Address: Van Saun County Park, 216 Forest Ave, Paramus, NJ 07652, USA
Phone: +12016343100
Rating: 4.6
based on 234 reviews.
Family and Child-Friendliness
Pros:
"Good place to go with toddlers and kids."
"Perfect place for a short day trip with young kids."
"The best part is that afterwards you can cross the parking lot and you'll find 6 jungle gyms that are age appropriate from toddler all the way up to teen."
"This was one of the best parks I've been to that have wheelchair accommodations."
"Lovely place to stroll among the trees and shade; families enjoying picnics, children happily running and playing on the fields and lawns."
"The playground adjacent to the zoo is wonderful too - lots of play equipment, splash pad, picnic tables, shade."
"A great place to visit for younger kids and children."
Cons:
"I have never seen such unhappy animals in other zoos then here the poor animals I feel bad for them."
"Big cats were the saddest as they kept pacing back and forth, showing signs of sensory deprivation."
"Most animals looked stressed out from napping too close to humans."
"All enclosures were too small. Most animals looked stressed out."
"The animals are in deplorable conditions and the management and staff do not like to hear that they are in the wrong."
"The exhibits are small and some of the animals seem cramped."
"Most animals seemed scared, and the mountain lions appeared terrified by the people crowded around and the children screaming."
Value and Accessibility
Pros:
"If you are a Bergen COUNTY resident you will have 50% discount."
"The price to ride the train and to enter the zoo is $4.00 each for NJ residents."
"Bergen County residents can get tickets at half the price!"
"The best buy in town. As seniors we only had to pay $1.00 each to get in."
"Great little zoo for very little ones. Buy a train ticket and ride that before you do the zoo, the train is well worth the $2.00."
"The price is the big draw here. It is $4 for residents of Bergen County."
"Residents tickets are only $4.00 and kids under 3 are free for the zoo."
Cons:
"The change to charging $10 a person to enter the Ice Skating area was not good at all."
"Careless employees, disregarded the fact a family drive out on a Sunday to see the animals and employees closed their gates early and turned away the family."
"Only downside is the parking which fills up very quickly."
"The gift shop is closed... allllll the vending machines were out of drinks or didn’t work."
"The train and the carousel were not functioning which was the main reason we went."
"Horrible should not be called a zoo when they have a goldfish like this and just don't care."
"When I was there the train was not running."
Staff and Management
Pros:
"It was clean and easy to walk! Very friendly staff as well."
"The respectful and patient demeanor of the zoo workers further enhanced our visit."
"During our visit to the zoo for the Easter hunt event, we were thoroughly impressed by the organization and friendliness of the staff."
"The staff were very nice and helpful."
"The management and staff were very attentive and courteous."
"The staff is very helpful and attentive."
"I was thoroughly impressed with the staff and how they assisted the little 6 year old, special needs boy I had with me."
Cons:
"The management and staff have over inflated egos and do not like to hear that they are in the wrong."
"Don’t get me started on the lady at the front desk. This place is worse then the DMV with their mannerisms and hostile attitudes."
"Please fire your miserable staff they take the life right out of the place."
"Very disappointed at the lack of empathy from workers."
"Got there at 2:55, last entry is 3:00. This old man by the front gate was being rude."
"I love this zoo, but the staff is horrendous."
"The only reason for my one star is for the service at check in. The Lady was really rude and nasty when purchasing my ticket."
Facilities and Amenities
Pros:
"Extremely well kept even with the traffic."
"Great little zoo. For their size they have a lot of variety and even saw some animals I hadn't seen in larger facilities."
"Plenty of places to sit and eat lunch."
"Train ride and carousel nearby. Plenty of rest rooms."
"We enjoyed the zoo, carousel, train, and nearby playground!"
"Nice park for barbecue and kids birthday in nature, big playground for every age of children."
"All the animals look properly taken care of and have enough space in their enclosures."