Staten Island Zoo

Among the inhabitants of this eight-acre haven, you'll find a brother-and-sister pair of fossas, which make their home in the African exhibit, next to two tiny tenrecs—nocturnal, hedgehog-like animals that are small enough to fit in the palm of your hand and may have up to 42 teeth. The Reptile Wing, occupied by more than 200 cold-blooded critters, houses an extensive collection of North American rattlesnakes, as well as a baby eyelash viper, five small carpet pythons, a reticulated python and two anacondas. If your tots can't get enough of meerkats, bring them to see the little mammals feasting on crickets and mealworms: Eight slender-tailed additions are currently on loan from the Minnesota Zoo. The animal kingdom has also expanded to include Cheyenne and Toni, a pair of female American bobcats hanging out in spacious digs with rocks for climbing and a waterfall. A glass partition allows the cats to get (safely) close to visitors—and kids to get some major thrills. The zoo recently adopted Henry Ford, a red panda native to the Himalayas, to inhabit its new bamboo forest.