QUEENS ZOO
Spread out over 11 acres, the Queens Zoo is home to more
than 75 species of animals, all of which are indigenous to the
Americas. The zoo, which is open 365 days a year, features
winding paths and nature trails, where visitors come into contact
with everything from pumas to bears to owls. In the waterway,
sand hill cranes and ducks co-exist with alligators during the
warm-weather months.
There is an outdoor aquatic area, where sea lions, walruses and
seals swim, play, and dry themselves on rocks. (Feeding time
always brings many human spectators.) One of the most famous
aspects is the aviary, a large, caged area where parrots, turkeys,
peacocks and sloths live with countless ducks and a few pigeons
that have sneaked in from the outside. It was created out of the
Winston Churchill Pavilion at the 1964 World’s Fair.
Across a walkway is a petting farm with Andean llamas and
alpacas, enormous cattle, pigs, sheep, chickens, goats, and horses.
Inside scoop: Just outside the zoo is a carousel with 64 jumping
horses, a lion and a few chariots.
Address: 53-51 111th Street, www.queenszoo.com.
25
USTA Billie Jean King
National Tennis Center
borough’s
Queens Zoo