Erie Zoo

The Erie Zoo is easily one of our favorite places to go in Erie. Whether you’re looking for something to occupy your whole day or even just an hour, this zoo makes it easy to do either. From observing and learning about the animals, to getting some exercise, going on a few rides, and getting some yummy treats, the Erie Zoo provides the perfect outing for anyone in Erie, PA.

Location:

The Erie Zoo is located at 423 W 38th St, Erie, PA 16508. It’s conveniently located near the Glenwood YMCA, the NWPA Pet Emergency Center, Flo Fabrizio Ice Center, and J.C. Martin Golf Course.

Property Description:

The zoo has 7 main areas that house animals such as mammals, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and insects. The zoo is 15 acres; to give you an idea of how big it is, the zoo website suggests to plan for a leisurely stroll to take about 2 hours, but our time frames at the zoo have varied from 30 minutes to 4 hours, depending on what our goal was for the day and who we went with.

There is a gift shop that is located at the entrance to the zoo, with many different types of fun things to take home to remember your trip to the Erie Zoo.

What to Do:

There’s so much to do at The Erie Zoo! We love walking around, looking at and learning about all of the different animals! There are over 400 animals to discover! You can enjoy watching the big cats, llamas, and even walk through a kangaroo exhibit and aviary!

The zoo is also home to 11 gardens located throughout the property. Some of these gardens help in creating a habitat for the animals, while others display specify plants or have a theme. They are absolutely beautiful, providing an added abundance of color to your trip to the zoo. They also attract many insects that are not official members of the zoos internal family of animals, such as butterflies.

There are a few food and beverage stands throughout the zoo. The Children’s Zoo has the only current indoor location, with food available such as popcorn, pizza, animal cookies, and cotton candy. If you’re thirsty, you can get a slushie (with a souvenir cup or not) or a soft drink. Other stands are located near the train and by the porcupines. The stands that are open vary, so be sure to ask upon entering which locations are serving on that particular day.

There are two rides at the Erie Zoo, the train and the carousel. The train ride takes roughly 10-15 minutes depending on what the animals near the creek are doing, and the carousel rides vary, but we would estimate about 3-5 minutes. Both rides require additional cost to admission; both the train and the carousel are $3 for nonmembers and $2 for members. The train is located at the front of the zoo, and the carousel is located in the Children’s Zoo.

There is also a wooden playground located inside of the Children’s Zoo for the kids to get out that extra pent up energy!

The zoo also hosts several themed days, such as equipment day, throughout the summer and a special Zoo Boo in the fall.

Who Can Go:

Anyone can enjoy the Erie Zoo. It’s easily accessible by stroller or wheelchair, and you can rent either of these at the gift shop, strollers ranging from $7-$8.

And although you can’t bring your own animals to the zoo, they do allow service dogs.

Keepers and caretakers of the animals walk around the zoo throughout the day in order to do their job. We have spoken with them on a few occasions, and they were happy to answer any questions we had and tell the littles all about the animals they take care of. If you’re truly interested in learning about an animal, please do not hesitate to ask a keeper any questions you have!

We think that often times people just think a zoo is a place to stare at the animals, when in fact, it can be a place to have a true learning experience and understand how these animals are being cared for and protected.

Final Thoughts:

We absolutely love and appreciate the Erie Zoo. The care that we have seen the keepers give to animals there has always been very loving and we can tell how much they truly adore the animals.

The Erie Zoo is currently fundraising for what they’re calling Wild Open Spaces. The goal is to raise $10,000,000 to offer more wild open spaces for the animals and to help them better take care of the animals and plants at the zoo. They also want to expand the zoo, creating a new giraffe building and yard and a new bear exhibit. They also plan to add a new indoor concession area providing amazing views of the zoo and surrounding property. We think everyone in Erie is super excited about this addition, as the Erie Zoo is a beloved part of Erie County. If you feel called to donate to the zoo, please click here to learn more and to donate.

And one fun fact for you guys about an Erie Zoo native; Dugan, formerly Spike, is a rhino that was transferred to the Erie Zoo in 1998. He lived at the zoo for 20 years until 2018 when he was transported to Disney’s Animal Kingdom, where he is part of the AZA Species Survival Program and has had two offspring (that we’re aware of) since he got there. [ source: https://www.worldrhino.com/spike-dugan-1080/ ]

Find out more about the Erie Zoo at www.eriezoo.org.

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[Editor’s note: Please be aware that we are not affiliated with The Erie Zoo in any way. This is true of all of our posts. We simply enjoy wandering around the Erie area as we know finding what to do in Erie, PA can be hard.]