Austin Zoo and Animal Sanctuary Reviews

Not overwhelming for the little ones, great mission, wonderful information on each animal.

It's small, the outputs of the train are every hour it's hard to get there without gps

Awesome Zoo. Never knew it was there. Great for little ones. They even have a train that will take you around the zoo. Great views.

Pretty neat if you have a spare hour or two. Definitely not a tradicional zoo but enjoyable just the same.

This place is awesome. It rescues animals, therefore it is better than a regular zoo because They have a purpose

This place is great, try to go on a cooler cloudy day otherwise the bengal tigers will be too hot and sleeping.

I really enjoyed my visit. Some enclosures seem a little small, others are better and bigger. It looks like they work hard to make sure the animals are healthy, there was lots of enrichment. I really liked the signage for each animal with their name and stories. I was also impressed by the variety of species.

This is a great place! This place does a great job with the animals. All animals here were rescued or given up. They run mostly on what donations they get. Check website for days, times and other info. You can sponsor the animals too!

Such an adorable little zoo! Its has a great mission. It's a non profit zoo that runs off of donations. The animals seemed so happy. The place was clean besides the zoo smell lol. Didnt take long to walk the entire thing. They offer a little train ride. It didnt feel crowded at all. Plenty of space. Loved feeding the animals. Will definitely return one day. Worth the 3 hour drive!

Definitely different type of zoo. First time going, kids loved feeding the animals, we have many pics and videos, priceless. One thing, wear tennis because the pathways are not made of cement.

Rescued animals from various locations find a home here. Sparse surroundings but educational. Animals cared for with places to retreat when they are hot or tired of people (humane practices). Great setup for children to view the animals. Petting zoo section is well thought out.

$14.95 is overpriced when half of the zoo was blocked off and with ugly orange construction blockade. After all, it was nice to be able to see the white tiger and lions close up; the bears, the llamas and the farm animals gave a good experience. BUT HUGE bummer that the train was broken, we got refunded but the main reason we came is for our LO to have a real train ride experience. Really disappointed.

I loved the idea of a rescue zoo. The park was clean, staff was knowledgeable and appeared to love what they do. They were assigned times to talk to the public about the animals in the exhibits.

The driveway up to the place was pretty scary, as you have a very narrow entrance road with 2 way traffic surrounded by tree areas. The front entrance where you get tickets has a tiny gift shop that gets pretty crowded, as this serves as both the entrance, exit and only place to get merch in the zoo. There was a cool collection of stuffed animal toys, semi rare smooth rocks an other animal related trinkets.

This zoo is not that bad. They don't have every single animal here but most are here. This is a smaller zoo so that's understandable. I did not see any large primates like gorillas, chimpanzees, or orangatangs. There wasn't much going on in the water animal department such as seals, octopus and so on. There was a small area for snakes and lizard reptiles but their cages seemed pretty underwhelming and sad. Other animals this zoo didn't contain are elephants, rhinos cheetahs, giraffes, flamingos,

There was an interesting section of goats, llamas and deer that the zoo sells feed that you can give to the animals. The goats are right up in your face and I even thought that one was going to climb out of the fenced area. Throughout the front of the zoo there are many peacocks all over the place. They are commonly seen at the front eating tables, even though there are signs everywhere that say not to feed them. I even saw several climbing up onto the tabletops where everyone was sitting and eating.

The only food available is a single truck at the front of the park. That has things like hot dogs, corn dogs, sausage wraps, personal pizzas, snow cones, cheap nachos, so there's not a diner or anything which I think the place could benefit from. It would also be nice to have a separate restroom at the back of the park, as the only one I saw was up at the front entrance.

There is a neat train that kids and parents can ride for $3 a person. This goes around the park and offered sights to we few animals that I'm not sure you can see otherwise, such as longhorns and emus. The train goes through a woods area and has displays set up for cheap dinosaurs to see. Nothing too large or exciting though.

The lions were hilarious. One was a little bit annoyed and put his backside to us so don't be in the line of fire. Great place to take the kids. If you love animals, you should go.

