The Art Farm in the City

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The only indoor petting zoo in the five boroughs, the Art Farm in the City brings a little piece of country life to Upper East Side kids. With drop-in hours on weekends, visitors to the “farm,” which is located on the bottom two floors of a townhouse, have the opportunity to feed bunnies, follow around a tortoise, or play with the frogs, cockatiels, or the blue-tongue skink that reside in cozy cages here. A staffer is always on hand to educate and take the animals out, and there’s always food available for feeding. (For the animal-averse—or allergic—there are a quartet of rocking horses.) Other times during the week, the farm hosts birthday parties and animal-centric art (think paper-bag chinchillas) and cooking classes in the upstairs multipurpose room, complete with a full, working kitchen. There’s also a Mommy & Me playroom and baby gym, with a huge lake mural—one of many colorful nature-themed works painted by a former employee. And though you can’t take any of the critters home, a shop upstairs is stocked with animal-themed toys, puzzles, and art supplies. — Molly Finkelstein

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Best of New York Awards

• Best Petting Zoo (2009)