Central Park Zoo
The Central Park Zoo is open 365 days a year, and the animals are on exhibit all year-round. Spring and summer are naturally high-attendance seasons, but we encourage guests to visit during fall and winter as well. When the weather cools off, many animals are more active and you'll encounter fewer crowds. The Central Park Zoo is a small 6.5-acre (2.6 ha) zoo located in Central Park in New York City. It is part of an integrated system of four zoos and the New York Aquarium managed by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), and is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). The zoo began in the 1860s as a menagerie, making it the first official zoo to open in New York. The zoo was modified in 1934, with the addition of many new buildings ranged in a quadrangle around the sea lion pool. (The zoo from this era has been commonly known as the "1934 Zoo" or "Robert Moses Zoo".) Finally, the zoo was renovated in the mid-1980s and reopened in 1988, replacing the old-fashioned cages with naturalistic environments.
The Central Park Zoo is located near the southeast corner of Central Park, and is easily accessible by mass transit. If you must drive, please consult the list of nearby parking lots below. No parking is available at the zoo itself.
