Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden Reviews

Cincinnati's zoo is located near the UC campus area. It has a wide range of animals. There are birds, reptiles, insects section. They have elephants, giraffe and lions and tigers. It is well maintained. They could improve on navigation by having maps at every stop. I could not locate the famed Fiona hippo and eventually left.

Incredible zoo. There's a lot to see and enough shade to visit on a hot summer day. If you buy tickets online, you get in pretty fast. The exhibits are incredibly well designed and interesting. There's a lot of buildings to explore with interesting exhibits. it's the best zoo I've been to.

The botanical gardens are just as great as the wild life.

Zoo it's self is great. Went for festival of lights, as did a few 1lhundred thousand on the same day. The zoo dis nothing to combatebthe crowds, basically a free for all.

It was pretty fun, fairly generic zoo. We didn't pay for any additional extras like the train ride or encounters, but got to feed a giraffe which was fun. The crowds were tolerable, but the layout was pretty confusing. There's no real good flow or path that will easily let you see everything without backtracking a ton. As far as zoo's go, this is pretty good. Atlanta is way better, but it's further south so the heat is worse. Easy time parking, fairly priced.

Once the proud roaming grounds of Harambe. Now a bleek reminder of what was lost.

RIP Harambe!

Great zoo. Give yourself plenty of time so your not rushed and can really enjoy it.

Best Zoo I have been to! We enjoyed it. Its quite a walk to see ot all in one day!

Had a great time. Price is really reasonable. Although 3.50 for a 12 oz can of water is a little far out.

Great zoo with very easy parking. If you live in the area, the membership is definitely worth it (I'd recommend getting the unlimited rides option for the train and carousel). If you're only there for the day, you may want to do some planning. It's a pretty large zoo, so you likely won't be able to see it all in a day if you're traveling with young kids. My top picks are the "Festival of Lights" at Christmastime and the "Night Hunters" exhibit (indoor, year-round).

It was awesome. Only the lions were inactive. Takes about 5 hours for a family of five.

Always a great experience and workout. Love stopping by here on my way up north. Best zoo experience.

I'm not big on zoos because of keeping animals captive but as far as us go Cincinnati's is one of the best. I was actually there for a blooms and tunes concert and was very impressed with the enclosures where they keep the animals.
I also am duly impressed with the beautiful, beautiful landscaping. I was there during tulip season so the

Beautiful, big enclosures. And of course, lil' Fiona.

This has to be my favorite zoo of all, the staff are wonderful, the animals are so well taken care of and the volunteers really get out there and talk to the visitors. I always have an amazing time at the Zoo when I visit.

I love the Cincy zoo. Seeing the animals and learning more is an enjoyable experience despite the aspect of captivity as they discuss can be important in efforts to grow a population and protect the species. I think it's great that they put in the effort to incorporate conservation into their talks and encounters. Without understanding the nature of species and what we can do change can't happen.

Nice zoo! The winter is a tough time to go, but the half price admission makes it a good deal.

Great experience for families and adults. A beer garden for adults and tons of concessions for families.

Nice place to visit. Loved everything about the ZOO. Except for the prices on food AND drinks cost 45.00 for 9 ice cream cones.

If I could give this zoo 10 stars I would! Typically friendly staff they take amazing care of the animals and provide enrichment for them as well as education for guests. Love the special events they have like the cheetah encounter show as well as the Christmas lights!

Wonderful place to spend with family. Lots of very knowledgeable staff eager to answer 1000s of questions from the kids. Restrooms are clean, different options for food should meet everyones taste. The Christmas lights are beautiful and they offer a very enjoyable motion experience that involves all of your senses.

Love the flowers, bird show thrilled 5 year old. Free tap water saved our wallets in 90 degree heat. Food treats are rubbery prices.

Had a great time it was a little cold but we just bundled up & visited the animals & spent time with our family great day

Loved it! We had to go 2 days in order to see everything.

Kids loved it, lots of fun if you're into animals. There are a lot of hills, that's the only downside. If you're not very physical it can be taxing especially in the summer. You'll want to make sure and have a water bottle to keep hydrated and take your time climbing the hills. The kids favorite part was the giraffes where they got to feed them, really cool.

