Discover

Behind-the-Scenes Tours

Go behind the scenes to see the Zoo from a new point of view! On this exclusive tour, you'll meet some amazing animals and have your questions answered by our Educational Specialists.

If you don’t see the availability you were looking for, please contact us!

Cancellation Policy

• All tours cancelled seven or more days in advance of the scheduled date will receive a partial refund equal to 80% of the original tour cost.
• All tours cancelled less than seven days in advance of the scheduled date will not receive a refund. Tours can be rescheduled to an available date for an additional $35.00 fee.
• Be advised that late arrivals are not able to be accommodated due to previously scheduled feedings and procedures.  If you arrive more than 10 minutes late for your tour you will have to discuss rescheduling options with your educator.

Covid Policy

Please note: these requirements do not apply to Tortoise Encounters.

Vaccination Requirements:
In accordance with our current vaccine policy, you must show proof of vaccination against COVID-19 to enter all of our Behind-the-Scenes spaces at both Stone Zoo and Franklin Park Zoo:

• Visitors ages 5 and above are required to present proof of at least one dose of vaccination against COVID-19.
• Effective Sunday, May 1, 2022, visitors 5 years of age and older are required to present proof of full vaccination against COVID.

Proof of vaccination may include:

• A CDC vaccination card
• A digital image of your CDC card
• An image or printout of any official immunization record
• A city-designated app containing a digital image of any official immunization record, or any verification application developed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, or developed or endorsed by the City of Boston.

To prevent spreading COVID to our animals, to our guests and to our staff, all tour participants must take the following precautionary steps before your tour:

• Please screen yourself and your group ahead of time to make sure that nobody in your group has any symptoms of a cold. If anyone in your group does have any cold symptoms, please ask those individuals to excuse themselves from the tour.
• Guests will be asked to complete a questionnaire and sign off on requirements ahead of attending the behind-the-scenes (BTS) experience. Responses of “Yes” to any of the following questions will require rescheduling those persons or the entire household from BTS tours until such time as all conditions on the questionnaire can be answered with “No” responses. One person can answer the questions on behalf of the rest of your group. A staff member will provide you with a questionnaire on the day of your tour or, if you prefer, you can download it below, complete it, and bring it with you on the day of your tour.
  • Have you or any members of your party tested positive for COVID-19 within the last 10 days?
  • Have you or any members of your party had any symptoms including fever, coughing, difficulty breathing, or other symptoms of illness in the last 10 days?
  • Have you or any members of your party been exposed to anyone that has tested positive, or has had symptoms consistent with COVID- 19 in the last 14 days?
    
    
• Each guest will have their temperature taken by Zoo New England staff with a touchless thermometer prior to entering the behind-the-scenes area. Any guest with a temperature of 100F or higher will need to reschedule. It is recommended that guests take their own temperature at home before coming to the Zoo that day, if possible, and stay at home if their temperature is elevated.
• Although we allow up to four guests per registration, only two guests from your tour may enter the exhibit at a time to allow for social distancing. We will divide the 30-minute tour time between the participants in your group.
• Before and after the tour, we will ask that guests sanitize their hands.
• New, disposable surgical masks must be worn during the entire length of your tour. No cloth masks, please.