Fun place, not your traditional zoo but plenty to see and very nice people.

less touristy than the typical zoo, Groupon offers a discount for admission. we drive from Houston to Austin once a year for the sole purpose of going to this zoo!

Very nice, although it is not a zoo as such because they are animals that donated that were being cared for by people, very well everything.

It s good to have thing closed to the city !! I love how they take care of the animals

It is a small zoo...I knew that before going, which was great I have a little one so it worked out perfectly. My husband and kids Loved talking to the Cockatoo the most! All of the bigger animals and birds have well fitting enclosures for their sizes.....the monkey's enclosures are little and I think they need more room!

Great to visit with the wife, it was just SO HOT when we went a couple of weeks back and many of the animals were not out to see. Great opportunity to spend time if you have kids too.

This place is worth a visit. As other reviewers are saying, this isn't like a big metro zoo. Smaller crowds, cheaper entry fee, less commercialism, and you can view the animals from a shorter distance. Sure this zoo is smaller, but it had enough animals for me. I don't need to see 9 different species of deer.

Some of the most delicious food here. A little on the raw side tho

Went in with low expectations, knowing they were rescue animals, but I was wonderfully surprised

I just love this zoo. It's smaller than your big city zoos but has all the animals you need to satisfy an animal lover. I loved the trees shading our walk. It's not overcrowd. The train ride is awesome and the picnic area is great with a full show of male peacocks showing off for the ladies.

We enjoyed our visit. It's a little zoo and rehab so you have to keep that in mind when visiting. It's not even comparable to the Houston zoo and to do so is just ridiculous.

A box turtle couldn't flip herself over, so we told an employee. He immediately stopped to go help her. Apparently she does that all the time because he knew exactly which one we were reporting.

For it being kind of small, I enjoyed it. The people were polite and three place was very clean

Zoo perfect for Austin, not the normal zoo experience but fun for kid and family will be returning next time im in Austin

Nice sancturary zoo, good variety of animals with a nice train ride beautiful peacocks....

The cages are dirty need cleaning The condition is poor for the animal

It was a fun little trip. Very small and some animals were not on display. You can get SO close to the tiger exhibit! Loved feeding the animals too. Live peacocks just hanging out with you where ever you go! Buy a little food for them and you can get super up close and personal! There is a BBQ truck just before the Zoo, only place to stop for food nearby and it is awesome but not on the map!
Take the train ride!

Feel so lucky to have this wonderful place in my town!

Recently visited the Austin Zoo with my 10 year-old son. We spent a little less than two hours on site. It was a lot of fun! The staff were all very friendly and helpful. There were a variety of rescue animals who all appeared to well taken care of by the facility. It was worth the drive!

Love the Austin Zoo. Can t wait to go back when they are fully open and I can enjoy myself again. I appreciate the concern over covid as all sensible people do but closed off areas and being asked to wear a mask outside in the Texas heat for several hours is just not feasible. And they are still charging full price.

I pray for this to all end quickly so we can all enjoy the wonderful animals!

Very small area. Has some diverse animals, but not some of the well known animals.

First time here, spent a great afternoon with my wife and granddaughter strolling around the park, and getting seriously up close with one of the lionesses. Superb variety for a smaller zoo, everything is clean and well maintained.

Small zoo with lots of smaller animals. Great for younger kids.

Rescue zoo matches Austin values. We also like that it's low key and small enough for our two year old to cover on foot without getting over tired. If you ride the train, the back is best to dampen the loud whistle and fumes.

Not bad we went on a pretty hot day and only thing I could ask for is to see more of the animals but it was pretty neat! Learned about Renay the alligator his handled was very informative!

Great little rescue zoo. Fun place for little kiddos to run around and see a few animals from the animal kingdom. They appear to do great things with the resources they have, and donations they receive.

Lots of fun for kids... its Boo at the Zoo at Austin Zoo!

Gravel road too dangers for our elderly parents. Port a potty were nasty and animals looked sick and unhealthy. Too pricey for the few interesting animals we say.

