The New York State Zoo at Thompson Park

We have been to the Watertown zoo countless times. It’s a wonderful little local delight. They are all NY state animals and they look happy in their habitats. The staff is always friendly and the zoo is pretty, small enough for a toddler or preschooler to walk most of and well maintained.

Small but perfect for younger children. Full of animals from new york state and a few others.

HUGE ZOO! And by huge I mean. area wise. Its a walk from exhibit to exhibit… not that much to look at, but definitely a fun time! :)
I loved their otter exhibit.

Went here last year for «Bobcats, Bears, and Brews» and it was great. A bunch of local business give you free samples and you walk around and get beers from all of the different booths.
The zoo is really quite nice and has a lot to see, especially the local wildlife, but I’ll leave the rest of the sale to the official description below.
Surprisingly great ‘escape’ for being 5 minutes out of town.

This was a great day out for the family. We were surprised at the number of species found here.

For a city of 30,000, it is truly a gem and a smart idea to niche the park. focused on the habitat of Northern NY. Sure. they throw some elk in there, but the majority of the wildlife in this park exists up there… including the mountain lions and the lynx. Lots of birds too…
The bear pit is the highlight… and there’s a petting zoo with goats. They used to keep an aquarium as well. but that’s been reduced to the friendly reptile pit…
Sidenote: The attached park is magificent… an early 1900’s park with plenty of open grassland and a stunning western overlook of Watertown and the lake (on a clear day). Truly a remarkagle legacy of a once very wealthy city. One of the most beautfiul parks I’ve been to in the states.