I loved it as a kid. & Now my girls love it! Animals seem like they r truly cared for

Love the theater that has blowing snow and seats move with the action of the movie. Don't miss that when you go.

I love this Zoo. My kids absolutely love running around here.

Love the Cincinnati zoo! Always fun and exciting each time I go!

Disappointed by the large crowds. What's the point of the reservation system?

My wife and I took the grandchildren all day and had a great time. So many beautiful animals to see. And the gardens are also beautiful to look at. Look forward to taking them back in the future.

The animals are adorable. The inside exhibits are numerous and amazing.

Great zoo with lots of interactive displays and educational opportunities. The enclosures are spacious and give you a great view of the animals with obstructing view or disturbing the animals.

Very beautiful light displays. Not to many animals out this time of year. The train ride was okay for the price. The only issue was the amount of people and it was packed. It also had many displays that had the lights out on the train route.

Went during covid, felt pretty sage, mostly everyone had masks on and kept a good distance

A wonderful zoo and a beautiful place to just take a walk when the plants are all in bloom. Around Christmas time, the zoo does a wonderful job decorating the park with zoo lights.

Such a beautiful wonderful place!!! Finally met/saw Fiona in person!! Lots of hands on interactions!!! Tons of facts all over the zoo, even the bathrooms!

Lots to see. Many many animals. Loved it. Cannot wait to go back.

I just bought a pass here. I love their layout and all the animals they have. I'll be back soon to explore some more :)

My family and I love coming here. The up close encounters with the animals and its always adding and making the Zoo better.

The zoo is normally amazing. We just went this past week and so many of the exhibits were closed. It felt like 20% of the things we walked up to had signs saying the animals were elsewhere. Lot of great potential for amazing experience, but we were highly disappointed with the amount of things closed.

Beautiful Zoo, animals look happy and healthy. Great place to take the family and friends.

They have rules for social distancing posted but no one is enforcing them

Lot of different animals to see. The kids had a good time. We left exhausted. This should have been a two day trip.

Festival of lights was a great event. Enjoyable for the whole family.

Such a great zoo. I can t take it all in in one day. We actually got to see the penguin parade - just happened to be visiting the area on the last wknd that they parade them. We had lunch at one of the restaurants and it was pretty good considering it s a zoo. Truly an enjoyable afternoon.

Simply gorgeous. Was worth the road trip for sure! Military discounts as well!

Always a great time. Can't beat it. Whether it be your first , or a repeat visit, you won't be sorry.

My family loves this place. It has something for all ages. We also love the rides, shows, and animal talks. It hard to see everything in one day so plan at least 2 days or map out your route. You won't regret this trip!

Best zoo I've ever been to. Loved it was so accessible for my mom on a scooter that we rented. Excellent staff helped get her into and out of park, by bringing the scooter right to the parking lot to pick her up and then back to the parking lot when we left. Excellent exhibit. Learned so much. Would definitely go back. Worth the 6 hours drive.

Enjoyed the Tunes and Blooms program. I was pleasantly surprised that the zoo grounds were open to wander about in. Although most of the animals were in for the evening, I was able to see some at no cost. Great music, great event! Restroom signs made me laugh.

I love zoos. With the pandemic going on, the Zoo did a great job establishing rules and controlling the guest number. At what would be a very busy time, my friends and I always managed to keep at least a 6ft minimum distance from other guests. Plenty of hand sanitizing stations around the zoo too.

The place is very very good.there are so many animals

Very clean, staff is super friendly. All animal areas are large enough for everyone to get a good look. My kids love this place

The Cincinnati Zoo is ALWAYS a first rate experience. Clearly they care a great deal about conservation and environmental issues. You can see the efforts as soon as you pull in the parking lot and notice all the solar panels. They are always updating the exhibits, trying to make them as natural as you can at a zoo. AND they have Fiona! She's such a ham!!

Not as large as the Columbus zoo, but we really love going here. The place is always clean and the employees very hospitable. I'd recommend visiting.

