Bronx Zoo Wildlife Conservation Society | Bronx, NY

The massive institution is home to more than 5,000 creatures in myriad exhibits, including an outdoor baboon reserve, a sea lion pool and an exhibit dedicated entirely to Madagascar, where you'll encounter little Ares, the newest Coquerel's sifaka lemur. Visitors can ride the Wild Asia Monorail, which tours 38 acres of exhibits that house elephants, Indo-Chinese tigers, deer, antelope and Mongolian wild horses, or wander over to see two gargantuan Nile crocodiles. At Tiger Mountain, six new cubs made their debut in late September. Have kids try to spot the color differences between the three Amur and three Malayan cats. In the African Plains, tots can catch a glimpse of a young rhino as he wallows in the mud with his mom or view two ostriches and a family of lions—three cubs named Nala, Adamma and Shani were born in the spring. The grizzlies in the Big Bears exhibit recently made some new friends: The zoo adopted four cubs that were orphaned and unable to survive in the wilds of Alaska and Montana. At the World of Reptiles, your clan can spot six juvenile Galapagos tortoises. Amphibian fans can also read about the Wildlife Conservation Society's efforts to save the Kihansi spray toad, a species now extinct in the wild. Kids might be delighted to learn that the small yellow toad gives birth to babies instead of laying eggs that become tadpoles. On a rainy day, step into any of the indoor attractions: the World of Birds, Mouse House, World of Reptiles and Congo Gorilla Forest. Step into the Mouse House to coo over a litter of baby degus, tiny chinchilla-like rodents native to Chile.