Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden Reviews

#1 in the nation? Jacksonville Florida has a better zoo. Hardly any animals out to view. All being cleaned and housed.

This is the best zoo in Ohio if not the whole Midwest

Beautiful Zoo. Wide variety of animals. Great gardens.

Amazing!!
100,000 tulips...music..first warm evening!!

An outstanding zoo that it's a must-see for any zoo lover! They have a huge variety of animals from the tiniest ants all the way up to the elephants. The animals always seem happy and many areas of the zoo such as Jungle Trails and Africa are so immersive thats its easy to forget you are in a zoo. They have a ton of statues to take photos with and many other interactive adventures such as the train ride, carosel, lorakeet feeding and a petting zoo. Be prepared to spend a whole day to experience this zoo!

A lot of construction, but the improvements will be nice additions.

We love the variety of animals to see, and we appreciate the friendly and helpful staff.

We are so lucky to have such an amazing zoo in our backyard! Always beautiful, fun, and the volunteers are fantastic! Do not leave Cincinnati before visiting our zoo!

Do yourself a favor and get the gold family membership!

We've been going to the Cincinnati Zoo for years now. There is enough going on to make each trip a unique experience. This makes it preferable to other places in the area.

My family spent another great couple of hours at the Cincinnati Zoo. The zoo not only has wonderful animals, but the botanical gardens make the zoo absolutely stunning. The Africa section of the zoo has grown in nicely, giving the animals great spaces to live. We even got a chance to see the superstar Fiona! If there is one negative to the zoo it is the hills. While not horrible, they are there and in the summer heat they can wear on you. There is also plenty of shade and lots of interactive elements for children. Don't miss your opportunity to experience the zoo.

It was great to see all the animals that were out and the mommy's with there babies. It was a great way to spend the day.

It's okay, over priced like any similar place. 3.50 for a 12 oz can of water etc. Like the festival of lights but I'm not sure we will renew our membership.

Love the zoo. Fun and well cared for animals. I enjoy visiting the animals and feeding them.

I have visited Columbus and DC zoos. I loved Columbus zoo because of the space they gave the animals. Cincinnati zoo was alright. I wish the animals had more space. It was still worth visiting. Tickets were $20 for general admission.

Pretty good for a zoo in the middle of a city. The current superstar is of course Fiona the hippopotamus. The cats are our favorites. Sandcats! Your mileage may vary of course. Friendly, competent staff.

An amazing zoo. There is enough to do to spend the whole day and for all ages. The only drawback is parking, but there are numerous other lots. It is a wonderful place all times of year. The best is on cooler days as the animals are more active.

Best zoo I've ever been to all my life! I love reptiles and they have A LOT of them! I'm actually majoring in zoology and would love to work at this zoo in the future!

This was a lovely zoo, I just wish they had less poetry and more information about some of the animals... and that we d come on a less swelteringly hot day. Praise the misters!

The leaf-cutter ant exhibit was fantastic. The lions were napping against the glass so I could compare my hand to a lion s paw and contemplate how much it hurts when my house cat swats.

The gorilla troop were right up by the glass inside and we stayed to watch the young ones wrestle until the nearly human souls gazing back at me made me want to cry. The conservation effort they are making is incredible and awe-inspiring but... I wish we lived in a better world where it wasn t necessary.

In addition to the wonderful animal exhibits, the flower gardens and displays are beautiful. The designers do a great job and it's a joy to stroll through the zoo

We just love visiting the animals and Christmas lights.

I love this Zoo! It's worth the trip and to see all the amazing animals. It feels like you are walking among the habitats for the animals.

It's not rated the #1 zoo in America for nothing! Awesome, awesome zoo. I have as much fun as my kids do there. Nocturnal house and manatee house are fun options.

I love v
Coming here and if been here since I was like 3

Sometimes crowded but overall nice to visit and see a wide variety of animals

Christmas lights were awesome. Bring your coat! Also go a little early if you want to see most of the animals.

I haven't been in years and I forgot how big this place was. . They have even added more. My favorite zoo thus far!