Nice zoo and they are adding on even more to it, decent prices as well.

Amazing people and great animals! I'm definitely visiting again!

I have often seen baby animals here. Most recently a baby giraffe and a baby hippo. Everything about this zoo is amazing.

Always enjoy the zoo! Kids love it too! Very pretty and fun!

Nice sized zoo allowing walking for seeing a good selection of animals

Great day trip... lots of construction going on but the animal exhibits right now but that just means they're improving and maintaining what is already good.

Doesnt have all the animals u would expect. And there always doing unnecessary construction

Been a fun place to hang out with my kids. The animals and programs are plain normal for years though. Hope they could loan or buy some new ones.

One of the best Zoo's we have been to in years! We liked it better than the Columbus Zoo!

The zoo has and is more kid friendly alot of walking so be prepared will good shoes. The atmosphere is educational with a few employees well versed in the animals that are on display that made it beneficial because it have life to the experience instead of continuous reading. The food it's good a bit higher because of where they are located. Taker your time and have yourself because it can and will drain you on hot and humid days.

I love going to the zoo, seeing the animals and hearing about the conservation work that the zoo does. I do hope that someday they'll expand so that all the animals can roam further. The staff does well to care for the animals, educate the public, and there are year round activities for people to partake it in including over nights at the zoo and animal encounters

Love the Cincinnati Zoo I need to get a season pass! For now though, you will have to make online reservations to go

Great Zoo best to go on a cool day an take some water.

Absolutely LOVED this zoo!! Lived in Columbus most my life and only been to their zoo (even zoo members) but I feel I like Cincinnati better. Even though it was in the city it felt like we were in a jungle away! Seeing Fiona was a big plus! We will be back!

Good prices at the beginning of the year, but very cold. Most of the animals are either in indoor habitats or just not outside. But the indoor habitats are nice cuz they are warm and it iakes you out of the cold. Very nice and clean. I liked the aviary with the Scarlet Ibis. And the penguin parade is cute.

A great zoo and the new Roo Valley was very nice. People were wearing masks and keeping their distance very well and the staff were all great.

The kids and I enjoy going here. Grab the season pass you will be back!

Was nice lines where long to get in lights was very nice especially one playing to music on ponds loved the rhino nut cracker would love see more like that next year maybe little more telling you where you are and going

Not mandatory for masks and social distancing is not followed. Sad this prevented us from seeing the whole place. We traveled 7 hours from out of state. Highly disappointed with the Zoo for no enforcement.

I went to the zoo with my 2 kids on a school trip. This was a great place to take my kids. Lots of information about the animals and even the plants around the zoo. It was still cool and a little rainy but a lot of the animals were out and visible. That meant a lot to get to see the animals. If you go you have got to check out the insect and reptiles houses. They were great!

The cheetah encounter is non existent. The cheetah encounter was terrible before covid as the workers there are rude especially if you are holding a 1 year old baby. Since covid, the children's area is a shame as the playground is closed eventhough all playgrounds in Ohio are open except this one. The best and hardest working people at the zoo are the food service folks. Never had an issue there and the prices are reasonable. This place is using covid as an excuse to proved less and less zoo experience. What happened to the kids being able to pet animals? They really need to step it up. Every time I go I think how worse can it get? I hope kangaroo land, if it opens, isn't filled with the rude workers too.

One of the best zoos in America. My all time favorite

Fantastic little zoo. Well laid out and easy to traverse paths. Many of the plants along the path are named as well. There are some playgrounds for the kids and plenty of places to get food and drinks. The Andean condor is great to see. The Flamingos are awesome.

I haven't been to the zoo in ages. My mother, my sister and I had an outing, something we also haven't done in ages. Adult life is hard.

It was worth it to see these two adult women light up. The Cincinnati Zoo is exquisite! A few animals were missing, apparently being 'released' or 'relocated', and my respect has gone up for that.

The 4D theater was /great/, and my mother, in her 60s, had never been in one, so it was definitely an experience. I would absolutely love to come back.

10/10, an excellent family trip.