Updated for September 2026
The Best Zoos in Massachusetts
How this list is ordered: by how complete our listing is — how much we hold on opening hours, ticket prices, accreditation, photographs, animals and facilities. It is a measure of our own coverage, not a judgement of the venue. We hold no visitor scores or conservation assessments, so “best” here means every zoo in Massachusetts that qualifies for the list, fullest entry first.
Listed alphabetically
-
Keeper talk or showRides and attractions
Buttonwood Park Zoo
Zoo in New Bedford
The zoo dates from 1894, ranking third-oldest in New England and twelfth-oldest nationally, and it sits within the Buttonwood Park Historic District, which is listed on the National Register. More than 250 animals of over 80 species are kept, some of them rare or endangered.
-
Keeper talk or showAccessible toiletsSensory and cognitive support
Franklin Park Zoo
Zoo in Boston
More than 220 species are kept in the northeast corner of the city's largest park, the closing link of the Emerald Necklace. Zoo New England runs the site, along with Stone Zoo at Stoneham.
-
Touch poolParkingDisability admission concession
New England Aquarium
Zoo & Aquarium in Boston
Before the pandemic more than 1.3 million people visited each year. California sea lions, harbor and northern fur seals, penguins, giant Pacific octopuses and loggerhead and green sea turtles are among the species on show. The Simons Theatre and a whale watch operation share Central Wharf with it.
-
Keeper talk or showParkingSensory and cognitive support
Walter D. Stone Memorial Zoo
Zoo in Stoneham
Zoo New England, the trading name of the Commonwealth Zoological Corporation, runs the site along with the Franklin Park Zoo in Boston. Smaller displays occupy the low ground, while the rocky wooded slopes above carry larger habitats given over to Species Survival Plan animals. These include a North American Wetlands area with tundra swans and whooping cranes, an Animal Discovery Center of reptiles and amphibians, and a Barnyard of goats, Southdown sheep and chickens.
-
Assistance animal policySensory and cognitive support
Lupa Zoo
Zoo in Ludlow
Lupa Zoo is a zoo in Ludlow, United States. Animals on show include Aldabra giant tortoise, binturong, serval, zedonk, tapir, Bactrian camel and Himalayan black bear.
-
Keeper talk or showRides and attractionsOn-site dining
Southwick's Zoo
Zoo in Mendon
The collection runs to over 850 animals and more than 165 exotic species. It claims the largest primate troupe in New England and the region's only chimpanzee exhibit.
-
Capron Park Zoo
Zoo in Attleboro
Around 100 animals of 44 species are kept. The species span the Americas, Asia, Africa and Australia, and include white lion, Amur leopard, sloth bear and kangaroo.
-
Maria Mitchell Aquarium
Zoo & Aquarium in Nantucket
Maria Mitchell Aquarium, opened in 1997, is a zoo in Nantucket, United States. Animals on show include American Lobster, jellyfish, shrimp, tropical fish and crabs.
Our ranking methodology
This is not a ranking. The 8 venues above are listed alphabetically by name, the same order used throughout this site. We do not collect visitor reviews, star ratings, ticket-sales figures or a conservation-impact score, so none of those exist here to rank by — “best” in this page’s title means every venue that qualifies for this list, not first-to-last by quality. If we ever add a data source robust enough to support an honest ranking, this note and the order above will change together.