Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden Reviews

Spectacular exhibit excellent day to go to the zoo recommended for all families and all ages

Zoo brew was a success! A little too crowded this year, but it was perfect weather and just beautiful out

Great time. Parking is 10$ and is covered. Feel free to bring in food with you in a back pack.

FABULOUS! I lived in Cincinnati many years ago. The Zoo was great then, and is even greater now. Cincinnati's breeding program for endangered species is still going strong, so there are always cute babies to see. I belong to to Tucson, AZ Reid Park Zoo, and was pleased to receive a discount in Cincinnati. I plan to return - many times!

One of my favorite spots to visit when I'm back home in Cincy! I'm very glad and think we're lucky to have this facility in our city!

We had so much fun. It was almost 90, so we were happy to see the misters and places to rest. The Bird show is not to be missed. Many trained birds that you don't see other places like the Rhinoceros Horn Bill. And the Cheetah show is amazing to see how fast they can run. We even enjoyed the insect house. A lot of baby animals, including the 2 week old giraffe!

I love the zoo! I reccomend a zoo pass for ther family

The zoo was great. Crowded as expected, but still a pleasant experience. We got to do the giraffe feeding, and were there early enough to see some of the other animals during their feeding time.

The flowers were beautiful!

I called ahead of time because I thought it would be too chilly for animals. They told me it was a great time of year to come. It was a great deal of walking, which would have been ok if 3/4 of the Zoo hadn't been closed for construction AND signs at most outside animals said it to come back after Spring. She should have told us this!! Wasted money!!!

Legit love this place! Something for everyone! Get there early cause the animals are more active early. Membership with souviener drinks is the best deal on refreshments. It truly is a great place.

Christmas lights were nice. Winter meant that some of the animals were not out but still was able to see a good amount of caged wildlife.

We love our zoo. We are members and go frequently. I have 3 small kids and it seems like they always find something new to enjoy. Love that I can pack a lunch and we can have free entertainment for the whole day. Staff if always friendly.

Stopped by during road trip coming home from down south. Fantastic zoo and super glad we stopped! Highly recommend!

Great Zoo! Very nice location. Would highly recommend for people to visit.

I always have mixed feelings about Cincinnati zoo. The parking is always a mess, the staff, almost friendly. Unless you speak to someone that is informed about the exhibits. And then there is the exhibits themselves. Many were uninhabited. I guess it's to be expected. But disappointing nonetheless. If there was a way to notify you before you walk all the way through. You can always expect a crowd when visiting the zoo, and today was no exception. I feel like the zoo has never adjusted to the volume of people that visit on regular basis.

I'd say, for the money, the Cincinnati Zoo has become a bit overrated. Take your money and time to the Louisville Zoo. You will have a better experience, at a better price, with better parking.

It was a wonderful experience. We got to see Fiona swim.

Good place, did the overnight stay. A little pricey food, but cool animal habitats. None of the primates were outside though

Lots of great things to see. Getting tickets online sped up getting in. I wish the cheetah interaction was better communicated. Zoo opens at 10, cheetah interaction at 11. If you don't go right away you'll miss it.

It rained while we were there so a lot of animals were inside. But all in all it was a good visit. Nicely set up zoo

Large zoo with a great variety of animals. The viewing areas give you a good variety of vantage points and there were some REALLY nice enclosures. Water is sold canned and there are no straws, so bring reusable plastic/metal bottles/straws if your family needs those. If you go during covid-19 restrictions, I recommend packing some snacks or sandwiches because the food options were mostly sweets and carbs. (The pizza place was open and there are lots of options for cooling off like icees, dippin dots, and root beer floats.)

Love this zoo. It s a great walk adventure with the kids and the zoo does a great job with their animals. The pass is worth having if you have littles and live in Cincy

We love the zoo! Going every spring is always a blast. It's always so much fun to see the zoo babies and all of the beautiful flowers and landscaping along the way. And in the winter, the festival of lights never disappoints.

On our trip this week we had several zoo keepers hanging around enclosures and buildings answering questions and engaging the kids. The zoo was super clean and offered plenty of food and drink options throughout the park.

Great experience, great exhibits. However, went to the tuskers to get some drinks for the kiddos and was met with 2 impatient and rude women. Asked and paid for our items, only to be told what we paid for was out of stock. When we asked for an alternative we recieved eye rolls and rejections. Not amused. Everything else was great

It was a really nice to see you and the botanicals were excellent. They were a lot of animals that were not in their exhibits. But it seems like they take really good care of their animals. Very pleasant experience.

Fun place to bring your family and friends to. Must check out all the attractions!

My kids had a blast after being in the house for months quarantining

Lots of fun with plenty of walking. I appreciated that they don't gouge you too bad with their food prices.

Clean, good parking. Well laid-out animal exhibits. National reputation. Leader in breeding. Excellent education programming. Festival of Lights at Christmas season is truly an experience.

