NJ zoos with kids

Admission

$10 adult, $7 child 3–14, under 3 free (out-of-county rate)

Hours

Apr–Nov 10:00–16:30, Nov–Mar 10:00–15:30; last entry 30 min before close

Time needed

1.5–2 hours

Ages

Toddler and younger elementary

From Edison

~35 mi · about 45–55 min

• Stroller rental for a $5 deposit, fully refunded when you return it
• Train and carousel, $3 per ride — tickets sold on site only
• Wednesday late nights to 20:00 through August 26

Good to know: It is small — you can walk the whole thing in about an hour. That is exactly right for a two-year-old and thin for a nine-year-old.

Verdict: The best toddler logistics in the state: cheap, short, and the only one that will hand you a stroller for a refundable $5.

Worth confirming before you go: Whether parking charges a fee

Official site

Admission

$22 adult, $19 child 2–12, under 2 free; parking free

Hours

Daily 10:00–16:00, year-round, rain or shine

Time needed

2–2.5 hours (the zoo's own estimate)

Ages

Toddler through elementary

From Edison

~25 mi · about 35–45 min

• Zoo train through South Mountain Reservation, included with admission
• Giraffe feeding $5, cash only, 10:30–16:00
• Pony rides $3 for ages 2+ under 48 inches; carousel, playground and mini golf on site

Good to know: Two of the best moments cost extra and the giraffe feed is cash only — bring small bills. The café runs a limited menu 11:00–15:00, so pack food. Tickets are non-refundable, including for weather.

Verdict: The strongest all-rounder within an hour of Edison: free parking, a free train ride, and enough on site to fill a morning for a mixed-age family.

Worth confirming before you go: Any Essex County resident discount · Whether stroller rental is currently running — the FAQ still shows winter text — Call 973-731-5800

Official site

Admission

$19 adult 12+, $13 child 3–11, 2 and under free, $15 senior

Hours

10:00–22:00 daily through Labor Day; open every day of the year except Thanksgiving and Christmas

Time needed

1–1.5 hours

Ages

Toddler and up

From Edison

~40 mi · about 50–60 min

• Feedings you can plan a visit around: seals 10:30, 15:00 and 19:00; penguins 11:00 and 18:00; sharks 16:00 Mon, Wed, Sat
• Renovated top floor with a sloth and a rainforest section
• Indoor and air-conditioned, with the boardwalk right outside

Heads-up: The wheelchair lift was listed as out of service until approximately August 30. If you cannot carry a stroller up stairs, call first.

Good to know: It sits on Jenkinson's Boardwalk, so add paid beach-town parking, and everything around it — rides, arcade, mini golf — costs extra. Note the age bands: a 12-year-old pays the adult price.

Verdict: The right call on a 95-degree afternoon or a rainy one: an hour indoors, timed to a seal feeding, then the beach when it cools.

Worth confirming before you go: Stroller policy — Call 732-892-0600

Official site

Admission

From $32.99 adult; children about 15% less, seniors $2 less — pricing changes by date. Parking $10.

Hours

Open 364 days, closed Thanksgiving; daily hours vary by date, last entry 90 minutes before close

Time needed

2–3 hours (official estimate)

Ages

Toddler through elementary

From Edison

~70 mi · about 1 hr 15 min

• Shark Bridge, a rope bridge suspended over a shark tank, plus the Shark Tunnel
• Hippos — very few US aquariums have them
• Strong sensory programming: Sensory Sundays, F.I.S.H. Night, KultureCity certified

Good to know: Timed tickets must be booked in advance — you cannot drive down and walk up. Pricing is dynamic, so a spontaneous Saturday can be both sold out and expensive. Wagons have been banned since 2023; conventional strollers only, rental $8 single and $10 double plus a refundable $10 deposit.

Verdict: The one on this list a seven-year-old will still be talking about a month later. Book it two weeks out, budget the $10 parking, and go on a weekday if you can.

Worth confirming before you go: Exact child and senior prices — the site uses date-based dynamic pricing · Specific daily opening hours

Official site

Admission

Free, and parking is free too

Hours

Summer 10:00–16:30, winter 10:00–15:30; open 364 days, closed Christmas

Time needed

2.5–4 hours — the longest walk on this list

Ages

Kids who can walk a full zoo loop

From Edison

~120 mi · about 2 hours

• 57-acre African savanna with giraffe, zebra and antelope, viewed from a raised boardwalk
• Walk-through free-flight aviary
• 550+ animals across 250+ species, including bald eagles and ring-tailed lemurs

Good to know: Two hours each way, and free admission means no timed entry — summer weekends get crowded and the lot fills. Two official sources disagree on the closing time by 15 minutes, so plan to arrive by 15:00.

