Franklin Park Zoo

Franklin Park Zoo is an amazing place to visit! The zoo is clean, well-organized, and perfect for families, kids, or anyone who loves animals. The Tropical Forest with the gorillas is the highlight — peaceful, beautiful, and educational. The giraffes, lions, kangaroos, and farm animals give you plenty to see, and the walking paths are easy and enjoyable. Staff are friendly and helpful, and the whole park feels safe and relaxing. It usually takes 2–3 hours to explore everything, and it’s worth every minute. One of the best places in Boston,

I had such a great time at Franklin Park Zoo! My dad and I went together with discount tickets from our local library, and it ended up being such a fun day. The zoo is a perfect size, not so huge that it’s overwhelming, but still big enough to have tons of animals and different exhibits to see. There are also lots of interactive and fun activities throughout, and the food was surprisingly really good. They’ve recently redone a lot of the areas, which makes the whole place feel fresh and updated. Overall, it was such a great experience and I’d definitely recommend visiting!

Franklin Park Zoo – Boston Lights Experience: We visited Franklin Park Zoo’s “Boston Lights” event on October 3, 2025, to celebrate my cousin’s daughter’s birthday. Initially, we were planning to go somewhere private, but my cousin suggested this unique experience, saying the kids would love it—and he was absolutely right! At first, I was hesitant, thinking that walking for 2–3 hours on a chilly night might be tiring. But I was tempted to give it a try, and I’m so glad I did. We were a group of 18 family members, and the evening turned out to be magical. Parking was manageable—not too tight—and once we entered, the place looked small at first. But as we walked in, starting with the spider-themed lights, the entire atmosphere transformed. The kids were thrilled, shouting with excitement at every turn. The light displays were stunning, and I truly appreciate the creativity and effort that went into the design, architecture, infrastructure, and color combinations. It felt like I was reliving a childhood moment I had missed. Even after walking for two hours, none of us felt tired—each display was captivating and kept us engaged throughout. The zoo also features a dining area and a performance space, which adds to the overall experience. The front courtyard and parking area are well-designed (check out the pictures I’ve shared!). This place genuinely feels warm and welcoming—like home. A big thank you to the team and all the contributors who made this event possible. May the blessings of the divine light reach everyone who visits. I highly recommend this experience for families, kids, and anyone looking for a joyful outing.

I went to the Franklin Park Zoo for the Lights event and absolutely loved it. The creativity and attention to detail were incredible, and every display had its own charm and atmosphere. It’s one of the best night events I’ve been to and a great experience for all ages. Highly recommend checking it out if you want something magical and memorable.

Such an amazing zoo! I was so amazed with the beautiful exhibits that were large and roomy for the animals! My favorite was seeing Maxine the 2 toed sloth! She was so stinking cute!!!! The zoo has amazing interactive parts of each aspect for children! There is also an AMAZING playground for kids in the middle of the zoo! We had a great time and can't wait to go back!!

I would say this is a really nice zoo. We drove 90 minutes to get here. Was it worth it? Tough to tell in my opinion. The staff was decent, and the place was well maintained. We went on a “cooler” day, so the animals were outside for the most part. A few of the staff members mentioned that the animals hated the heat. I wish there was just a little more I guess. But we all had fun, and enjoyed the animals!

Really fun zoo! Great play areas for the kids. Some cons are the gift store is way over priced even when I know its going to be overpriced its overpriced overpriced haha. Also the enclosures lack, atleast for outside animals lacks vegetation and stimulation. They need to add more climbing structures plants tunnels idk something instead of just a flat area of grass and weeds. It has improved from our last visit however has a way to go for some enclosures.

Such an amazing experience!! The sounds and the lights are perfect match. Went on a misty day when there were only us and a few people so full experience to myself peacefully. There is student discount for tickets.

My family loves a zoo! This one was a little confusing to get to because it had 2 entries. There were fewer parking spaces than expected at the zebra entrance but we still got one the last ones around 9 am. The zoo is big in space though the flow felt disorganized. I feel like we were turning around a lot without seeing as many animals. We became preemptively bought a membership since it includes admission to the stone park zoo - but I'm not sure we will use it enough to buy another one next year. We haven't been to the Boston lights yet but were able to see the figures in the day and they do look grand!

