New England’s Only Zoo and Amusement Park — York’s Wild Kingdom

York’s Wild Kingdom is located near the border of Maine and NH, and sits just across the street from York Short Sands Beach. Not only is it a family friendly zoo, it’s also an amusement park. In fact, it claims to be New England’s only zoo and amusement park combo. And while the amusement park is really just a bunch of carnival rides packed in a small area between a few food carts, I still remember having such a blast at York’s. Which is why I ventured out there this past week to see if it still has its New England charm.

I don’t want to bash a local attraction that has given me and many others such joy over the years, but I was disappointed at the current state of the park. YWK has been owned by the same person since 1980, so I had hoped to see some of those classic rides running like paddle boats and bumper boats. But unfortunately time (and the pandemic) has not been kind to the park. It’s a bit rundown, a little overgrown, and slightly underwhelming. Many of the rides were not operating due to lack of staffing, the arcade was completely closed, and some of the animal pens were empty.

That being said — the nostalgia I felt walking through the butterfly kingdom and the petting zoo areas of YWK prevented the smile from leaving my face for the entire day. Even though it was sad to see it in its dilapidated state, I had to consider the fact that this place survived the pandemic at all. The employees who were there seemed so happy to be welcoming guests again, the families visiting with their young children had the biggest smiles, and the line of people waiting to get their large fried dough was as long as I’ve ever seen it. At about $15 admission per adult and about $10 per child, I wouldn’t venture too far to enjoy York’s Wild Kingdom unless this is a place you visited as a kid and want to give those same memories to your children. It is a great cheap option for your family, though, if you’re in the York area and your kids love seeing animals.