City: Bridgeport, CT

Category: Tours & Attractions

Telephone: (203) 394-6565

Address: 1875 Noble Ave.

Description: Connecticut’s only zoo is set in beautiful Beardsley Park in the north of Bridgeport. For 50 years when the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus wintered here, the animals were taken for walks in this park. When the zoo was started, they got some of their first animals from the circus. Now, almost 100 years later, the zoo features North and South American animals of all sorts, like ocelots, peccaries, red wolves, buffalo, and otters. The Amur tigers, which are part of an endangered species breeding program at the zoo, are spectacular. But the kids seem to love the monkeys and prairie dogs the most, as well as the working indoor carousel. The zoo also runs programs, including the very popular Connecticut Free Shakespeare performances every July. Stop at the Merritt Canteen for lunch after a few hours strolling in this animal wonderland.