Amazing experience at the Cincinnati Zoo. There are informative and interesting panels by each of the animals allowing you to learn fun facts about the animals.

I haven't been to the zoo in ages. But I took off to go with my daughter and the rest of TEAM ST FRANCIS DESALES! We had an awesome time! It was clean. The staff were able to point us in the right direction when asked were something was. Very little wait time to get on the train. No wait at all to get on the carousel. The parking was swift and easy. I mean I cant say enough good things about this place!

We had to drive around the block, thanks google maps, to get to the parking area - once inside we were shocked at how big it was! The food was amazing! - compared to other zoo's. It was just a great experience.

Really fun and loved seeing the animals. Went for a upward bound trip.

Nice zoo in a unique setting, most of the walking area are shaded, animals exhibits were nice, baby hippo and manettes were a nice surprise.

Nice zoo in downtown Cincinnati. Very hilly terrain, so beware if you have issues walking. A lot of construction going on which is going to be great for the animals but does take away from the overall experience. A great variety of animals, and everything seemed clean and well taken care of. We did the whole zoo in about 3 hrs.

The construction was an inconvenience, but I realize winter is when it HAS to be done

Stopped here on our way through to KS from CT. Our daughter was born around the same time as baby Fiona and in a stroke of good luck they were able to finally meet in person! We had a great time and would love to come back when we have enough time to enjoy the whole zoo (it s pretty big, def need a whole day to do it right!).

Very good zoo. I spent quite a few hours there and stayed active the whole time.

Nice day trip on our vacation, the zoo is decent, train could be longer and better but overall a good experience. Lunch was our biggest problem, really expensive for what we got and the food we tried wasn't great. Definitely would recommend St. Louis over this one.

Nice place ! Alot of neat exhibits , great family experience and exercise

Good family fun! Hard to see everything without wearing out ones shoes...

This is an Awesome place to visit. Lots of things to look at. I took so many photos! I ll defiantly be back to visit again soon. Besides all of the beautiful lights and animals, there s lots of things to see and do. Plenty of food vendors too! Fun trip! Bring the whole family.

One of the jewels of southwest Ohio. The Cincinnati Zoo is an excellent organization. Fantastic opportunities to see animals and green spaces. Constantly being improved and updated for animals and visitors alike. If you're visiting Cincinnati, you must go. I have been enjoying this places since childhood and I know I always will.

A great zoo. 95 percent of the exhibits are handicap accessible. If going with a handicap person please rent an electric scooter for them. There are a lot of Hill's in the zoo. It will be easier for everyone. Also watch admission price. It will fluctuate by the day.

The Christmas lights were beautiful, but I feel like the zoo is just ok. My hometown zoo was much bigger, so it feels underwhelming to me. Also, going in December, next to none of the animals were out. I went one other time, in the spring, and more animals were out, but I still wasn't impressed. Fine to visit every now and then, but my family wouldn't go enough to justify passes.

We are continuous annual members and can't possibly think of a better way to spend an off day with the kids. Always a new experience or thing to see each visit!

Very beautiful zoo. Clean and nice staff. Train ride was nice. Most of the animals were out. I recommend and plan on around 4 hours.

Went December 21 2020 and paid 26.00 for general admission. The lights were nice but please take your money elsewhere. No lights are with that much. It s cheaper to go to Coney Island or Kings island..

We went for the lights and loved it it was so magical

The kids love going to the zoo. And we have wonderful family bonding time as well. Also love their festival of lights as well. There is nothing like it!!!!!

Great time with the family as it should be at a Zoo. It was hot but most of the animals were out. We had a fun time with the bonobo's chimps. They were hilarious like they were talking to us, the highlight of the day.
The staff was a lil young and most of them seemed like they didn't want to work or be there. But the Zoo worker around the giraffes was very informative on all the questions we had about those amazing animals. Loved the bamboo they had everywhere, great atmosphere. Some places were a lil outdated, what do u expect from a Zoo that has been there since 1873. It was hot out but they had cooling stations, big bonus.
The sloth was in an area that u had to go find and walk a ways behind the elephants. They could put the sloth in a better location if u ask me cause they are so cute.

