Charming, manageable, and just the right size for a full family day without the overwhelm.
📍 Where it’s at
The Lehigh Valley Zoo is located in Schnecksville, PA, nestled inside the larger Trexler Nature Preserve. It’s about a 5.5-hour drive from Erie, making it a great add-on to a trip through central or eastern Pennsylvania. Once inside the preserve, you follow signs up a winding road to the zoo’s entrance, which has a nice view and ample parking.
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🦖 What’s good
This zoo is small but mighty—perfect for families with younger kids or anyone who doesn’t want to spend a full 6+ hours navigating a massive zoo layout.
Wide paved paths are easy to walk or push a stroller on.
There are plenty of shaded areas, which makes summer visits more bearable.
Animal habitats are well-maintained and offer great close-up views of giraffes, camels, zebras, and more.
One of the highlights is the giraffe feeding station—definitely worth the few extra dollars for the experience. The zoo also features penguins, kangaroos, and river otters, plus a variety of birds and reptiles.
There are educational encounters scheduled throughout the day, and staff members are friendly and eager to chat about the animals.
There are a few play spaces and interactive zones for kids to climb or explore, and the gift shop is surprisingly cute. We picked up a few Fahlo plushies and bracelets, which let us track a snow leopard, a lion, and an elephant through an app. It was a fun and educational souvenir that the kids are still excited about! They even had sensory-friendly accommodations available when requested.
The zoo is wheelchair and stroller accessible, and there are clean restrooms and picnic tables available near the entrance.
👨👧👦 Who it’s good for
Families with small children who want a zoo experience without walking 10 miles
Grandparents or visitors who prefer compact, accessible layouts
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Animal lovers who enjoy up-close encounters
Travelers heading to eastern PA looking for a fun half-day activity
The Lehigh Valley Zoo makes for a lovely half-day adventure. It’s not overwhelming, but still full of charm and animal magic. We left with tired legs, happy hearts, and plenty of photos.
If you’re driving through eastern Pennsylvania or looking for a relaxed, kid-friendly outing, this little zoo is worth the detour.
Looking for more family-friendly animal experiences? Check out our full list of zoos, aquariums, and outdoor wildlife stops across Pennsylvania on wandererie.com.
Erie Zoo Boo is one of our favorite events of the year. There’s something about taking your own kids to events that you went to as a child; not only is it nostalgic, but you get to experience it through your child’s eyes, which is such a beautiful thing.
This great Halloween event not only provides fun for the entire family, but is also a major fundraiser for the Erie Zoo contributing to animal care and daily operations. We get to have a great time while knowing we’re helping the animals? Sign us up!
Location:
Zoo Boo is located at the Erie Zoo, 423 West 38th Street, Erie, PA 16508.
When entering Zoo Boo, pay attention to signs as advanced ticket holders can head right to the tent to enter, which is not located where you normally enter the zoo, but to the right of the entrance if you’re looking at it.
This year, Zoo Boo is open as follows. Wednesday – Friday Oct. 13th-15th from 6 p.m.-9 p.m., Saturday & Sunday Oct. 16th & 17th from 12 p.m.-9 p.m., Wednesday – Friday Oct. 20th-22nd from 6 p.m.-9 p.m., Saturday & Sunday Oct. 23rd & 24th from 12 p.m.-9 p.m., Wednesday – Friday Oct. 27th-29th from 6 p.m.-9 p.m., and Saturday Oct. 30th from 12 p.m.-9 p.m., giving everyone the opportunity to attend one of our favorite events in Erie, PA.
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Property Description:
Think the Erie Zoo, but add everything Fall and Halloween! There are inflatables, statues, photo opportunities, and so much more! There are 10 trick-or-treat stations situated around the zoo, and they can cause a back up of traffic in some areas. (For more information on the Erie Zoo unrelated to Zoo Boo specifically, see the link at the bottom of the article.)
What to Do:
First and foremost, this is the first year that everyone is welcome to trick-or-treat at the event! When purchasing your tickets online, all you have to do is select “treater” if you would like to get goodies yourself! We thought this was wonderful and so fun, as this opens up the event as a great way to have a date night in Erie, PA! Technically you could do this previously, but being able to trick-or-treat adds that element of fun! It will cost slightly more to trick-or-treat, as a trick-or-treat ticket is $2.00 more than a non-treater. (See ticket prices in the Who Can Go section of this post.)
