Columbus Zoo and Aquarium Review

The zoo is the best place to hang out at any time of the year!

Fun experience for our children. The kids had a great time viewing the animals, petting the sting rays and watching the sea lions swim. Great food too!

Really big and lots To do takes more than day to go through this zoo.

good atmosphere, the heart of africa is amazing but the aquarium is lacking. Still alot to see and better than none. Had an amazing time.

Great experience, we were able to visit everything in a little over 2 hours.

The columbus zoo will always get 5 stars from me. The park is amazing. The animals are kept clean and healthy and so are their enclosures. We always have a wonderful visit.

If you haven't seen the "Surfin Safari" show, I highly recommend it. It is adorable. Loads of trained animals, from dogs and cats to birds and kangaroos, doing little tricks along with their trainers. We have seen it multiple times and we love it just as much as the first time. And at the end you can normally visit with a few of the animals. Different animals come up each show. We got to pet a skunk and a duck on a couple of our visits!

There are a lot of animals to see with knowledgeable employees who are always willing to answer questions. Bring you walking shoes and a camera.

Great place to visit, loved seeing all the different animals and even a few surprises (such as the ww2 airplane in the lion exhibit) all in all it was amazing, even if we didn't get to see all of it and my little brother got stung

A clean, beautiful zoo that has taken great effort to make thoughtful and informative enclosures. There's also a great carousel, train and multiple playgrounds for younger kids to ride and enjoy! My son LOVES coming here!

Great zoo. Animals are grouped by where they're from. Zoo is well mapped out. It is paired with a water park which we did not go to but liked fun

Always a great place to visit. The Zoo and water park are both top notch.

Meeting the animal ambassadors was a super awesome experience. The zoo itself is very well laid out, beautiful, and the animal exhibits are adequately sized. All the staff encountered were fantastic.

Best investment for summer fun....pass pays itself off with a couple visits...you can get in the zoo or zoombeezi! Great adult section that lets you float around w your drink and relax with no kids!

Wonderful zoo, great for education about conservation. It is a joy to see these animals. Well worth a membership, it pays for itself.

Our first time visiting! We loved it Just weren't happy you could ride the train and boat but couldn't get close to most of the animal exhibits...that makes no sense.

This was a great family place my kids had a blast thanks!

Doin a great job of accommodating guest since pandemic re-opening..... thanks guys

OMG the Dinosaur exhibit is the bomb and ask the animals were out. Can't wait for stingray bay to open back up. My grandkids were visiting from New York and it's all they talk about now. We went as a field trip with Columbus Parks and Recreation Centers Lincoln Park Barack location and it was Awesome

Always enjoy anytime I get to go to the zoo. Yet some of the areas like the buffalo you can hardly ever see.

We went this past Saturday and attempted to make small talk while waiting for our payment to go through at the parking entrance and the girl rolled her eyes at us and gave an attitude back. Seriously? Find somewhere else to work if you hate interacting with people! I know it s hot and you ve let a lot of people in but being rude to guests before they re in the zoo let alone the parking lot is awful.

This zoo is amazing! There are tons of animals organized by continent of origin. It's impressive how much space each exhibit gets. The African savannah is literally an open plain where the animals can wander all over...and it's in the middle of Ohio. The zoo makes a lot of effort to emphasize conservation efforts and ways that visitors can make a difference in their own homes. The only drawback to the spacious exhibits is there's a lot of walking, but it's worth it. This zoo is up there with Omaha and San Diego!

The new Adventure Cove is great. And they're doing a nice job encouraging social distancing and masks.

I had a great time. The wildlights were truly fun and amazing to visit.

Great time with my 3 year old nephew. Lots to do we had a great time. We even fed the giraffes

Had so much FUN!! if you buy for zoombezi bay I do suggest getting the zoom pass cause my boyfriend waited an hour and 15 minutes for one slide!

Awesome Zoo! They go out of there way to make the animals here happy, also do an excellent job at mimicking their natural habitats. During the day there are several different shows and exhibits to see. The staff are always very knowledgeable and friendly. I keep a membership and visit year round as they have many special events throughout the year such as Wild Lights, and Boo At The Zoo. Only down side is during the summer months the zoo can become very crowded.

Love the place, gone here ever since I was little and it has definitely grown since then. The people working here are awesome as well.

They have a decent amount is animals however I would rather see less animals with bigger better habits. Some of them where very small. It does look like they are expanding so that's good. I'm not a big fan of animals being caged at all so my opinion may be bias.

