Day Trip: Turtle Back Zoo

With this week's weather, did you get a taste of spring fever?  Looking for an outside activity?  Now is the perfect time to visit the Turtle Back Zoo in nearby West Orange.

Since its opening in 1963, the zoo has become one of the most distinguishable landmarks in Essex County.  It opened with 140 animals and 40 species, but within its first ten years, the zoo's animal collection grew to 850 animals including 275 species. Now, there are seemingly more.  And the facility is state-of-the art.

Abut ten years ago, Turtle Back began to replace the antiquated 1960s-style cages with larger naturalistic habitats. Also, the buildings have been renovated and a new gift shop was added along with a new visitor center and a 4,000 square foot reptile center.  There are new picnic and playground sites, too, perfect for a day trip.

But, thankfully, some old-fashioned things have remained, such as the ever popular train, which runs from April 1 to November 30. The train runs every fifteen minutes and takes visitors on a short scenic journey around the South Mountain Reservation.

Another attraction kids will be sure to love is the carousel. Children can ride a one-of-a-kind animal themed carousel ride.  The ride is enclosed inside a building, so it operates even if the weather is poor.  Maybe good this weekend, if the forecast proves true.

One of the zoo's notable exhibits the black bear exhibit, which opened in 2005. The stars of the exhibit are Jelly and Jam, who came to the zoo as very young cubs but have grown into full size bears. Watching the playful bears come up and greet people through the Plexiglas window is a lot of fun.

The reptile center is ideal because you get a peak at the wilderness from the comforts of a heated building.  Another good activity for a rainy day.

There are lots of hands-on exhibits such as  a petting zoo, along with a unique aviary that is a part of the Australian exhibit. Inside the enclosure are hundreds of parakeets that visitors can feed.

The Association of Zoos and Aquariums has accredited Turtle Back as being one of the top zoos in the entire country. This is a pretty impressive feat considering that the world-renowned San Diego and Central Park Zoos are also a part of this elite group.

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