lupa zoo

What a wonderful low key stress free place to visit for an a day. Take your time and wander. Enjoy each and every exhibit.

We were having a drive day with nothing else urgent to do. Saw the sign by the highway and stopped. Rather hard to find we had to stop and ask for directions, but really glad we did. This is nice zoo. Lots of animals, a few of which we had never seen before like the owl monkey and a bushbaby. Only problem was some of the animals were in wire cages in the dark and hard to see. The camel and the zebra were both adorable. They had a Zedonk too. Nice gift shop.

We had skipped on this zoo last year due to the negative reviews, but it seems that since the original owner died, efforts have been made to improve the place. There were a few habitats that need fixing up, and many that need name-info signs. The primate building (which also serves as restrooms and general storage and office for the staff) is smelly and not very visitor friendly.Lots of animals that can be fed through feeding tubes in the fences - and the bags of food are inexpensive. The giraffe can fed carrots ($1.50 for 2) after climbing to the top of a platform - careful as he sucks them down quickly with a flick of his long tongue!One problem we noticed towards the end of our visit - specially out by the deer areas which are near the parking lot - were flies, not houseflies, but anoying ones that swarm all over (and occasionally bite). It might have been that the wind had died down, but in all the many zoos we have visited flies were never an issue.On a Saturday afternoon in August, the place was almost empty, and from the small parking lot size, I don't think they ever have a large crowd there. Aesthetically, they need to keep working on the place. The back fields, beyond the animal areas, are filled with old semtrailers that seem to be rotting away - hope they don't use these as animal houses in the winter.

Was not expecting what we did. They have a great array of animals, many which you can pet and feed. $10 for each adult is a little high though. Only complaint is aesthetic; there are not signs on everything and some of the "homes" need some repair. The two little ones loved it (3 & 2). Will go back again if they run a deal or have some coupons available.

My husband and I went yesterday. Hardly anyone there on a Thursday afternoon. The zoo is small enough that if you only have 1 1/2 hours to visit, it's enough time for you to see the place. The highlight for me was feeding the giraffe. It's really cool getting eye to eye. Really nice place that we heartily recommend.

We went there yesterday and to my surprise, I enjoyed it. Lots of unfamiliar animals to see. There were reindeers. A first for me. Large birds and lots more. Fun place for the family.

I've been taking my family to Lupa's for many years. I brought my own children regularly when they were younger, and now I've started visiting again with my young nieces and cousins. A residential zoo with a wide variety of animals and lots of shade and benches makes it a perfect place to go for a morning or afternoon stroll. More of a friendly than a fancy place (don't expect lots of frills) but truly a hidden gem of western Massachusetts.

Our family loves seeing all of the animals a few times a year. You see something new every time! Today we saw how big the baby goats and mini pony grew since Spring. A camel was just born yesterday. They have a great variety of animals including an anteater, capybara and panther. We love to support this family run zoo.

Lupa Zoo is a great little getaway. Located in a neighborhood, its the last place you would expect to find a zoo. Very cheap with some regular and exotic animals. You can easily spend a couple of hours exploring.

The Lupa Zoo was a lot better than I expected. Before we even got in the gate, there were ostrich and deer that really delighted us. One of things that impressed me was there were a lot of animals that I have never heard of before (although I forgot their names already). There is a lot to see so expect to walk a lot. I also liked how there was plenty of places to sit and rest along the way and even some spots with shade to get out of the hot sun. Besides the gift shop and hot food available for purchase, there is even a children’s playground (which my kids loved). The Lupa Zoo is a truly delightful place to visit and I am sure we will go there again.

Super fun for kids of any age. Lots of animals for the kids to feed. Grounds and animal enclosures very clean. Friendly staff. Great playground area. Lots of shade. Cannot say enough good!

This is a small zoo in a small western mass community. There is a large diversity of animal who all have ample room to stretch their legs.Some signs are mixed up and a few animals need their hoofs trimmed, but otherwise, the staff is very friendly. The grounds are quite clean and there's lots of room for kids to run around. Quite an enjoyable day out.

This zoo is a true "hidden gem". It is tucked away in a sleepy part of Ludlow, MA (a suburb of Springfield) away from major roads and highways, however it is easily accessible from them. The zoo began as a small, private collection of birds and animals many years ago by the late Henry Lupa and his family who immigrated from Poland, on his property near his home. As his collection and love for all animals grew, he opened the zoo to the public. After moving to Ludlow with two young children in the late 90's, we found out about the "zoo" (which was really a small, private collection of animals at that time) by word of mouth. No admission was charged up until a few years ago, however donations were always welcome. In 2002 the collection became "officially" a zoo. Now, a nominal admission fee is charged to cover the great expenses incurred by the Lupa family to care for the animals, utilities, employees, etc.The collection of animals is quite wide-ranging and includes monkeys, bears, giraffes, wild cats, kinkajous, wallabies, ostriches and many other common or exotic animals. This is NOT a simple petting zoo, although there are components of one there. This is a great zoo for educators to bring their students to.

A gem in Ludlow. Easy walking, extremely clean and unique animals. While a bit pricey when you consider there is nothing like this for many miles it balances out. Family owned is a plus.

Maybe it was because it was early in the season, and it was a drizzly day, but compared to our previous visits the zoo seemed very dirty, not well-groomed, and the animals did not seem content. We paid full price even though not all of the animals were visible or available yet. Still, there is nothing like it in the area, so if you want a local zoo experience, it's worth a visit.