“Flooded out park & zoo buildings”
This place is on private property. Listing for informational purposes only. Please do not visit without express permission from the land owner. In 1932, the Wilkes-Barre Municipal Zoo opened as “a park for the people,” the design of which had been commissioned a decade previous. Not big by any stretch, the park nevertheless showcased monkeys, bears, buffalo, deer, wild birds and other small animals, as well as a wading pool and walking trails – all of which were doubtless enjoyed by the public. Yet disaster struck as early as 1936 when the park was flooded, and the zoo got placed in a “natural zone” – on one side of the dike created to manage the situation, and which to this day divides Kirby Park. Cut off from the city side of the park, the small zoo fell into disrepair, and by 1946 – following animals dying in captivity and reports of infestation by vermin – little remained but the monkey house. Today, the ruins of buildings that once belonged to the zoo are still standing – as is the river observation deck and caretaker’s cottage – but as a place it’s clearly a shadow of its former self.
Reviews
It's not on private property, it's still technically part of the Wilkes-Barre Riverfront/Boat Launch. If you walk past the tennis courts in the back of the park to the (very much public) paved bike path on top of the dike, there is a sign that has photos of the caretaker's cottage and such, as well as directions to them from where you are standing. It's a nice walk when the weather's nice, because it leads you through a path near the river. Just check the river levels before you head down, because the area tends to flood
Be the first to add a review to the Kirby Park Ruins.
Kirby Park Ruins
Hours
Problem with this listing? Let us know.
Has RV parking changed? Let us know.
-
Parking
-
Pets Allowed
-
Restrooms
-
Wifi
-
Wheelchair Accessible
-
Credit Cards Accepted
Nearby Hotels
Related Trip Guides
The top things to do on an I-95 road trip
- 50 Places
- 41:46
- 1,983 mi
The top things to do on an East Coast road trip
- 32 Places
- 48:54
- 2,584 mi
The top things to do on an I-80 road trip
- 35 Places
- 53:41
- 3,194 mi