NYC Schools Are Closed Wednesday. Here's How to Get Free Bronx Zoo Tickets.
A school holiday lands on a free zoo Wednesday, and the whole day turns on a five o'clock ticket drop the Monday before.
🎟️ Monday Decides the Week
Wednesday, November 11 is a school holiday across the five boroughs, and the Bronx Zoo keeps its gates free that day. The kids are off school, nobody is paying admission, and a family of four walks in on a weekday morning instead of a weekend queue.
The catch is Monday. Admission is free every Wednesday here, but tickets appear at 5 pm the Monday before, four to an order, and the zoo is blunt about it: do not come without a reservation. Children two and under are free.
Grab free tickets Mon 11/9 at 5 pm ET — that is the only moment that week's tickets appear.
Limited Admission is what free buys: park entry and the general exhibits. Congo Gorilla Forest, JungleWorld, the Bug Carousel and Nature Trek are Star Attractions, seven dollars each on site, or bundled into the discounted Wednesday Admission ticket if the gorillas are the point of the trip.
Gates open at 10, animal exhibits close at 4, and last entry is 3:45. Winter trims the line-up — the children's zoo, monorail, butterfly garden, zoo shuttle and Budgie Landing are all closed — so plan on cold-weather animals outdoors and heated indoor halls when fingers get stiff. Parking is 22 dollars a car.
Veterans and active-duty service members reserve a free ticket of their own, plus half price for up to three guests: VETERANBZ for veterans, MILITARYBZ for active duty, booked in advance, with the military member's valid ID at the gate.
