I recently wrote a post about our favorite New England zoo. Southwick’s Zoo is nothing short of amazing but on the days when you aren’t able to spend 4+ hours at the zoo, you should check out this smaller, yet awesome, alternative – Capron Park Zoo.
SEE ALSO: Southwick’s Zoo Guide & Helpful Tips and What To Bring To The Zoo For Kids
Capron Park Zoo is located in Attleboro, Ma, about 20 minutes from Providence. This is our favorite place to go when we want to get the kids out of the house for a couple of hours. They don’t open until 10am but we usually head there around 9am because they have an amazing playground located right outside of the zoo, that the kids just love. On one side, there is a smaller, toddler sized jungle gym and on the other side, a much larger jungle gym for the older kids. At just about 3 and 4yrs old, my boys just started going on the bigger side. They look so tiny on it but they love to explore and see just how much they can do. I love watching how excited they get when they learn they can now climb something that was too high for them before.
At 10am, the employees put out the big “OPEN” flag and the kids run over to the door, eager to see the animals. At this time, they are ready for a little snack and we always buy them each a bag of popcorn for $1 as we enter the zoo. We then sit by the kangaroos or monkeys while they eat and take a little rest after running around in the playground. Once they’re finished with their snack, we walk around and check out the animals.
Animals & Entertainment
Some of the boys’ favorite animals are the lions (of course), the alligator, the otters, and the bears. Their absolute favorite though, is the goats and llamas. Primarily because they get to feed them pellets from the feeding stations. Be sure to bring lots of quarters with you, as there isn’t a change machine in this area.
The boys also love “the dark room” as they call it. Inside the darkroom, there is an assortment of snakes, frogs, lizards, and other night time creatures. On the ceiling of this room, there are little lights that resemble stars and my 2 yr old is fascinated by them!
Right outside of the dark room is a sandbox. We always need to make a quick stop at this area. What kid can resist playing in sand? It’s also nice for my husband and I to be able sit back on a bench and just watch them play for a bit. The sand box reminds me to mention the bubble machine that’s located near the otters. The kids really enjoy trying to catch and pop the never ending supply of bubbles!
One of my favorite parts of this zoo is the tropical rainforest. It’s so pretty and filled with lots of beautiful birds. There’s also a giant porcupine that the boys think is pretty cool. They also love the bats in this area and it’s pretty amazing when you get to see them flying around above you. There are a few tanks built into the walls of this exhibit with frogs and snakes in them. The boys love trying to find all the little frogs.
Food
When you exit the rainforest, you will come out to a play area of mechanical rides. There’s a couple car rides and a small carousel. Again, be sure to have plenty of quarters with you. Directly in front of this area is the concession stand. They serve the usual hot dogs, chicken tenders, etc. They also have ice cream and slushies available. Be sure to pack your Dripstik Popsicle and Ice Cream Holder with you! They are a must have for anyone with little ones! So many times, perfect days out with my family have ended in tears because an ice cream has melted too fast and got one of my boys’ hands all sticky and dirty. We haven’t had any of these incidents since we started bringing our Dripstik Holders with us everywhere we go. We actually keep two of them in our car at all times!
Capron does not allow you to bring in food but there are plenty of tables and a large field where you can lay out a blanket for a picnic right outside the zoo. You can have your hand stamped so you can re-enter the zoo if you decide to eat outside.
Splash Pad
When we’re done looking at the animals, we head over to Capron’s Splashpad Playspace. Be sure to bring bathingsuits and towels! The spashpad is awesome and a great way to cool down after walking around in the hot sun all day! My boys could easily spend hours in this area, if we let them. I would recommend bringing water shoes so no one stubs a toe while running around. Of course, during this particular visit they insisted on taking their shoes off.
Membership
What I love most about Capron Park Zoo is that although there is a ton to do, the zoo is small enough that you can let your kids run around without worrying that you might lose one! The zoo is never overly crowded and everything is very low so the kids don’t have any problems seeing anything. As I said, this is our favorite place to go when we want to get out for a couple of hours and because we go so often, we’ve invested in a family membership, which was only $55 for the year! With the membership, you also receive free or discounted admission at 125+ other institutions around the country, including Boston Museum of Science and Buttonwood Park Zoo. We recently went to Buttonwood for the first time and loved it (post to come)! Also, because we have the membership, we’re able to go to Capron just to use the splashpad or just see the lions or just to feed the goats, without feeling like we have to see everything they have to offer. Capron Park/Zoo really is a great place to take the kids. Definitely check it out, if you haven’t already! You won’t be disappointed!
