Updated for September 2026
The Best Zoos in New York
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 New York that qualifies for the list, fullest entry first.
Listed alphabetically
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Buffalo Zoo
Zoo in Buffalo
The zoo sits on 23.5 acres of Delaware Park, where over 320 plant species are grown, and it operates all year. It draws about 400,000 people annually, making it the region's second biggest draw after Niagara Falls.
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Keeper talk or showParkingMobility equipment loan
Central Park Zoo
Zoo in New York
The zoo is one of five facilities run by the Wildlife Conservation Society, four zoos and an aquarium, and the society runs children's teaching programmes and endangered-species restoration alongside it. Its forerunner menagerie dates to 1864 and was the city's first public zoo.
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Keeper talk or showOn-site diningParking
Prospect Park Zoo
Zoo in Brooklyn
The zoo held 864 animals of about 176 species in 2016 and averaged 300,000 visitors as of 2007. It is run by the Wildlife Conservation Society, whose work there includes species restoration and a wildlife theatre.
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Keeper talk or showEducation programOn-site dining
Queens Zoo
Zoo in Queens
The zoo sits within Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. As of 2013 it held up to 112 species, all of them from the Americas.
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Keeper talk or showEducation programParking
Rosamond Gifford Zoo at Burnet Park
Zoo in Syracuse
The zoo covers 43 acres and is owned and run by Onondaga County Parks, backed by a Friends group.
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Animal feeding experienceGuided tourOn-site dining
Seneca Park Zoo
Zoo in Rochester
The zoo lies in a park designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, straddling the boundary between the city and Irondequoit beside the Genesee River. It holds over 90 species spanning mammals, reptiles, birds, amphibians, fish and arachnids. It is run by Monroe County with backing from a zoo society.
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Rides and attractionsOn-site diningParking
Staten Island Zoo
Zoo in Staten Island
The zoo is open all year apart from Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day.
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Keeper talk or showPlaygroundOn-site dining
Utica Zoo
Zoo in Utica
The city owns the 80-acre property, 40 acres of it developed. Over 200 animals of 99 species are kept across six exhibit areas. Money comes chiefly from the county, a state natural heritage programme and private donors, the city contributing no funding now although it retains the land.
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Night and evening openingMobility equipment loanParking
Bronx Zoo
Zoo in New York City
The zoo covers 265 acres of parkland and habitats, divided by the Bronx River. As of 2010 it held over 4,000 animals of 650 species. Attendance averaged 2.1 million visitors a year as of 2009.
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Animal encounterPlaygroundParking
Long Island Game Farm
Zoo in Manorville
Built on 29 acres by Stanley Novak with his wife Diane and their daughters Melinda and Susan, it is billed as Long Island's biggest children's zoo and wildlife park. Residents include bison, camels, zebras, deer, lemurs, wallabies, foxes, capybaras, emus and cockatoos.
Our ranking methodology
This is not a ranking. The 11 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.