I wanted to give this place a better rating. As they are doing a good thing. However this place needs some love. Parts of the place had a the worse pee smell. Some of the enclosures need improvement. The walking paths also need some love. As well as the restrooms. If it's a hot day I would stay away.
Great zoo and all the animals were rescued so its a good cause
Great small zoo for the family. It will not drain the parents yet it will keep kids interested.
Nice variety of animals and staff was very nice. Lots of peacocks roaming around and staff will try to warn children not to bother/chase them which I think is awesome. Kids will be kids but it's not good for the birds if they are being harassed. Good job staff and overall enjoyable place to visit!
Not your standard zoo. This zoo does a lot of rehab and rescue work. No elephants or girrafes, but most everything else is there. I always enjoy the visit.
This isn't your giant metropolitan zoo with hundreds of animals all neatly organized across a large park. But this is more than "just a rescue zoo" too. They actually have quite a variety of animals. It's clear the animals are well cared for and the zoo is kept clean and pleasant to walk in.
I went on a Groupon deal and we had a lot of fun viewing all the animals and feeding the animals in the feeding area. I'd highly recommend it, either as a weekend date or to take the kids.
This is s very small zoo. Not much to see and takes only about 20 mins at the very max to see everything. You have to go on certain days of the week to hear about one of the animals. I wish they would do the "shows" for all the animals a few times a week on the same day. It was really neat to see the peacocks walking freely around the grounds. Use Groupon for ticket discounts. It's neat for a short day visit for little kids. Don't expect to much in the way of the "zoo" idea. Still had a good time with my autistic son. Just wish there was more to see and I wish we could have been able to hear and watch the informational "shows" on the bigger animals. When we went, the bears, tigers, and other large animals where put up so their enclosures could be cleaned and most the other animals were hard to see bc of the way the enclosures were set up.
Kids enjoy going there. It's not very big but still worth visitng.
Perfect place to bring kiddos for a day out. The animals are a random selection for a zoo but the majority of them are rescued from bad situations. The train ride is every hour and it's long and a fun treat. Also feeding the goats is very entertaining.
This is not a " normal" zoo. Not a concrete jungle. Built into the natural hillside of the hill country. Strollers with little wheels aren't the best because crushed granite is most of the walkways. The habitats seem well maintained and suitable. I personally result like this zoo. I feel like the animals are overall happier here than other zoos.
Wonderful place to go with kids. And you can rent a stroller too there. We were able to feed some of the animals
Learn about animals from other countries and a family friendly place
Awesome rescue zoo. It's like the island of misfit toys but with lions and tigers and bears, OH MY!
Tooks us about 3 hours with a little one to see every thing. The staff was very friendly. The train was fun.
The best thing about this zoo is that it is a rescue zoo. No matter what you think of the zoo concept in general, there's no way to not be supportive of a place that help rehabilitate animals in a clean, safe, and spacious way. Plus, my kids love it!
I thought it was a good place to take my daughter. She had fun and we did too although maybe because of the cold some animals were hiding
The animals were very personable and interactive. Wonderful trip for the family!
Loved it.. our kids from Mcdade Elementary had a blast
Aug. 3, 2020
First I know its hard to operate during Covid-19 but the problems at this prison "zoo" looks to be decades of neglect. Animalsblookbveey sad. Animals small cramped areas are in the sun with very little shade, very stagnant dirty water if any was in the areas. The monkeys, emu and ostrich look like they have mange. That's the animals we were allowed to see.
So much fun! Animals were all very active and the birds talked and whistled to us.
I love the close, personal feel of this zoo. I also love that it's a rescue Haven for animals... Perfect for Austin!! The staff is always friendly and knowledgeable!
it was a very pleasant small zoo. not packed and had some nice animals to look at.
Love this place. They let you feed the goats. The train is awesome, we HAD to ride it twice!
Had a lot of fun! Nephews and niece enjoyed it as well. Especially having lunch with peacocks walking around the picnic tables.
This was a really fun family trip to take the kids I was babysitting. We went in the morning as soon as it opened to beat some of the summer heat. For an adult and 2 kids (along with 1 bag of animal feed for each kid) it was $35. The zoo is well laid out and I love that they are a sanctuary for rescued animals. Make sure kiddos wear closed tied shoes (walking in dirt and rocks). Train ride was fun for kids but a lot of animals weren't out because of the heat. This would be fun in the fall.
