First thing to know is that if you live in Boston/Cambridge and you have a library pass you can get discount tickets to the zoo, you just have to go to the library and ask for them.
Unfortunately the “T” doesn’t get super close to the Franklin Park Zoo so if you don’t have a car you’ll have to take a bus, and for us it was a bit of a hike. We got there on a summer day where the weather was in the 90 degree range and I realized that zoos everywhere are pretty much the same. You do a lot of walking in heat to see lazy animals hiding out in the shade. Going into it with that mentality here are my thoughts about Franklin Park Zoo.
1) Price
Fairly expensive. Adult ticks are about $20, children 2-12 are $13, 2 and under are free. If you have a library pass I think the adult tickets are lowed to about $12/person.
2) Stroller Access
Yes! Lots of it and lots of walking! If you have children who will still fit in a stroller and you want to see most of the park I would suggest bringing it along.
3) Size of Zoo and Variety of Animals
Honestly I thought this zoo was surprisingly small. I just looked up the website to double check but the animals total in at 46 different species, many of which share enclosures. I guess it sounds like quite a few, but you can tour the whole park fairly easily in an hour or two.
4) Playground
One of the best things about this zoo was that they have an awesome and huge playground in the middle of it. After seeing about ten animals my two year old son was bored with the animals but he was super interested in the playground, I think he could have played there happily for hours.
Summary & Stars ★★★☆☆
Three Stars. Franklin Park Zoo is fairly difficult to get to by public transportation. The zoo itself is quite small compared to other zoos I’ve visited (Hogle Zoo – Utah, San Diego Zoo – California) but was really manageable for a toddler. The playground was amazing and if your children get tired of animals it’s a great place to kick back and let them run around in an enclosed area.
Franklin Park Zoo
1 Franklin Park Rd.
Boston, MA 02121
Phone: 617-541-5466
Website: http://www.zoonewengland.org/franklin-park-zoo
Winter Hours(October 1- March 31) 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. daily
Summer Hours(April 1 – September 30) 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. weekdays
10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. weekends and major holidays