Stone Zoo

This is a review solely on their ZooLights event during the Christmas Holiday. Price was really cheap and is a cool experience for kids. There is not much to see at night since all their animals are put away for the night or sleeping but you do get to see some that are sleeping. It’s pretty cool that they have a real reindeer that you get to meet up close and personal. The zookeepers who were caring for the reindeer really knew their stuff and I learned a lot about reindeers that night just by chatting with them. They were very friendly and welcoming too and were eager to answer questions.
We love the Christmas lights and all the holiday decorations, especially in the building where they have Santa. Our 11 month old daughter took her first Santa picture here and it came out really well. The pricing for the photo package was also a great deal.
My only complaint is that when you walk into the zoo, you get a strong whiff of urine right away. I get that it’s a zoo and that it is normal, but I have been to other zoos where the smell is not as strong. Maybe they can figure out a way to clean the urine smell better? I don’t know because I’m not a zoo expert but I hope they can tone down that smell even for just a notch. Despite the smell, we really enjoyed our visit for their ZooLights event. We would love to keep going here every year as our kid grows up. I really commend the staff for being so friendly and for putting together beautiful decorations and having the animals feel comfortable around those «weird» Christmas lights.

ZooLights event = overcrowded and you only get to see about eight animals (I’m not joking). Do yourself a favor and find another holiday lights event and then just visit Roger Williams Zoo in Rhode Island in a few months after winter is over.

Im only giving one star because I have no other option! This years zoo lights were horrible ! This zoo should be as shamed all the money they make year round, they have blow up decorations that are all ripped and filthy and old ! They have no staff thew out the zoo, you think with the amount of crowds they have workers would be around! Specially for those with carriages and the others that can’t help but push and shove ! None of the animals were out at all either. Maybe they should tell people that before they go threw the zoo looking to see what animals are there only to be disappointed ! I’ve been going here since I was little and now take my kids, but this will be the last year. Compleat rip off!!!

I have been here for both the zoo lights and regular zoo. The zoo lights are fun, just be aware that its hard to find parking and it gets really crowed. When I went this year, the lot was closed and people were parking elsewhere and walking, so just keep that in mind. All the lights are really pretty. For the regular zoo, i thinks its kind of small. Its $ 16 for adults and $ 12 for kids and I think thats kind of a lot for such a small zoo. They have some good animals though, I like the flamingos and the sea otters. I was gonna give only 3 stars, but I gave 4 because of the zoo lights.

Christmas lights at the zoo. Really crowded. Only $ 7pp. Not too many animals visible but nicely done. Really hard finding parking. You will do well to purchase tickets online — we were able to bypass the ticket line. When we left the ticket line was at least 100 yards long.

Sad place. If you want to spend some time with beautiful animals in their natural environments, I recommend a sanctuary. It’s just hard to see these magnificent creatures locked up in small enclosures when they would typically roam a much larger distance in the wild.

There are some worthwhile animals in this zoo (black bear, jaguar, lynx, yak, snow leopard, etc.) However, extremely thick plexiglass cuts many of the animals off from the visitor; it becomes almost like TV. And beware, while 617−541-LION is the Stone Zoo’s phone number, no African lions live here. On the whole though this was a good idea that my wife white cat Tasha and I partook in recently. It’s recommended.

Great place for the kids. Many animals were hard to find. The attendant put away several animals into barns while numerous children were admiring them… it was 12 noon. The bird flight show was amazing. They do an excellent job with this. BEST PART OF THE EXPERIENCE!

This is a small zoo with some neat animal exhibits. It’s a good way to spend an hour or two. There is a lot of construction going on, which has closed some of the pathways. It’s an older zoo, so several of the exhibits are in a state of disrepair. Not bad for small kids (who won’t know the difference), but definitely not the best kept zoo.

My mother brought us to this zoo constantly when I was younger and the old Polar Bear exhibit was by far my favorite. I actually remember getting a poster and being so upset when the polar bear passed away.
Zoo lights during Christmas time are also a big draw and great for kids.

Some of the animals need grooming and washing. White foxes are filthy. Other than that love stone zoo.

As I typed in the address for Stone Zoo in the GPS I knew it was only 15 minutes from my house an hour later I made finally in the parking lot. Things would have gone a lot smoother if there was actual direction for the traffic instead of someone volunteering saying «I think there’s parking at the other end of the lot»… Thanks pal, I can see that. If it wasn’t for the fact that my five year old saw the rides I would have been just as happy to have kept on driving but it is what it is.
The small display of lights were predictable but nice for the venue. It’s something geared for small children so by all accounts it’s ok. But the lack of organization seems to be a hindrance for something that could be much better.
I have a pretty morbid job. I’m an embalmer. When the Santa on display in the castle like something I’d see on my prep table it might be time for a little bit of a change. I get it Santa is old, but he doesn’t need to look like a corpse. I thought he was a jolly old elf. The reindeer hanging from nooses don’t help much either.
I know I’m going to pay through the nose for the rides but honestly hundreds of people ride the rides daily at $ 3.00 a pop… Isn’t it time for a reduction in price? But the Zoo offered a great deal 3 tickets for $ 7.00.
Maybe I should’ve just driven around, looked at some lights on the houses and took my kid to McD’s… $ 50.00 and 45 minutes later we were heading back home.

