Austin Zoo and Animal Sanctuary Review

Very nice zoo. Loved the sister wolves who put on a howling show for us. People who have walking difficulties might find this a hard zoo to visit.

It is more than a zoo. It is a rehabilitation center. My kid loved to feed the animals.

Had a great family trip here. All animals have been taken to a better home and life away from their breeder or backstory. I liked it here because it was cheap and we had a great time in general. The train was a nice surprise at the end.

Was a fantastic place to take the kids!!!! You get to be really close up to all the animals!

Very up close to the animals. Fun and entertaining. Cheap.

Great place to spend time with the kids, not to many exotic animal but enough to keep the kids entertained for a while. I'm planning on going back. Everyone working there is really friendly.

My family loves this zoo! It's not this huge place or grand. It is just a friendly and nice sized zoo. I feel this zoo does try to respect the animals and most are rescued. Child friendly and handicapped accessible.

I really loved that all of the animals are rescue animals and they all have a story.

The worst zoo I have ever seen. Animals look sick, cages were dirty, this zoo is pitiful for Texas' capital city.

My clan had a great time, but some of the animals we really wanted to see were off to the vet. The staff is really friendly and you can get pretty close to the animals. It's a small zoo but a great and cheap way to spend a Saturday with the kids.

Better during a more hotter season. Some of the animals put on a show so, that makes up for some of it.

Austin zoo is a great small zoo and rescue for many animals easy to walk around and see lions, tigers and bears o my! Worth the cost of admission we go everytime we visit austin.

Keep your distance from the chain link fence that houses the Lions. One of the Lions sprayed me. And in case you have never been pissed on by a 250 pound African lion it can not only be embarrassing but can totally ruin your day!

Had alot of construction but i really luv it nice family place..

nice smaller zoo, can get close to the limited amount of animals

My husband and I have visited the Austin Zoo on both of our babymoon trips and have loved it both times. The admission is cheap, and there is a great selection of animals. My favorite thing is that all of the animals are rescued as opposed to bred in captivity, and you can read their names and stories. There is plenty of shade from the Texas sun. Just be sure to wear close-toed shoes since the walkways aren't smooth!

I love the Austin zoo. It's always changing due to the needs of the animals. It's a pretty drive into Hill Country as well.

We had a nice time at the zoo. I loved that every plate describing the species had their names and birthdays - very cute! The large cats were very majestic. The train could be improved with running more often than once an hour on high volume days. The animals looked mostly health. We did watch a goat get tackled by the workers and it looked like they were forcing some medicine - understandable but probably more appropriate time to do it or heads up to the people right by the enclosure as it looked super distressed/ scared and for some of the kids that was a little scary to watch.

We visited the zoo and weren't expecting too much based on hearing others' comments. We were pleasantly surprised by the zoo. It isn't huge but it has a lot to see. My son really loved the petting zoo and interacting with the animals. The lion was right up next to the fence bellowing when we were there. That was certainly a sight to see! We were only there a little over an hour but we had a great time!

I applaud the concept here, all donated or saved animals. But too many tortoises and lemurs. Needs more variety?

I rate this as a 5-star small zoo. It is a great zoo for families; not a lot of walking required; nice variety of animals; opportunities to pet and feed small domesticated animals and freely roaming peacocks. A train ride is available especially for small children. This is a great half-day activity for a family, including grandparents!

I don't know what you call this place, but this does not look or feel like a zoo. With most of the animals out of view and seem to be out of commission due to overwhelming sluggishness. Keep out tape or red fence tape everywhere. All but one concession or vending was closed, with the only one being toward the end of the zoo exit. So assuming you don't want anything to eat or drink until the end. Oh and that will only be chips and drink. Let's also keep in mind visiting will feel a lot like driving though a ton of backwoods away from anything city just to get here. I feel like the zoo was an afterthought to the city.

It's not the best quality, but what makes this place amazing is the rescue work this zoo does. It's donation based, so please consider supporting this place. Great work!

It's a nice rehab sanctuary. Very up close with the habitats. All of the animals looked healthy and not nervous unlike some zoos I have been to in the past. The only "problem" was the ground was unpaved which would be difficult for elderly or small children/families with strollers or handicapped with wheelchairs.

