A small, but charming little zoo is Prospect Park Zoo, located in Prospect Park. We visited on perhaps the hottest day in New York, but still had a great time exploring. The park is only 12 acres and is primarily home to smaller animals.

The park is laid-out in a circle, with the sea lions at the center. There is the discovery trail, where visitors walk along a path and look at different little critters, as well as the opportunity for kids to climb and play on interactive exhibits, such as a spider web. The discovery trail was our favorite, as well were able to see a variety of critters in a wooded setting. Our favorite critters of course were the red pandas and the otters. We spent probably 15 minutes just watching the red panda buddy bound around the cage and another 10 watching the otters before they went in to be fed. Afterwards, we headed to the animal lifestyles exhibits which housed several smaller critters, like tamarins and the beautiful pallas cat. Next we headed to the hall of animals, which housed even smaller critters such as frogs and the fennec fox! After a quick snack, we headed to the barn and nature trail, which provide children (or adults) with the opportunity to feed some barnyard animals. Finally, we stopped by the aviary.

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The zoo also has discovery classrooms and an educational center, as well as a stage for shows. Besides the actual animals, the zoo also offers educational programs that are informative and interactive to learn more about animals and conservation. Additionally, Prospect Park Zoo has seasonal events throughout the year, as well as festivals, such as Boo at the Zoo and fundraising opportunities. The park also offers as a very small cafe, if you need a bite to eat. We spent about two hours at the zoo and both felt like we saw everything at a very leisurely pace. Overall, Prospect Park Zoo is a nice little zoo that offers visitors a more relaxed environment to look at small smaller critters.