I was very upset at the condition that the animals were in. Especially the poor alligator he had zero water! Alot of the animals were very bored nothing to do or interact with. Food and gift shop very expensive. The zoo should have more bathroom areas there's only the 1 area right by entrance. I understand it is very expensive to care for these wonderful creatures however they did not ask to be captured and put on display for our amusement. It is our responsibility to care for the creatures we take in.

Amazing animals, and you get way closer to them here than at any other zoo. A bot off the beaten path but worth it. If you have kiddos with you, there is plenty for them to do including a train ride

people are very friendly, but more like a petting zoo. Aside from Tiger and lion it's pretty much like being on a farm. My little one had a blast though

This zoo is amazing! It provides a forever home for animals rescued from a variety of unfortunate situations. You won't find the attractions common to for-profit zoos, but you can feel confident that your money is contributing to the welfare of the animals housed there.

We had so much fun the staff is wonderful and the animals great

Had a nice time here. Not the largest zoo, but it's a nice little rescue

My first time at the zoo even though I've lived in the Austin area from 1980-91 and in Hays Co 2004-the present. It's such a wonderful organization filled with caring zoo staff and healthy, contended beautiful rescued or surrended animals. It was such a great experience and I encourage everyone to go!

Everything was blocked off, the animals looked like they haven t ate in a long time. There was social distancing from the animals you couldn t even see half of the animals because you were so far away. I can t believe we wasted money.

Nice, small zoo. I like that they clearly my focus on their animals. The facilities could use some sprucing up, but the animals come first. The roaming peacocks were entertaining

Great place to bring your kids. The employees are kind to customers and don't mind answering questions.

It's good family fun. Take a train ride while you're there.

Great place, the handlers are very nice and enjoy what they do. I don't nessicarly suggest getting feed or the train ride, but the admission price is a great deal.

All of the animals here have been rescued and are now enjoying life and this great little zoo. Each animal has information about how they came to the zoo, their age, and their name. They have lots of informative talks and activities for kids. I recommend buying a bag of feed so you can feed the goats, deer, llamas, and sheep. Also, consider checking out their wish list on their website before you go so you can bring the zoo something they need!

Good rescue zoo. We enjoyed the up close interaction with the animals

Pretty cool place. Have lots of different types of animals for a small zoo.

My son had such a good time feeding the animals and enjoyed the tortoises and let's not forget the reptiles....

It was a nice little zoo that showed a lot of character.

Love this place. Small old Austin zoo. Very cool.

Great experience for the little ones. They are doing great things for those animals!

Austin zoo is a rescue zoo filled with a variety of animals.

We always enjoy our time at this zoo. It's not big, but big enough to spend 2-3 there. The train ride is lovely as it showcases our hill country views. When you buy tickets, buy a bag of food to feed the animals.

Decent zoo, best part was the lions. Some stuff under construction, I expected more for a major city like Austin.

Keep it going great Zoo... thank you for the work you are doing rescuing these animals! Best Lion and Bear exhibit I have seen this was my 23rd zoo/ sanctuary type experience!

Very disappointed. There was no indication on their site that many of the attractions were closed, such as the reptile house and train, yet the prices were the same. All exhibits are roped off to keep you so far away that it's almost impossible to see some of the animals, again still charging the same entry prices. The employees are very nice though.

Amazing zoo amd animals the kids truly enjoy it and the train

great rescue 'farm'
we enjoyed it alot. not really stroller friendly-fyi

Terrible zoo, Little to no animals, Terrible conditions and bad staff.

Always a wonderful place to take the kids! Groupon's are typically always available too making it an affordable place for the family!

Loved the atmosphere and zoo. Not too big and enough trees tomprovide shade

Great zoo for little ones, we brought our 2 year old and she loved every minute.

It was ok, you could barely see the animals. The kids liked the peacocks.

This place makes you feel that all's there when love's there...the animals are a treat to be with for a couple of hours and the non profit nature of this place gives you the feeling of a ranch where animals properly fended for. An absolute treat to be here.