Cool little zoo for small kids. All animals are rescues so it is a good zoo to support.

This was our first time. Keep in mind that the basis for this zoo is an animal sanctuary, so no giant animals here, although there is a lot of variety and some very good species on display. It is good for the kids and very interactive with the animals that you can feed and the peafowl roaming. The train ride was a nice conclusion to our day.

It's a nice and clean Zoo. Not as big as the other Zoos around Texas but seems like they managed it well.

Great little zoo. Wife and I loved it, staff was wonderful. Great price..

Small, but worth it. Friendly, helpful staff and great facilities.

It's a great place for family. Everyone working there are really awesome.

Small zoo. Really enjoyed the zookeeper talks. But doesn't have many animals.

Had a great time there with the kids. Will definitely be going back.

I love that this place is a sanctuary for animals that are in need. Thank you for being so awesome. My favorite is definitely the Lion , coz every time I go they end up spraying on my boyfriend.

Took grand kids - 3 and 1. It is small enough, shaded enough, and the animals are close enough. Very fun experience.

Just love the. Purpose behind this zoo. Grateful there is a rescue for these beautiful animals.

For young kids and people with a heart for rescuing animals, this is an ideal zoo. It's a bit small, but well designed, with ample shade for people and animals--a must in this climate. Zoo staff are friendly and give scheduled talks--we caught the monkey one and it was great. The train is fun, and you see animals from it that you would otherwise miss. My kids like the lizard house, feeding the goats, the talking birds, lions, tigers and bears. My toddler son and I went one day in the winter, and the wolfdogs were howling, which was memorable and cool.

There's a food truck that sells snow cones, hot dogs and other snacks, and there are vending machines. I think I saw a selection of strollers that you could borrow. Speaking of strollers, you'd want to use one with more rugged tires, large wheels, etc. The trails throughout aren't paved, and are frequently rocky or uneven.

There are some cute photo ops. Overall it's a nice place, and I'm sure the kids and I will be back. I like that vendors aren't all over the place, and it's a rescue zoo. They have bios up for just about every animal, and have made efforts throughout to educate the public about the realities of caring for exotic animals. For older kids or adults looking for a bigger zoo, more variety of animals and environments, check out the Camden Park Zoo in Waco, or the San Antonio or Houston Zoo.

Great little zoo for everyone in the family. Shaded almost completely throughout the zoo. Love seeing all tge animals.

This is more of a petting zoo than anything else....no giraffes/zebras/pandas/tigers, etc. All in all probably nice to take small kids to, but I wouldn't pay to go again.

was very impressed with the care of the animals here. the enclosures were clean and seemed to offer a habitat that would keep each animal happy. go check out the big cats! you can get so close it will change how you think about these animals.

Larger than expected. Each animal has a full story behind it. The staff is great and very tentative to the animals. Very clean, wanted to stay all day. The tigers are absolutely gorgeous, lions too. surprisingly large variety of animals. Must go and help support.....Kids will love the feeding area

Well it's technically not a zoo. It's more like an animal shelter for all types of animals. Its sad to see the big cats and bears hardly have enough space for them. They rely on the visitors for donations. A zoo should be a zoo like the zoo we know and used to. So please call it something else but the zoo.

Nice size, easy to see everything in a few hours and take your time.

Absolutely LOVE the quaintness of this little zoo. Feels like a small town zoo with its rustic trails. Animals are healthy and happy and you can tell that those who work there are genuinely there for the animals. Be sure to grab a couple of bags of food to feed the goats, llamas, deer and sheep. Don't go too late in the day or you'll find all the big animals sleeping.

This place was so cute! Well shaded, lots to see, and the price was great! (Found tickets on Groupon) We even purchased food to feed certain animals! We will definitely go back

Very family oriented, bring the kiddos and watch the animals that have been rescued, there's a small train you can ride, not a very large facility, yet enjoyable

Great place to take the kids for a couple of hours! Understand this is not your big time Zoo and you won't be disappointed.

It's not well serviced. Maybe because it's non profit that's way. Not worth the drive from dallas.

I really like this zoo! It has some dirt paths instead of paved ones, and kind of makes it seem like you are walking through the safari!

