Now that the heat wave is as good as over, the late summer weather will be perfect for spending the day at the zoo. Fortunately, there are many toddler-friendly zoos near Hoboken.

Over the last three years, we have taken the kids to the Bronx Zoo, Central Park Zoo, Staten Island Zoo and Turtle Back Zoo. This was the first year we had to pay for admission for my son since he is now over two years old. Our hands-down favorite is  Turtle Back Zoo. It's large enough to see all the exhibits in one day, but not so large that the experience is overwhelming. We spend the day at the snake house, petting zoo, and a number of outdoor animal exhibits where you can get really close to the animals; we were a couple of feet away from a leopard who looked like he was assessing us for lunch. The Turtle Back grounds are beautifully manicured and the price is right with free parking and admission prices of $9 for adults and $6 for children ages 2-12. At half an hour driving distance when there is no traffic, it is close enough to visit frequently.

During our last visit, the newly cool summer weather inspired all the animals to come out and be active, so my kids were thrilled to see orangutans swinging around the ropes in their habitat, black bears eating jelly off of logs, and kangaroos hopping around with their babies. My children's favorite activities were the train, pony ride, and avian exhibit, where both kids fed a myriad of brightly colored finches with $2 birdseed popsicle sticks. When it started raining, we took refuge in the petting zoo barn and then in the large indoor carousel with fantastic brightly painted gilded animals to ride on.

Turtle Back Zoo is geared toward a younger audience than the Bronx Zoo, where I went throughout my childhood and adolescence. We have a family membership to the Bronx Zoo since membership to the Wildlife Conservation Society includes entrance to multiple locations, including Central Park Zoo and the Coney Island Aquarium. Parking and admission can easily cost $50 for a family of four, so the $154 family premium membership including parking passes is a good deal if you visit the WCS facilities three or more times in a calendar year. The 10% member discount on dining and gift shops is a nice bonus.

We love visiting the polar bears, penguins and sea lions at Central Park Zoo. The children's zoo is separate from the main zoo, but one admission price gets you into both. Taking a trip into Manhattan is always fun, but parking is a giant hassle, the zoo is not very large and tends to be quite crowded. We are also nervous about falling tree branches after several incidents earlier this year.

Staten Island Zoo is the smallest of the bunch but also the closest to Hoboken; 20 minutes via the Bayonne Bridge. We stop off there after visiting my parents in Brooklyn since it has a petting zoo that you can visit quickly. It is also the most affordable with admission at $8 for adults, $5 for children ages 3-14 and free parking.

To read more about what makes Kathy Zucker tick, check out her blog at http://hobokenmomcondo.com/momblog and follow her at http://twitter.com/kathyzucker