The Zoo is awesome, clean. Fun to see some peacocks wandering around. We like that it has rescued animals and their stories posted. The train ride is fun too.
Great zoo, just remember it's a rescue zoo, so don't expect the animals to be really active and playful.
I love visiting the Austin Zoo! It's definitely more rescue sanctuary than what you'd expect for a zoo, but I appreciate the work they do here. The petting zoo is always a good time.
The lion is always sleeping! After 2 visits, I barely saw the lion.
The condition inside is not great to watch, this maybe due to the fact that this place is run on donations. Request to please increase the entry fee if that helps.
It's so nice that all the animals are rescued from being mistreated or killed. Great experience.
Not your typical zoo, it is a rescue zoo; ever animal was in need of a forever home and the Austin Zoo gave them one.
I enjoyed the visit there with my daughter. New animals and expanding, looks good.
Had a great trip to the zoo. Found a handsome deal on Groupon too!
It's small, but it is great! It's nice to go somewhere the animals are rescued, not just imprisoned for viewing pleasure. Great for kids.
It's a great home for rescued animals, giving them a new lease on life.
Oh my, this is a wonderful place to go and spend couple of hours. All looks like they take care of animals well. Please just keep in mind it is a small zoo. But if you love animals, it is worth coming here and just spend peaceful and relax time here.
Plenty of amazing animals to see here, went early in the morning so some of them were still sleeping or hiding in the shade but can't really complain. Think it'd be cool if they had a different set up for the owl they have though that kept it dark inside her habitat during the day so it would be awake instead of asleep hardly in sight. Just a small suggestion. Still had a great experience here, the staff were kind and informative. Will definetely be back again!
Yes, this is a small sanctuary zoo, so keep that in mind when you go. They have about 100 different species, counting smaller things like porcupines and different birds. More of a wandering-around zoo than the larger ones tend to be.
Lots of shade in most areas, which is great in Texas.
Lots of signs explaining how the animals got there and what their natural habitat is, which I love- most zoos are low on signs.
Some of the enclosures are a bit smaller than ideal due to the zoo not having too much property, but all the animals have lots of enrichment, including animals like emus and llamas that aren't usually given toys. Everything looks happy, nothing shows any stress behaviors.
Lots of peacocks walking around, and you can pick up whatever feathers you get lucky and find, or buy some of the gorgeous tail feathers for $1 each in the gift shop. Great souvenir. Keep an eye on the ground around the picnic benches and shrubs, that's where feathers tend to be.
Gift shop is small, but clean and well-organized, and they have more than the usual generic souvenirs. Lots of nice jewelry, and, again, all the proceeds go towards keeping the animals happy.
They have a /lot/ of surrendered parrots, attesting to how unsuitable parrots are as pets. Talk to the parrots, they know a lot of words.
If you hear loud grunting/roaring noises, it's probably the two lions. They're handsome guys, stop by and watch them play with their toys, or go and watch the tigers in their pool.
Staff are friendly, clearly dedicated, and definitely love the animals. Chatted with a nice lady who was alternating between cleaning a parrotlet's cage and playing with the happy bird, and saw some staff members at work on building larger enclosures.
I only have two complaints, both very minor. The zoo is winding and can be hard to navigate, needing a few more of those standing maps, and they need more seating along the paths. I assume this is because the money they get all goes towards the animals.
Animals are not well taken care of, this is a very sad place.
If your looking for something big then this is not the place for you. However for its size there is lots to see. We had a great time. You can bring food and drinks in and picnic if you like as well.
It was very fun but because of the time of year that we decided to go it was extremely hot and all the animals are and their habitats and hard to see
We love this zoo. It's not your average big city zoo, but it has so much charm and is a sanctuary for animals. We always enjoy our visits.
Very nice smaller zoo. Not crowded or over priced. Great 4 children of all ages.
Wasn't sure what to expect from this zoo since it operates as a rescue facility for animals; however, they had an amazing group of animals to see. The best thing about this zoo is how close you are to the animals for viewing and how much care they take of these animals is truly evident.
Great little zoo! Loved to read all the stories about where the individual animals came from! Also, the zoo keepers we met were friendly and happy to chat about the animals and answer questions! Will DEFINITELY come again!