It's fine, just spoiled by free zoo's in Madison and Chicago

The Zoo is a wonderous place for everyone to enjoy. The wide range of well taken care of animals and attractions give you plenty to do and see. You will feel like you're at home with the friendly staff and loving environment. A must go place.

Wheel chair where not for rent. Had to walk long way to see animals. Good thing they had benches to sit on along the way, still very hard on me, had to leave early because of it. The animals i got to see was great. Inside stuff not open due to covd19.

Great zoo. Would have preferred better walkways that required fewer turnarounds when walking through the exhibits.

This is a complete fun package. Everyone can enjoy this Zoo with a cool train ride..it is amazing. You need time if you are going with family. Good service and cooperation from staff. Dont miss it

The Zoo is amazing. The atmosphere, staff and overall experience was one I will recommend to anyone looking for a fun family day out or an event venue.

Opened up for members only so it wasn't crowded for an opening. The rides and train are closed but the animals are hooting and howling. Fun day!

Had such a great day even dodging the showers that passed through. There are so many great exhibits beyond Fiona who is the star of the show. We cant wait to see the continued growth of the Cincinnati Zoo.

It's a great place to take kids to and they get wore out. But if you go pack a lunch to take with you. The prices of their food is very expensive.

Good zoo around Cincinatti area. We enjoyed all exhibits with variety of animals like giraffe, lion, cheetah, elephant, chimpanzees, hippo...etc, bird variety and variety of land and sea creatures. We enjoyed all shows especially the cheetah encounter where you can see a cheetah running at the highest speed. The 4D theater is below average and not recommended if you expect a good experience. The kids enjoy giraffe feeding. The train ride is also enjoyable though it s self guided. Overall a place worth spending full day with family.

Loved the Zoo!! Be sure to check out the insects house and nocturnal predators for a unique experience. Went for a half price day and still got to see a lot. This is a really great zoo and worth every penny! Great place to learn and watch animals!

Always a great place for family fun no matter if the Covid crisis closed some exhibits or not

Overall not impressed with this Zoo. Have been to many and the animals do not seem to have enough room / enrichment in their lives. I understand this is bound to happen in zoos but this one is not meeting the needs as well as others I have visited.

Also was very disappointed with customer service. My girlfriend and I came early in the day to see all the animals before admiring the lights once it hit sunset. We had seen all the animals and made the full loop so we decided we would go warm up and relax in the car for a few and just simply needed our hands stamped to reentry. There was no worker in the exit area as in most amusement parks so we asked one of the employees scanning tickets if we could get them stamped there. He then sent us over to guest services and told us that they would do it there. We proceeded to wait roughly 15-20 minutes in line only to be told that they would do it at place we had originally asked. After we finally successfully got the stamp I commented to one of the other gate workers, Maybe next time inform your worker so he doesn t send me to wait in line for no reason only to be told that I was being inappropriate for stating that their employee should know his job duties.

Very disappointed and will not be visiting again. Will gladly drive the extra distance to go to Columbus or Cleveland

Always a relaxing and fun adventure. You really can't do much about the animals. The people in blue that come around and make sure everyone is out of the areas that are closing. Could be more people friendly and try to understand that some people come from far away, or some poeple do not always come to the zoo. So seeing the otters, and or "animals" play is magical.

Loved seeing baby Fiona! We visited her twice. She likes to be in the water between 3 to 5 p.m. There were several areas that had signs stating that the animal was not on display. This was a disappointment after traveling so far. Unfortunately, several of the animal areas only had one animal (1 bear, 1 Mexican wolf). I thought zoos tried to show family groups & had breeding programs. The heat kept several animals inside. This couldn't be helped. The meerkats were so adorable & energetic. Watched them two different times. Loved the baby giraffe. Disliked all of the snake demonstrations that were everywhere, it seemed. The bats in the nocturnal area were so entertaining! Could watch them for hours.

