Southwick's Zoo

Southwick’s Zoo in Mendon, Massachusetts is a decent sized zoo for a decent admission fee. Southwick’s has a variety of animals including tigers, lions, giraffes, rhinos, deer, etc. They also offer interesting activities such as a zipline, a skyfari sky ride that offers a nice view of the whole zoo from up above, and other rides for families to enjoy. Southwick’s also offers animal interactions such as the deer forest where you can walk through a forested area and feed/pet beautiful deer. They also have a bird aviary, and encounters with giraffes and rhinos. The only thing I didn’t really like about this zoo is that the bathrooms were porta potty’s and I did not see hand washing stations anywhere while walking around – only hand sanitizer pumps. The zoo is open from April-October from 10am to 5pm. Parking is free and right outside the zoo. Depending on which way you go in to the parking lot, it can be a bit confusing. There were two ways to get into the lot and one had a big sign notifying you of entering the zoo parking lot, the other way didn’t have a sign near the parking lot entrance or leading up to it so it was a bit confusing as to whether it was actually the zoo or not. Admission is $25 for adults, $20 for children 3-12, $18 for seniors, and free for children 2 and under. If you are a AAA member, you get a discount as well if you are an active military member or veteran.

Here are my top 5 tips to have the best experience at Southwick’s Zoo –

1)      Southwick’s allows you to bring in outside food and drinks, so I would highly recommend bringing in a picnic to have with you so you don’t have to spend more money on their food.  

2)      I would also recommend bringing your own hand sanitizer or wet wipes to clean your hands with after interacting with the animals.

3)      If you enter the deer forest, PLEASE be respectful of the deer and other humans. Do not run and scream in there, and if you have children make sure they are behaving appropriately. Do not approach the deer – let them approach you. Be very gentle and soothing while feeding and petting them. You do not want to startle them as that could lead to someone getting seriously injured.

4)      If you are an AAA member or active military member/veteran bring your card/id so you can get a discount!

5)      Lastly, just make sure you are being cautious of the animals. Do not taunt them or try to reach over into their enclosures, as some of them have very easy access to get into/out of.

Here is a link to their website if you would like to take a look - http://southwickszoo.com/