Visited from nh There were not very many animals I believe the best part were the gorillas I could have stayed and watched them all day they were very active I didn't fine the area the animals were in to be attractive there was some awful smell to the indoor area ( yes I get it it's a zoo) Would I return? Probably not once was enough There was nothing open in the park

" most animals put away until summer , but good walking experience, for mindfulness " So most of the animals are put away for winter . This is what I was told , although it's still opened . You can walk around see a few animals . Practice mindfulness since it's a long walk and hardly nobody at the zoo . If you get a membership you save I think I read it about $85 for one individual member. When a day at the zoo for one is about $22 so definitely well worth it . They have a big parking lot so parking is not an issue . I did have a great time walking around with my dog and no crowd .

The light show at Franklin Park Zoo was stunning and well worth both the time and money. We spent about an hour and a half exploring the exhibit to fully enjoy it. The one-way path made it feel like an endless journey of wonder. Having attended many light shows in recent years, this one exceeded my expectations. The display was beautifully crafted and featured a diverse range of Asian themes, not just Chinese. There was so much to see, and it was truly a memorable experience. Anyone who is or planning to visit Boston, definitely come and visit if you are able to fit it your schedule. You will not be disappointed.

It's the best zoo we have in Boston. Give it a visit on a nice day...Lions and Tigers and Bears... oh my!

Gorgeous!!! OMG! Had a surprise date night to Zoo Lights!!! Let me tell you... this was an awesome experience! Entry was easy, signage was great, to guide the direction of the visit. It was late and dark, so the animals weren't really visible. However, dark is the best time to experience the lights. I was informed that during the day, there are dance performances every hour or so. This is cool, but the lights won't be as vibrant. A few concession and vendor stands were open. Restroom facilities were available, via some port-a-potty and also regular ones in the buildings. Look for the signs. The buildings look closed, but were open. As a mobility impaired person, I had no trouble navigating the your. However, my boyfriend rented me a scooter off site, to insure I had no problems. I'm not sure if scooters or electric wheelchairs are available on site. I'd suggest bringing one's own.‍ The tour took us about 2.5 hours to casually enjoy and take pictures, and let my boyfriend rest his feet. . I really enjoyed the information for the various exhibits, and the numerous themes displayed. Some exhibits were interactive, and provided a fun experience for all ages. It was really nice to see families ‍‍‍ enjoying themselves, all while being informed as well. I would definitely recommend the experience. I'd bring a light jacket, as it did get a little nippy toward the end.

We went pretty far out of the way to visit the zoo. It was far more park than zoo. The staff didn't seem to care that we were even there and seemed more interested in the restocking of the vending machines than our presence. The enclosures seemed awfully small, which is super sad to me. I struggle with zoos because I want to support conservation (and reproduction efforts) while I feel so sad for many of the animals kept there. There were interesting art installments that seemed part of the Boston Lights at the zoo, some animated, most of which seemed out of place. Perhaps more support would help increase the offerings here?

Haven't been to any zoo in a long while. Grew up in Boston area but never came to the zoo. Were visiting from FL and thought the kids would enjoy the zoo. The zoo is upgrading the big front attraction where the zebra and ostrich and few other animals suppose to be so we didn't see them. I couldn't find the sloth but everything else was very nice. I did bring a bottle of water and got to refill it once, inside one of the exhibits. There are few vending machines throughout the zoo but it's either sold out or it won't accept payment, which wasn't great because we were hot and thirsty. I am glad they're still upgrading and improving the place.

I've gone here twice now - once for zoo lights and once for the animals during the daytime. I greatly enjoyed my experience both time. For my daytime visit, I used a coupon from the Boston public library to make it cheaper. Both experiences were worth it in my opinion.

Visited the zoo in the pouring rain, so focused most of our visit on the Tropical Zone. Lots of construction and renovations going on, and animals on display in outdoor exhibits rather than this indoor one, so there were lots of empty areas. Seemed to be a well-run zoo though, with plenty of different animals around.