There are 10 different stations placed around the zoo that you can trick-or-treat at. Each station passes out candy, a drink, or other treat to take home with you. Trick-or-treat reusable shopping bags are provided for you upon entering, but you can bring your own bag if you’d like.
This event is wonderful because it allows you to view animals at night, when we wouldn’t otherwise see them. Not every animal is out, but you will see a lot of them.
One thing our kiddos loved was the music in the center of the zoo. DJ Bill Page is playing all of the popular songs at his Spooky Jukebox, and there’s a big dance floor for all the kids to let out that energy they’ve been bottling up all day!
If you like getting photos of the kids, you’ll love the Chick-fil-A photo spot in the Wild Wings Theater. There’s also a wonderful Zoo Boo entry display, and our advice is to get that photo right as you come in! We noticed a lot of people doing that, and we made the mistake of waiting until the end of our Zoo Boo fun, which had us waiting in a line to get that photo. We also had cranky littles who didn’t want to take a picture.
Don’t forget to have fun as you go through the UPMC Wellness Walk! Mimic the signs as you walk down the path and head towards the dance party!
And don’t forget to pass through troll bridge! You’ll have to answer a riddle to continue on to the children’s zoo!
If you’re hungry while there, you’ll find a GrubsHub right on the front lawn! Lombardo’s Concessions and Fowler’s Taffy provides food nightly at the event!
There are even more activities throughout the zoo, such as a giant talking pumpkin, make-a-monster contest, the train, carousel, and more! We don’t want to spoil all of the fun, so head on out and see it for yourself!
Who Can Go:
Zoo Boo is for everyone to enjoy! Make sure you bring the kids in their Halloween costumes! We love events that encourage them to dress up and have the opportunity to wear their costumes! And let us just put this out there, it’s OK for adults to dress up, too! We have been rocking the matching family costumes for a while, but our costumes tend to be very toned down from the littles.
Ticket Pricing this year is: Advanced Member Treaters: $8.00, Advanced Member NonTreater: $6.00, Advanced NonMember Treater: $11.00, Advanced NonMember NonTreater: $9.00. All ticket prices will increase by $2.00 at the door. This event will not be refunded, and is held rain or shine! You can reserve your date and purchase your tickets by clicking here!
Final Thoughts:
We may be a little biased as we love this event, but we truly had a wonderful time at Zoo Boo in Erie, PA this year! Not only is it exciting to have another opportunity to trick-or-treat, but it’s really cool to see the animals out at night. We would recommend this event to everyone!
For more information about the Erie Zoo, check out our previous post about this zoo in Erie, PA on a typical day!
[Editor’s note: Please be aware that we are not affiliated with the Erie Zoo or any of the events sponsors in any way. This is true of all of our posts. We simply enjoy wandering around Erie as we know finding what to do in Erie, PA area canbe hard.]
Here is a list of this year’s Zoo Boo sponsers; you’ll find a lot of them running the trick-or-treat booths! UPMC Health Plan, Utz, Hammerlee Dental Care, ERIEBANK, Sam’s Club, Jet 24/Fox 66/YourErie, Mason Farms, McDonald’s, Gannon University, John V Schultz Furniture & Mattress, Z1023/1043 The Vibe/Nash FM 979/CBS Sports Radio Erie 96.3 1260/Classy 100, Chick-fil-A Erie, Sonic Drive-In, BOTH Studios, McCreary Roofing Co., National Fuel, The Erie Community Foundation
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.
Zoo Entrance
Right outside of the Main Building
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.
Zoo Map
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.
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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!
Tiger
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.
Children’s Zoo Food Stand
Animal Crackers
Pizza
Popcorn
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.
CarouselTrain
There is also a wooden playground located inside of the Children’s Zoo for the kids to get out that extra pent up energy!
Bridge to Children’s Zoo
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!
A zoo educator talks about Toby, the Eurasian Lynx, and how he’s trained by the keepers.
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.
Llamas and Alpacas
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/ ]
[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 canbe hard.]
