The Central Park Zoo is a great place for families to check out hundreds of different animals. (Staten Island Advance/Shane DiMaio) And the bird sanctuary may be the most interactive of the bunch.

Empire State Building, Central Park Zoo, ... Empire State Building planned to reopen on July 20 and be open from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m for the first few weeks via timed tickets.

If you look on the Central Park Zoo's website, they'll tell you that it costs $12 for general admission and $18 for the "Total Experience," which includes admission to their "4-D" theater. But ...

Tickets are sold until one half-hour before closing. The zoo is located at Fifth Avenue and 64th Street. For more information, call 212-439-6500 or visit www.centralparkzoo.com.

An adorable 1-year-old red panda named Biru now calls the Central Park Zoo home. Biru recently joined his female companion, Amaya, in the Temperate Territory of the zoo.