A Guide to the Queens Zoo

Visitors exploring Flushing Meadows-Corona Park can access the Queens Zoo on the park's western edge. Spanning 11 acres along the Grand Central Parkway, this smaller wildlife facility provides a different layout than the larger zoos in other boroughs.

The Queens Zoo focuses specifically on animals native to North and South America. Instead of concrete cages, the facility features pathways that run through re-created natural habitats. The exhibits include Roosevelt elk, sandhill cranes, American bison, pronghorns, and bald eagles. The zoo also houses rarer species, such as spectacled bears and the southern pudu, which is the world’s smallest deer species.

The grounds feature a large, walk-through geodesic aviary originally built for the 1964 World's Fair. Inside, various species of native birds fly freely beneath the mesh canopy. Next to the aviary is a pool containing a colony of California sea lions. Visitors can observe the sea lions throughout the day, and public feedings take place daily at 11:15 AM, 2:00 PM, and 4:00 PM.

How to Get In Free

While standard adult admission to the zoo normally runs around $10.00, budget-conscious New Yorkers have two brilliant, legitimate ways to bypass the ticket booth entirely:

• The IDNYC Benefit: If you hold an official IDNYC card, you are eligible for a free, full one-year standard wrap-around membership to the Wildlife Conservation Society. Uunlimited admission to the Queens Zoo, the Bronx Zoo, the Central Park Zoo, and the Prospect Park Zoo.

• The Library Culture Pass: If you don't have an IDNYC, any standard adult library card from the Queens Public Library, Brooklyn Public Library, or New York Public Library system grants you access to the Culture Pass program. Search up the Culture Pass website and reserve a ticket.