In the Mohawk Valley you can find a historic park in the largest city in the area, the Utica Zoo is situated on 80 acres in historic Roscoe-Conkling Park in Utica, New York. Founded in 1914 the zoo will be soon celebrating it's 100th Anniversary in 2014, and has been going thru a revitalization. My wife Jamie and I recently took a trip to the zoo on a pleasant afternoon to see how the zoo had been doing since our last visit. Unfortunately our Zoo memberships from the Syracuse zoo are not recognized because the Utica Zoo lost its American Zoo Association (AZA) accreditation several years back. As stated before though the zoo has been experiencing its best years in a long time thanks to new leadership and vision, new exhibits and animals have been added along with minor changes as well.
The zoo has many older exhibits but has truly made strides with updates and improvements to try and earn back their AZA accreditation which is one of the most important things American Zoos want to have to brag about. Lack of funding and economic distress in the area were major causes for the zoo's deterioration in recent years, as the Utica area overall has been hit hard over the years with many jobs leaving the area. The city and the zoo have seemed to been going hand in hand with growth and re-vigor as they work together with more funding for the zoo and the zoo in turn has helped make the city a destination to visit. On our visit the zoo was quite crowded for a Tuesday Afternoon, with many cars in the overflow lot.
While the zoo is only developed on 40 acres of it's 80 owned, it is not as large as you may think. However if hills are an issue this zoo can seem much, much larger as there are many changes in elevation and steep terrain. This should not deter you from visiting though as this zoo is worth taking a visit to now, especially for animal lovers. Many new animals and exhibits have been added since the change in leadership such as African lions, Zebras, Wolves and many more. Most of the zoo is also outdoors which makes visiting in the winter a little tougher if it is cold outside, but there are two small buildings with warm weather and small animals.
The zoo has started putting its animals in more geographic oriented areas, they consist of Africa, Asia, North America and the Children's Zoo. To go along with these areas are an old Primate(Monkeys) building and a Reptile(Lizards) house. The zoo has also renovated its food offerings, for many years the zoo was serviced by a Little Ceaser's Pizza Stand with limited food and operation. Local restaurant Voss' Bar-B-Q has taken over the food operations for the zoo giving visitors better food and options and just another example of how the local area and zoo are working together. The only downside to the food stand is they only take cash, but never fear an ATM is available for those with cards.
The Children's Zoo has always been a favorite area for guests and myself, primarily because of the Sea Lion exhibit. The Sea Lions entertain guests with daily feedings at 12:30pm and 3pm (except on Tuesdays) and also is home to one of the newest zoo members Zoey the baby Sea Lion. The Children's Zoo also is home to farm animals, Emus, Wallabys and other smaller creatures. Close to the Children's Zoo is the Zoos Asian Animals which is also where the boardwalk has some of the best views of the Mohawk Valley and Utica. Visitors can find Camels, Alligators and Cranes among other animals.
The North American Animals find their homes in the woods of the Zoo along a nature trail, unfortunately the trail is not paved so it is difficult for anyone in a wheelchair or anyone with difficulty walking. It is also located at the highest point in elevation in the zoo so it is truly a small hike in the woods. Guests can see Foxes, Owls and the Zoo's Mexican Wolf Pack; some of the rarest wolves on the planet. After leaving the Nature Trail guests find themselves in Africa, or at least the zoos African Animal section home to Lions, Zebras and Lemurs. These are also some of the newest exhibits in the zoo and part of the revitalization projects so they are also some of the best in the zoo.
The zoo does have two buildings that house animals for visitors to view, the Primate House and Reptile House. The Later of the two features many types of species besides reptiles, all in natural glass fronted enclosures. The building is home to some of the largest snakes on earth, Burmese Pythons including a cool Albino variation. It is also home to Iguanas, snakes, small lizards and even small Primates known as Marmosets. The Cotton Top Marmosets will even interact with guests on the other side of the glass if they seem interested in you. Last but not least is the historic Primate House, home to the zoos Spider Monkeys and Gibbons (a small ape species) as well as Golden Lion Tamarins and a Hyacinth Macaw. Unfortunately this is also one of the most outdated exhibits in the whole zoo, with very little natural look and it still has metal bars, not to mention a small exhibit space. However they are still treated well by the staff and do seem happy and the zoo is also in the process of building a new Rainforest building in the old Cat House portion of the building. If anything it shows how far zoos, including Utica have come over the years.