Cincinnati zoo is one of the best wildlife and botanical area that I've visited. It has a huge variety of flora and fauna. It's not very expensive yet you get to see all kinds of animals, reptiles, birds, fishes, insects, etc just in the one place. They also have animal chats where you get to see, touch or interact with the animals. It's a must visit in you're anywhere around Cincinnati.
Do take the train ride for a speedy over view of some of the attractions.

The zoo has many stops where you can sit and have a snack.
All in all, an excellent experience.

It's been years since I've been here. We had a blast. Adorable animals, lots to see and do. I was a little disappointed that at one food stand they had souvenir cups and no straws. The employee stated he felt like he was giving sippy cups to adults, and that's essentially what it was.

It was nice but so much construction and closed areas where animals weren't out yet. For $40 (for 2 people), I'm not sure I'd go back for a long time. I used to enjoy it so much but we were through it all in 2 hours.

Love this zoo! Great animals, with lots of space for children to run around. Have never had a bad experience here; although can be crowded in summer on weekends...to be expected though.

Cincinnati Zoo is actually quite a place. It is neither too small nor too huge. It has a lot of animal species and it is definitely fun to take a tour inside, especially with kids. I particularly like the elephant house because of its unique architecture. Moreover, the late Harambe also used to live in the Cincinnati Zoo.

Who doesn't love the zoo? The animals were all adorable, the bathrooms were clean, and staff was very nice. I highly recommend going here woth family!

Great zoo. We went in Febuary with 40 degree weather. Many of the animals were not available due to the weather. It would be nice to see larger areas for the animals to roam also. We paid $13 per person.

Got the family pass for 4 of us. It was only 20 dollars more than buying tickets and gave us free parking and a discount on purchases. And we get to go back for free all season. Definitely worth it.

The Zoo itself was clean and fun. And we LOVE getting to see Fiona. However, the train ride is a joke. They put up plexiglass between seats but then still skipped every other one so it took us 1.5 hours to get through the line and off the train which caused us to miss part of the zoo before closing... however, the worst part (besides missing part of the zoo) was the rudeness of the train staff. One guy rudely told me husband to pull up his face mask even though he was clearly drinking his drink. So much so that he called security because he refused to pull up his mask until he was done and then the guy proceeded to tell him that when security got there they would be sure to escort him out of the park. There were several other people who did not have on mask either but they were never confronted about it. And if that wasn't bad enough, the conductor driving the train yelled at me as she was driving by to pull mine up even though I was pulling my cup away from my mouth to swallow my drink. The lady beside me was in shock from her calling me out how she did. We had no problems wearing the mask. We wore them when we were suppose to but the rudeness from the staff was wrong and to pin point us even though there were others was wrong. The 1st guy even made my 4 year old cry because of the way he was talking to my husband. He was really scared after the guy came back and told my husband he would have to leave that he (my 4 year old) was gonna have to leave too and "was going to jail." We had to calm him down and tell him that was not the case. So... I know covid sucks. I know that the zoo is short staffed and I know they probably get tired of saying the same things over and over... but don't be so rude next time. Still gave a 4 star rating because we do love the zoo!

Very nice zoo--my favorite. Particularly enjoyed the gorillas. Lots of beautiful cats that I have never seen before. Not a bad place to grab lunch and a snack--even on a busy Saturday, we did not have to wait awfully long for our food.

Had a great time their seen a lot animal's had a great walking around the compound. Food is a little hi they have great parking under cover parking there

Very big place... Lots of walking!! Animals weren't as active as should be... Places and train closed due to the virus.. Overall it was a very good experience... Make sure to check the weather before going. It was very HOT

The experience is definitely worth the price. Having a membership to the Louisville zoo gave us a discount for entrance, so that was extremely nice. The whole property is beautiful and well maintained. The animals looked happy and their exhibits aided in activity. It is a HUGE place, plan on spending the whole day if you can make it that long. The education center looked very nice and the summer programs are worth looking into, which I plan to next year despite not living locally.