About Staten Island Zoo
Staten Island Zoo offers a cozy and family-friendly environment with engaging activities for children, particularly through its petting zoo and birthday party options, making it a unique venue for family outings and celebrations.
What parents should know
Summarized from real visitor reviews.
Best for: Children's birthday partiesFamily outings during weekdaysEducational visits for young childrenToddlers (2-5 years) - particularly enjoy the petting zoo and birthday party activitiesChildren (5-10 years) - benefit from interactive presentations and crafts
Why families love it
- Friendly and helpful staff and volunteers
- Interactive experiences like animal presentations and crafts for kids
- Petting zoo area with well-kept animals like goats and sheep
- Pavilion available for birthday parties with shaded areas and fans
- Petting zoo with friendly animals
- Carousel ride included in birthday party packages
Insider tips
- Visit on a weekday morning for a quieter experience
- Consider booking a birthday party for a unique celebration
- Bring hand sanitizer for the petting zoo area
Good to know before you go
- Visiting during peak hours on weekends when it may be crowded
- Going late in the year when some exhibits may be closed or empty
- Indoor areas reported to be dirty and smelly
- Presence of roaches noted by some visitors
- Some enclosures and pools appeared empty, possibly due to seasonal changes
- Crowds
- Weekdays are less crowded compared to weekends
- Value
- Birthday party packages offer good value, including various activities and access to the zoo for a reasonable price, although specific pricing was not detailed.
- Food
- Food and drink rules not specified, but birthday parties include catering
- Accessibility
- Pavilion area is shaded and has fans for comfort
- Safety
- Staff presence for supervision during activities
What parents say
"Love this zoo! Zoos, aquariums and museums are such assets to the city and this one despite its smaller size is no different. We visited an half hour after opening on a weekday so the zoo was fairly empty with docents around and keepers still getting things in order. We were fortunate enough to get a wonderful view of the Amur Leopard 🐆 Staff and volunteers were super friendly and helpful for whatever you need. My favorite areas are petting zoo area, bat cave and reptile house. I love the emus♡"
3 months ago
"The animals seemed very sad. The indoor area was really smelly too. It was very dirty and musky and didn’t smell tropical or natural at all. The place was also filled with roaches which made it a bit unnerving to walk through. Worst smelling zoo out of all the boroughs. Animals were very sad and the place felt empty overall. The petting zoo was cute. The little goats and sheep are very friendly and well kept. It’s a decent zoo but the indoor areas need to do something about that smell. They have to take better care of their enclosure too and keep up with maintenance"
a month ago
"We had my son's 5th birthday party at the zoo and let me tell you what a blast it was!! We were in the pavilion, which was great! It was a beautiful day, they bought out a few animals, we colored masks, ate, had a carousel ride all to ourselves and then enjoyed the zoo. The staff was lovely and accommodating. They went above and beyond for us and made sure we had everything we needed. And for me I was happy to be there all day, it's not in my nature to throw a 2 hr party and even the adults had an amazing time! Thank you SI Zoo!!"
5 months ago
Reviews sourced from public Google data.
More petting zoos in New York
Petting Zoos Bronx Zoo
4.6(36,262)4.6 out of 5 stars, 36262 reviews2300 Southern Blvd, Bronx
Petting Zoos SeaQuest Woodbridge
4.5(7,870)4.5 out of 5 stars, 7870 reviews101 Woodbridge Center Dr, Woodbridge
Petting Zoos Queens Zoo
4.5(5,372)4.5 out of 5 stars, 5372 reviews53-51 111th St, Corona
Petting Zoos Bergen County Zoo
4.6(3,319)4.6 out of 5 stars, 3319 reviewsVan Saun County Park, 216 Forest Ave, Paramus