Plumpton Park Zoo

Rising Sun, MD · 1 hour 21 minutes from Reading · $20 to $50 a person

plumptonparkzoo.org|Day trips from Berks County
Plumpton Park Zoo

Plan the day

Drive1 hour 21 minutes from Reading, 52 miles1 hour 37 minutes from Boyertown · 1 hour 45 minutes from Hamburg · 1 hour 3 minutes from Morgantown
Where1416 Telegraph Rd, Rising Sun, MD 21911, Rising Sun, MDOpen in maps →
OpenOpen seven days a week all year, closed only on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day10 AM to 5 PM (last admission 4 PM); Memorial Day to Labor Day 9 AM to 6 PM (last admission 5 PM)
AdmissionAdults $21.95, children 2 to 12 $15.95, seniors 60 and up $18.95, children under 2 free; parking free (prices posted October 2026)
Good forlittle kids, big kids, teens, adults, older adults

Plumpton Park Zoo is a zoo in Rising Sun, MD, with giraffes, white lions, tigers, bears, wolves, sloths, zebras and camels on the grounds.

The giraffe feeding station puts you eye to eye with the tallest animals on the grounds, and the zoo counts more than 200 animals across mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, from white lions and tigers to sloths and siamang gibbons. Kids can pan for gemstones and fossils at the Jeremiah Brown Mining Company sluice. It is open every day of the year except Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Before you go

Parking is free. Get a hand stamp on the way out for same-day re-entry. You can bring your own food and a cooler; there are picnic tables and a snack bar. Groups of 15 or more get $2 off per person. Tickets can be bought online in advance.

Coming up

Boo at the Zoo runs Saturdays October 17, 24 and 31 from 11 AM to 3 PM: costumes, a hay ride and a maze, with trick-or-treating free with admission for ages 2 to 12. Hay ride or maze $5 per person, both for $7.

Official site →Tickets →

Checked October 8, 2026 on the official site. Hours, prices and seasons change, so confirm there before a long drive.

More zoos and animal parks worth the drive

Wolf Sanctuary of PA

Wolf Sanctuary of PA

Lititz, PA · 40 minutes from Reading · $20 to $50 a person

Wolf Sanctuary of PA is a refuge for gray wolves and wolf-dogs on Speedwell Forge Road in Lititz, PA. The only way to see the wolves is on a reserved guided tour or at an event.

Lehigh Valley Zoo

Lehigh Valley Zoo

Schnecksville, PA · 57 minutes from Reading · Under $20 a person

Lehigh Valley Zoo is an AZA-accredited zoo inside the Trexler Nature Preserve in Schnecksville, PA, run by the nonprofit Lehigh Valley Zoological Society since 2004.

Brandywine Zoo

Brandywine Zoo

Wilmington, DE · 1 hour 19 minutes from Reading · Under $20 a person

The Brandywine Zoo is a zoo of under five acres in Brandywine Park along the Brandywine River in Wilmington, DE, run by the Delaware Division of Parks and Recreation with the Delaware Zoological Society.

See every one of the zoos and animal parks on the list →