Austin Zoo and Animal Sanctuary Reviews

very hard to push a stroller and wheelchair around.

Really fun time with our kids. Family friendly place with lots of animals that are way up close. Better than most of the big zoos I've been to!

This zoo is small but is so fun!! Its great for young children and not to expensive!

I'm surprised to see so many 5* reviews. 3 star is a bit stretching it for me. However the staff were nice, bathrooms clean and food truck a plus. Lots of benches along the way for someone who needed to stop and rest. However the paths to walk on definitely need some work, cages a bit small and dirty. I didn't like seeing the dead rats laying in the cages to be eaten by the snakes or raw meat covered in flies for the lioness. The $3 bags of food are a bit much for what you get. Train was broken down so that was disappointing too. All and all not somewhere I will return too the animals just made me sad. The pig with the 3 legs is heartbreaking :( If you decide to give it a try make sure to use groupon!

What a great place to get up close with a large variety of animals! The petting zoo portion is fun for all ages, and the free-roaming peacocks are a sight to see!

What a neat little zoo, a little bit on the small side, that being said it was a treat to check it out during my Austin trip. Better to come early during the summer, the animals hide during the afternoon during the heat.

One of the worst zoo's I have ever been too. I was really disappointed by the lack of exibits and space for the animals. The cages look very old and all the animals looked sad and tired. I hope there will be improvements in the near future.

I LOVE this little zoo... Although the daddy lion did try to spray us one time! Many fun memories there. A great size for younger kids... But i love it for my older ones as well. So worth supporting!

You won't always be able to see the animals you will mostly just see empty cages

Was not what I expected. Felt sorry for the state the animals were in. Most of them were locked up or not even out. Ground was unsafe. My boyfriend stepped in a pothole ripped his pants and got cut. Won't be coming back and hope the animals can be cared for better or moved to a better zoo.

This place can barely be called a zoo. The animals are all in very small and very unnatural like cages. Lots of signs telling you all the things they don't want you to do all over the zoo. It was a rather sad experience.

Excellent facility! Enjoyed our visit as one of our last stops for our Austin visit!

Lovely zoo that provides homes for many rescued animals. It's the perfect size for exploring with little ones. Be sure to buy a bag of animal feed to feed the goats, llamas, sheep & deer, and take a ride on the train!

Enjoyable for the whole family. We even had lunch with a peacock and a furry footed rooster.

Seems to be in a transition period lady at the front desk when we got there was horrible at service

This place is a different kind of zoo and I loved it! They are a rescue and rehab place, all the animals have names and pay attention to you when you call them. Especially the parrots and monkeys! It was very fun and the train ride was definitely worth the few dollars. The conductor dude was funny!

One of my favorite places in Austin. This is possibly not what you imagine when you think of a zoo. First, this is a non-profit rescue. The animals that here have been saved from a wide variety of bad situations -- private ownership, orphaned wildlife, other facilities that couldn't keep them... Every animal here has a story. Because the purpose is to provide homes for these animals, you won't find a lot of the "commercial" elements of for-profit zoos. On the other hand, this is a place where you can quietly walk graveled, tree-lined paths and observe lions and tigers from only a few feet away. The animals aren't as active on hot afternoons, so consider an annual membership so you can come frequently to catch them in their playful moments!

The whole park the animals and the trip by train I loved it I highly recommend it.

This zoo is AMAZING! You get to be extremely close to animals that are kept very far away at most zoos. Imagine being 3 feet from a black bear, lion, tiger, cougar, etc. You can walk up and feed llamas, deer, goats and more. All of this in a zoo that is a rescue zoo and is a non-profit organization. The only drawback for me was not knowing the animals stories. In a zoo that is a rescue zoo, I would like to know how/why each animal came there and where they originated.

Great rescued animals, a train for the kids, a little food stand when you get hungry. Mainly giving it high marks for the rescuing of animals that wouldn't necessarily have a home otherwise. The animals look happy and are cared for.

Nice place, food truck guy was a bellend but everyone else was great.

In all the times we have visited Austin, I never even realized there was a zoo. Took our girls finally and they had a good time. They definitely enjoyed feeding all the animals.

The fact that it s come to light that suffering animals linger for weeks before euthanasia is considered by the board is completely unethical and sickening. Zookeepers are the ones who spend over 40 hours a week with their boots on the ground caring for these animals and the board of directions of Austin Zoo are disregarding theirs and veterinarians advice.

I ve been coming here since I was a kid and in turn brought my child here for birthdays, three day weekends, whenever it was a nice day out... but no more. I will never spend another penny on this place that borderline abuses animals and ignores the concerns of their workers only to come up with false reasons to fire them in retaliation.

