would adapt though or perhaps they just spend more time in the enclosures they have. It’s nice you can just sit and rest and watch at your leisure. It sounds like a nice way for kids or adults to spend a day.
This looks like a beautiful zoo and one that they whole family would enjoy. That is amazing that they do not charge admission fees. I donate to our local wildlife sanctuaries and sure hope that they are around for many years to come.
What a great place to visit and I am astounded that there is no admission fee. We have a wonderful zoo but it costs about $25 per adult and $17 per child so really adds up.