While visiting the affordable Capron Park Zoo in Attleboro, Mass., I could have sworn that one of the birds said “Cheap, cheap!”

Whether it was just bird talk or just a PR-crazy vertebrate animal, nothing said about this pleasant, little zoo near the Rhode Island border could have been more accurate. The Capron Park Zoo keeps admission prices way down — good news for the common folk that are tired of the “lions and tigers and bears” prices that seemingly require a second mortgage at many other zoos. Non-Attleboro residents can gain

admission at $9.00 per adult, $7.50 for each child three-12, $6.75 for a senior citizen, $4.75 for a U.S. military member and FREE for kids under three.

The Capron Zoo is clearly more than just an affordable zoo destination, however. The staff clearly shows pride of ownership with beautiful park grounds and a surprisingly impressive animal collection, given the relatively small size of the zoo. Animals include the Snow Leopard, Flying Fox, Binturong, Ocelot, Llama, Red Kangaroos, Red Crested Cardinal, Snowy Crowned Robin Chat, Red Crowned Crane, Dart Frogs, Emu, Woodpartridge, Fennec Fox, Sloth Bear, Hornbills, Serval, African Lions, Pygmy Loris, Weld’s Marmoset and Golden Lion Tamarin.

But wait, there’s more… Meerkats, Indian Crested Porcupine, Speckled Mousebird, Munjac, Tawny Frogmouth, Golden Crowned Mynah, Madagascar Fody, Nicobar Pigeon, River Otter, Douroucouli, Visayan Warty Frog. Victoria Crowned Pigeon, Southern Screamer, and Eastern Screech Owl.

You’ll also see a Hoffman’s Two-toed Sloth, Supber Starling, Purple Swamphen, Spur-thigh Tortoise, Violet Turaco, Green Tree Python, Black and White Ruffled Lemur, Red Ruffled Lemur, Ringtail Lemur, Japanese Macaque, Diadem Snake and Agouti.

If you aren’t familiar with some of these animals, just ask a staff member. These aren’t just people  working because “it’s a job.”  We’ve found that each and every employee here is knowledgeable and has a true love for animals.

The Capron Zoo goes beyond just having animal displays. They offer birthday facilities and services for kids, education programs, volunteer opportunities, special events, and wildlife excursion tours to other parts of the world. There’s also a seasonal zero-depth water playground called the “Splashpad Playspace” — perfect for the kids on a hot summer day.

The Capron Zoo bills itself as a destination where  “big things DO come in small packages!” That slogan is every bit as that bird saying “Cheap, Cheap!”

We highly recommend visiting the Capron Zoo. It won’t break the bank and the educational and entertaining levels run high here.

The Capron Zoo is also fully handicap accessible. For full details on visiting the zoo, please log onto the Capron Zoo Web Site.

Capron Zoo
201 County St.
Attleboro MA
Tel. (774)  203-2208

P.S.: if you’re hungry before or after visiting the Capron Zoo, we recommend visiting Morin’s Hometown Bar and Grille, a few minutes down the road in downtown Attleboro. The breakfast, lunch and dinner selections are terrific — so much that Guy Fieri, of the Food Network, covered this 100-year-old restaurant on “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives!”