Never miss what is happening in Sussex County
Events, new openings and weekend plans from Newton to Vernon, Sparta to Stanhope. Straight to your inbox, free.
Costumes get you in the gate for free at Space Farms Zoo and Museum later this month. The Wantage zoo holds its annual Boo at the Zoo on Saturday, October 24, and Sunday, October 25, 2026, and every child under 12 in costume who comes with a full priced adult is admitted free.
What to expect at Boo at the Zoo
According to the zoo’s events page, every costumed child gets a goodie bag, and there is a costume contest at 2 p.m. both days. Plan to arrive early enough to walk the whole park before the contest.
The costumes are the hook, but the zoo is the main event. Space Farms is a 100-acre zoo and museum complex with more than 500 live animals, including lions, tigers, bears, leopards, kangaroos, monkeys, llamas and hyenas. The museum side has nine large buildings with more than 50 antique cars and motorcycles, horse-drawn carriages, old farm machinery and plenty more to explore. There is also a picnic area, a playground and an on-site pizza restaurant.
One of the last weekends of the season
Space Farms is open daily through Sunday, November 1, 2026, the last day of its 2026 season. That makes Boo at the Zoo one of the final chances to visit this year, and the zoo is celebrating 99 years in 2026. Plenty of people up here grew up going, and now bring their own kids and grandkids.
Know before you go
- Where: Space Farms Zoo and Museum, 218 County Road 519, Sussex, NJ 07461, in the Beemerville section of Wantage
- When: Saturday, October 24, and Sunday, October 25, 2026
- Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., last entrance at 4 p.m.
- Costume contest: 2 p.m.
- Free entry: children under 12 in costume with a full priced adult
- Tickets: daily zoo tickets on the Space Farms website start at $26. Call (973) 875-3223 for full admission rates.
The zoo’s listing does not spell out rules for large groups, so if you are bringing a crowd, call ahead and confirm before you head out.
Make a day of it in Sussex County
Wantage is a short drive from High Point State Park, so it is easy to turn this into a full fall day. For more ideas, see our list of things to do in Sussex County this October and our guide to apple and pumpkin picking in Sussex County.
Know about an event we should cover? Our team wants to hear about it. Reach out through our contact page.
Featured photo: Yaroslav Shuraev via Pexels.
Have a Sussex County event coming up?
Share it with Sussex County.
Festivals, fundraisers, 5Ks, school nights, grand openings. Send us the date, time, place and a flyer, and our team will reach out about getting it in front of Sussex County.
Enjoying our Sussex County coverage?
Add us as a preferred source and our stories show up higher in your Google results.
Add as a preferred source