Verdict: Free, and genuinely good — but it is a destination, not an outing. Save it for a shore trip rather than driving down and back in a day.

Worth confirming before you go: Train and carousel details are not confirmed on an official page · Stroller rental

Official site

Admission

$12 adult, $7 child 3–11, under 3 free, $7 senior

Hours

Daily 10:00–16:00, last admission 15:30

Time needed

1–1.5 hours

Ages

Elementary age, who can understand the rescue story

From Edison

~50 mi · about 55–70 min

• A sanctuary, not a collection — every resident was rescued, injured, confiscated or surrendered
• Three zones: exotics, native New Jersey wildlife, and farm animals
• Strollers permitted on the unpaved paths; beach-terrain wheelchairs available

Good to know: Outside food is not allowed, and the on-site offering is snacks and ice cream rather than meals. Paths are unpaved, so a light umbrella stroller will struggle. Some animals are elderly or missing limbs — worth preparing a sensitive child.

Verdict: Go for the story, not the size. A child old enough to ask why the bear has three legs will get more from this than from any bigger zoo.

Official site

Admission

Free, with free parking at the entrance

Hours

Spring and summer 9:00–17:00, fall and winter 9:00–16:00, daily except Christmas

Time needed

1–1.5 hours

Ages

Toddler and younger elementary

From Edison

~90 mi · about 1 hr 40 min

• New Jersey's first zoo, founded 1934, and one of the state's only municipal zoos
• Bengal tigers are the headline animal, alongside native rescues
• Opens at 9:00 — the earliest here, so you can go before the heat
• Entirely stroller and wheelchair accessible, though there are no rentals

Good to know: There are no full-time food vendors. Outside food is allowed and there are picnic groves, but arrive with a cooler or you will be driving out to eat.

Verdict: A lovely small free zoo that is 100 minutes away. Worth it if you are already in South Jersey; hard to justify as a round trip from Edison.

Worth confirming before you go: Splash park hours, fees and season — call before promising a water day — Call 856-453-1658

Official site

Admission

$26 adult 13–64, $22 child 3–12, $25 senior; season passes from $52

Hours

Seasonal: March 28 to November 1, 2026 only. Daily 10:00–17:00, last entry 16:00

Time needed

3–4 hours, or a full day

Ages

Elementary age and up

From Edison

~65 mi · about 1 hr 20–30 min

• 100 acres and 500+ animals — one of the largest private collections in the state
• Nine museum buildings with 50+ antique cars and motorcycles, carriages and Americana
• A season pass pays for itself in two visits

Good to know: The most expensive walk-through on this list, in the far northwest corner of the state, and closed from November through late March. It is an old-school private facility and its enclosures draw mixed reactions from visitors — worth knowing before you go.

Verdict: Two very different attractions on one ticket. Good for a kid who will happily go from lions to a 1930s motorcycle; too much walking for a toddler.

Worth confirming before you go: Under-3 admission price · Stroller policy

Official site

Admission

No safari-only ticket exists. Bundled into the Great Adventure day ticket, from $45 online plus fees; parking included; free with a season pass; ticket required over 36 inches

Hours

Check the park's live calendar the week you go

Time needed

The safari is 35 minutes; realistically you are committing to a full day

Ages

Elementary and up, because of the theme park around it

From Edison

~35 mi · about 45 min

• A 35-minute guided tour in open-air vehicles past roughly 1,200 animals from six continents
• Safari Base Camp, a walk-through area with parrots, birds of prey and reptiles
• The drive area covers about 350 acres along a 4.5-mile route

Good to know: You are buying a theme-park day to see a 35-minute ride. Note that older listings still describe driving through in your own car — the official page describes only the guided open-air vehicle format. The tour is also weather-dependent, and animals scatter in heat.

Verdict: Only worth it if the theme park was already the plan. For a family with a toddler, it is a lot of money for half an hour of giraffes.

Worth confirming before you go: All 2026 operating hours and season dates — the official calendar was unreachable

Official site