Bronx Zoo Wildlife Conservation Park

Description:

• Founded in 1899, the Bronx Zoo is the largest metropolitan animal park in the United States, with more than 4,000 animals living on 265 acres, and one of the city's best attractions.

  One of the most impressive exhibits is the Wild Asia Complex. This zoo-within-a-zoo comprises the Wild Asia Plaza education center; JungleWorld, an indoor re-creation of Asian forests, with birds, lizards, gibbons, and leopards; and the Wild Asia Monorail (May-Oct), which takes you on a narrated ride high above free-roaming Siberian tigers, Asian elephants, Indian rhinoceroses, and other nonnative New Yorkers (keep your eyes peeled -- the animals aren't as interested in seeing you). The Himalayan Highlands is home to extremely rare snow leopards, as well as red pandas and white-naped cranes. The 6 1/2-acre Congo Gorilla Forest is home to Western lowland gorillas, okapi, red river hogs, and other African rainforest animals.

  The Children's Zoo (Apr-Oct; admission $3) allows young humans to learn about their wildlife counterparts. Kids can compare their leaps to those of a bullfrog, slide into a turtle shell, climb into a heron's nest, see with the eyes of an owl, and hear with the ears of a fox. There's also a petting zoo. Camel rides are another part of the summertime picture, as is the Butterfly Zone and the Skyfari aerial tram (each an extra $3 charge).

  If the natural settings and breeding programs aren't enough to keep zoo residents entertained, they can always choose to ogle the two million annual visitors. But there are ways to beat the crowds. Try to visit on a weekday or on a nice winter's day. In summer, come early in the day, before the heat of the day sends the animals back into their enclosures. Expect to spend an entire day here -- you'll need it.

  Getting there: Liberty Lines' BxM11 express bus, which makes stops on Madison Avenue, will take you directly to the zoo; call tel. 718/652-8400. By subway, take the no. 2 train to Pelham Parkway and then walk west to the Bronxdale entrance.

• © Frommer's 2012

Awards:

Frommer's

•  Very Highly Recommended 2010