The Franklin Park zoo is absolutely an awesome adventure. The animals are well cared for and the exhibits are awesome. I went to their light show twice this fall and I must say I was amazed at all the work that had gone into the displays and how peaceful and clean it was.

Great place to spend the afternoon with family and friends, beautiful grounds, great staff, and the gorilla exhibition is amazing I suggest that if you're in town, go enjoy wildlife at its finest

Not a bad zoo. Pretty small enclosures and habitats and not that far to walk. Also cant see the giraffes unless you reserve a time? Idk about that but can't wait to see how they grow and update

It's a little bit of a challenge to drive here from points south but worth it. Beautiful roaming paths to take in the sights of the zoo and plenty of helpful people along the way to answer your questions and make it a more enriching experience. The Boston Lights make their return each year and are not to be missed - arrive near sunset for the best views.

Meh? Kind of a sad place to visit from the perspective of most of the animals. It's a little worn compared to some of the other zoos we've visited the past couple of years. The playground. My kid loves this place. And he's a climber. Problem is that he's a lot smaller than the other kids there, they (the kids) have informed me that he's too small to climb it. And yet he does it with ease. So they knock him around. We avoid the park because I'm afraid they'll knock him off one of the higher parts of the play structure. The lights display is beautiful but the one time we've gone, my car was punched (by someone's hand) because I was watching the road. If you know the area, that's all I need to say. And as much as I want to see the look of absolute joy on the kiddo's face again, I'm no longer interested in going back.

Cutest Zoo Ever! This zoo is spacious, clean & have lots of animals to look at. It is winter and cold so the reptiles were not there which I thought was great that they keep the animals safe. To walk around the zoo with stops and photos took maybe 2.5 hours to go around the zoo. We didn't stop into the cafe to get some food but it looked beautiful from the outside. I really like the variety of animals. They have some animals that I would never think you could have in a zoo. And you get pretty close to the animals too! Overall it's a really great zoo & would recommend to visit when in Boston.

This was actually my favorite place I went to on my Massachusetts vacation. On the day I went, it was in the 20s for weather so there were a decent amount of animals not on display. That being said, this was a really nice zoo with some beautiful enclosures with a lot of space. It was on the smaller side but we still stayed there for over 2 hours. I also always go to zoos first thing in the morning because whatever animals are on display, they are active and that was still the case! The lions, the gorillas all so active and moving around as well as many other animals. This place had a lot of kid areas for them to play so they are always entertained. I saw a couple of volunteers who were super friendly and informative. Side note: when you go to the zoo, type in "Old Bear Dens" on Google Maps which are NOT in the zoo but just on the other side of the zoo and you can see the beautiful old bear dens (one in particular with beautiful stairs and signage).

Well we arrived at 5 when they were closing to prepare for the lights festival. We returned for that, paid extra for it, and were so very, very disappointed. A zoo should have animals, right? Nope--they put them all AWAY for this lights thing. Which was great for children and photo opps but to see animals? At a zoo? Nope. I wish it had said somewhere--anywhere--that you will see no animals. Oh, except for the odd peacock roaming the grounds, and the donkey. So upset we paid so much for this sad experience.

Great experience. Went with a friend and we enjoyed the expansive light festival ("Boston Lights"). I can tell there was a ton of effort setting up the entire zoo with these giant light sculptures and they all looked pretty awesome. Even though the ticket had strict guidelines, we arrived a few mins late and got admitted without issues. Also stayed much longer than the alloted 30 mins (stayed and hung around for over an hour) on a Thursday night.

Wow!!! An incredible urban destination with the all time best bat aviary. Hundreds of bats are above your head in the rain forest indoor exhibit. Gorillas, zebras, and giraffes; peacocks abound. Great solo lion who roars. Lovely walks and paths. Really nice - get discount tix at library.

Small zoo, but enjoyed walking through it on a beautiful fall day, it was pretty warm, and many of the animals were sleeping, but the giraffes were walking and eating. Would like to come back at night sometime for the lights of Boston nights!

An Absolute Amazing Experience! Even my 14 months old baby enjoyed it. It's a good family timeshare.

