The Popcorn Park Zoo Is Open

The Popcorn Park Zoo in Forked River is finally re-opening!

Starting Friday, June 26th the zoo will be open 7 days a week from 11am-5pm. They've added more hand sanitizing stations throughout the zoo, and obviously will ask visitors to follow social distancing rules. Masks will be required inside the ticket booth, and they are also recommended for wearing in the zoo itself.

Outside food is still not allowed in the zoo, and unfortunately they will not be selling popcorn or peanuts for visitors to feed the animals.

My daughter loves Popcorn Park Zoo, and I'd love to bring her out this summer, but I'm still iffy when it comes to being around other people. A zoo should be a pretty decent place to visit, because (1) it's outdoors (2) you can stay far from people without much effort. If the zoo were to enforce wearing masks in the zoo beyond just a "recommendation", I don't think I'd be able to stand it. Just wearing the mask in a grocery store is stifling, there's no way I could walk around a zoo on a hot humid day and keep a mask on, and I would feel bad making a 3-year-old do it too. An off-peak, mid-week trip might be just the thing we need to stave off cabin fever and get back out into the real world.

Our sister station WOBM works with Zoo to help with their adoption program. Right now, the adoption center is still closed to the public, but you can get more information on the adoption by appointment process by calling the zoo at 609-693-1900.