Connect with cute animals at these delightful New Jersey petting zoos

🐄 Need something to occupy the little ones this summer?

🐷 Take them to a petting zoo

🐴 These 12 petting zoos in NJ offer fun and educational experiences

Looking for something fun to do with the kids this summer? Maybe grandma or grandpa has them for an afternoon and needs to occupy them for a couple of hours.

How about taking them to a petting zoo? New Jersey has plenty of them in all corners of the state.

ALSO READ: Cool down this summer in NJ with these best frozen cocktails

These are 12 of the best petting zoos to visit this summer in the Garden State.

North Jersey

Abma’s Farm

700 Lawlins Rd, Wyckoff

Admission: In advance: $5.50 adults and $2.50 kids ages 2+. At the door, tickets are $7 for everyone.

Abma’s Farm has been in Wyckoff for over 90 years—Bergen County’s only produce and egg farm. The 32-acre farm dates back to the 1790s.

Visit goats, sheep, alpaca, donkeys, ponies, bunnies, pigs, and more at the petting zoo. Check out their one-of-a-kind features like their “Golden Goat Bridge,” duck pond, and “Bunnyville.” Little ones can play at “Pepper’s Play House Village.”

The petting zoo is cash only.

Brookhollow’s Barnyard

301 Rockaway Valley Rd, Boonton

Admission: $7.50 (cash and credit accepted)

This beautiful farm features mini horses, alpacas, goats, pigs and bunnies you can pet. There are pony rides, train rides, and feeding stations.

Buy a cup or a bucket of carrots. A cup of carrots ($3.50) is filled with carrots to feed the animals. They come with shovels and the shovels must be used to feed the barnyard animals. The cup is yours to keep and costs $1 to refill when you return. Buckets of carrots ($6.50) are double the size of cups. The bucket is also yours to keep with $2 refills when you return.

Space Farms Zoo and Museum

218 County Road 519, Sussex

Admission: $25 adults and $21 kids ages 3 to 12

This combo zoo and museum features both exotic and farm animals. There are over 500 animals here like African lions, black leopards, cougars, lynx, bobcats, Bengal tigers, bears, Rhesus monkeys, baboons, deer and more.

Space Farms Zoo is also home to a pair of spotted hyena who will laugh with you.
There’s also farm animals like piglets, roosters, calves, lambs, and donkeys. Kids can stroll the grassy grounds and feed the farm animals in special animal access areas.

Skylands Animal Sanctuary and Rescue

50 Compton Rd, Wantage

Mike Sturra is the man who runs this 240-acre animal rescue farm in North Jersey. It’s home to more than 250 rescued animals including cows, goats, pigs, chickens, turkeys, and more.

Guided weekend tours are offered here where you can meet, pet, and interact with many of the animals. Hear their rescue stories and enjoy a heartfelt, educational experience.

While this is not your typical petting zoo with scheduled feedings or rides, visitors can get personal, hands-on time with the animals.

One “famous” animal living at the sanctuary is Ricardo, the bull who was rescued after being found wandering on the Newark train tracks in 2023.

Central Jersey

Allaire Community Farm

1923 Baileys Corner Rd, Wall

Admission: $6 for adults 16 and over and $4 for children over the age of 1. (Cash or credit accepted)

Spend the day at Allaire Community Farm where the animals are at the heart of their mission, allowing them to be a sanctuary that fosters healing and home. Many of their rescued animals have come to the farm showing the physical effects of their neglect.

The petting zoo consists of horses, goats, pigs, donkeys, alpacas, cows, turkeys, chickens, ducks, rabbits, and more. The petting zoo is open to the public from spring to fall.

The petting zoo is open to the public and no reservations are required.

The Farm Experience

Corner of Maxim Southard &, Victory Rd, Howell

Come to the farm and meet the pigs, goats, and chicks. You can give them hugs, feed them a snack, take pictures, and even post and tag them on Instagram. The pigs or the Potbelly Boys are named Simon, Wendell, Scooby, Charlie and George. The goats are Momma, Maxim, Billy, Baby, Andy SweetPea, Belle, Asher and Kat. The names of the chicks are Fluffy, Ducky, Clucky, Squeak, Fish, Reggie, Elsa and Kiyila.

After spending time with the animals, you can help pick vegetables, and collect eggs.

10 Lil’ Acre Rescued Animal Farm

116 Texas Rd, Old Bridge

Admission: General admission is $10 pp (non-event days). Children under 3 are free
Only cash and Venmo are accepted.

Open weekends from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., come spend the day at this adorable little farm, and enjoy petting and feeding all the animals. 10 Lil’ Acres is home t over 10 different animal breeds. Come see rescued retired racehorses, pigs, chickens, cows, sheep, ponies, and more. Pony rides are also available.

Doyle’s Farm

806 US-202, Neshanic Station

Admission: $18 per person for all visitors ages 2 and older for the tour
Kids get education farm experiences at Doyle’s with hands-on learning activities.

Take a 45-minute hands-on guided farm tour, where you can meet and greet the animals, and engage in farm activities like meeting goats, sheep, donkeys, cows, pigs and more, petting the rabbits, and checking for eggs inside the chicken coop.

Learn about the animals’ purposes on the farm and the differences between breeds. There’s also weekly story times in the barn on Thursdays and Fridays where kids can hear a story, do a craft, and meet a bunny.

South Jersey

Funny Farm Rescue

6908 Railroad Blvd, Mays Landing

Admission: Free

Funny Farm Rescue and Sanctuary has created a home for unwanted farm animals, domesticated animals, and animals with special needs, to live out their natural lives. The animal sanctuary has over 600 rescue animals.

There is a petting zoo area called, “the barnyard,” where visitors can interact with the animals.

The animals love visitors. The farm says animals benefit from having people love them and spend time with them.

If you would like to feed the animals, you can buy an animal feed bucket at the farm’s general store for just $4. The farm also welcomes donations of apples, carrots, and other animal food.

Out of Sight Alpacas

416 Wells Mills Rd, Waretown

https://www.outofsightalpacas.com/

It’s open to the public by reservation only. The farm loves sharing their animals with everyone and educating them about these mystical creatures. Take a guided one hour farm tour, where you can meet and pet all the animals. Meet emus, sheep, goats, giant bunnies, pigs, donkeys, turkeys, peacocks, piglets, chickens, and of course, alpacas, who love to stroll up and eat right out of your hands.

The animals love bananas, melons, beets, apples, romaine lettuce, whole carrots, grapes, corn, and whole pumpkins.

Johnson’s Corner Farm

133 Church Rd, Medford

https://www.johnsonsfarm.com/?utm_source=GMB

Have fun at Johnson’s Corner

Farm’s “Discovery Barnyard and Animal Farm.” When you buy a day pass, you can hang out and interact with friendly farm animals and feed them.

Once the animals are fed and petted, the fun continues for the kids at the Barnyard Playground, where they can enjoy climbing rocks, three play areas within the barnyard, a tractor tire sand castle, a space net, a pedal go cart dirt track for older kids and a pedal go cart track for small children, a pretend farm, three splash pads to cool off on a hot day, and more.

Hidden Hill Farm

690 Woodbury Glassboro Rd, Sewell

https://www.hiddenhillfarmnj.com/

Choose to bottle feed goats, lambs, or a Highland cow. The experiences are endless.

Costs vary depending on the experience chosen but they range from $16 to $35 per person.

Check off another day of fun with the kids in New Jersey by visiting one of these cool petting farms near you.

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