Plumpton Park Zoo is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit zoo at 1416 Telegraph Road in Rising Sun, Maryland, in the northeast corner of Cecil County — a little over an hour from downtown Baltimore, and almost all of it on one road.
Getting here from Baltimore
Take I-95 north to Exit 100 for Route 272 north. Continue to the second traffic light at Route 273 and turn left; the zoo entrance is roughly one mile ahead on your left. From the Inner Harbor it is about seventy miles, and outside rush hour it is a straight run.
Coming up from Harford County — Bel Air, Aberdeen, Havre de Grace — you are much closer, half an hour or so, and you can pick up Route 272 without going far on the interstate.
Parking is free and the lot is at the gate. Full directions.
What makes Plumpton different
It is small, and that is the point. More than 200 animals across around 60 species, laid out so a family can walk the whole thing at a four-year-old’s pace and still see everything — three giraffes, white lions, two different tiger subspecies, bears, primates, owls, tortoises, and a barnyard where children meet animals at eye level.
Nobody leaves having missed half of it, and nobody gets carried back to the car. Admission also costs a fraction of a big-city zoo day out, with no parking charge on top.
About half the collection came from private owners who could no longer care for an animal, or from facilities that closed. Taking those animals in and looking after them properly is why the zoo exists. See the animals.
Before you set out
The zoo is open seven days a week, with hours that change between the summer and winter seasons. Nearly all of it is outdoors, so the animals are more active on a cool morning than a hot afternoon — the first hour after opening is usually the best time to come.
The giraffe feeding station runs at 12:00 noon on weekdays and 11:00am and 1:00pm on weekends (11:00am and 1:00pm daily in summer), weather permitting. Worth timing the drive around one of them.
Questions from Baltimore visitors
How far is the zoo from Baltimore?
About seventy miles from downtown, a little over an hour in normal traffic. From Harford County it is roughly half that.
Which I-95 exit do I want?
Exit 100, then Route 272 north to the second light at Route 273 and turn left.
Is there a charge for parking?
No. Parking is free for all visitors.
Can we feed anything?
The giraffe feeding station runs at 12:00 noon on weekdays and 11:00am and 1:00pm on weekends (11:00am and 1:00pm daily in summer), weather permitting.
Do we need to book ahead?
You can buy tickets in advance online or at the gate when you arrive.
Can we leave and come back the same day?
Yes. Have your hand stamped on the way out and you can re-enter the same day at no extra charge.
More in the visitor FAQ.
Make a day of it
The oldest thing on the property is not an animal. A water-powered corn and grist mill was built here on North East Creek in 1734, and the Jeremiah Brown House and Mill Site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. The mill stands beside the admissions area at the front of the zoo and houses the gift shop, and the creek that once turned its wheel still runs through the grounds. Read the history of Plumpton Park Zoo.
Coming from the other direction? See zoo near Philadelphia, zoo near Wilmington, Delaware and zoo near Newark, Delaware.