Updated for September 2026
The Best Zoos in Pennsylvania
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 Pennsylvania that qualifies for the list, fullest entry first.
Listed alphabetically
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Picnic area
Clyde Peeling's Reptiland
Zoo in Allenwood
Clyde Peeling's Reptiland, opened in 1964, is a zoo in Allenwood, United States. Animals on show include Komodo dragon, Aldabra tortoise, American Alligator and budgie.
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Animal feeding experienceOvernight stayParking
Elmwood Park Zoo
Zoo in Norristown
Elmwood Park Zoo, opened in 1924, is a zoo in Norristown, United States.
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On-site diningNight and evening opening
Lehigh Valley Zoo
Zoo in Schnecksville
The zoo sits within an 1,100-acre nature preserve and stays open all year round. Animals on show include African Penguin, giraffes, sloths, common ostrich and plains zebra.
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Animal encounterParkingSensory and cognitive support
National Aviary
Zoo in Pittsburgh
It is the largest indoor aviary in the country and the only one given honorary National standing by Congress. More than 500 birds are kept, along with other animals and reptiles, amounting to over 150 species in all.
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Keeper talk or show
Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium
Zoo & Aquarium in Pittsburgh
The site occupies 77 acres of parkland and holds over 4,000 animals of 475 species, twenty of them threatened or endangered. It began in 1898 under the name Highland Park Zoo and shifted over time from a menagerie towards a conservation body. Growth in the late 1930s came from Works Progress Administration labour and foundation gifts, and produced what was then the second largest aquarium in the country.
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Animal encounterBehind-the-scenes tourKeeper talk or show
ZooAmerica North American Wildlife Park
Zoo in Hershey
Milton S. Hershey started it in 1910 with bears, birds and deer. It now covers 11 acres and holds over 75 species and 200 animals, some of them rare or endangered. It remains under the private control of the Hershey Trust Company and is joined to Hersheypark.
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Erie Zoo
Zoo in Erie
The zoo sits on 15 acres in Glenwood Park, off West 38th Street, and holds over 400 animals, with more than 600 plant species in its gardens and greenhouse. It trades from March to November and draws over 400,000 visitors yearly.
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Guided tourParking
Philadelphia Zoo
Zoo in Philadelphia
No earlier institution in the United States counts as a true zoo. It opened on 1 July 1874 with a thousand animals in the collection and admission set at 25 cents.
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Wilderness Wildlife Center
Zoo in Pittsburgh
Wilderness Wildlife Center is a zoo in Pittsburgh, United States.
More in Pennsylvania
View all Pennsylvania listingsOur ranking methodology
This is not a ranking. The 9 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.