Been to the zoo a couple of times. The new gorilla enclosure is pretty cool. But the highlight this Fall is their Boston lights event. I've been to this event for the last few years, and have seen it consistently grow and become better. Considering this event is after hours, most animals are already fast asleep. But the creative light displays keep you occupied. I wish there was a larger discount for members. Other than that, this event is worth the visit.

This zoo was very mid tier. Some say you could spend 2-2.5 hours here and I only think that's true if you have children. I belive this would be 5 stars if I had children because they had lots of playgrounds and space for kids to run around. As for me though, most if the exhibits were small and did not offer many sitting options if someone wanted to rest and watch an exhibit (seating in more secluded picnic areas okay). They were setting up for boston lights, which meant there were some cool displays, but it was all half put together and took away from the vibes sometimes when you're walking with construction around. Overall, it was nice enough for a fun daytime activity, but I would nitpick pay full price or feel the need to come again.

Solid zoo. Not mindblowingly awesome, but there are some good animals, especially if you visit during warmer months. It's about a 2-2.5 hour experience with my kids (under 2), but could probably be longer with kids with longer attention spans. Interesting/exciting animals include a lion, a family of gorillas, a couple pigmy hippos, a giraffe family, and a sloth. I highly recommend going first thing in the morning, before it gets crowded and chaotic. And don't forget to hit the giant playground in the middle!

I went to this zoo this afternoon and it was a great experience. The person at the entrance was a great worker, very friendly and helpful. He answered a question that I had upon entering the zoo. There were animals galore! I saw zebras, lions, gorillas, camels, giraffes, several birds that I don't see everyday, an anteater, ostriches and so much more. The grounds are very extensive and are kept up nicely. There are several cute little play areas for kids with swings and slides plus little stationary toys that they can climb on and play with. There is a nice gift shop and a small restaurant with both indoor and outdoor seating. There are also picnic areas that you can sit and eat in if you prefer to bring your own food. I came across several volunteers who were walking around the zoo answering people's questions and directing them to places within the zoo. So if you're lost or need help there is help. There are a few restrooms throughout the zoo and a stand selling fried dough, fried Oreos and lemonade if you want a snack. If you want more of a lunch meal then definitely hit up the small restaurant that I mentioned earlier in the review. I'm glad I got to spend the afternoon here and I know I'll be back!

We went to the zoo lights for Halloween and they were gorgeous!! They did a really excellent job. My only issue is parking was kind of confusing. They had little lots all spread out and there wasn't anyone directing traffic or cops to make sure people crossed the street safely. But once we were inside it was super pretty

This was BY FAR the WORST zoo experience of my life. This zoo needs shut down immediately. These poor animals were in deplorable conditions in small enclosures. Many of the enclosures and attractions were old, decaying, and looked like it was abandoned for years. There are also only one type of each animal they offer in which the animals look so sad and lonely. Also it's very weird to see an emu and a kangaroo enclosed together in a small pen. The donkey was the sadest part - i've never seen an animal look like it had a clinical depression diagnosis. Literally every animal looked like it needed a haircut!!!!!!!!!!! DO NOT GO HERE! Save your money!!!!

Expectation setting: this is a small zoo. Its featured exhibits can be seen in well under two hours, with a few cafes and play structures for tiny kiddos to backfill the trip time. And if you pay full price, I do believe it be a bit lofty for what it is. BUT! You can get half off tickets simply by contacting your local library, and at those rates, our family of four had a fun afternoon saying hi to a fat tiger, a two skinny lions, an army of primates (including the I-bet-you've-never-heard-of-this potto), two camels, zebras, giraffes, more birds than is reasonable, and pygmy hippos! All for less than $40. Parking is chaotic, but it's a cute zoo and the kids will have a ball. I'm actually surprised how close you can get to some of the animals!

