On our way home to NY from Maine my wife and I decided to take our daughter to the Stone Zoo before having lunch with some friends in the area. We had both already been to the Franklin Park Zoo in 2012 and decided to try Boston 's other zoo. We both felt this with the exception of the Rainforest Building was the nicer of the two. It was much easier to get too and was located in a nicer part of the city. The Stone zoo to us was a better use of space, exhibits were located around every corner it seemed, unlike the larger FPZ which has those large gaps of nothing or exceptionally large single exhibits. We started with the Himalayan Highlands exhibits first since they spur off of the main area of the zoo. The barnyard was the least inspired section but I don't really go to zoos for that. The Snow leopard exhibit was quite exceptional in my opinion, it was one of the larger exhibits I had seen to date, and appeared to have adequate climbing space for the leopards who seemed quite happy and playful. The Markhor exhibit as well was great with the large amount of climbing space and ability to hide away if they so wanted. The Mexican Wolf exhibit was also top notch, very wooded and several areas to hide if needed. The cranes had some nice large wetland exhibits but the alligator setup seemed cheap and quickly done. The treetops and riverbeds area also was lacking in ingenuity with basic enclosures including a fairly small River otter exhibit. The colobus and spider monkeys were slightly better. The only other truly disappointing exhibit area was the Windows to the wild, a series of glass fronted enclosures with little to no real design. Most exhibits provided decent viewing of the animals but were not in the greatest shape. Highlights included, a tree kangaroo, two species of Agouti, an impressive Rhinoceros Hornbill and an adorable family f Cotton Top Tamarins. The Yukon trail was not as impressive as I had hoped but still featured better than average exhibits with the exception of the reindeer. The bears seemed to have a decent enclosure although it does somewhat appear too small for them now but was the nicest in this area. The best overall exhibits other that Highlands and Wolves was the Treasures of the Sierra Madres, the themeing was a nice touch and featured several interesting species. The Jaguar exhibit while wasn't huge was well designed and even included a up close viewing area on an old wagon. The smaller animal exhibits were a nice touch themed to different southwest buildings. The easiest highlight though was the free bed show, my daughter truly enjoyed it and it was a fun yet educating show. Our zoo (Rosamond Gifford) does a bird show but not like this, here they fly all around you and that caught my daughters attention. Several birds were displayed in faced paced show. A must see if visiting in season. Overall the zoo was nice and pleasant, nothing over the top but not crummy either. I would most likely visit again in the future if nearby, 7/10
Having been to the zoo just one week ago, I agree with basically everything you've said. Himalayan Highlands has two awesome exhibits for Markhor and Snow Leopards (though the heat kept the Markhors inactive and the Snow Leopards off-display on my visit.) The wolf exhibit is very large, and has enough places for them to hide that I wasn't able to spot a single one. I agree with your assessment of the wetland exhibits and Treetops and Riverbeds. Windows to the Wild wasn't as bad as I was led to believe, though it is still subpar. Yukon Creek was average. I really enjoyed Treasures of the Sierra Madre. The theming wasn't overboard and it focused on a geographical area that's not often focused on in zoos. And I also agree that the bird show is another highlight and one of the zoo's best features. Thanks for the review!
