Located in Thompson Park, Watertown, NY, Zoo New York offers a delightful experience for nature and animal lovers. The zoo boasts a great conservatory and a fantastic Butterfly House, making it a must-see attraction. Despite being on the smaller side, the zoo features numerous exhibits with unique animals and a pollination garden. The habitats are well-maintained and the zoo offers plenty of educational activities for visitors. The friendly and helpful staff contribute to the overall pleasant experience. Additionally, the park surrounding the zoo is well-kept and provides ample space for families to enjoy a day out. With clean facilities, a canteen-style restaurant, and a gift shop, Zoo New York is a great place to explore and learn about wildlife. Whether for a family outing or educational visit, Zoo New York promises an enjoyable time for all.
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Reviews
Great conservatory! Butterfly House was fantastic. The Zoo New York at Thompson Park is immensely improved from its earlier days. Watertown should be proud.
My husband and I love visiting zoos when we are on vacation, so we had to come to this one on our way home. There were some cool interactive things to help kids learn and some nice exhibits, but overall, the value for the price was disappointing. Many of the exhibits were closed or empty. The butterfly house was locked and inaccessible. A lot of the animals were not visible. We did get to see a bald eagle and porcupine pretty close up which was cool. The grounds were clean and well maintained and the animals seemed to be well cared for.
Alright so I love zoos but this one was really disappointing.
1) They don’t post the time for the elk feeding and then when I got there at 11:50 and asked to purchase 2 tickets to feed the elk and then I was informed that they stopped selling tickets for that for the day (their hours are 10-5, so I was surprised they stop so early in the day), they said they only sell tickets for it from 10:45 to 11:46 and then the feeding is at 12. Which whatever I missed it, but then at 12:20 the one zookeeper had at least 10 cups of carrots that he was just chucking over the side of the fence to the elk, that was already prepared for visitors.
2) Then we went into the reptile house and out of the 6 enclosures inside 2 of them were empty and closed for renovation.
3) We went to the butterfly house at like 12 when we first arrived and it was locked, and I was told the zookeeper was probably on lunch and then I tried again an hour and a half later after I was told they’d be back between 12:30 and 1 and it was still locked. So we ended up leaving without getting to see the butterflies.
4) The petting zoo/farm animal area was also locked and not open for visitors just like the butterfly house, so we left without seeing them too.
5) They also had the wolverine and owl, and otter inclosure empty
6)They also said there was a pressed penny machine online and there was none.
There was quite a bit of play ground area and stuff for small kids to play around. Not bad for little kids but overall not a good zoo. I honestly wouldn’t advertise it as a zoo it’s more of a public park with the animals kinda like a second thought. Definitely not worth the $12 a person. Considered asking for my money back because of how disappointing it was but I didn’t even bother.
With there being trash in certain spots, and most of the enclosures looking run down. My family did not have a good time. Albeit it was mothers day and my wife got in for free, which respectfully that was nice. It is such a small place and has maybe a handful of sad looking animals. I would hardly consider this a zoo. These animals need to be relocated and this land needs to be used differently. Will not return. However, the animals are still adorable. Maybe spend the 9 bucks to just jog there along the trails and have the animals near you? Takes about 30 mins to go around the entire zoo....walking extremely slow mind you.
Definitely a small zoo, but still an interesting place to see some native animals up close. I was glad to see that there wasn't anything too exotic, from an animal welfare standpoint, especially considering the harsh winters in this area. Nice place to walk around with my 6 yr old and fun to read about the animals, especially the stories of how they came to the zoo, like Pandora's comical story we laughed about! We also recently saw a wild barred owl and we love to go to Tug Hill in the evenings and call to them. We hear them so often that it was cool to see one much closer up, given all we have learned of them. Only thing I think definitely needs attention is the tanks inside! They were full of algae and a couple dead fish (pictured). The turtle was a kind I've never seen or heard of before, so it was cool to see that and learn how common they actually are. But someone really needs to be keeping up with tank maintenance!
So awesome! The exhibits are great, lots of good info, and the habitats are incredible. The zoo does lots of activities, nice gift shop.
Their concessions are very limited, there’s hot dogs and nachos and that’s pretty much it for “real” food.
I wish there were some educational books or coloring books about the animals, but the stuffed animals are ADORABLE.
Been coming to this place since I was very young. It may be on the smaller side, but its a great little zoo. Full of things to see and do. Early is the best time to come; the animals are more active. They have a small play area great for kids. The Wolverine was super active today. The staff is always friendly and helpful.
There are only some animals. Though we did find the park to be a good workout. It was neat being able to check out the animals that they do have. There seems to be some construction happening in some areas. They didn't have the wolverines. The white snow owl seemed hungry? Upset? I'm not sure tho when we were there it sounded off to us even when I dbl backed after a little bit.
Saw what seems to be some improvements. I wish, though, that the zoo was more like it used to be a few years ago. I mentioned to my daughter how it feels more like a farm now.
My husband and I love visiting zoos when we are on vacation, so we had to come to this one on our way home. There were some cool interactive things to help kids learn and some nice exhibits, but overall, the value for the price was disappointing. Many of the exhibits were closed or empty. The butterfly house was locked and inaccessible. A lot of the animals were not visible. We did get to see a bald eagle and porcupine pretty close up which was cool. The grounds were clean and well maintained and the animals seemed to be well cared for.
Great conservatory! Butterfly House was fantastic. The Zoo New York at Thompson Park is immensely improved from its earlier days. Watertown should be proud.
Location
1 Thompson Park, Watertown, NY 13601, United States
Hours
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Updating...
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