Welcome to Broadway Stages’ Business Spotlight, where we feature local shops, restaurants, and venues in the communities where we have operations. We encourage our readers to join us in supporting these establishments and advancing local economic growth.

Can you remember your first time at a zoo? The wonder you felt when seeing strange and exotic animals that you’d only ever read about? While New York City probably isn’t the first place that comes to mind when thinking of a broad variety of fauna, the Staten Island Zoo brings an eye-opening experience with their menagerie of beautiful creatures from around the world. Guests can expect everything from reptiles and insects to friendly foxes and the highly social capybaras. The zoo also offers virtual and in-person educational programs to teach children of all ages about the importance of preserving animal and insect populations around the world. After a fun-filled walk around the zoo, you can take a break from your journey and unwind at the café. And if you are looking for more, well, the zoo also hosts a plethora of events throughout the year such as the upcoming Pollinator Palooza, Zookeeper Appreciation Day, World Meerkat Day (a must!) as well as their fabulously frightening Spooktacular event held yearly around Halloween – BOO!

We all agree that the zoo is an important feature of Staten Island, but it takes a lot of work to maintain the facility and care for the animals. If you love the zoo as much as we do, please consider lending a hand. The Staten Island Zoo offers several ways for the community to help. You can become a member, “adopt” an animal, donate directly, or even volunteer.

Animal lovers are also encouraged to check out the Staten Island Zoo Instagram and Facebook pages to see their family of lovable animals, and stay informed about upcoming events. With summer in full swing, it’s a perfect time to go out and say hello to our fuzzy (and those not so fuzzy) friends. As always, enjoy your visit, stay safe, and tell them Broadway Stages sent you!