Purchased the ticket a day before for the Boston Lights: A Lantern Experience, the only time available is 9:30 pm and they closed at 10:30 pm. I thought 1hr should be enough to see all the displays but once you go in, you definitely need more time. The non-member ticket costs $21.95 + the processing fee per person. I suggest the latest time should be 9 pm. There is so much to see. Parking is a problem even I go this late... the zoo parking is full and street parking is full. I ended up with street parking which has to walk around 15 minutes to the zoo. One thing that I am disappointed that the staff who make announce about closing, start chasing guest out and keep telling we will turn off the light. As we exit, the lights at the entrance were off. I was planning to take pictures when we are leaving because we are almost late for the ticket time, we just rushed in. Definitely will come back again for the next Boston Lights. Going to the zoo regular day, you still can see the lantern. But going nighttime is so much beautiful.

This is not a top end zoo. Infrastructure is very dated in places. Animal enclosures are not up to modern standards. Pretty small for a big city zoo. Price of admission is out of line with quality. I would pass on this zoo.

Perfect place to leisurely walk and explore when visiting Boston. Covid-19 precautions: My boyfriend and I came just as they lifted mask talent for vaccinated customers. All staff still wore masks. There were social distancing stickers throughout all exhibits, and the pertting zoo wasn't fully up and running quite yet. Exhibits: We loved how much open space the outdoor exhibits had, the variety of animals and although we walked plenty it was easily done in 2-3 hours worth of time. Food: We visited the grill which had decently priced combos for kids and adults and cute souvenir cups. The food tasted as good as you could expect a quick stop location to be and was hot and fresh. Staff: We encountered plenty of staff members all friendly, curteous and super helpful! We loved how beautiful the greenery and exhibits were and hope to come back when my family comes to visit !

The light show at Franklin park zoo was amazing. We got the 8:30 pm tickets to really enjoy the lights in the dark. Their were 55 displays all throughout the park. Pictures speak for itself. It ends September 25th so I suggest you book your tickets right away before it's over!

My wife and I visited here in 2008 as part of our week-long vacation in Boston, but hadn't been back since. But, they have red panda (which my wife loves) and offer behind-the-scenes tours for them so I thought this would make a nice Christmas gift. We came on a cold February day almost exclusively for the B.T.S. tour, and we had a great time. We were met and given a special tour by four staff members who took us back into the Red Panda enclosures. We got to see where they lived, slept, ate, etc. My wife and I were allowed to feed one of them ("Gimli") grapes, and he ate them as ferociously as his namesake! But he (as well as the other two pandas) we adorably cute. The tour wasn't particularly cheap, but if you are looking for a special gift for someone then this might be a good option. Though the zoo was open during the winter, many (maybe 1/3 it seemed by my estimation) of the animals had been relocated either indoors or somewhere else so we couldn't see them. But, since it isn't really fair to judge a zoo during the winter when you should know that this will be the case, it didn't affect my ratings.

3 stars for the Franklin Park Zoo. It was fun outing day and we got to see a tiger, lions, zebra, hippo, giraffes, kiwi, gorillas, birds, and etc. The main problem is the lack of signage. Frankly (ha!), I should've done homework ahead of time looking up and studying directions. When we got here after following Google Maps, we saw a lot (Sausage lot) that says Zoo parking so we pulled in. When we got out, we were like so where do we walk from here? We crossed the street but that looked like people golfing. We looked up directions on Google Maps again but it wasn't really helpful. I had to find directions instructions on the Zoo website, but I wasn't even sure how close we were to either of the entrance. We then saw people walking along a small paved pathway next to Sausage lot and then followed them. There should've been a signage at the sausage lot pointing to the zoo direction. For people like me who were here the first time, I shouldn't have to look up directions while I'm standing the lot trying to figure out if I need to turn left, right, or across the street. Once inside the zoo, I found from the cashier that there was no paper map. That's totally fine, but the online map is hard to navigate. Please consider coming up with a mobile version of the map, or simply put more large printout of signage across the zoo. We were kind of lost the whole time, as I was trying to zoom in and zoom out of my phone map. I finally saw one large map printout right outside of the kids playground that says you are here. There may be more of the printout elsewhere, but I didn't see any. Also, I had no idea they had stroller rental! I didn't see it until I left, since it's tucked away in a corner at the zebra entrance. Maybe they had signage that I missed it, but a clearer signage would for sure help. On the topic of signage, we walked from the gorilla grove side and tried to find the giraffe. We walked and walked and were like where is it?! We finally saw an observational opening area, and spotted the giraffe. Again, I was like I'm not sure if we are even walking towards the right direction. If they don't already, the Zoo should consider a mobile version map and location service, so as I walk around I can clearly see where I am. For the tropical forest exhibit, I'd recommend you wearing a mask. It's completely indoor and I'm not sure if there is HEPA filter installed. When I was there, more than one kid was coughing and sneezing everywhere, and the kids haven't mastered the art of covering their coughs. Fortunately, I had a mask with me. And most people had their own masks on. It would've been nice if there are some free mask available right outside the exhibit for people who forget to bring a mask. I recommend coming here early some time between 9 and 10 am to find parking. If you don't plan to stay for too long, perhaps budge a good 2-hour window for yourself. If you plan to stay here all day, there is a kids playground where you can sit and "rest." When we left shortly before noon, the parking lot filled up. In terms of tickets, definitely consider getting a museum pass from your library (if local) or buy the citypass (if out of town). I also like the special free admission for moms and dads on Mother's Day or Father's Day. The tickets get expensive so quickly. Some other zoos I've been to (e.g. Seattle, Copenhagen, the Bronx Zoo), only kids 3+ need to pay a ticket. Over here at the Franklin zoo, only kids under 2 are admitted for free.

