Reviews of New York State Zoo at Thompson Park (Zoo)

Jen McIntosh

Great little zoo, wheelchair accessible with just enough things to see to entertain for a morning trip. We went on a Sunday morning and practically had it to ourselves. This is local wildlife. No giraffes, elephants, etc. But you'll get to see wolves, owls, bobcats, and bears.

Geoffrey Gerace

Nice Zoo for wildlife found in North America. It's filled with preditors such as wolves, bears, and wild cats; as well as herbivores like deer, cattle, and tiny gophers that your children can try to catch since they seem to just live in the park and not in a habitat. There's also an awesome lookout tower with a great view of Watertown. Good for a few hours visit or attending fun events they throw.

Dominique Gusmeri

Good for small kids. The play area was small but good. The animals were out but seemed very stressed pacing back and forth. Prices were good to get in. The food and drinks at concessions was not good at all for the price but ok if you need a snack.

April Bartley

Great place to bring children. Animals well cared for and visible but still protected from public. No commercialism which we loved. Lots if picnic places.

Toby Durrin

Enjoyable zoo for the little ones small but the kids enjoy it

Melinda Beyea

My kids and I love going to the park. Great place to walk around and have a picnic or just visit the zoo. Can't wait to go again.

Marc Purdon

Very nice zoo to see local animals.

All Rush

Literally saw 4 different types of animals and most employees were VERY VERY very rude.

Carlos Martinez

Dont waste your time, your paying to just walk around and see the money being used on the appearance not on the animals that look miserable. 1/2 hour and your done with the whole place and that's taking your time.

Alicia Bennett

Wonderful animals, fun for all ages

Jason Pilato

Fun that they specialize in New York state wildlife.

Pious Potato

Hard to see animals, zoo doesnt feel like its maintained very well. Saw mostly chipmunks and the occasional rear end of an unidentified mammalian. Felt like zoo was designed by a 12 year old using Zoo Tycoon. I remember this zoo being so much better when I was younger but after today I feel like I wasted time and money.

Tanisha Carr

The staff was very friendly, informative and helpful

Crys geocacher

Love it. Boys had a ball looking at all the local area wild aminals.

Charla Stewart

Nice little zoo but we made it through the entire thing in about 2 hours (with 5 adults and 5 kids)

James Corbett

Very cool zoo with many cool attractions to look at. Great place to go for a walk.

Peter Larson

One of the more interactive splash pads around!

William C Neathery

Very nice zoo, grandkids had a good time seeing the animals, well laid out and a beautiful setting.

David Creek

Nice place for a walk

Garry Berry

Really great day for myself, wife and my little boy! Would highly recommend to all :)

Tim Dwyer

Great park, great views. An awesome place to bring the kids for an afternoon.

Kyle Hibbard

This is by far the cleanest and most well kept zoo I have ever seen. I recommend visiting here if you are in the area.

Queen Bunny

It wasn't the best but wasn't the worst

Lindsay Bouchard

Fun date! Love the wolves!

Christian Donnelly

Great memories are made at this zoo. You must stop by if you are in Watertown

Robert Strauss

Really cool zoo. It was chilly without many visitors when we visited (mid November). Lots of animals from around this part of the world I had never seen, and my 2 year old son had a great time. Expectations weren't high, but I left very impressed, glad I had gone and made some lasting memories.

Michelle Baretela

Great day, enjoyed the wall, the animals and staff

Devin Robert

Overall it was well kept and the staff were friendly. When we went one of the exhibits was labelled incorrect. There were no maps available as their shipment hadn't arrived yet. A lot of the animals either weren't there or were in hiding (which is no one's fault). For a state run zoo it was pretty much what you can expect.

Andrew Dexheimer

Small Zoo, but perfect for small kids. Plenty of shade, a pavilion, playground and plenty of animals. The Elk and bears weren't bashful at all. They came right to the edge of their enclosure. They even have a wagon rental for little kids.

Patti Volcek

A nice place to have a picnic in the park.

Tom & Lauraina Nadelen

Very disappointing. The old petting zoo was closed fenced AND roped off. The otters were not out and other animal & reptile exhibits were empty. Definitely not as nice as the old zoo.

Danice Cashin

A beautiful curated celebration of North American wildlife. I especially enjoyed the softshell turtle exhibit.

Amber Lusby

Beautiful park, great play area, amazing water park for little kids (open 12:00-7:00 I think), cute little zoo.

matt hosler

All the animals seemed really restless alot of pacing back and forth

Rachelle Majerus

Small but fun for an in town day out of the house.

Julie Wilkinson

This is a natural habitat zoo. Animals are sometimes hidden. Great experience over all.