There are times when we wander a bit farther than normal, and today’s blog post is a prime example of that! Welcome to our first post in a series we entitled “Wandering Beyond Erie!” And, even though most of what we want to show you is about what to do in Erie, PA, we know sometimes it’s important to answer the question what’s close to Erie, PA?
On a beautiful summer day when you’re looking for fun and adventure, sometimes there’s nothing better than taking a drive on the highway to spend the day walking around a beautiful zoo! We decided to do just that as we went on a trip to the Pittsburgh Zoo!
Location:
The Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium is located at 7370 Baker Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15206, which is roughly two hours from Erie, PA. The zoo has a couple entrances, so when you’re coming in it can be a bit tricky to navigate. However, there are signs posted! The zoo boasts a HUGE parking lot, with enough access for strollers or wheelchairs.
Property Description:
This is a rather large zoo in Pennsylvania at 77 acres, especially when in comparison to the Erie Zoo at 15 acres. There are cement paths to walk on, and every exhibit is accessible by wheelchair or stroller, whether there are stairs going up to the exhibit or not. There are many different animal enclosures with various forms of fencing, be it natural or man-made, to keep you separate from your animal friends. Different buildings are located throughout the property, giving the choice to take a peek inside or continue on your way. The zoo features beautiful greenery, where you will see mammals and reptiles from all over the globe. The aquarium boasts brilliantly colored aquatic life from around the world, along with a lush rainforest and waterfalls.
Things to do:
There is so much fun to be had walking around the zoo! With over 4,000 animals at the Pittsburgh Zoo representing 475 species, there is bound to be interest for the whole family! We had a few favorites on our trip; which included the lemurs, big cats, komodo dragons, otters, and sea lions!
Not only are there exhibits to look at, but the zoo features a lot of interaction between guest and animal. We were lucky enough to get up close and personal with a bearded dragon and his keeper as we were walking along! You can also go on a “Wild Encounter” to learn more about specific exhibits, and go behind the scenes with animals such as elephants, giraffes, red pandas, and even sharks! This is something that will cost you a little extra ($250 per group), but may be well worth the experience. We did not try one of these encounters, but might consider it for a future trip.
If you need a break and the kids want to play, the zoo features a play area called “Kids Kingdom.” Kids can run, climb, and slide in the playground.
You’re going to want to pack a snack to bring with you, or you can visit one of the many locations for food and beverage throughout the zoo! Village Market, Arctic Express, Swahili Pizza, and Swahili Ice Cream are all great quick service counters, while the Jambo Grill (located in the exact middle of the zoo) offers a great made-to-order menu with a beautiful seating area surrounding the building. We opted for Dippin’ Dots, and I must say they were pretty delicious.
There are three gift shops located in the zoo; two in the front of the zoo where you enter and exit, and one in the PPG Aquarium. You’ll find everything from plushies to animal figures, t-shirts and tank tops, mugs and jewelry. The selection is expansive, allowing everyone in the family to find a souvenir they will cherish.
Who Can Go:
The zoo is a great place for anyone, young and old! We saw everyone from tiny babies to great-grandparents enjoying their day at the zoo. It’s wonderful for families, dates, school trips, and visits with friends.
The zoo is very inclusive and offers sensory bags and weighted lap pads available to check out while you’re on your zoo adventure. There is also an app you can download from their website to further enhance your visit.
Final Thoughts:
This zoo is a great place to go to if you’re looking for an all day activity that you’re willing to take a little bit of a lengthy drive from Erie to get to. We spent about four hours there during our trip, and I honestly think we could’ve stayed even longer. It was a nice experience for the little ones, and we will definitely be returning in the future.
If you’re on the search for zoos in Pennsylvania, the Pittsburgh Zoo would be a great stop on your quest to find the best zoo in PA!
I also want to point out that they were setting up for a really cool event, The Asian Lantern Festival, while we were there. This year (2021), it runs on select nights from August 14 until October 30. As it gets darker, the lanterns will glow and new entertainment will be provided. The lanterns will be on display at all hours, but the actual festival is a ticketed event separate from regular daytime admission.
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Display from the Asian Lantern Festival
Check out the link below to find out more information and to plan your visit to the zoo!
[Editor’s note: Please be aware that we are not affiliated with The Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium 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.]
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