Cape May County Park & Zoo - Cape May, New Jersey

Cape May County Park & Zoo - Cape May, New Jersey

Visiting Cape May will enable you to see a great zoo and park area.  The zoo is open 364 days a year, it is closed on Christmas.  It is a free zoo so you can go often, take the kids or just enjoy it by yourself.  Of course, donations are appreciated so if you enjoy your time at the zoo you may want to help keep it going.

There are more than 85 acres of exhibits for you to see with 250 different species of mammals, birds, amphibians and reptiles and over 550 animals.  What a treat to be able to stroll around the zoo and see such a wide variety of animals and more for free!

The Cape May County Park Central is located two miles north of the heart of Cape May Court House and sits on both sides of Route 9.  The land was originally a southern plantation of the Matthews family.  The State Assembly petitioned erecting a courthouse and jail on Daniel Hand's plantation back in 1763.  The area is now called Cape May Court House.  With just 300 pounds granted to build the facility it was a great help that Daniel Hand donated one acre for the building in 1764.

The Matthews' plantation was just north of the courthouse land where there is a lake and tributary waters.  The Matthews had an orchard that was set aside as a family cemetery and for the slaves of the plantation.  The site still remains and is part of the park today.  During the 1700's and 1800's the site was also used to bury the poor.

In "The 1942 Park Land Acquisition," approximately forty acres of the Matthews plantation was donated to the county to be used as a park and meeting place.  Most of the land was wooded, but some was the lakes and tributary waters, and also the cemetery.

Today the park offers a wide range of activities for your pleasure.  There are shelters, playgrounds, grills, picnic tables, shuffle board courts, horseshoe pitching courts and more.  You can play volleyball, badminton, croquet or tennis.  Take a hike on the nature trail or spend time at the zoo.  It will take a whole weekend to truly enjoy all there is to offer or you can take little bits at a time and go back often.

The animals at the zoo include such delights as an African lion, Alpaca, American Bison, Amur Tiger, Bennett’s Wallaby, Black Bear, Black Buck, and so many more to see.  For the birds you will be able to see an African Grey, Australian Shelduck, Black Headed Ibis and more.  The reptiles list includes African spurred tortoise, American alligator, Argentine Boa and a Black Mangrove snake.  There are more than we can list here but you will certainly enjoy the opportunity to explore the mammals, birds, reptiles and then go on to the amphibians.  You will see Aquatic Caecilian, Axolotl, the Blue Dart Frog and more in this display.  The largest variety of species is in the birds’ category so if you are interested in birds you will be exposed to a wide range of varieties in these exhibits.

For those that are Disc Golf players there is a course in the public park.  Some of the baskets are near picnic shelters so you probably will want to play in the afternoon when there are fewer people around.  You will find some real challenges with the baskets, try it out.

The park offers a number of educational opportunities for you to participate in too.
They offer schools and organizations both inside Cape May County and outside of the immediate area Animal Encounters where they can get to know about the different animals. 

For schools and organizations they also offer a Specialized Zoo Outing where a guide takes you to a small sections of the zoo and explains what is involved in this area.

There are also Guided Tours lasting two hours where the students or group will learn interesting trivia about the animal collection and hear stories about the animals.  These tours last between 1 1/2 hours and 2 hours.

There is the opportunity for the zoo staff to bring the Zoo-2-U for the outreach program where they will bring a couple animals and give you interesting information about the animals.

These and the other programs are not free so check with the zoo for prices and availability for your group or school.

The Park and Zoo are open daily except Christmas, weather permitting. 
(Hazardous weather conditions or related hazards
such as fallen limbs or icy pathways may cause the park or zoo to close.)

Zoo Hours
Summer Zoo Hours 10:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.
Winter Zoo Hours are 9:00 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.
(The Pathway to Diversity Bridge, World of Birds & the Amphibian and Reptile House
close 15 minutes earlier to properly secure these areas.
Some animals may be secured off exhibit prior to closing for their safety).

Park Hours
9:00 a.m. to Dusk

   Park & Zoo Office Hours
8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. (Monday through Friday). 
The office is closed on holidays and weekends.

Directions:
From the South:
Take the Garden State Parkway to the traffic light at exit 11, turn left onto Crest Haven Road. 
The entrance to the park & zoo is located at the intersection of Crest Haven Rd. and Route 9 (the next traffic light).

From the North: 
Take the Garden State Parkway to the traffic light at exit 11, turn right onto Crest Haven Road.
The entrance to the park & zoo is located at the intersection of Crest Haven Rd. and Route 9 (the next traffic light).

From the West or Northwest:
Take Route 55 South to Route 47 South.  Then take Route 83 East to Route 9 South. 
The park & zoo entrance will be 5 miles ahead on the right.

Physical Address:
Cape May County Park and Zoo
707 Route 9 North
Cape May Court House, NJ 08210
Mailing Address:
Cape May County Park and Zoo
4 Moore Road, DN 801
Cape May Court House, NJ 08210