So my family came into town for my graduation and we were looking for activities that were family friendly that my 11 month old niece would enjoy and I thought, OMG we should go to Trevor Zoo! I had various friends go while we were in college and all of them had nothing but good things to say about it so I thought it would be an excellent activity!

Trevor Zoo was created in 1936 at the Millbrook School in Millbrook, NY by a man named Frank Trevor who was the school’s first biology teacher. It’s the only zoo in the country that is located at a high school, but don’t let its location fool you! This is a real bona-fide AZA accredited zoo with more than 180 exotic an indigenous animals with 80 different species, 9 of which are endangered.

Almost immediately we ran into an employee who had graduated from Vassar and happened to be married to one of my favorite biology Professors, which was super cool to me! We began by looking at some otters and moved to the lemurs and had so much fun walking through each exhibit, which were separated by the countries in which the animals could be found in their natural habitats. Something that we really enjoyed was how natural each habitat really looked! You wouldn’t expect for an emu or several types of monkeys and lemurs to look so at home in upstate New York! We were also pleasantly surprised by the variety of animals present! Of course there are no hippos or giraffes, but it was super cool to see wallabies and red pandas, which oh my gosh, are the cutest things ever. I would definitely have one for a pet..you know, if that was a humane and appropriate thing to do. BUT! The zoo is decent sized but not too big, which allowed for the perfect amount of time for my niece to enjoy the animals and then leave without her being too bored or antsy. If you’re in the area I highly highly recommend it. They also have a ton of areas for seating which would make for great picnics and field trips with little ones or other family members. Directions and more information including admissions fees and hours can be found at the zoos website, http://www.millbrook.org/Page/School-Life/Trevor-Zoo

              Have you ever been to Trevor Zoo? Share your pictures and stories with me below!