Jim T

Are thay still have kit day

Pros Entertainment

Very good for kids and very clean

Jessica Lowe

This zoo is so small and cute. It's great for a day out with younger kids especially. Older kids will enjoy it but not as much as the little guys if they have been there before. It has a ton of local wildlife that you normally do not see on a day to day basis.

Gabe Laguna

It's actually nice, there are many areas to take great pictures. The animals are mostly visible and they look well taken care of.

Mary Gerlach

Have many found memories here too! Many more to be made, lots of fun for the whole family!

phatsnowbunny reviews

My family and I have so much fun here. We bought a family pass for the season very happy we did. Its a cute zoo my kids love it so much.

zachary ortiz

Been here many times, GREAT park and extremely clean. HUGE park that's really nice and the water park/splash pad that was just added is extremely nice as well. Great place for cookouts and 4th of July!

Cindy Ramsey

I love talking my grandchildren to the park. There's so much to do there. There's a hill that's great for flying kites, a zoo that we frequent quite often, and some brand new equipment for the kids to play on--plus, you can often find bands playing there on the weekend to sit and listen to.

Ashleigh Nash

Clean and well-kept. My five year old loved this Zoo.

Lindy Eatherington

Beautiful park and grounds. Lots of grilling space, picnic space, and play grounds. Zoo is small with well maintained paths. We received 2adult and 2 children's tickets when we purchased a season pass. Nicely done!

Sara T

Could definitely use more animals. It's disappointing the petting zoo is gone. It's a nice walk around the park though. I'm sure if more people got memberships, and visited, they could afford to care for more animals though.

t nah

Its a decent park. The one in Syracuse is better and free for military.

Matthew C

Staff was super friendly and helpful they have awesome wagons you can pull your kids around in the animals were really cool and got to see them all.

dennis gardner

Nice place to take your kids

dan olney

Kids have swings, and splash pad, nice. The pool has been closed for years,and the Porto potties were full and filthy.

Stephanie Lowery

The zoo shares what animals can be found in the local woodland area. It's calm and quiet but not a lot of animals.

Frank Evans

Could be a lot bigger and have more in the zoo and park

Naphtali Kleingardner

This zoo is adorable, clean and perfect for young children! The paths are easy for strollers, and there are just enough animals the keep your little ones entertained and also a small playground area outside. The best part, you don't feel like you have to 20 miles just to see everything! There are nice, clean bathrooms and a cute concession section inside. I highly recommend this zoo

Shelley Hazen

I loved this zoo. Some people may be disappointed, expecting it to live up to the standards of other zoos. The Rosamund Gifford Zoo in Syracuse and Parc Safari in Quebec come to mind. But this place has to be appreciated on its own terms. It's quite small and the animals are indigenous -- sorry, there will be no giraffes and lions here. But they are clearly well cared for and happy animals. Placards outside the enclosures reveal how each animal came to the zoo, and many of them are rescues. The bears were considered nuisances, the mountain lion was discovered by linemen, the eagle is blind in one eye and so can't hunt. For these reasons, the zoo is more intimate than its larger counterparts, and that's what makes it special. The highlights for me were the bears -- three feisty ladies who we watched climb trees and play fight. They were very funny to watch. I also loved the otters--a father and son named Ricky and Otis. I watched one of them swim for a long time, which was enchanting. The eagles were also astonishing. Highly recommended. LOTS of kids, so if you don't like kids, go during a school day. Also, bring food or eat before you go, because they do not have a very well stocked cafe. Just nachos, popcorn, hot dogs, and pizza.

T M

Cute small town zoo. Yes, you can visit the whole zoo in 30 mins... we find showing up around 3pm, the animals are restless and want their food. Much more interesting then. Pandora, the bobcat, will chase you if you hide in the bushes and jump out. She's our favorite.

Gabby Rose

This zoo was very nicely mantained. Its small but fun for a afternoon activity. It only showcases New York state animals and they all seemed happy and well taken care of.

Adam Smiley

My wife and I were visiting from Ottawa, ON, Canada and had a wonderful time at the zoo. The staff were very friendly and one particular staff member went out of her way to show us the wolverine, Valentine, who we were delighted to see. We would definitely visit again!

Jim Sparky

Got there 1/2 hour before closing. They wanted full entrance fee. Will have to try again at an earlier hour. I heard that was a good zoo though.

Joy Marie

I always try to take my kids to all the zoos in the area. I think that having a zoo around close is great. But it needs a lot of work. Paint. Mending. Many of the stuff isn't even available to see. It's a waste of hard earned money.

Officer_ Oggi

Excellent Zoo & service. Keep up the great work guys!

