Beardsley Zoo
add photos8 Reviews for Beardsley Zoo
5
30 families found this helpful
"An enjoyable day at the zoo"
I took my granddaughter 5, and my youngest daughter 1, to enjoy a day at the zoo. We enjoyed watching the lions and tigers and listening to them roar. We saw a couple of bears playing and running. We enjoyed the green house, where we learned about exotic plants and flowers. We especially enjoyed watching the ground hogs. There were so many of them. The kids loved them and they loved watching them from some sort of glass tunnel. The admission was about 10-12 dollars. Its a nice small zoo, so walking around to see all the animals was not exhausting like the Bronx Zoo. The down side to the zoo is that there is limited parking. You would probably have to come early to get a decent parking spot.
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0 families found this helpful
"Old fashioned park zoo"
We love to go to the Beardsley Park zoo in the spring before it gets to hot and busy. It is a pleasant stroll through the exhibits along with a carousel and small botanical gardens. The kids enjoy the rainforest exhibit with Tamarins and an Ocelot. They also enjoy the tigers and farm area. Their favorite by far are the very amusing and interactive otters and the prairie dogs. The zoo also hosts birthday parties at the carousel, There is a small cafe on site with the usual kid friendly options, as well as the Peacock cafe with the requisite wandering peacocks all around. The staff are friendly and like to give info about the animals. The zoo has a membership deal which is the cost of 2 visits for 2 adults and up to 6 kids. We ended up purchasing this year so that we can visit again and use the membership for reciprocal agreements to facilities in other states. There are areas of the zoo that are slightly run down, but nothing that would detract from your visit!!!
0 families found this helpful
"great!"
We took our 2 year old here and it was perfect. She was still too little to remember anything, but there was enough to do where she could laugh and have fun. The zoo was clean, and well kept and the staff were very friendly. The bathrooms were a little dirty, but it was to be expected. Her favorite was the monkeys and the turtles. It would have been nice if they had more sea animals.
0 families found this helpful
"Bigger is not always better"
I used to go to this zoo when I was younger so I am sentimental about it. It is on the brink of closing its doors for good due to lack of funding from the state as well.
With that said, we went to a birthday party here with my son and it's no big time zoo like San Diego or Bronx Zoo. Bring your lunch to save money and head over to the carousel house to look at their collection of carousel horses.
1 family found this helpful
"Perfect for the little conservationist"
Beardsley is a small zoo, featuring animals from North and South America, predominantly. (However, there are 2 large Siberian tigers)
It is not crowded like the large zoos, so children can really LOOK at the animals and take their time going through the exhibits. The cost is reasonable, but for those who cannot afford the entrance fees, many local libraries carry the family zoo pass which can be signed out. We especially like being "zoo members". Zoo membership also gives entrance privileges at several other zoos and aquariums throughout the US.
The perfect zoo for toddlers. Might be too small for bigger kids...
1 family found this helpful
"Beardsley Zoo"
I love this zoo. We have been going twice a year since my children were very little. It is a great zoo that can be seen in approximately 3 hours. They have also had great shows for the children on birds. The have a great greenhouse and I love flowers. There are always peacocks walking around. You can bring your own lunch and sit in the picnic area. One of the most beautiful carousels still around.
0 families found this helpful
"Complete waste of time and money. And gas. And sanity."
Like most children, our kids love the zoo. Having been somewhat spoiled by their California adventures, they are under the impression that all zoos are well-funded and have ample "oooh" and "ahhh" points peppered throughout their property.
This is not one of those properties.
We didn't drive far, so I feel it unfair to discuss the travel aspect of this other than to say it wasn't worth the gas.
As a well-traveled parent, we were prepared to (not) spend $$$$ on souvenirs, refreshments and any unexpected expenses. What we weren't prepared for was the high price of admission (we had coupons, thinking that would ease the blow. Ha!) and the RIDICULOUS prices at the refreshment stand.
Let me be fair and say that I expect those prices at Disney parks, NOT a local zoo.
The animal exhibits could have been done/planned better, the petting zoo was full of rambunctious goats that tried to eat my daughter's dress (much to her screaming-bloody-murder delight), the zoo staff (aside from the ticket kiosk) were totally rude and unprofessional, and I'm pretty sure my husband took up smoking that day due to all the stress involved with this excursion.
2 families found this helpful
"Nice trip"
This zoo is where lots of Connecticut families go. This zoo's size is not as big as the Bronx Zoo but it offers lots of different exhibits. We were here for a birthday party and stayed to explore. The exhibits run from the rainforest to endangered animals and farm animals as well. The closes early so come early to be able to explore all you want.
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