Looking for a family friendly road trip? Or as a grown-up do you still love a good zoo? Well Western Mass has two great zoos to visit on your next road trip. Make a wild day of it and visit both or stay over and take your time!

The Zoo at Forest Park is nestled within Springfield’s Forest Park. The park itself is worth the trip. It’s among the largest municipally owned parks in the US and was designed by Frederick Law Olmstead who is also famous for designing NYC’s Central Park. But back to the zoo…its home to over 200 exotic and native animals – almost 90% of them are not able to be released into the wild due to injury, illness or permanent disability. Social distancing rules still apply at the Zoo and timed tickets are available to purchase before you visit.

The Lupa Zoo in Ludlow is 20 acres of animal fun for all ages. Zebras, otters, camels, monkeys….Lupa Zoo has a wide variety of animals from near and far. This is also a family-owned zoo where the animal habitats are designed to meet the needs of the animals but to also keep them interested in the environment surrounding them.

You’ll want to get your tickets in advance to be sure there’s socially distanced space available when you’d like to visit.

Make it an overnight and stay overnight. Hotels in Western Mass are open for business and have adopted enhanced cleaning procedures in compliance with protocols required by the state. And you won’t go hungry! Restaurants are open for outdoor seating and takeout. No need to search for that info – just click here to see what’s open in Western Mass and plan your road trip today.