Great place to wander around. We went at 4pm and it seemed like all the animals were sleepy, but at 4 is when you can buy food pellets to feed the animals in the petting zoo area, deer, goats, sheep and llamas. The big cats are beautiful. Its afforadble and not pretentious in any way. They had a few birthday parties going on in different sections of the park. All in all its a neat place to go and your money goes to helping take care of the animals.

This place was a surprise to my wife and I, we came to town with our 1 year old and our friends didn't even know the place existed, it is definitely off the beaten path but a lot of fun worth the trip and money.

I understand that it is a wild life rescue more than it is a zoo. But, being that Austin is the Capital of Texas, it would be nice that our zoo be better than the Houston or San Antonio zoo.

I liked the fact that they are a rescue zoo. Even though they don t have lot of animals but it s fun. You should totally visit the zoo.

Fantastic RESCUE zoo. I think it's important that while it will never be as fancy as the San Antonio Zoo, you can always feel good that by visiting you're playing an integral part in the welfare and happiness of the animals.

It is a rescue zoo, so it is good as far as that goes. It is not a large zoo. Has a little train for $3.00

Small zoo with friendly zoo keepersand support staff. Try to make the zookeeper information presentations, the bears we're a lot of fun.

I was unaware it is a rescue zoo.. but it was quite delightful & the Staff super friendly & pleasant. It was a good family outing.

The Zoo... Austin style! If you come expecting the San Diego zoo you'll be disappointed, so set your expectations for a small facility with an old school local Austin vibe. Populated by rescue animals, facilities seem like they did a great job on a very limited budget. Great for kids, and our boy love taking a ride on the miniature railway.

Great zoo, little kids LOVE it. The train ride holds a special fascination for them for some reason even though you only see a few animals from it. It fascinates me, however, b/c I can't imagine what the guys who built all the little aliens and dwarves along the tour were tripping on. :)

Good zoo for families with small children. Animals looked well cared for.

Amazing place. Very homely. Well maintained... Real experience. Thanks for making our visit memorable... Animals looked damn happy and thanks to the management. You guys are doing a great job.

This is more like a well kept exotic ranch then a zoo.

It's a decent zoo. It doesn't compare to Houston or San Antonio zoo. There is a lot of uneven walking surfaces that made it almost impossible for my 1 and a half year old to walk without tripping. Animals are well taken care of and the train ride was fun! Finished touring the zoo in about 2 hours. We had higher expectations for this zoo due to Austin being the Texas capital.

The place was very well kept. Granddaughter had fun. The staff was very nice. Would go back again.

Great place for kids and it supports rescue animals. Win win

Like this place, great for kids, it's not small zoo, you can feed some animals here

This is not your typical big city Zoo. They are actually saving animals and taking care of them so every visit will support them. Its great for kids since they are allowed to feed the animals as well. There is a little train taking you to a scenic tour around the Zoo, jump on it and enjoy the trip.
They got some big animals like bears, lions and wolves.

All the animals were hiding bc of the heat but we still got to see most of them

I wish Austin or Texas would fund this zoo so it could be as amazing as the HTX zoo. They do have a lot of animals though.

Nice rescue zoo. Great staff and the best ice cream rolls.

Nice place to spend with the family nice size not too big or too small, and the train ride it's a good way too see the zoo too.

Love this place. They are a rescue zoo. It is small enough to walk with small children and still has a lot to see and learn. They have a train ride with great views. I love to see the tigers playing in the pools.

Not paved so my small child was jiggling around the place on all the stones in his stroller. Animal enclosures could be bigger but overall a good experience. It's nice that they rescue some of the animals.

We love this zoo because it's a rescue zoo! It's a very laid back experience with plenty of fun stuff for kids. The hill country views make it pretty special too. There's a train ride available too.

Nice little rescue zoo. Plenty of stuff to do but does not take all day to walk through.

This is not even part of Austin. This is unincorporated Travis county, so dont think its close to Austin.

Great place for the kids! Well laid out and plenty of shade! I will admit I was bummed that it was nap time for some of the animals while were there, but that will not keep me from giving the place 5 stars. There were a lot of visitors when I went. I loved seeing the wolves! Beautiful animals! Definitely will visit again!