York's Wild Kingdom

This is a classic Maine summer destination that combines a zoo with a small amusement park. It’s located right near Short Sands Beach, so you get that salty sea air while looking at lions, tigers, and lemurs. One of the highlights is the interactive Parakeet Encounter, where you can walk into an enclosure with hundreds of birds that will land right on your hand if you have a food stick. It has a nostalgic, family-fun-day atmosphere with plenty of space to walk around and grab a snack between seeing the animals.

Details

Open mid-May to mid-September.

Food Available

There is a snack bar and picnic tables available.

Parking

There are 2 parking lots available – one is paid metered parking (owned by the town), the other is a free (dirt) parking lot (on zoo property). The free lot is accessed from Route 1, while the paid lot is accessed from the downtown area (across from the fire department). We recommend looking on a map to find the long stretch of Animal Park Rd, if you would like to make sure you get to the free parking lot smoothly.