Franklin Park Zoo has a long history in Boston. Founded in 1913, the zoo is located just a short trip from downtown Boston in Dorchester's Franklin Park, an anchor of Frederick Law Olmsted's Emerald Necklace park system.
Franklin Park Zoo is operated by Zoo New England, a private, non-profit corporation that also runs the Stone Zoo in Stoneham, Mass. Beyond just displaying animals, the group’s mission is "to inspire people to protect and sustain the world for future generations by creating fun and engaging experiences that integrate wildlife and conservation programs, research, and education." To this end, the zoo hosts a variety of educational and seasonal public events.
Visiting Franklin Park Zoo
Franklin Park Zoo has hundreds of animals housed in various areas representing their native regions of the world.
- Bird's World is one of the zoo's original buildings, an impressive pagoda-style aviary with birds from around the world in indoor and outdoor displays.
- Outback Trail is Franklin Park Zoo's Australian exhibit, featuring tree kangaroos, emus, sheep, kangaroos, kookaburras, and cockatoo.
- Tropical Forest is probably the zoo's most impressive exhibit, featuring hundreds of animals, such as the ever-popular western lowland gorillas, capybaras, and Baird’s tapir, as well as a wide variety of birds and plants.
- Giraffe Savannah is a grassy area, which on warm days exhibits a family of Masai giraffe and a herd of endangered Grevy's zebra.
- Serengeti Crossing is a four-acre grassland housing ibex, ostrich, Grant's zebras, and white-bearded wildebeests.
- Butterfly Landing is a seasonal exhibit housing nearly 1,000 butterflies in a beautifully landscaped, tented enclosure. (open June-September).
- Kalahari Kingdom houses the zoo's African lion—always a hit with the kids, who can get a special peek at him from a vehicle that has "crashed" through one of the viewing windows.
- Tiger Tales is the home of Anala and Luther, a pair of tigers who went on exhibit the summer of 2006.
- Franklin Farm lets kids get a feeling for farm life with cows, sheep, donkeys, and goats, a petting area, chicken coop, and brooder building, which houses newly hatched chicks.
- Children's Zoo is located near the zoo's Zebra Entrance and houses an Amur leopard, prairie dog, duck pond, and reptile and amphibian house.
In addition, the zoo has a carousel, gift shop, and two eateries: the Giddy-Up Grill and the smaller, seasonal Kalahari Kitchen.
Explore some of the zoo's animals and attractions with a Franklin Park Zoo Photo Gallery.
Visitor Information
- Location: One Franklin Park Rd, Boston
- Telephone: (617) 541-LION
- Website: zoonewengland.org
- Hours:
- Summer (April 1-September 30)
Weekdays 10 am-5 pm
Weekends / Holidays 10 am-6 pm - Winter (October 1-March 31)
10 am-4 pm daily
Closed Thanksgiving & Christmas - Accessibilities: Franklin Park Zoo is handicapped accessible and has wheelchair rentals.
Prices
- Adults $11
- Seniors $9.50
- Children ages 2–12 $6
- Group rates available.
- See zoonewengland.org for details on becoming a member.
- Free to Massachusetts school groups grades K-12 September-June
Volunteer Opportunities
Franklin Park Zoo encourages people to volunteer and has opportunities in various areas, including educations, horticulture, special events, animal care, administration, guest services, marketing, and development. For volunteer information and application call (617) 989-2017 or visit the zoo’s website.
Zoodoption
The Franklin Park Zoo offers Zoodoption packages that let you “adopt” an animal for $35 (plus shipping), which goes to support Zoo New England and includes an adoption certificate, a 4x6 photo of your animal, a plush animal, a Zoodoption sticker, an info fact sheet, and a Zoo New England decal. See their website for details.