A nice mid sized zoo. Lots of shade, thoughtful signs. Parking is sufficient. A train, and souveneer shop. A petting zoo area where you can feed the animals. Nice place to take the family. I like that they are trying to make a better environment for the animals.

Love that each animal has it's own rescue story posted. Great for kids to feed the goats, llamas, etc. They have a train ride through hill country too

so so awesome that this is a rescue and rehabilitation zoo <3

This is a great zoo and I take great care of the animals here. Always a good time with the family. Only reason for stars instead of 5 is that the zoo is relatively small.

It's not a "commercial" zoo, it's a rescue zoo. Our little kids enjoy going every few months. It's usually pretty warm, bring water!

This is a very hard review to write. My family has liked coming here since I was a baby. However the last 2 visits to the zoo the animals/habitats frankly just looked sad. It was sad. Possibly funding and or volunteers have dipped and attention has been neglected. This is nothing negative at all towards the staff. I honestly think they are trying there best just overwhelmed.

This zoo in Bee Cave near Ausgin is a great place to take the kids on a lazy weekend. It has a small town charm to it so nothing like you will find at the Houston Zoo. The train ride is very scenic and kids love it! There are lots of different animals to see and a good amount to feed and let yourself (food pellets sold separately). Here are the reasons I gave it three stars. 1.) No paved walkways make pushing strollers a drag, literally. 2.) The cost is pretty high; 2 adults and 2 kids is $40! 3.) The parking area is not paved. 4.) The restrooms are in very poor shape and lack Air Conditioning. 5.) Many of the larger exhibits such as the bears and large cats look run down and not well maintained. Here is a tip for management: sell train tickets at the Zoo entrance. This will eliminate the need to charge visitors at the train terminal, reducing time between trips and therfore increasing the number of times the train can run daily.

Small zoo with peacocks running around free and petting and feeding for small kids. Great place to show little ones a zoo without the crowds.

Staff were nice and they had some pretty impressive animals, but the zoo itself was definitely more of an animal rescue - and not one in the best state of repair. We did not mind paying to get in if it goes towards the cause, but it was not what we were expecting when we planned to visit a zoo in a major metropolitan area.

Really cool place all rescue animals I think, seems like animals are cared for well.

We've been going to the Austin Zoo for 20 years now. It has grown and expanded since that time to include a larger variety of animals. All the animals are rescued. The zoo has a park-like hilly atmosphere. It's located in a beautiful location in the hill country. It is a small zoo compared to some in other cities, but very peaceful and cozy.

Love this zoo. For its size its really amazing. My son absolutely loved it. The employees are very friendly

We are all about rescuing rather than breeding so when we found out it was a rescue zoo, we had to come to Austin and see it.
There's chickens & peacocks throughout the zoo, freely roaming. Each animal has its biography posted as well. That was pretty cool to read as we went along. - overall wonderful experience.

Very enjoyable, lots of animals to see. Small and easy to move around.

We went as a family for my birthday and loved it so much we bought a family pass.

Everyone is very nice. Please keep in mind that it is difficult to navigate through the park with Stroller because it is not paved.

Not your typical zoo. Can walk it in 1 hour, but all the animals are rescues and this is their forever home. Each animal has a name and their date of birth displayed. I highly recommend going and paying for such a great cause! They have lions, cougars, monkeys, bears, birds, reptiles, and so much more!

Great place to visit for a couple of hours. It's more of an animal rescue center. They do have three tortoises from the Galapagos besides Emus, cougars, lions, cougars, bears and a tiger.

Nice zoo. Smaller, but with good mix of animals. All the animals are rescues.

Not a big zoo, but it makes a cozier and more up close & personal experience. The fact it is a rescue zoo makes it a more enriching and educational experience for visitors. Kids develop a very healthy appreciation after observing the animals, reading about them, feeding & petting them.

What is amazing time me and the girls had at the zoo. We wanted to do something a little outside of the box besides drinking and partying and decided to go spend the day at the zoo and it was a great idea. Not only did they have great exhibits but the food there was excellent

Fun cozy zoo that supports rescue animals. It has a different feel than larger zoos with it's more rugged dirt paths winding around the different enclosures and it's peacocks freely roaming the grounds. The low fences for farm animals coupled with the animal feed you can purchase make it feel more interactive than other zoos. It's a nice place to go visit for a couple hours on a weekend to see some wildlife.

Very dissapointed. Not as good as the dallas or fort worth zoo.

The Austin Zoo is simple compared to large zoos, focusing on taking care of abandoned animals. This has the advantage of keeping the focus of the animals and not wasting effort on creating "an experience" that ultimately detracts from the animals. And don't let the rescue-mission mislead you - they have larger animals including lions, a tiger, and bears.