I cannot express the amount of fun and joy we had while visiting this zoo. Coming here was a last minute idea and we are glad that other plans fell through. The zoo itself is very well kept and beautiful. There are many different types of animals here and many different ways to view them. Very satisfied.

My wife and I always have a blast and the animals always seem to be kept very well and happy.

Wonderful experience, happy that the zoo is safe . Will definitely go again and see more exhibits when they're open

Food court people were rude food wasn't that great.

Very nice. Was busy on a weekday with school in session. We spent about 6 hours to see everything.

Great zoo! Lots of great exhibits. I'm not giving 5 stars because we found the lay out of the zoo frustrating as there are a lot of dead end path that you have to go up and then back track instead of just looping around

The Cincinnati Zoo has a great educational program and experience. The staff works hard to teach about the animals, and build awareness for the issues which face them. Since it is the number one attraction in the city, be prepared for some lines. Despite that, the zoo is very well kept, with very little garbage. If you are going to go more than twice a year, I strongly suggest getting a membership, its pays for itself very quickly.

Love the Zoo. The festival of lights was sooo crowded. I'm glad I did it, ONCE.

We have to have one of the best zoos in the country. The staff is awesome and always willing to answer questions from a grown man (me). My kids love the flamingos and riding the train. The animals are will take care of, and the encounters they do are really neat. Also, the Festival of Lights in the winter is really cool, too.

It was beautiful! All the lights were fantastic! We went early and arrived at about 4:30. So we could see many of the decorations in daylight

wonderful day trip for my family. We enjoyed walking around the zoo. It was clean and not too crowded when we went.

I love this zoo. They are working on great conservation ideas, and the animals were out and about, all very active and happy

It is a beautiful zoo. Compact, but fits a lot in it without feeling cramped. I highly recommend going to the nocturnal hunters exhibit. Also note that this is a popular zoo, so it can get crowded.

Wonderful way to spend a summer day! The registration for a time to enter the zoo was easy to navigate. Patrons made extraordinary efforts to maintain social distancing and wore masks in the necessary areas. It was great to see the animals again and enjoy the beautiful gardens!

We had a great time. We were able to use our membership with a partner zoo for discounted admission (Check their website for a list). Lots of animals to see :-) we're planning another trip already

No sanitizer in any of the stations. Garbage piled up and overflowing in the eating areas. Tables were dirty, we had to clean them ourselves. Way overcrowded, we expected reduced capacity. Patrons not following mask recommendations. Yery disappointing.

Had gone for PNC lights Festival... Really awesome.
And bought tickets from Groupon to save 9 dollars

If you are there at 11 or 12 check out the Cheetah show. It's amazing seeing them run in person.

I absolutely love bringing my kids here. The employees are suoer friendly and really love the animals they are working with. My children's only complaint is their feet hurt from walking too much. And they normally don't complain until we leave. It's "As. Do we have to? Well, that's okay because my feet hurt from walking so much anyway." Great place to visit. Can't wait to do during the festival of lights. It's been a long time.

Never been, but I have heard a lot of great things from others, seems like a nice place to take children of all ages, and yes, even those childish adults. This is the place to be when you are lonely and the only friends you have are penguins. Oh, and by the way, the penguin parade is AMAZING, or so i've heard. But for the most part, I would highly encourage people of all ages to go here, thanks for reading this...

Although I am partial to the Columbus Zoo, this was beautiful. Nothing quite gets you in the Christmas spirit like zoo lights

Great, just watch out for scolding hot chocolate.

Beer garden menu

Awesome, they have done a great job during the pandemic

#TeamFiona
We love going to the Cincinnati Zoo. Different but great experience away from the Columbus Zoo that our family is used to. It is quite the walk to see the whole zoo so wear comfy clothes and shoes. Overall totally worth it though. I love how active they are on social media.

Everything except wild burger was good. At wild burger after I ordered my food then they told me I'd have to go to another place to get a soda.

Beautiful. My kids had a blast. Named the most "green" zoo which would explain the brilliant use of solar panels as parking shade. They have a nursing room with a TV and chairs. Pay $4 extra bucks to ride the express train that does a loop in the property. About the same size as the Los Angeles Zoo, but very much better.

This is a fantastic zoo. Great family membership and place to go for visitors. We got to see the elephants take a bath last time (9:15am). Highly recommend!

Love Zoo's all over but the Cincinnati Zoo is beautiful

The misting stations were a nice touch. They have lots of cool animals to check out. Occasionally, you'll find a staff member giving presentations about the animals and they encourage asking questions. It's a great place for a field trip. Unlike other zoos I've been to recently, the animals are more reliably visible in their enclosures, though many were simply resting in the shade on a hot summer day. I'll definitely go again in the autumn to see the animals possibly more active. The tickets were reasonable, but bring lots of money for food and souvenirs, though.

