A Visit to the Cape May County Zoo in New Jersey

The Cape May County Zoo is located in Cape May County, New Jersey and is one of the best zoos that we have ever visited. Matter of fact, we make a point to visit the zoo at least twice every year!

Getting to the Cape May Zoo is really easy as it sits right off route 9 and the Garden State Parkway. You will not miss it if you take one of those 2 routes to get to the zoo as there are a lot of signs to direct you into the zoo parking area.

The zoo is open all year long and usually opens at 10am and closes at 4:45pm EST during in-season hours and is open from 10am to 3:45pm during the winter hours. It is closed on Christmas Day.

Parking and Admission to the Cape May Zoo is free but they do ask you for a donation as you enter the park. We love this zoo a lot so we always leave a $20.00 bill in the donation bucket when we enter.
There is a big cafe right at the entrance/exit of the zoo where you can grab a bite to eat or get something to drink. Inside the zoo you will find a few carts and snack shops along the way where you can also grab a snack or drink too. There are plenty of clean restrooms if you need a bathroom break throughout the zoo too.

When you enter the zoo they will hand you a zoo map and zoo guide so that you can find your way around. Once inside the gates you will be in the bird area and will see various hawks, owls, a toucan, etc. As you proceed through you will come to the farm animal section which has goats, chickens and pot belly pigs! You can put a quarter into the feed machine and hand feed them if you would like!

After that section you will come to some primates which consist of various kinds of lemurs and monkeys. We love checking out their primate section as our local zoo up here in Hershey doesn't have primates!

You can then go into the aviary and check out various birds and sea birds in there which is fun but just a warning, they are NOT caged in the aviary so they can "poop" on you and it does have a slight odor in there. With that said, we do enjoy walking through the aviary every time we go to the zoo.
After the aviary we always go to see the big cats and they have lions, cheetahs, snow leopards and one of our favorites is Rocky the tiger! He always puts on a big show for us when we are there and Rocky is one of our favorite animals to see while visiting the Cape May Zoo.

Once we are done there we head back to the Savannah area of the zoo to see the Camels, Giraffes, Buffalo, Ostrich, Zebra, etc. I love to sit on the benches and watch the zebra and giraffes as I have always found them to be beautiful and interesting to watch.

We then head down the path to check out the llamas, deer, alpaccas, red panda, etc. Trust me, there is a lot to see at this zoo and every time we go, we see something new!

Before you get to the reptile section of the zoo you will see various swans, small turtles, various shore birds, flamingos, peacocks, etc. Their water habitats (ponds) are really pretty to look at and you can put a quarter into the feed machine and throw them some feed too!
After we are done there we head on over to see the super large turtles. Oh my gosh, I have never seen bigger turtles than the ones they have at the Cape May Zoo! Right across from the big turtles you will find an alligator who loves to sun himself during hot summer days.

Then my hubby heads inside the reptile building while I wait outside. Yes folks, this gal doesn't like most reptiles so I sit outside on the bench while he goes inside to see the various snakes and lizards that they have inside. He tells me that they have a beautiful python in there that is a "must see" if you enjoy looking at snakes. (personally, I don't!).
After we are done at the reptile house we start making our way towards the exit of the zoo and while heading towards the exit you will see a skunk, porcepine and other small mammals. Our grand daughter loves this section of the zoo as these small mammals are not scary looking to a toddler!

Once we leave the zoo we walk over to the gift shop which sits right outside the entrance and exit gate of the zoo. Their souvenirs in the gift shop are really nice but let me tell you, most of them are extremely pricey...if you know what I mean.

If you are heading to the Avalon, Stone Harbor, Wildwood, Cape May or Ocean City areas of New Jersey, a visit to the Cape May Zoo is a must! You should allow about 2 1/2 to 3 hours to go through the entire zoo at a leisurely pace. You will LOVE this zoo!