This was a big disappointment. There are a lot of animals that they didn't have. Then while we are looking at the ostriches a big a** snake comes across the pin. They only have 1 restroom area also

Love this place especially the gift shop because they sells some precious artworks by animals (monkeys, bears, lions, horses, etc). I enjoyed to watching lions search for food after zoo keeper puts meats at different locations (hanging from tree branches, behind platforms, by the wall, etc).

I'm horribly disappointed in this zoo. I was expecting so much more than... this. They have a decent farm animals area... Honestly, this wasn't even a slightest of the zoo experience. The enclosers are way too small for all the large animals and even the monkeys!! All the enclosers were way too small for the animals they have there.i understand that they are a rescue sanctuary, but they need to open up the enclosures more.

Perfect amount of stuff to see for my five and one year old! Only comment is don't go on Friday it's field trip day and by noon it's overrun.

Not much to see or do, and that's about all I can say.

It was a nice experience. Me and my wife loved everything about it. You can't get loss in there. They give you a map and it's easy and very fun to walk around it. Beautiful place and the animals are fun and are taken care of. I highly recommend this place.

My Wife and I went to the Austin Zoo two years ago. We had a Great Time. Enjoyed looking at the animals that were there, Happy that they were being well taken care of.
We found the staff to be Friendly and Helpful.
Enjoyed Train Ride, Bought Souvenirs at a Decent price. We Definitely will be going back.

This place is awesome! There are tons of animals and cool habitats, this is all around a great zoo. In addition the peacocks wandering around have awe inspiring feathers and a funny personality.

Is a safe place for rehabilitated animals, or exotic animals that have been given up by their owners. You can feed the friendly goats, sheep and lamas. Great place to bring the little ones for a relaxing train ride too!

An awesome experience. Extremely small but so much more personal. You can get really close to the animals. Not sure if that's a good thing or not but it's a fun experience. Wolves, lions, tigers, bears etc. Had fun!

As soon as you walked in, Peacock, Duck, , etc... are wondering around. You can feed, touch some animals. , Lion, and bear are right there so close. Walking distances for each exhibits are short, and well planned. Very nature friendly. Worth to visit from far away.

This was the second time we've been here, and really enjoyed it. It was a bit crowded because it was during SXSW, but we could still see everything. The best part is how natural everything is. So many zoos are all concreted over and seem so stark and uncomfortable to the animals, but this one puts the animals first. That's a huge plus.

It's small but fun for the younger kids. My kids had a blast with thier classmates.

This is a zoo with rescued animals and the keepers clearly love these animals. I love this place and enjoy getting to feed the sheep, goats, deer, and llamas. And if you want to know the story of an animal further than what it on their placards, just ask someone. If they don't know, they know who to ask to tell you all about that particular animal.

You need to go here understanding its a small zoo for toddlers. Its a great zoo if you see it from that perspect. They are a rescue zoo so some animals might have an injury or something different about them, but they do have signs explaining their individual situations so you can understand better. Outside food is acceptable which is a plus, or they have a small food trailer with snack items. Not a bad way to kill an hour or two on a nice sunny day.

Kids always love spending a few hours here. So many different animals to see.

It's a rescue zoo, so it isn't the fanciest place in the world, but it is perfect for toddlers. You can cover the grounds in a couple hours and you get really close up views of lions and bears.

Small zoo but good for smaller children, and I like that all the animals are rescue animals. Butnits mot large at all so for older children can be not enough stimulation

They have a decent amount of animals. They have all kinds of monkeys, alligators, lions, tigers, parrots, wolves, sheep, llamas, peacocks, etc. It is very family friendly as well. This zoo saves animals. They had a few animals under vet care. The staff is very friendly and knowledgeable. My 10 and 13 year old kids loved it. It has a train for the smaller kids, an ice cream truck, gift shop, and you can feed the animals for an additional cost.

A fantastic small zoo, rescued animals. A zoo with a story. Loved it.

If you come from South Africa or any country where animals are in their habitat and roaming in the wild, this zoo will break your heart. Yes it is a rescue zoo and the animals are in recovery but to see the small spaces that they are confined to is saddening. The animals are all separated which is not at all close to their habitat environments.
None the less the tour guides are very knowledgeable and animals look well fed and looked after.
In my opinion it was a waste of money to see the animals is such a small confined areas.

I love this zoo so much. It's very wholesome with a wider variety of animals than you might expect. The habitats are a very nice size for the animals and are well kept. All the animals seem so happy too!

I love this place. I go at least twice every summer.

Awesome little sanctuary zoo. I joked ahead that there world be 30 enclosures. I was wrong. There were 34. But they were great and it was clear how dedicated the staff is

Definitely a different experience. I have never visited a rescue zoo before so I wasn't sure what to expect. Almost all the animals were out (a few stayed hidden). I enjoyed reading their signs on how all the animals came to be there.