This place should be shut down immediately and have the animals taken to a real sanctuary where their needs will be met. These animals look severely depressed and their enclosures are below bare minimum. As an animal activist, I hope to see this place out of business soon.

I picked a showery weekday to make my annual visit to the zoo. I walked around a bit less than normal instead choosing to spend most of my time with my favorites, the gorillas. I was fortunate enough to be there during a training time and was able to see the silverback fed bananas and peanuts (I believe) with what looked like a fork! Is this the best zoo in the world? No. But is it a great little zoo? Yes, it definitely is. I would recommend a visit.

Used to like this zoo with the kids and went for years all the time. Then my friend got attacked by random people in the middle of the day and the employees at the zoo did nothing. Even when we called later, they were like "a supervisor will call you back" and they didn't. The kids could have been hurt really badly but the people running the zoo won't care until someone gets stabbed.

I debated between 1 or 2 stars on the rating, and decided to give 2 stars because some of the zookeepers we came into contact with were very friendly and willing to help or answer questions. Honestly, nothing at the zoo is worth the cost. It makes me sad to write this because I know another low-rated review for this zoo means less people will go out of their way to visit, which means less money going to the animals and their care. They were setting up for the lantern festival, and the displays were beautiful! The only other part I remember being mildly impressed with was the bird atrium where they have ducks and turtles. It looks new, clean, and well maintained. The lions were cool to see as they were visible from any viewing spot. We ate at Giddy Up and the only word to describe it is deplorable. Specifically, they served us a hot dog with a hard, stale bun. We ordered the broccoli bites for our kids and couldn't serve them to the kids because they were so over cooked and burned. My fries were lukewarm. My chicken tenders had possibly been reheated after already being heated once. They were hard and stale tasting. I was getting a bit desperate for something edible to feed my young children, and I'm disappointed that I couldn't count on the zoo to help me do that. Thank goodness we had snacks in the diaper bag. You pay for no less than 3 playgrounds. I don't want to go to a zoo to watch my kids play on the same playground that exists for free right outside the gates. There aren't any play areas for the youngest of our children, either. When it came to animals, it was a hot and humid day, and we sat empty water troughs. Really shameful. Also, many of the exhibits were closed. The petting zoo was not operating, and it was a Friday. There were 3 chickens and 2 chicks in that exhibit. No horses. We did also see a hog and a goat. It seems to me that the zoo would want to get their exhibits open and fully operating so as to draw the higher levels of tourists going through Boston's city limits right now. Anyway, I agree with other tourists that maybe the zoo should close, at least until they can get adequate staff, better maintained exhibits, and proper training for their food staff to improve their awful customer service.