Overall the zoo is a great summertime destination not just for families but for anyone who loves nature and being outside. And for a reasonable admission price of just $7.75 for adults (13-61) in the summer and $4.75 for children (3-12, under 2 Free) its very affordable for a larger family. The Zoo is open from 10am-4:45pm from April 1-October 31 and 10am-3pm from November 1-March 31. The Zoo also has seasonal activities like it's Halloween Spooktackular, they even offer plenty of ways to tour the zoo and get behind the scenes looks for an extra charge. Guests can even rent snowshoes in the winter for a completely unique way to explore the zoo. There is plenty of on site parking and it is fairly easy to get to form all points of access with plenty of zoo signs to help navigate thru the city. Plan on spending a minimum of 1.5-2 hours for a leisurely visit and more time if you include lunch at the zoo.
While the zoo is only developed on 40 acres of it's 80 owned, it is not as large as you may think. However if hills are an issue this zoo can seem much, much larger as there are many changes in elevation and steep terrain. This should not deter you from visiting though as this zoo is worth taking a visit to now, especially for animal lovers. Many new animals and exhibits have been added since the change in leadership such as African lions, Zebras, Wolves and many more. Most of the zoo is also outdoors which makes visiting in the winter a little tougher if it is cold outside, but there are two small buildings with warm weather and small animals.
The zoo has started putting its animals in more geographic oriented areas, they consist of Africa, Asia, North America and the Children's Zoo. To go along with these areas are an old Primate(Monkeys) building and a Reptile(Lizards) house. The zoo has also renovated its food offerings, for many years the zoo was serviced by a Little Ceaser's Pizza Stand with limited food and operation. Local restaurant Voss' Bar-B-Q has taken over the food operations for the zoo giving visitors better food and options and just another example of how the local area and zoo are working together. The only downside to the food stand is they only take cash, but never fear an ATM is available for those with cards.
The Children's Zoo has always been a favorite area for guests and myself, primarily because of the Sea Lion exhibit. The Sea Lions entertain guests with daily feedings at 12:30pm and 3pm (except on Tuesdays) and also is home to one of the newest zoo members Zoey the baby Sea Lion. The Children's Zoo also is home to farm animals, Emus, Wallabys and other smaller creatures. Close to the Children's Zoo is the Zoos Asian Animals which is also where the boardwalk has some of the best views of the Mohawk Valley and Utica. Visitors can find Camels, Alligators and Cranes among other animals.
The North American Animals find their homes in the woods of the Zoo along a nature trail, unfortunately the trail is not paved so it is difficult for anyone in a wheelchair or anyone with difficulty walking. It is also located at the highest point in elevation in the zoo so it is truly a small hike in the woods. Guests can see Foxes, Owls and the Zoo's Mexican Wolf Pack; some of the rarest wolves on the planet. After leaving the Nature Trail guests find themselves in Africa, or at least the zoos African Animal section home to Lions, Zebras and Lemurs. These are also some of the newest exhibits in the zoo and part of the revitalization projects so they are also some of the best in the zoo.
The zoo does have two buildings that house animals for visitors to view, the Primate House and Reptile House. The Later of the two features many types of species besides reptiles, all in natural glass fronted enclosures. The building is home to some of the largest snakes on earth, Burmese Pythons including a cool Albino variation. It is also home to Iguanas, snakes, small lizards and even small Primates known as Marmosets. The Cotton Top Marmosets will even interact with guests on the other side of the glass if they seem interested in you. Last but not least is the historic Primate House, home to the zoos Spider Monkeys and Gibbons (a small ape species) as well as Golden Lion Tamarins and a Hyacinth Macaw. Unfortunately this is also one of the most outdated exhibits in the whole zoo, with very little natural look and it still has metal bars, not to mention a small exhibit space. However they are still treated well by the staff and do seem happy and the zoo is also in the process of building a new Rainforest building in the old Cat House portion of the building. If anything it shows how far zoos, including Utica have come over the years.
Overall the zoo is a great summertime destination not just for families but for anyone who loves nature and being outside. And for a reasonable admission price of just $7.75 for adults (13-61) in the summer and $4.75 for children (3-12, under 2 Free) its very affordable for a larger family. The Zoo is open from 10am-4:45pm from April 1-October 31 and 10am-3pm from November 1-March 31. The Zoo also has seasonal activities like it's Halloween Spooktackular, they even offer plenty of ways to tour the zoo and get behind the scenes looks for an extra charge. Guests can even rent snowshoes in the winter for a completely unique way to explore the zoo. There is plenty of on site parking and it is fairly easy to get to form all points of access with plenty of zoo signs to help navigate thru the city. Plan on spending a minimum of 1.5-2 hours for a leisurely visit and more time if you include lunch at the zoo.