Lifelink

Vast beautiful area with lots of newer kid's play equipment at the top of the hill. Yet to visit the Zoo. Parents: Not stroller friendly if your level of fitness is low to long distance uphill. Shortcuts involve flights upon flights of stairs. Pokemon GO players: 4 Gyms, numerous Pokestops, and large groups visit during raids.

Travis Hunt

Not super big bit the kids loved it and it was only $9 per adult.

Angel Maldonado

Nice place to go the kid's

Richard Blunden

Had a great time with my grandkids!

Bryan Mackey

Animals don't come out much

Ashleigh Jones

We may have gone too early in the season but will give it another go. Didn't realise it was all native animals but still overall enjoyed our visit.

Chris E

Nice, small zoo. Wonderful place to learn about NY wildlife

Dillon Callaghan

Wonderful zoo with really interesting information and very educational

Esther Luke

Great zoo and very quiet

Jennifer Gault

Barely any animals out, expensive for such a small zoo, was finished looking at everything in 15 minutes! Awful!!

Aubrey Saenz

Not very many animals and is located in an odd location....about 20 mins outside of Watertown...however, the surrounding parks are nice with a great view

Donald Cronk

Well done, very enjoyable!

Hilda Williamson

The zoo was great

Priscilla Powless

No animals☹️

Kara Jacobs

Small, quiet zoo. Easy to get around.

Heather Kussmaul

Amazing place to visit especially is you have younger children. Some of it was under construction when my family went but was still amazing. There's lots of trails, animals, food and indoors activities to do.

Charles Gibbs

Great place for the family. Excellent zoo. A real gem at Thompson Park

Jon Svereika

Great zoo. Its a nice size, not crowded and you can get up close to the animals. Many of the animals are native to the Northcountry

Rusty Ammerman

A wonderful little gem.

kristina cottrell

Really cute little zoo. The animals are happy and it's cheap. We like to walk around every now and then and is always a good time.

Ronald Hochmuth

For an extremely hot day the animals were active to the delight of our granddaughter. Everything was clean. Staff was friendly. Not too crowded. Only the farm animals were absent from our visit. Thank you Watertown for maintaining this iconic park.

scott st joseph

Great local zoo for the area! Great for families!

Frederick Feeser

Sorry New York, but this place is a dump! Please move the animals to better places and just shut this place down!

Larry Connelly

It's a nice little zoo. Not many animals, but can be overlooked because of the closeness of the animals. You can get some really nice pictures of these animals. Waiting for summer to fully arrive so we can go back and check out the butterfly house.

Rhonda Norton

So relaxing! Fun! My grandchildren love it too! They love playing window to window with the bears!

Chris Ingram

Great place for family fun.

Russell Bristol

Very nice and well maintained zoo

Anna Baker

Nice little zoo with regional animals. Perfect for a morning activity. A little small but works well for young kids.

Keith Baxter

Great place for kids

Chris Maxwell

Good local zoo

Patty Mcconnell

Nice place

Audrey Bonter

Some of the animals were not visible

Kallista George

Local zoo is a good small little zoo for families to go and enjoy upstate NY

Charlotte Storto

Not bad place. Wish there was more animals.

Matt McLear

Many exhibits empty and placed looked dirty everywhere

Denishia Patterson

Kids had lots of fun

A. H.

This is a small zoo but very beautiful. The kids and I enjoyed walking around and seeing all the animals. It's a fun afternoon when your looking to do something with your family.

Emily Marchenkoff

We went to our grandson birthday party at a pavilion. A very nice time

Greg Clark

Staff was friendly and helpful, gift shop and bathrooms were clean. Not very many animals, several exhibits were under construction simultaneously. Nice a lunchtime walk, but you'll struggle to spend a whole afternoon here until more of the work is done.

Angelique Williamson

Such a wonderful zoo. Staff is friendly and the price is wonderful.

Naomi Steel

Zoo was clean. Really disappointed that more than half of the exhibits were empty, but unlabeled as such. Unfortunate to pay that high of a price, but not get to see most of the attractions. Probably won't be back.

Roy LaPree

Love that place great.

somethinburnin

A taste of north country life....no pun intended

Fran Koon

What a wonderful small zoo! Very clean, great displays of various animals. Perfect for families!

Samantha Carter

Nice clean environment

Paul Soucy

Great place to take the family. Plan for about 2 to 3 hours. Otters are always a delight and willing to put on a show for their spectators. 10 out of 10 would come again.

Cole Oppliger

It was a good experience. They are updating things in the zoo. It’s not too big but big enough to take your kids to for about an hour or two.

