Less Is More: Bergen County Zoological Park

I was hoping to break out of my Camp Mom and blog-writing malaise by ending the summer with a grand flourish. At a friend’s suggestion, I entertained the idea of an overnight trip to Sesame Place in Buck’s County, Pennsylvania, but after some initial due diligence, decided that as much as I would love to pay over $50 per person (children and adults are the same price and this doesn’t even begin to cover parking, the hotel, and overpriced food) to wait in impossibly long lines in subtropical temperatures for a glimpse of some Muppets, I was going to have to pass. I still often feel like a complete neophyte idiot when it comes to parenting, but one thing that experience has taught me so far is that less is (usually) more when it comes to young children.

In keeping with that maxim, head on over to the Bergen County Zoological Park with your toddlers and preschoolers for some good, old-fashioned, less-is-more fun. This antithesis of Sesame Place boasts a very manageable, accredited zoo, an adorable train, a carousel, pony rides, and last, but certainly not least, the budgie (also known more boringly as a parakeet, but that’s not nearly as much fun to say) exhibit—all within a half hour’s drive of Manhattan.

Feeding the budgies

Come on, ride the train, hey, ride it, woo woo

Jack's first carousel ride

One must be fully accessorized to ride a pony

Bergen Country Zoological Park, 216 Forest Avenue, Paramus, New Jersey 07652-5349, (201) 262-0017, http://www.co.bergen.nj.us/bcparks/zoo.aspx; Hours: Open daily from 10:00 AM to 4:30 PM; General admission: Adults: $8; Children (3-14): $5 (the train, pony rides, and carousel are all $1.00-$1.50 extra per person per activity)

** Other than an ice cream cart, there are zero food options, so be sure and pack a lunch.

Bronx Zoo

First the good news: Wednesday is Free Day at the Bronx Zoo.

Now, the bad news: Wednesday is Free Day at the Bronx Zoo.

If you aren’t a member of the Bronx Zoo, you will benefit by going on pay-what-you-wish Wednesday and not having to fork over the full general admission fee ($15 for adults and $11 for children 3-12). If you do have a zoo membership, I would highly recommend going on any day except Wednesday. Although the people-watching may provide some entertainment value and lead one to wonder who really is looking at whom at the zoo, it is not enough to overcome the annoyingly long lines for everything from the restrooms to just hoping to catch a glimpse of the new lion cubs.

To avoid the crowds, we stuck mostly to the special rides and attractions, which still cost extra unless you are a member: The Bug Carousel, The Butterfly Garden, a new Dora & Diego 4D movie, the zoo shuttle, and the Children’s Zoo.

Each weekend through the end of June, the zoo is hosting Animal Tales Extravaganza, a series of readings, talks, and events designed to introduce young children to wildlife and children’s literature. The entire list of featured books can be found on the New Atlantic Independent Booksellers (NAIBA) website at http://www.naiba.com/files/zoo_flyer.pdf, but here are a few of our favorites:

• The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
• Dear Zoo: A Lift-the-Flap Book by Rod Campbell
• Bugs! By David T. Greenberg
• Birds by Kevin Henkes
• Gone Wild: An Endangered Animal Alphabet by David McLimans
• Wild About Books by Judith Sierra, Marc Brown (Illustrator)
• Owl Babies by Martin Waddell

Instead of riding a traditional carousel horse, kids can take their pick from ladybugs, praying mantises, grasshoppers, and fireflies on The Bug Carousel

The Butterfly Garden

The Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

Wild About Books by Judith Sierra, Marc Brown (Illustrator)

Rocking the 3D glasses for Dora & Diego’s 4D Adventure, a high-definition 3D movie combined with special wind, water, and lighting effects

Relaxing in the life-sized bird’s nest at the Children’s Zoo

Exploring a hollow log at the Children’s Zoo

Bronx Zoo, The Wildlife Conservation Society, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, NY 10460, www.bronxzoo.org; Open Monday to Friday 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM; Weekends and Holidays 10:00 AM to 5:30 PM; General admission (does not include special rides and attractions): $15 for adults; $11 for children 3-12; Best value is a family membership for $124 a year, which includes free admission to not only the Bronx Zoo--including free passes to special rides and attractions and parking passes--but also to the New York Aquarium, Central Park Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo, and Queens Zoo