Friday, July 11, 2008

Stone Zoo, Stoneham, MA (3.5 smiles)


We went to the Stone Zoo, Stoneham, MA today and here is my review....


Date:  7/11/2008

Parking:  Great!  Lots of spaces and it's very easy to find off the highway.

Gate/Admissions:  [$$$] Helpful & Kind

Birthday Parties:  Yes

Bathrooms:  The bathrooms are trailers with chemical toilets (not port-o-pottys).  They have individual stalls.  There is a sink with running water and a changing station.  The one thing I noticed though is if you are there alone with your child in a stroller, you have to go up a few stairs to get into the trailer and the trailer itself will not accommodate a stroller.  You will have to leave it unattended outside.

Cleanliness:  It's clean!

Store:  There is a store on site with typical souvenirs available.  There are a few vending machines near the picnic tables.  We did notice that the price of soda/water in the vending machine was quite high.

Overall:  I liked this zoo.  Not as much as York's Animal Kingdom (we went last year), but it's clean and it has a place to get food and a spot to picnic if you bring your lunch.  The zoo itself is pretty small.  It's great for young children.  There are some rough spots if you are pushing a stroller though.  It looked like some of the sand trails were washed out from rain so it can be a little bit of a struggle.  There were some areas where there were not any animals but there were still cages.  Not sure if they are working on expanding or if those animals no longer live there.  They had two beautiful black bears and a few large cats.  They also have wolves!  I would say it's worth the ride.  Go check it out!  Let me know what you think!

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

There is a playground across the street that you can visit. Also, consider visiting the zoo at Christmas time for a beautiful display of Christmas lights and animated figures. (There is an entry fee for the Zoolights.)

Anonymous said...

Hey you should have called me I live 5 min away. oh well the zoo is cool for christmas.

B. rule

Sara said...

I really like this zoo... true it is small as far as zoos go these days.. but there is another zoo down the road in Boston that they moved the large animals to so that they could have more modern exhibits. All the animals have been happy and healthy looking when I have gone.
the black bear exhibit is great. it is on the old site of the polar bear's pool (for those of us that remember) but there is a thick glass wall that runs the whole length of the exhibit that the bears and you can both walk right up to. I had a great time with my son.. they bears were playing with my 1 year old through the glass.. they are young playful happy bears.

Anonymous said...

I brought my two boys here, aged 1 and 3 and my 3 year fell off the wooden dinosaur and cracked his head and the zoo staff was terrible!!! There was NO FIRST AID - at a children's zoo! I will never go back here and can't believe the attention that we were not given during this horrible time. I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone!

Kristen said...

I have always had a pleasant experience at this zoo. It is not too spread out making it easy for your little one to walk to. They staff was extremely helpful to me one day when I just needed to go to their gift store (my son's favorite stuffed animal came from there and I was looking for a replacement) and allowed me free access. Plan to make a trip again this Summer.