We visited the Houston Zoo as part of a "birthday ...

We visited the Houston Zoo as part of a "birthday celebration" for my wife and son. Neither of them had been to a zoo in a major city so this was a big treat for them and they were not disappointed. Making use of the off site parking and free shuttle service worked out excellent. They zoo staff was very friendly and helpful. While there are two new areas being built the rest of the areas were in good shape and the animals are healthy and well cared for based on what we saw. Since we visited while the Houston Rodeo was going on there were no bad crowds. It is definitely a great idea for a family outing.