Turtle Back Zoo: Overview

Drove up to Turtle Back Zoo today in West Orange, New Jersey. Turtle Back is the last AZA zoo/Aquarium from my home for which a reasonable day trip can be made. Living in Takoma Park, Maryland, the list is impressive. And now I have been to all of them at least once.

By distance, more or less:

Smithsonian National Zoo - Washington, DC

Maryland Zoo in Baltimore - Baltimore, MD

National Aquarium - Baltimore, MD

Brandywine Zoo - Wilmington, DE

Salisbury Zoo - Salisbury, MD

Philadelphia Zoo - Philadelphia, PA

Adventure Aquarium - Camden, NJ

Elmwood Park Zoo - Norristown, PA

ZooAmerica - Hershey, PA

Cape May Zoo - Cape May Court House, NJ

Lehigh Valley Zoo - Schnecksville, PA

Virginia Zoo - Norfolk, VA

Turtle Back Zoo - West Orange, NJ

The trip was easy, the way up shorter than the way down due to traffic and the time of day.  The total cost was around $188: Gas, Tolls, Admission, Souvenirs and Food.  I left home at 7:34 AM and arrived safely back at 5:22 PM.  The round trip driving distance was approximately 450 miles.  

I would rate the overall experience at the zoo a B+ with many of the major components falling into the A/A- range.  A zoo I would recommend worth the visit.