This zoo was GREAT!! One of the best we have been to. They are also making time's for ppl to come into the zoo weather you are a member or not. You can only buy your tickets one the website or when you get there. You can't buy them at Kroger the way we thought. It was a great place to spend the day. I would recommend you to bring stuff to eat and drink if possible. There food is expense and doesn't taste that great. Wish you ALL the best on your day at the zoo.

Always a great time when attending the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. All though some things are very pricy, it's still a great place to bring your entire family. The animals were all out for viewing and my kids were very excited when they interacted with the animals. I will be going back in a few weeks!

Oh my goodness, the Small Clawed Asian Otters are amazing. There are so many of them (8 or 10) and you get such an amazing viewing area. I recommend this zoo just based on those otters alone.

The whole zoo is great and I did not dislike any of the exhibits I saw (I walked the whole zoo in 5 hours).

We took my two-year-old son for the first time and he enjoyed it. I've been to the zoo many times throughout my life and have always loved it. We go maybe once every couple heads. It seems shows and exhibits change enough so it doesn't get boring or stale. My favorite part of the zoo by far are the marine life. I wish there were more marine animals.

Cons: the food is way too expensive.

Not CCW friendly

We came for the Christmas lights and it was absolutely perfect! The kids got to see Santa which was a surprise to us that he was there. This was our first time seeing the lights but will be back next year!

Always a favorite spot of ours to visit while in Columbus! The 4D theater is always fun. Feeding the lorikeets is the one the we always have to do. Jungle Jack's is fun to ride some rides. And the Dinosaurs are back! Cooler days are better to see the animals moving around, hot days they just lay around.

$22 adult non member/county resident

Exhibits often have outdoor/indoor view areas or high/low viewing.

Decent prices on concessions. Multiple areas for kids, including playground and petting zoo section.

Some areas are set up to be seen from a certain direction and are counter intuitive if not entered from that direction. Doesn't ruin experience other than walking against everyone else.

Don't let the kangaroos out.

Loved it, a great place to go. My husband and son and I want to move to Ohio we loved it over there. Nice people and great place to be. Everyone was very nice.

This place is always a good time. Even with COVID-19 precautions, it always seems like a crowd pleaser and doesn't price-gouge as much as some other parks do...can't speak on Zoombezi Bay as I've never been there, but the new seal area and animal encounter area is pretty great!

I love the Columbus Zoo, but due to the Covid precautions, many displays and observations are closed, but the zoo is still charging the same price. Actually they are charging more now because there is no discount for Franklin County residents anymore. The fee really should come down at least $5 until the zoo is fully functioning.

Everyone should go here at least once and then you will never go to another zoo ever again. It is amazing!

Had a great time with the family. One of the best zoo's I've been to. Only issue I had was no shuttle back to main gate from the Heart of Africa section.

This is a really great place to go and spend the day and to have fun and learn about all the different animals

Wildlights at The Zoo are beautiful. This was the best year ever, seems like there were thousands more this year.

Environmentally conscious and family-friendly this is a great place to visit when the weather permits.

Visited Columbus zoo during winter wildlights celebration(between November 2018-January 2019) there were many led powered trees, musical light shows, Polar bear express train. Enjoyed my time there, though it was crowded. Some parts were closed but overall had wonderful experience.

Tickets are generally for $19 but got discounted tickets because of my employer, apart front tickets, you need to pay $10 for parking and $9 for Polar bear train.

I love the Columbus Zoo. Great place to spend time alone or with a group.

Fantastic place to visit. I try to come as frequently as possible and always have fun. Thousands of animals to see and very enriching. If you are in cbus and haven't been, The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is a MUST.

Amazing all year round. Zoo lights is perfect for family and friends for a night out of the house. A mix of animals, beautiful lighting displays and hot chocolate take me back to amazing memories as a child.

I love this zoo! The only reason for 4 starts is that I just wish more food options would be open in the fall/winter, and I wish they would mark which habitats aren't currently open on the large park maps throughout the park.

Great price for all day fun! Beautiful clean zoo. The water park was awesome. Will definitely go back!

It was great. And my daughter had a fun time seeing all the animals.

Coming here is a must ! If you haven t yet it s definitely a must ! To visit the zoo

What a great day.
I didn't like $10.00 for parking if your a non member.
As my girlfriend, her son and I were getting in line for tickets we were asked if were ex or present military. All three of us are.
They let us in for free.
Thst was unexpected, the zoo didnt have to do that.
That is appreciated from all that served.

