Austin Zoo and Animal Sanctuary Review

Very cool rescue zoo. Walking paths go up and down the hill country terrain providing interest in the mid-size space. Interesting animals like cappybarras, grey wolves, foxes, black bears, tigers and a giant galapagos tortoise - I really was shocked at seeing on in person for the first time. Beautiful exotic birds and peacocks roaming the grounds. Also got to see a few baby peachicks which was cute. Very nice to get out of Austin on a hot day.

Animals shelter is always open so they tend to hand inside. One employee said mornings around feeding time is best.

Great and exciting place to spend time relax with animals beautiful animals all over the place beautiful staff very clean and experimental are definitely will go back again

It was great, maybe not as big as some other Zoos but the animals were all active, the trails were well shaded so it was comfortable for people too. Highly recommend getting animal feed, the kids love feeding the animals. We really got to see a lot of action with the black bears that were playing in the water and with each other, wow they can move and climb

OK Zoo.. I think its privately owned. Limited set of animals, Loved to see Bengal tiger and Peacocks

First thing I noticed it is not very stroller friendly. 90% of the trails are gravel. Parts of the park were closed off for construction when we went. It cost about 45 dollars for my wife, myself and my two kids. One was young enough to be free and that was woth my military discount on top so a little pricey. Overall decent zoo keeping in mind it is a rescue zoo.

Lots of fun for the kids. The only downside was they had someone soliciting for timeshares as soon as you walk in from Wyndham, super pushy.

This is not your typical zoo , so if you get a chance to visit don't expect what you will find in the Bronx , San Diego or Cincinnati . This is more of a walk in the woods and its an animal rescue . I got a chance to visit looking for work and was surprised at what i found , Lots of nice trails that are well shaded and looks to be well taken care of . The animals there look to be happy , well fed and the staff was very polite and helpful. I will tell you to be cautious when visiting the lion exhibit ( The Males Spray ) So ... if you are in the area and would like a super time with the kids , go check these guys out ! The only reason they didn't get 5 stars , I was not offered the job ???

Too hot and less animals but I liked the shops and please add restarnts

This small zoo was pretty good for being a rescue zoo. All the animals there are rescued from other zoos due the natural disasters or from people that kept them as pets or from the wild as well.
You can get pretty close to the animals and they offer a good variety of animals. The location of the zoo is a bit outside of Austin down a windy road about 30 mins out.

This is not a large zoo. For that, you'll need to visit San Antonio. However, for a quick zoological fix, this place is great. It's inexpensive, the staff are knowledgeable and kind, and the animals are fun to learn about. They all have their own stories - just ask the staff!

Fun place to bring kids. Not very crowded and lots of animals to see.

Not your typical zoo. Almost mom and pop like.. eclectic mix of animals

This is a smaller zoo that is the home of rescue animals. It felt as if all of the animals were, although at a safe distance, were close and could be viewed well. The entrance/exit of the zoo, which is in the gift shop, could have been designed better. I would definitely visit again.

Great place to enjoy a short morning and see these beautiful animals. And don't forget to leave your donation.

It was just a waste of time, and didnt have any animals

the animals here are lively and clearly well-cared for

I went to the new Easter special with my little brother and sister. I got a deal on Groupon but, when we got there they said "it is not usuable for special events and it should say you can't use it" it looked at the Groupon and it DID NOT say you can't use it. When I got in wasting more money all of the Easter eggs were gone. In all the kids baskets besides my little brothers and sisters were about 40 eggs. It was a VERY BIG disappointment.

Pricey for what it is! Food truck is terrible and overpriced! I think the worker was drunk or stoned. Took 30 min to wait about 8 deep in line. Stood in line for things like food and the train longer than it took to walk the zoo! About half of the said 300 animals were MIA. Workers are slow and don't care and don't know general info about where they work like open hours.

Beautiful place, amazing workers who are kind and love the animals, and it's never too packed. Even on the weekends!

This is an amazing animal sanctuary. Support this haven for abused exotic wildlife.

Highly recommend this zoo!!!!!! Not overcrowded, shaded, and great for the kids!!!! Bring your own drinks and food....we had lunch in front of the wolf exhibit. And to top it off, the staff was awesome!!!!!!

