Turtle Back Zoo
Turtle Back Zoo and its collection
Turtle Back Zoo, opened in 1963, is a zoo in West Orange, United States.
Twenty acres of South Mountain Reservation are given over to the zoo, which the Essex County Park System administers; no county park system in the country is older. Named after a rock formation nearby, it opened in 1963 with 140 animals across 40 species, a figure that had reached 850 animals of 275 species by 1973. Confined at first to wildlife native to the New York metropolitan region, the collection now draws on every continent except Antarctica.
History
Named after a nearby rock formation, it opened in 1963 with 140 animals of 40 species. It ran seasonally at first on a Hans Christian Andersen storybook theme, with a giant piggy bank, an ABC house and a pirate ship. By 1973 the stock had reached 850 animals of 275 species.
Exhibits
A $4.6 million reptile and education building, the first indoor exhibit, opened in June 2006, and Island Giants followed in September 2023. A three-acre African Adventure area opened in May 2016; its Shores of Africa section holds pink-backed pelicans and penguins with an indoor pool. A 1,600-gallon touch pool holds cownose rays and epaulette sharks.
What the venue says
- Free parking is available in the designated lots and garages throughout the surrounding South Mountain Recreation Complex.
- Certified sensory-inclusive by KultureCity, offering free sensory bags (including noise-canceling headphones and fidget tools) for checkout at Guest Services.
Images of Turtle Back Zoo
i
Davidng913, CC-BY-SA-4.0, via Wikimedia Commons 
i
Davidng913, CC-BY-SA-4.0, via Wikimedia Commons 
i
Davidng913, CC-BY-SA-4.0, via Wikimedia Commons 
i
Davidng913, CC-BY-SA-4.0, via Wikimedia Commons 
i
Davidng913, CC-BY-SA-4.0, via Wikimedia Commons 
i
Davidng913, CC-BY-SA-4.0, via Wikimedia Commons 
i
Davidng913, CC-BY-SA-4.0, via Wikimedia Commons 
i
Davidng913, CC-BY-SA-4.0, via Wikimedia Commons 
i
Davidng913, CC-BY-SA-4.0, via Wikimedia Commons 
i
Fox Totorus, CC-BY-2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Opening hours
| Days | Opens | Closes |
|---|---|---|
| Monday – Saturday | 10:00 | 16:30 |
| Sunday | 11:00 | 17:30 |
Hours can change on public holidays. Check with the venue before travelling.
Admission
| Ticket Type | Price |
|---|---|
| Adult (Ages 13 and over) | 22.00 USD |
| Senior (Ages 62 and over) | 19.00 USD |
| Child (Ages 2–12) | 19.00 USD |
Facilities
We hold no categorised facilities for Turtle Back Zoo. What the venue itself says is under “What the venue says” above.
Exhibitions & events
No upcoming events
No temporary exhibitions or scheduled public events are published for Turtle Back Zoo at this time.
Accreditation
- AZA accredited, valid until (source)
Location & map
New JerseyWest Orange
United States
Loading map…
The map could not be loaded.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
Frequently asked questions
No frequently asked questions yet
We have not published any questions and answers for Turtle Back Zoo.
Animals
Photographs show each species in general. They were not taken at Turtle Back Zoo.
-
Masai giraffes -
African lions -
African penguins
Exhibits
- African Adventure
- Shores of Africa (Penguin House)