Lindsey McCann

Local zoo of animals that can be found in the immediate area. It's not a zoo in the sense of larger, popularly kept animals. It's a good place to learn about wildlife around here. Staff are kind and friendly. Many programs for the kids to be a part of. Great membership program that has reciprocity at other zoos around the country.

Michael March

For a small zoo it's very nice and layed out nicely, friendly people .

Derek Nickles

This place has changed for the worst. Many of the animals are alone and not taken care of as well as they should be considering this being a "Conservatory" Very shameful

S J

A very nice clean, newly built kids play ground. It's public and free. Ample parking. You can enjoy good weather here with kids.

Sara Clukey

Hardly any animals were even in enclosure. Not enough to see for the price.

Jen Peterson

Needs A lot of work. All the exhibits are over grown. The birds look so sad. Instead of million plus on a pool the zoo could have used that to better the very few animals that are left to see. The lynx exhibit really smelled highly of urine. They are trying to make it look better by planting flowers and bushes everywhere. Fence posts lean A lot of caution tape around telling you not to walk here or there. It’s needs a lot to improve that’s for sure. Kids like it. In the heat though don’t expect to see many things at all active.

Matt DePrimo

Fantastic zoo with a lot of great attractions. A very diverse group of animals that are extremely active.

Gebo's Garage

Boy has this place changed since I was here as a kid in the 80's.... Where is Tim the Lion? Yes, at one time they did in fact have a full grown LION in a little bitty cage... he was cool, his accommodations, not so much. But all that is gone now... like, all of it. Unrecognizable actually. This is a small zoo that is located in a historical park which sits high above the city. If you are in town, this is a place you should come check out. Make a day of it. Visit the zoo and when you are done, enjoy the surrounding park and its history. Stop by each of the several overlooks they have. Enjoy a picnic in the designated areas available. Fly a kite on the big grassy hill. Let the kids play at the splash park or down a bit on the massive playscape. Back to the zoo. It is nice. The only thing I recognize is the old historical buildings that are on the site (beautifully maintained) and some of the old concrete animal sculptures we used to play on back in the day (they are still here). The bears were active, but most everything else was laying low.... wolves, mountain lions, wolverine, snow owl, bobcat, lynx, elk, etc.... it was a hot day when I visited. There is a fee to enter. My family of four cost $34... which compared to the Detroit zoo, Toledo zoo, Jacksonville zoo is actually really cheap... but for a small town zoo, it seems a little pricey for what's on exhibit. But, that's not how I looked at it. I looked at it as if I was making a donation to support a community zoo in hopes of keeping it around for the next generation. Enjoy your visit. Comment below, let me know what you think. For a glimpse at my experience at the zoo, find my YouTube channel "Gebo's Garage". Cheers!

Nathan Peck

There wasn't hardly any animals

Richard Lemus

Great small zoo to enjoy for a few hours...there is a new large playground/park across the street as well

Carlton Spencer

Park was poorly taken care of. Have visited park twice to see otters and were not to be seen. Disappointed with the appearance of the landscaping.

Andrew Reath

Nicely laid out. Good exhibits. Nice variety of animals.

Alan Semon

Though I appreciate the fact that the zoo houses animals found in NY state, the fact that at least 4 exhibits were under construction. Sure, it was off season, but those 4 missing exhibits are a fair portion of the exhibits available. Animals appeared well cared for and the enclosures looked large and clean.

Victoria Peters

Very nice zoo walkable so it's not huge with a very up close encounter with the animals. I love this place! I have a four year old and she absolutely loves it here.

Robin Evans

Fun place to get out with the family

Emanuel Hickle

Local zoo of animals that can be found in the immediate area. It's not a zoo in the sense of larger, popularly kept animals.

Katelyn Byler

Fun zoo. Smaller than others I have been to, but very clean and well organized.

Christina Brinklow

Such a fantastic place! The entire park is well kept and beautiful! The grounds are so big and well planned that a family could easily spend a whole day here. The park is large and modern. The zoo is on the small side but really educational and pleasant. There is a canteen style restaurant inside the main building of the zoo. Washrooms are clean and bright. There is also a gift shop. Some of the animals at the zoo include owls, bears, elk, lynx, cougar, otters, wolves and some reptiles. Really such a worthwhile place to go!

Dianna Bogart

I was not impressed.

adri smith

Overalla nice place to have a picnic or time with the family there are nice views of the town from the hill top with picnic tables near by and a park with lots of things for the kids. There are trails you can walk your dog and you might encounter deer and other wildlife.