Fun zoo! Done if the areas were closed off most likely due to covid but we still had a great time!
MORE OF A ANIMAL RESCUE, but definitely loved that part about the Austin zoo. Coming from San antonio it's about a quarter of the size of our zoo. It did have all the big animals lions tigers and bears! A huge amount of monkeys and tortoises. They have jogging strollers available for rent and even regular stroller to use for free which I found extremely kind and thoughtful. On our visit some of the animals weren't visible, kinda disappointing. And of course the animals we could see were sleeping lol not the zoo's fault though. Our kids loved it.
Our family had a great time visiting the Austin zoo. We loved reading how each animal was rescued. We will definitely be back when we visit Austin again.
There are lions, a tigre and some other animals. A little small but it's a rescue Zoo after all
Nice but animals looked very uncomfortable in their small cages. No real shelter from the scorching heat.
Not a big fan of the zoo concept, but this is more of an animal sanctuary that charges admission to obtain resources necessary for these animal's care. Granddaughter loved the little train ride and I was charmed by the free roaming birds and the fun, funky "yard art." There signs everywhere with details about the animals like their names, (when known) ages, special needs, care and treatments. Another sign posted throughout the zoo stated there was a zero tolerance policy against taunting or mistreatment of any kind and urged visitors to report anything they observed
We traveled an hour & paid full price to only visit for 20 min because they had an event and had to close an hour early. I did not see nothing on the website either
Excellent family retreat for at least half day of fun. Lots of exotic animals, plenty of natural shade and rest areas. Nice train ride the kids enjoy very much. Friendly and knowledgeable staff. A not for profit zoo do all proceeds benefit the entire rescued animals. Peacocks fly and strut around with their beautiful display. Can't say enough good about this special place. Go! Enjoy with your family.
Amazing shelter/zoo! The facilities to keep the animals are great for a non profit, and there is so much to look at!
this was our first time going it's a decent price had no issues using groupon either
my son loved it to be a smaller type zoo they had a bunch of animals very enjoyable got thru everything in about 2 hours maybe a little more even with feeding the animals too we know next time to come earlier to see the shows and stuff wished they posted the times online so we know ahead of time so we can catch them
but will be coming back
A good place to go for a walk with family or friends and meet animals from other countries
Prices are good especially if you get a groupon. Lots of animals, nice areas, and you can hand feed a couple of animals.
Better life for the animals than they would have had in private captivity yet they looked so sad. Keepers doing what they could with what they have.
Not a lot of animals, and they were out there cages
The real thing. The glitz and glamor of modern day bio-parks is replaced with intimacy and compassion. Take time to listen to the regular zookeeper talks. Hear how the animals got there. Observe the way they are fed. Even the tortoises have striking
individual personalities. Who knew? Not me anyway.
This is the saddest zoo I've ever seen. I know the place rescues animals but it is just downright depressing. All the cages seem way too small. I would never want to take a kid here. It's nice to feed and touch the goats and llamas, but all the animals appear severely obese from too much food. This place made me never want to go to a zoo again.
Love it.Went on a school field trip. Too cold for the main animals to be out, but we just love our zoo! One of the best places in Austin
To have a membership and spend the day. Great Sprinbreak for kids.
Perfect zoo for my grandchildren. Staff in front office is SO personable and engaging. This was our first trip to Austin zoo. We will be buying a season pass for certain.
I would not call it a "zoo" as much as an "animal rescue".
I've been to several zoos and this was definitely different. The enclosures were small for the animals and many of the animals were showing signs of stress. The train ride offered is mostly through trees and shrubs, not a tour of the property, and it's not included in the admission ticket.
On the positive side, this place is small enough to visit without getting sore feet, and you can see lots of different animals close to each other. The property is also overrun by peacocks and peahens, so it was a neat experience to have them in such close proximity.
Overall, my kids found this place to be an interesting experience and liked putting coins in the donation boxes found around the preserve, but I would not come here again as I found it generally depressing to see the condition of some of the animals and enclosures.
Small but you get to see each animal up and close. Kids will love it.
Made you wear a mask even though your out side and not around other people.. said it was to protect the animals.. a virus can be carried on hands when your feeding them. Dont recommend coming. Animals shouldnt be kept in cages anyways. Dont come here.
Small zoo, lots of shade, easy to navigate. Several pokestops.
austinzoo.org