It's a zoo. ‍I love it because you can take a kid there and do a good loop around and through the park and they can burn off a bunch of energy while you go the pace you want to go. The new gorilla house is expanded and offers lots of viewing of the gorillas, while the other animals and houses are fine. A membership is a good deal if you can swing it; it gives you a bit of a discount for food when your kid inevitably wants some chicken tenders to end the day. Lots to see here if you're a kid and if you're in charge of that kid, you might not be so bored to follow them around, too. We continue to appreciate it, for sure.

There are two components of the zoo, the zoo itself and the Boston lantern festival that is held during the wintertime. Regarding the zoo ($20 adult admission): - The zoo itself is on the smaller side, but I would say with taking silly pictures of the animals and such you can have a solid 2 hours of fun here. - There are set times for special demonstrations scattered throughout the day. Most of the time I found the exhibits to be pretty empty, but I did see crowds during this time. - The way the exhibits are set up and such, this place is definitely catered towards small children. Not that adults can't enjoy it (and I certainly did!). - Somehow, the zoo felt more "bare bones" than a normal zoo did. In that I barely saw any zookeepers (but not that I was particularly looking for their assistance), and everything feels a bit more simple then other zoos I have visited. Overall: - A fun afternoon if you love animals. For $20, and my pretty average zoo experience I am pretty happy with having visited, but I am not dying to return again. Regarding the lantern festival ($20 adult admission): - The ticket for the lantern festival is separate from the zoo ticket. The festival is held at night, and there are quite impressive large, and intricately shaped glowing statues. - With pictures and time for silly poses, I would say we spent 1.5 hours. - Note, the way the course is set up, you can only travel in one direction. So take all the pictures as you go along the way. - Because it is at night time, and in the winter it can get quite cold so be prepared! It was also quite crowded when I visited, so there were some photo ops that I skipped because I didn't want to wait for the crowd to thin. Overall: - The lantern festival was definitely better than the zoo in terms of novelty. I did feel that it was worth the $20 experience. Would I return? I suppose it could be a cute holiday tradition, but $20 does add up quick for each person. Personally, I would say having been once is a good enough experience for me.

Last night we purchased four tickets for $80.00 at 8:00 pm to attend the lantern festival. We traveled from Auburn, MA and we arrived there was absolutely no parking anywhere. How can you charge a ticket admission and not have the proper facilities to accommodate patrons trying to attend the festival. Our four tickets were not scanned and were never used as we could not find parking anywhere. Our tickets should be refunded in full. I will never attend anything or recommend anyone to go to this festival.

I never knew going to the zoo in the cold weather was an option.... I really enjoyed it! We had the animals to ourselves! Although, not all of the animals are available .... We were able to spend more time with the animals that were there. We were also there for an animal experience. The staff was professional, knowledgeable, and gracious. My only disappointment was that I was unable to touch or photo my favorite animal. I will definitely be back and I'm not waiting for the summer!

As soon as we were walking in, I had no idea that I was about to pass two out of the five employees working at the zoo. We spent about an hour and a half here and visited all the exhibits. If you want the short review, don't go to this zoo, go anywhere else. If you want the longer review, stick around. As you can see from the pictures below there is no signage anywhere. There are random fences that say no entry but they aren't even blocking anything. The zoo looks abandoned, overgrown weeds and grass. No employees, I mentioned we saw two employees at the start but there was only three other employees we saw around the rest of the zoo. No employees providing instructions, helping or telling us about the animals. The giraffes are no where to be found because of construction. Gorillas are in a new habitat so construction just finished. Everything seems to be under construction but nobody is working on a Saturday in July. So why are there tools and eye sores all over the place? It's clear they care more about the Boston Lights than they do the actual zoo. Even from the entrance the Boston Lights sign is bigger than the actual Franklin Park Zoo sign.

It's a decent zoo, but there's a lot of construction happening.... Which means it will hopefully climb back to a 4, possibly a 5. Then again when you compare it to the San Diego zoo, everything else falls shy. For the most part you don't have to wear a mask, only in certain areas near animals (petting zoo) and some of the inside places if you're not vaccinated. In general, the zoo is not bad. The special installation of art made it better, and I'm sure it's even more spectacular at night! They don't have a lot, but have some unique animals. Lions, tigers (no bears), Giraffes, red kangaroos, emus, gorillas, baby gorillas, pygmy hippopotamuses, sloth, butterfly area, pygmy alligator and a few more animals. The have a small petting area with a few goats, but you must wear a mask and there's a limited number let into the area because of COVID. The food stand is okay, a little pricey, but that's to be expected given it's a zoo. In general it's a decent zoo, but I would search around for discountable tickets and I would pack food and water because the food is overpriced and not that great.

