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Top Family Lodging Near the Bronx Zoo

One of the largest and most venerable zoos in the U.S. awaits you just a few miles away from the Edge Hotel. The Bronx Zoo has been delighting young and old alike with up-close looks at a great global menagerie, and meanwhile making major contributions to conservation efforts with an analogously international scope.

Introducing the Bronx Zoo

The Bronx Zoo was established in the home stretch of the 19th century, having opened its doors on November 8th, 1899. It’s run by the prestigious Wildlife Conservation Society, which launched just four years before and today oversees critical biological and conservation work all over the world. Better than 6,000 animals representing 700-plus species reside in the 265 acres of the Bronx Zoo, which welcomes several million visitors each year.

Its beautifully designed exhibits give you an ecological tour of Planet Earth in one wooded swath of the Five Boroughs. In a single afternoon you can hang with gorillas, mandrills, and the strikingly beautiful giraffe relative known as the okapi in the Congo Gorilla Forest, stare into the eyes of the world’s biggest big cat at Tiger Mountain, watch pinnipeds at play in the Sea Lion Pool, and spend some quality time with poison dart frogs, anacondas, and Cuban crocodiles in the Reptile House—to name but a few popular “neighborhoods” in the zoo.

North American species come well represented here, including the recently minted national mammal of the USA, the American bison—whose recovery from near-extinction was partly aided by the Wildlife Conservation Society and Bronx Zoo’s efforts—and some hefty grizzlies in the aptly named Big Bears zone.

The critters on display alone are worth a visit, but the Zoo also hosts all kinds of regular programs, including daily feedings of sea lions, bee-eaters, penguins, and other animals as well as hands-on experiences for both adults and children.

Through November 3rd, meanwhile, the Bronx Zoo is hosting the Dinosaur Safari, where you can take a guided tour among some toothy prehistoric titans and try your hand at a little fossil-digging.

Visit the Bronx Zoo on Your Next Edge Hotel Stay

With a home base at the Edge Hotel in Washington Heights, you’re just a hop, skip, and a jump from the Bronx Zoo on the other side of the Harlem River. Treat yourself to a daytrip to one of the best-known zoos in the country while you’re enjoying our boutique hotel in Upper Manhattan!

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