It was not pleasant at all. We saw just a couple animals in the zoo and all of them were kept in small not maintaned cages. It was hard to see poor animals in such conditions. And the zoo is not mantained at all. If you want to see a real zoo, go to the Waco zoo.

My kids absolutely loved this place and so did we! The fact that you are in the middle of the woods makes it even cooler and the train ride was a lot of fun.

Very small in size, but makes up what it lacks in size with character. Peacocks frequently room free throughout the zoo

Rad morning at the zoo. We were lucky enough to see both big cats and black bears.

I love that this zoo is actually an animal shelter. Most animals were rescued from private owners who could no longer take care of them. Get involved, check out their website and see what they need: towels, toys, etc...
They also have special Halloween opening hours and events throughout October

It's kinda small but nice and they have some cool animals

We love this zoo/rescue because we grew up 5 minutes from here and it was previously a goat farm. There are lions and tigers and bears, oh my! Monkeys, porcupines, snakes and much more. Plus a train ride and food trucks. It is not your typical paved, crowded, overpriced zoo. It has dirt paths, 75% handicap accessible and 85% shade. It also has a nice gift shop. Beware of the lions. You are only 5 feet away and they like to spray.

Just want to reiterate that as other people have stated, this is more of a refuge than a traditional zoo. That said, it is a great place to go and spend a few hours. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable, and there is a wide variety of animals to be seen. Also given that it is so close to the city, it is simply something different and fun to do!

This place is great their are birds lions tigers bears pigs and more. Go check it out.

The Austin Zoo is very different from any other zoo we've been to (Houston and Dallas)...and we loved it. It definitely has an Austin feel to it. I loved the fact that all the animals are rescues. I suggest wearing tennis shoes and packing in your lunch. Great experience at a great place! Must go!

Really happy for the work put into making these animals comfortable. Fun for the whole family.

I have mixed feelings about this place. I love the premise, and that they try to help animals in need rather than importing animals that don't belong in Texas. However, you really should research their sordid history before visiting.

Very friendly workers. It was fun with all the peacocks

The zoo has a larger separation between the cages and where people can reach. It was nice to do something different but it was very empty from a vendor perspective. The animal to see were quite limited but it's a rescue zoo so I understand.

Staff really friendly! Interesting animals to view and be up close to.

I love that this is a rescue. The kids liked the variety of animals and feeding the goats.

We drove over an hour and 1/2 to come to the zoo today. We don t live here nor have never been here. When we entered we wanted to ride the train and were trying to find it. We saw some staff and decided to ask them and before we could even ask the lady says they is no smoking in the park. It s not what she said but how she said it and I m aware smoking isn t allowed at any zoo. We get to the entrance and no hello or nothing just did you already get your tickets online once again very rude we all had on masks and the lady still said very rudely and make sure you keep it over your nose for the animals sake ok we got it the nicest person there was the train conductor. We saw very little animals bc it was so hot. My son and nephew both 2 years old were so excited on the car ride to get there and to see very little animals were very disappointed needless to say we won t come back. The only reason I gave a 2 star was the train ride and the hospitality of the gentleman conducting the train

When you walk up it doesn't look great, but when you get in, it all gets better. We were really surprised with how close and intimate you get with the animals. Highly recommend.

We had such a good time! Please fund this awesome zoo!

Great for kids I believe, has a weird train ride there, but it is reasonably priced. Bring kids though.

Great zoo, a rescue zoo which is funded by donations and zoo admissions! Very friendly staff, isn't very crowded, and and animals here are quite interesting. If you want to see peacocks... There will be no place like this - peacock paradise! They run wild around the zoo!

Really?? Satisfying for animal lovers??? But are the animals satisfied...this is horrible. They belong in the wild, not is small cages with chains... people who like this are pathetic...

