Stone Zoo

I took my son to the Stone Zoo in Stoneham last weekend. Although I’ve lived in the Boston area since 1997, the first time I visited this zoo was last Spring. I love the atmosphere at this small zoo. It’s easy to explore in a couple of hours, a fact that I appreciate because I am easily overwhelmed with large day trips. My son, now 2 and a half, enjoyed the freedom that I gave him to walk by himself.

We arrived within a half-hour of the zoo opening, a strategy I would suggest if you are visiting on a weekend day. The zoo is fairly compact, with narrow paths at some points, and the zoo gets very crowded in the afternoon.

Some highlights include:

• the barn, where you can see goats and other farm animals
• wolves sitting high up on some rocks
• the new brown bear exhibit
• a flock of flamingos
• many big cat species, lounging around in the sun like house cats
• a friendly staff more than willing to answer your questions about the animals

There is a great playground across the street from the zoo. In addition, there are a great set of walking trails in the woods behind the playground. I would recommend packing a picnic to eat after the zoo excursion so you can have a day of animals and nature without driving too far.

Zoo admission starts is $6 for children and $10 for adults with kids 2 and under free. And this summer they are open 10am - 5pm on weekdays and 10am - 6pm on weekends.

We had a wonderful time at our visit to the Stone Zoo and would recommend it to anyone!