Family Vacations: Bronx Zoo

The Bronx Zoo's Congo Gorilla Forest exhibit features more than 300 animals,including one of the largest breeding groups of lowland gorillas.

The signature exhibit at this world-famous urban zoo is its breathtaking 6.5-acre Congo Gorilla Forest, a re-created rainforest complete with mist and a riot of lush green landscaping. As you meander along its path, you'll pass black-and-white colobus monkeys and walk through a fallen tree to see okapis, red river hogs, and mandrills. Then you head into a huge tree trunk for a short film about gorillas. When the movie ends and the screen goes up, you find yourself in a glass-enclosed observation room in the middle of the gorilla habitat.

The Children's Zoo lets children experience life from an animal's perspective. They can crawl through a prairie dog tunnel, listen for sounds through a fox's ear, climb a spiderweb, and shimmy up a tree to be eye to eye with the lemurs right next door.

A new Bug Carousel, where children can take a spin on a shiny green mantis, a bumblebee, a ladybug, or a black beetle, sits next to the popular Butterfly Garden. Three times a day in the tiger area zookeepers bring behind-the-scenes activities front and center to show visitors how they keep animals stimulated and entertained. In winter, indoor exhibits such as the World of Reptiles, housed in an original nineteenth-century building, allow guests to stay toasty while they tour.

Bronx Zoo Information

Address: Fordham Rd. and the Bronx River Pkwy., Bronx, NY

Telephone: 718/367-1010

Hours of Operation: 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., daily

Admission: $14 adults; $10 kids

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Laura Sutherland is a widely acknowledged authority on family travel and has published several books on the topic, including Best Family Ski Vacations In North America and Tropical Family Vacations.