I haven't been to the Austin Zoo in over 15 years, and to be honest, I can't remember anything about it! THIS time, however, I had a great time. It was laid back and low key (redundant, I know) the weather was great and the animals all looked healthy and well-cared for.
My daughter, who is just 15 months old, enjoyed feeding the goats and calling the wolf-hybrids "dawgs". We will definitely bring her back when she's a little older and can appreciate it more. This place is definitely worth a look; they do good work there. I almost took a star off of my rating bc the snack trailer there had no coins for change, but the place was packed with bus loads of kids, all wanting hit dogs and cotton candy. The dude looked wiped out!

I support this zoo because all their animals are either surrenders, rescues or helping other facilities. Every single staff I encountered was friendly and knowledgeable. I felt like our support for the zoo by visiting was greatly appreciated.

We love coming here as a family and see all the wonderful animals.

Unassuming and nice rescue zoo, petting zoo combo. Great for the family. Loved the Grey wolves exhibit.

Pretty great place, non profit, all outdoor with the exception of reptiles. Animals are active and seem happy than most other zoos I've been to. Friendly people there, too. Worth checking out for a while, just make sure the weather is good.

Not bad for a smaller zoo. There is a train ride, you can feed and pet some of the animals, and it was nice and shady.

I expected much more from this place. The cost is very high for the few animals that you can see, since they have closed access due to Covid-19. Restrooms closed, stores closed. The look of the place is as if it was not maintained. I would have loved to see it in all its glory.

Very nice small zoo that is big.enough to enjoy in half a day! We'll run clean operation that makes this an enjoyable outing for the family. Big plus is they rescued most of these animals!

Very neat place. Able to feed some animals. These animals are from all over the place. They have Bobcats, bears, and much more.

A lot is closed right now, which is understandable, but admission should probably be a reduced rate.

It's worst then it was a few years ago everything is caged to the max. Lions need more trees for shade!

Nice place, good for the kids, and for a nice walk. The animals were almost all hiding , maybe we picked the wrong time :-)

More than a zoo it is like a place where they have animals that have been rescued that were injured or abandoned without the care they should have. The route you can do as a family is very beautiful and you can also take a ride on the train that runs throughout the Zoo. There is a picnic area and they allow you to bring your own food, there are restaurants inside as well.

The zoo was pretty good. A lot of areas were blocked off i assume because lack of staff due to covid. But for the most part it was nice.

It was a very family friendly zoo. Get there early. While the staff do an excellent job of directing on where to park, the area gets full quickly.

WOW I haven t been here in YEARS and decided to take my little family on a Sunday. Great prices! Make sure you get there early at open time for best parking they have a team in the parking lot directing you where to park which is nice. It was very clean no trash anywhere and the Animals were wide awake to view! Plenty of staff around if you have any questions. Just a great fun Zoo experience its not a big zoo but it s still fun! They also do a train ride with a beautiful view and it s only $3 per person!! I would highly recommend

i got kicked out for trying to let all the big cats smell my hand. they kicked my whole family out and it ruined my sister's birthday. then we had to drive back to north austin in 5 o clock traffic. also, all of the volunteers at that flamboyantly non-profit zoo get paid a salary. a few will lie about it, and say they are volunteers. the owner drives a new infiniti QX56, and she is ugly, so i dont think she married rich.

The beautiful place looks very close to the animals go in time until you can picknik

Great little zoo with all sorts of animals! Very friendly staff and clean, organized facility. The train was a little boring, but I'm sure it's really just meant for the kiddos. I definitely recommend coming here!

Small yet of good size to spend hour and a half. Nice collection of wildlife, most of the big attraction are here. Petting zoo can be a bonus for kidos.

Was actually better than the Houston & San Antonio zoo's! The animals seem happier too!

Didn't like it at all 80% of the animals were asleep so we paid over $50 to look at empty cages and the overall zoo was very tiny

Most amazing place! The train ride is really neat. They have an amazing little petting zoo area where you can feed the animals. They do "showings" where they feed the other bigger animals. The staff there is absolutely outstanding. They also have strollers THERE you can use for free. We cannot wait to go again!

Wonderful little zoo. Great to walk around, I would say the majority of the zoo can be seen in 3 hours. There's short talks about different animals during feeding times a couple times a day.

Great place for rescuded wildlife. Tigers, wolves, giant turtle we're my favorites. Friendly staff and fun train rides for the kids.