Definitely a fun trip, a bit out of the way from Boston but the lantern show is absolutely worth the trip out. Incredibly cute, impressive and leisurely walk, this is a prime spot for a group activity or a double date. As for the zoo, it's very large with your classic zoo animals - tigers, lions, camels and red pandas. However the best exhibit in my opinion is definitely the Tropical Jungle because of the new baby gorilla. The light show is a phenomenal attraction but is a separate ticket, and it feels like the zoo was built around that exhibit. The food nearby the zoo is not the best so be prepared with water and some cash to spend in the zoo. 4/5 come for the animals stay for the dip n dots

cute little zoo! their winter lights exhibit was amazing, definitely go at night! once you're in everything is free except there are some small experiences you can pay a little extra for, like feeding birds out of the palm of your hand!

We visited Franklin Zoo yesterday and had a great visit EXCEPT we urgently needed to purchase pain relievers and feminine hygiene products but guess what...YOU DO NOT SELL ANY. ANYWHERE. This is ridiculous and unacceptable. We were fortunate that another zoo guest gave us Tylenol and your female zoo staffers STEPPED UP to give us hygiene products FROM THEIR OWN PERSONAL STOCKS. So GRATITUDE & COMPLIMENTS go to the sisterhood of the Franklin Zoo who bailed us out. And stop being totally chauvinistic by not stocking OTC pain killers and feminine hygiene products at your public zoo. We need LESS DIPPIN DOTS and more basic supplies.

Coming from the Philadelphia Zoo, I have very high expectations in the zoos that I go to. I have been to many of the best zoos in the world including the Toronto Zoo, San Diego Zoo, the National Zoo, Cape May Zoo, Animal Kingdom and more. Based upon the reviews on here, my expectations were no too high, but I was pleasantly surprised by the Franklin Park Zoo. I belong to the Philadelphia Zoo and I believe that you get a discount on admission, but unfortunately, I was unable to use it because I forgot my membership card. Also, you can get a discount if you have a membership to most other AZA zoos. Once you are inside the zoo you realize how open and vast it is. Rather than being a very developed Zoo it feels as if you are walking in a nice park while being surrounded by animals. I first checked out the children's zoo, which was right on the left. Most children's zoos that I have seen generally just have some domesticated animals, but nothing else. However, at the Franklin Park Zoo they have prairie dogs, a giant bull and a petting zoo. I loved seeing the baby goat, Foles who was named after Philadelphia Eagles backup quarterback, Nick Foles who led the Eagles to a Super Bowl upset over the Patriots. A friendly wager was done between the Philadelphia Zoo and Franklin Park Zoo. After that, I saw an African porcupine, ostrich, zebras, lions, tigers, black swans and giraffes. Also, they all had really nice and large exhibits, which is always very nice. One exhibit that I loved was the gorilla exhibit. It is located inside a very large building that is mostly underground. The largest exhibit is for their large gorilla troop with 7 gorillas, but there's also spider monkeys, lemurs and a Pygmy hippo inside. It was nice to see the gorilla feeding at 2:00 PM, which I would recommend as you get to see the gorillas forage for food. There are also plenty of facts about gorillas and their history at the Franklin Park Zoo on the walls. Another exhibit I loved was the one with the Andean condors. You actually got to walk through the enclosure by going through a covered, trail system. It allowed you to get some great views of the majestic birds. A staff member there even let me feel one of their feathers, which was so cool! There are a few food options here, but the menu is pretty limited. I was going to get some food, but passed after seeing how long the line was. There's a little train that goes around the park for kids to ride and there is also a very large playground, which I could tell the kids loved. Altogether, the Franklin Park Zoo is a very nice zoo to explore and see some amazing and exotic animals!