Turtle Back Zoo Awarded Certificate Of Excellence

Essex County Turtle Back Zoo received a Certificate of Excellence from TripAdvisor.com for the third consecutive year. Feedback on the travel website is provided by users, who gave the Zoo an overall rating of 4.5 on a scale of 5. This rating places Turtle Back in the top 10 percent of travel sites rated.

“It is quite an honor to receive TripAdvisor’s Certificate of Excellence because the reviews come straight from our visitors,” said Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. “It’s gratifying to know that Turtle Back Zoo has become a destination that people enjoy coming to and are recommending it to others as a place to visit. Our goal is to provide visitors with an enjoyable recreational and educational opportunity, and make Essex County a destination where people want to visit. This shows we are making strides in the right direction.”

TripAdvisor is the world’s largest travel site that features reviews and advice on hotels, resorts, flights, vacation rentals, vacation packages, travel guides, and more. The Certificate of Excellence recognizes the top performing businesses on TripAdvisor and is based solely on visitors’ reviews.

Turtle Back Zoo is committed to providing an enriching recreational experience that fosters excellence in wildlife education and wildlife conservation so that present and future generations are inspired to understand, appreciate and protect the fragile interdependence of all living things.

During the past 13 years, Essex County Turtle Back Zoo has undergone a major transformation. Attendance at this beloved destination has increased from 168,739 in 2002 to 688,359 in 2014. In addition, Turtle Back earned its second five-year accreditation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums in 2011, a clear indication that an institution is committed to the highest standards in animal care, ethics, conservation and education. It also has been named the Best Zoo in NJ by NJ Monthly magazine in each of the last four years.

Current hours for the Zoo are Mon. to Sat. from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Sun. from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Admission is $13 for adults, $10 for children and senior citizens, and free for children younger than two years. For more information, call 973-731-5800 or visit www.essexcountynj.org.