York’s Wild Kingdom

York’s Wild Kingdom is expansive, boasting both a Zoo and Amusement Park.  My family and I had a wonderful time at York’s and could have easily spent two whole days.  With downtown York, ME and York Beach within walking distance, York’s Wild Kingdom is an obvious choice for New England Summer Fun.

York’s Wild Kingdom has very generously provided more tickets for NH Kids to Giveaway to you all.  Please keep a look out for this Giveaway – it’s coming soon!  In the meantime, enjoy your inside look at York’s Wild Kingdom!

General Admission: Admission prices for the Zoo and Amusement Park is $21.25 for adults, $16.25 for children ages 4-12 and $4.75 for children 3 years old and under.  Admission prices for the Zoo only is $14.74 for adults, $9.00 for children ages 4-12 and $1.00 for children 3 years old and under.  Unlimited all day ride passes are $11.00 for all ages.

 

Zoo: York’s Zoo is, in a word, amazing!  York has some fantastic animals to include lions, tigers, monkeys, and so much more.  When we were there in early July there were also many baby animals.  Check out the baby pig with his mom below.  Did you know that pigs could be so cute?

My favorite aspect of the zoo is all of the opportunities to feed and pet the animals.  My five year old daughter is our little animal lover.  She has cerebral palsy which makes certain things more challenging for her.  While she is a beautiful and blessed little girl, there are many things that don’t come naturally or easily to her.  Consequently, she lacks self confidence.  That said, when you put her in the presence of animals she beams.  I think that she finds the gentleness and unconditional love of animals both comforting and reassuring.  She was so proud of being able to feed the deer, ducks and goats.  Being able to care for and bond with the animals gave her a beautiful sense of self confidence.  She talks daily about her experience with York’s animals.

Isn’t this a beautiful picture?  This deer let my daughter walk alongside him.

These ducks knew exactly where to stand and who to follow for food.  It’s always a good bet to follow a baby with food in her hand!

 

Butterfly Kingdom

The Butterfly Kingdom is a 5,500 square foot exhibit with many species of South and Central American butterflies.  This exhibit was beautiful.  There were an amazing amount of butterflies flying around us.  This exhibit is also near and dear to my heart because my little five year old has a profound love and appreciation for butterflies.   She spent the entire time in the Butterfly Kingdom standing perfectly still with the hopes that a butterfly would land on her.  The butterflies didn’t decide to perch on her however I was able to get a picture of a butterfly on her shoulder.   😉  

Amusement Park: I love that York’s Amusement Park has the ambiance of a seashore boardwalk (which makes sense since it is only blocks away from the beach!).  The park has your classic boardwalk kiddy rides, an arcade, carnival style games and even a super slide!  There was so much to do at the Amusement Park that we could have spent our entire day just at this section of York’s Wild Kingdom.  Other attractions within the Amusement Park include an 18 hole mini golf course, two fun houses, a ferris wheel, a scrambler, batting cages, and over 22 rides for both little and big kids to enjoy.

 

Food: York’s Wild Kingdom has several different stands where you can purchase food throughout the park.  These stands have your basic assortment of amusement park foods and I thought the prices were reasonable.

Here’s an example of one of their menus.  I recommend investing the $5 in the Souvenir Popcorn Bucket.  I should start by saying that one of my children requests popcorn for lunch whenever we are at an amusement park.  So, getting the “popcorn bucket” made his day!  The bucket was a pretty good size and refills are only $1.  We definitely ate our weight in popcorn as we were walking around the park.  It was a very easy and portable snack for the kids throughout the day.

In case you were wondering what the popcorn bucket looks like, here it is!  See the kid who won’t let go of the bucket?  Yup, he LOVES his popcorn!

 

There are picnic tables and a covered picnic area (in case of rain!).  There is also a designated “Camp Grounds” section where you can eat.

 

 

My Tips For Enjoying Your Day at York’s Wild Kingdom: 

Carry Cash and Pocket Change!  You will need cash if you would like to purchase food and drink for yourself or for the animals.  Your children will see animal food dispensers throughout the park and, if they are anything like mine, will want to stop at every single one.  I think every animal in the zoo was well fed by the time we left!

 

Skip the ponies and Ride the Camel…unless of course your child would rather ride the ponies.  OK, this is another thing that you will need cash for.  It costs $5 per person to ride the camel.  (It also costs $5 per person to ride the ponies.)  My children wanted to ride both the ponies and the camels.  Since I was not going to pay for my kids to ride both the ponies and the camel, I made them choose.  The kids chose camels and had a blast riding them.  Warning: The camels don’t come with any seat belts or straps to contain the kids.  You know your child best.  If you think your child will hold on and sit still on the camel then send him on by himself.  My girls (ages 5 and 6) were perfectly capable of doing this.  On the other hand, if your child is unpredictable (like my son) then pay the extra $5 and ride with him!  It’s better to be safe!

 

Timing is Everything.  When we were at York’s the crowd went throughout the park in a very logical way.  They started in the front of the Zoo and then made their way to the back portion of the zoo as the day progressed.  The crowd then left the Zoo and went over to the Amusement Park in the afternoon.  To avoid crowds I suggest beginning at the back of the Zoo with the petting area.  Then as the day progresses make your way to the front of the Zoo.

 

Take a Walk and Explore York.  York and its beach are beautiful.  Take a walk around and enjoy!  Also, bring bathing suits.  The kids (and you) are going to want to take a dip in the ocean.