It was wondering. Lots of animals were gone for the winter but it was nice still

Excellent experience but ticket staff was not helpful at all and lacked personality. Animals were amazing and so involved with crowds.

Really nice looking zoo, but lacking in basic services. Beautiful exhibits, but wheelchairs were "not available at this time", food locations were mostly closed, unless all you wanted was a pretzel. They of course didn't tell us they were closed when we asked for directions to the food locations. Pretty big crowds as well.

I love seeing all the amazing and exotic animals they have here. My personal favorite are the black footed penguins. There so funny to watch run around!

The family always has a great time! Gets pricey so buy the meal pass so you can eat all day!

Love this place! Wish we could get a season pass :(
Fun for all ages and worth the price as long as you pack your own food and but tickets ahead of time. Parking is expensive,$10 for one day, but it's in Cincinnati so I can.understand deterring people who aren't actually visiting the zoo from parking there. All animals were out and about that could be. Love it!

Please please visit this zoo. You need a day to see all it has. Well worth a trip. I drive from Michigan once a year with my family to visit.

The best zoo around here. More animals than Indianapolis or Louisville. Meerkat, otters, snow leopards, red pandas are my favorite

This was a great experience! It seems like the animals are very well taken care of and it doesn't feel like they are in cages. The botanical gardens were amazing, there were plants all through the zoo.

Crowded, but nothing had too long of a line. Got to see some animals. The lights were beautiful.

Took my great-grandson to his first zoo visit. Since it's cold outside, most of the animals were unavailable for viewing. But the PNC Festival of Lights more than made up for it.

We moved to Cincinnati during COVID lockdown and have been looking forward to finally having a chance to make it to the zoo. It didn't disappoint! Some enclosures like the night hunters are closed right now but I'd say 80% or more are open!

Cincinnati Zoo is a place I could go every day! I love this inner sanctum inside downtown Cinci.

It was super hot!! Staff was very nice just wasnt many animals out due to the heat, I'm rating the experience based on the number of animals we didnt see, but like I said it was super hot outside! Not the animals or the staffs fault!!

Amazing zoo. The animals all appear very healthy and well-maintained. Beautiful gardens and endless wonders.

Great place to take the kids, the zoo was clean and the food was very good.

The grounds are awesome. Being able to see the animals is lacking. Go for the park like setting. Stay home if you want to see the animals.

I always tell people that if i am not a nurse, i would be working at the zoo!! I love this place so much that i never get tired taking my girls here every week. We usually get the season pass. My kids love the unlimited train rides that comes with it.

I've been going to the Cincinnati zoo for almost 40 years now! We love our zoo and the changes they continue to make, always improving enclosures, activities, accessibility, programs, and much more. Festival of Lights and Zoo Blooms are my favorites!

Had a great time here a couple of weeks ago! Lots of animals and fun stuff to look at and learn! We got a family pass this year and we're pleased as punch to get the joy of visiting often! We love our zoo!!

Amazing zoo! Build felt immersive and a great variety of animals. Loved the Night Hunters exhibit

Amazing zoo that you cannot get through in one day and worth the price. Only downside is walkways are very hilly and you do alot of backtracking to get in and out of some areas

Nice zoo with good amount of exhibits. We went during covid so many buildings were closed but got to see most of the outside stuff. There is a nice Africa section with all the popular animals. Also a cat area, many monkeys and a cool jungle area. Parking was close and easy to get in with shaded parking spots

Sometimes you go and have a great day at this zoo and other days it's a miss. Often times animals are not out or off site so many empty exhibits. Feels like a money maker then a zoo as you have to pay for everything once thru the gates, train rides,shows etc. Too many food stations also.

Beautiful zoo!! Love the animal encounters and the bird show. Highly recommend checking out the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden! It's best to get there early, pack a lunch, and stay all day. However, arriving later in the day is usually less crowded. There are a few food trucks and they have blueberry ice cream. There is also a LaRosa's pizza restaurant and a Graeter's ice cream. In my opinion it's all overpriced though. They recently updated the chimpanzee exhibit and have some baby chimps. The Cincinnati Zoo would also be a lovely place to host a wedding reception or rehearsal dinner. Hope you check it out, we have a family membership and have been going for years!

Always exceptional, any season. Best in the region in my opinion, followed by Indianapolis and Columbus Zoos. Fantastic updates and always amazing zoo lights. Love our Cincinnati zoo and botanical gardens!

Average zoo. I was expecting more from all the reviews and the website. It is no Smithsonian. I did not like that masks were not worn. Sanitizer stations were empty. Lines were not spaced out. Exhibits did not have the 6 foot spaces when possible. Paid $50 for something I felt was only worth $30 at most. The zoo does not flow easily and it is easy to go in circles. Or miss stuff entirely.

Such a great zoo! There are so many different flowers and animals, it has good wheelchair accessibility, and tasty soft pretzels.