This review is for the ZooLights attraction that the zoo holds every Christmas season. We took our first trip here last weekend to take in the light displays, and boy was it a zoo :) For a trip that should’ve taken 15 – 20 minutes in travel time, it took us almost 1.25 hours to finally reach the parking lot. This was due to the insane traffic on the local roads… all caused by the visitors heading here. Granted, we should’ve known that it would be insanely busy on a Saturday night. It would’ve been better to go on a weeknight to avoid the craziness. You can also skip the line for tickets by buying them online and printing them out (something we should’ve done). The zoo itself was lit up pretty well, with a few different exhibits including reindeer that you could walk up to and take a picture. There’s also Santa’s Castle, a small children’s train ride, and a couple trails filled with lights. All-​in-​all, it is a small zoo, so there wasn’t a gigantic light display. However, it’s worth going to at least once with your family.

Zoo lights is quite an experience that is worth seeing despite how frigid Boston winters get! I especially enjoyed taking pics with the reindeers and Charlie Brown’s Christmas tree. This exhibit can be appreciated by both children and adults that are young at heart :)

We love visiting the zoo, and going there dressed up for Halloween is even more fun! We visited the Stone Zoo for the first time in mid-​October for the Boo at the Zoo event. It was such a fun and unique way to celebrate Halloween with our young daughter. Parking was a little crazy, and there was a bit of a bottleneck when we first entered, but once we got past the initial crowd, we really enjoyed ourselves. Stone Zoo is not as big as Boston’s Franklin Park Zoo, but the landscape and design is much nicer. The petting zoo is especially fun. Our daughter delighted in petting the goats, crowing at the rooster, and staring at the two enormous sleeping pigs. Will definitely plan on making this part of our Halloween tradition!

It’s a very small zoo that has spent the last 20 years reinventing itself. Anyone who was here in the 80’s and 90’s knows they used to have a massive collection including lions, tigers, giraffes and elephant. It fell into disrepair and attendance suffered. The last two decades they have made massive strides in modernizing the enclosures and bringing back larger animals.
If you’ve been coming here for years, it’s fun to look around and see how things have changed. The old giraffe house is now a science and educational center for kids, the old seal tank is now home to a yak and the polar bear exhibit is now home to black bears, that along with wolves, a snow leopard, and mountain lion are the zoos biggest draws. Bald eagles, lynx, and some other hard to find animals like meerkats, reindeer, and coatis are also here.
It’s very cheap for the amount of time and animals they have and they keep the modernization going forward quite well. Try your local library for cheaper passes and come for Zoolights starting Thanksgiving, just don’t expect many animals to be visible.

Like most small zoos, the Stone Zoo seems to be slowly updating their exhibits. Today was a rainy fall day, perfect for visiting a normally crowded place outside, and I was not disappointed. All the animals came over to check me out, curious at the sole human outside their enclosures. I saw 5 Mexican gray wolves (did you know the last wild one was shot in Arizona in 1970? I didn’t either!) in a big beautiful exhibit, an arctic fox who couldn’t stop checking me out, a jaguar who said hello, a yak who bellowed at me until I walked over and said hi – same with the reindeer. All the farm animals were locked up, I’m sure because of the rain, but the chickens followed me around and one of the funniest goats I’ve ever met goaded me into spending 25 cents to feed him in his pen.
I’d visit again, because it’s a nice intimate zoo. It was clean, but still desperately in need of enrichment for the gibbons –pizza boxes? Not good enough:(– and others. The poor kookaburra sits on a stick in front of a picture of a forest. But it was a great mix of species, local and exotic, from otters to meerkats.
The keepers I saw were very friendly, too.
Thanks, Stone Zoo, for a great afternoon.

It’s a cute zoo nothing special and nothing I would come back for. The employees are friendly but the enclosures are just too small. The snow leopards enclosure was definitely the biggest from what I saw. There was an adorable baby goat and I liked seeing the wolves. For a hot day it really didn’t smell like a zoo so that was a plus.

We had company passes and ventured out (ok basically went down the street) to Stone Zoo. I thought this was great for a local zoo. About 2 hours of walking around and animals to see, just the right amount of time (before I lose interest). Most of the animals were out and not hidden. They also seem to have rotating exhibits, at this time they had an Australian exhibit which had Koala bears and other Aussies. Sure this zoo doesn’t compare to top tourist zoos in the country but it’s a great option for locals. There are plenty of interesting animals to see.
We’ve been to different zoo’s around the country but what I really loved about Stone Zoo is that they had one woman walking around feeding visitors different information about the different animals. Interesting information. She was also encouraging people to ask questions. I haven’t seen zoo staff interact with visitors to that degree anywhere else. As others have said Stone Zoo tries to create a somewhat personal experience.
Where Stone Zoo might lack in certain areas, it shines in others. You could do a whole lot worse for the 12 or 14 $ it costs to get in. Definitely a great family option.

I LOVE Stone Zoo…
up close & personal furry fun!
NOTE TO UnilocalERS… STOP COMPARING IT
to San Diego. or the Bronx Zoo’s…They’re rich.
Massachusetts doesn’t invest in their zoo’s,
so they can’t afford to compete with wealthy cousins.
ATMOSPHERE: A small zoo…
so it can offer a more personal experience.
Intimate animal encounters abound here.
ZOOKEEPERS: Stone zoo has a small number of animals,
and Zookeepers, but they are friendly and available to you.
(Try to get personalized service at The Bronx Zoo!)
We are so blessed to have access to 2 local zoos,
and all the educational enrichment they provide.
THE DEAL: I attend their annual fundraiser,
«A Wild Affair» every Summer… Food, Fun & Furries!
Some of the top restaurants in the area
provide their latest offerings, along with libations,
and a few priceless photo opps w/​zoo inhabitants.
YES… a few of the keepers will bring out some animals
for an up close show and meet-​n-​greet with you!