Tisch Children's Zoo: E65

Spring Hours:
(April 5 - October 26):
Monday-Friday 10:00am-5:00pm,
Weekends 10:00am-5:30pm,
Holidays 10:00am-5:30pm
Winter Hours:
(November- March):
Daily 10:00am-4:30pm
Admission:
Adults $6.00, Seniors $1.25,
Children 3-12 $1.00
Children under 3 years are free.
(Same ticket allows for admittance to the
Tisch Children's Zoo)
(212) 861-6030 or (212) 439-6500

One of the most extraordinary additions to Central Park in recent years has been the Tisch Children's Zoo. Wonderfully designed and completely renovated, this Zoo reopened in 1997 with a generous gift from philanthropist Laurence A. Tisch.
Parents park their strollers near the elaborate sculpted gate and with their children in hand enter this child's wonderland. Here they can feed and pet animals, enjoy children's theater, romp on a spider web and crawl through exhibits made exclusively for their entertainment. Giant mock turtle shells and rabbits with large ears but without faces give children a place to infuse their own bodies with the artfully displayed toys.
At the center of the Zoo is the Enchanted Forest where giant insects hover overhead and large sculptured animals attract the attention of wide-eyed toddlers. With a large net strung high in the trees overhead a natural bird habitat provides a remarkable environment for all the surrounding activity enabling children to interact with live species while their parents try desperately to identify them.
With the sound of cascading water from the central stream and the dramatics of the Acorn Theater along with the laughter and exaggerated cries of delight from children lost in the experience of discovery, the Children's Zoo is a wonderfully uplifting experience for adults as well as children.