Tina Hines

Me and my sister visited this zoo while on a vacation in the area. It had been years since we last visited and we were taken back by how much it had declined. The entire zoo itself needed to be mowed and weeded. The bear exhibit especially was not kept up. It was overgrown with weeds, and both it’s bathing water and drinking water were dirty. The bears themselves looked clean and healthy but their habitat was awful. I felt terrible for them. It also states that there is a snowy owl for viewing. All we could find was 2 black crows. A lot of the animals such as the otter, lynx, and wolverine were unable to locate in their unkept habitat. It’s possible we missed them but unlikely all of them. We stood for several min. Along with other visitors and could not locate any of them. I’m hoping we just came at the wrong time. Maybe the maintenance crew was on vacation. Definitley not worth the money.

Jonathan Ramirez

Great place to take younger kids

Christine Smith

There weren't a lot of animals, but we did enjoy the ones that we saw. The local zoo where we live in Rochester has a lot more animals, but the cages and exhibits have a lot less room for the animals. It usually is quite depressing when we go. The enclosures at this zoo were huge and we liked how they were set up. The animals were pretty close to us and even though it was a very hot day, there wasn't a lot of walking to get to each exhibit. We would definitely go here again, a beautiful zoo.

Katie Neves

Absolutely beautiful. It's best in the winter when the animals are active and the crowds are miniscule. The price is cheap and it's totally worth going, even if it's your hundredth time. They feature local wildlife, most of which are rescued from injury. It's lovely knowing that none of the animals are carted in from halfway around the world and that the zoo saved their lives, quite literally. I recommend that you go and then go back. Take your out of town friends.

P.trainman1957 Smith

Very clean zoo. We'll taken care of animals.

Alice Anderson

Very few animals at this zoo but we enjoyed what was there

kelsey Brush

Love it!!!! Beautiful and well maintained

Robert Wagner

Small but nice price not bad

Rebekah Crego

Bears and otters were quite active and fun to watch; LOTS of butterflies in the butterfly house, super friendly staff in butterfly house too :)

Bernadette Alpi

Animal friendly zoo with an enjoyable walking path

Adrianne Lewis

Wonderful place to go hiking, jogging, walking your dog, playing with the kids or just alone. Plenty of picnic tables and grills to have a cookout with friends and family don't forget to bring food. You never know what you'll see. You might even find a colored rock or two. There's a Beautiful view of the city from the top of the hill. Don't forget to visit the zoo while you're there.

kimberly mcconnell

The zoo was terrible. The price is way too high for the VERY little it has to offer.

Rita Shirey

Nice small zoo exhibit. Wish they had more information about the animals and their habitats. Factors that impact them or endanger them. Unfortunately, there is not sufficient space for pack animals to have a few more members. . . Eg. The wolf exhibit.

Sanae Hutchinson

Brew at the zoo was a great time. Glad I paid it a visit before leaving town after my business trip.

Rip BuLL

Check times for special daily events. Kids touch farm not open yet. June 18th 2018 maybe? Season pass is well worth it!

Melissa Butler

Diverse activities and beautiful natural spaces

susan w

Beautiful place to walk around and see all the animals.

jacob benny john

Beautiful and well maintained zoo, it’s small in area so it won’t take long to cover the zoo. The butterfly house was especially good. Definitely recommend this place.

Seth Hill

Thank you thank you thank you for what you do for wildlife and the community. You truly ate an asset to our town

Shannon Yoder

I think this place is so great. Not only is it not that far from where I live but it's a kid friendly zoo: not too big but much to learn. The butterfly exhibit is beautiful. I usually don't like anything that lands on me but I really enjoyed the colours. There is so much room to grow for this zoo! They keep it clean & the animals have more than enough space to roam & feel like animals. I'm so excited to go here more, especially for the wild tots & other events.

Ann Stewart

Fun as a family event

Katie Hairgrove

Very few animals available for viewing. Nice park atmosphere. Enclosures look nice.

Functional Hot Mess

It is simply not enough. The area is growing, the zoo needs to upgrade!

Suzann Bice

Splash pad was a big hit with my grandkids but there should be more benches there were more grandparents there then places to sit.. bring folding chairs, watching the kids was entertaining!

Savage Candy

There weren't really any animals out when we arrived. We still had fun in the butterfly garden so I give it 3 stars.

Ryan Jones

Excellent little zoo. Friendly staff that will answer questions and point you in the right direction.

Michele O'Brien

Clean and neat and animals appear healthy and content...needs more exotic animal exhibits.

David West

Small zoo, small price. I'd go here again because my grandson loves the place.

Keith Gonia

Nice little zoo. Very friendly staff. Clean grounds and facility.

Rob The Shark

Decent zoo. Kind of small. Not much staff around.