My girlfriend and I are reinstating are memberships this week.

Most the animals were out and playing.
We went on the boat ride with the dinosaurs
That was really cool, nowonder it was packed.
The staff was educating us in each area.
The African safari was amazing. It was fun feeding the giraffes. I took pictures of that.
The monkeys and gorillas were playful.
There is too much to list.
What a great way to spend a Sunday.
Thank you again for the military appreciation.

Nice zoo, some of the exhibits were small for the animal(s)- moose and reindeer.

The light display was well worth it. We had a very nice evening.

Overall great experience. Due to covid 19, about 1/3 of the animals weren't there and they randomly closed one part where the tigers were for unknown reason. I wish they adjusted the prices accordingly to what was offered. Ex: you pay for a hamburger at the restaurant and you only get 2/3 of it for the same price. You would probably say something. That's how I felt today

It's a nice zoo but I would say best time to go is a week day.

We bought a family membership today and the woman helping me was very nice and took the time to explain everything. We paid for parking and she took that price off the membership.

Concessions was very good. It was a nice night for wildlights and was pretty busy but the concessions were moving quickly.

Easily the best my favorite zoo experience. We didn't even receive the full experience due to the co-vid restrictions, and we still had an amazing time. What I enjoyed the most was the atmosphere. The zoo closed at 7pm, and we were not ushered to the front gate, we just slowly made our way back, while checking out a few extra exhibits on the way back. . . and the staff seemed super chilled about us not rushing. They even seemed to encourage it. I loved it, and we will likely purchase passes and bring our out of town guests here to enjoy as well.

We love the Columbus Zoo, there's so much to see. Plan ahead though because you'll need plenty of water to drink on a hot day. One day trip is not enough, that's why we got the annual pass.

Loved the lights, didn't like the unavailable animals.

Plan your visit to certain sections and old and young alike will learn and not be bored! From the manatee aquarium to the huge Africa plains exhibit you will see animals like you have never seen them before. Places to set and rest while still viewing animals being themselves. An all day visit or a couple hours now and then can be very enjoyable.

This was one of my favorite zoo visits. We really enjoyed the Africa exhibit and the Polar Bear exhibit. Everything is a easy walk for able bodied people. The staff was extremely friendly and knowledgeable including the many Dosans we encountered. I am glad this world class facility is a reasonable drive away from my home. We will definately return.

All I Can say is Wow! Loved most of it. But we all wish they would please please improve the elephant area! Its very small and they look so very sad and bored.

Would ve been great but overcharges for parking and membership pass for my sister who lives in franklin county but because I came out of state to get it for them I had to pay twice the amount plus the out of county prices and two cars parking but to make matters worse security made the entire family uncomfortable because of how they treated our newly diagnosed autistic child. I severely disappointed in this establishment and it s overly horrendous charging policies and lack of sensitivity to children with autism. Justin c at membership services treated us terribly wrong and refused to deal with an escalating and wrong situation. I am so ashamed of these people in regards to how they treated our autistic biracial child compared to the screaming white child. Racist and insensitive to disabilities establishment who only cares about taking money from people. Such a fall from what I remembered as a child.

Very crowded for a wild lights day but still very fun.

Incredible experience. Thank YOU Jack Hanna for making this a magical place. My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed it. We explored the park over 2 days. We are hobby photographers and took our time at each animal area. I loved the aviaries! I love to photograph birds and the aviaries were terrific! We arrived at the opening to avoid the larger crowds and left by 3pm each day.

One of the best places to go w/ ur family and friends

This was a very nice zoo. They have lots of nice places to eat, the grounds are clean, and the exhibits were nice. My only complaint is that it's so big! Lol. We were there for 9 hours and didn't see everything. We'll have to plan more time next visit!

the employees very awesome people helpful wonderful place especially for the family kids groups great zoo

Beat place to spend a day. Love taking the family (kids mom and grandma) to see the new baby animals and the NEW SEA LION EXHIBIT is AWESOME!!!!!

Went to see the Christmas lights!
Absolutely amazing!

We went to Zoombezi Bay. We had an amazing time with the kids. We had plenty to do and plenty of places to lounge when we needed a break. I can tell you that the concessions were actually pretty reasonably priced for a park of this kind. Staff are very helpful and friendly. All around great park. Definitely worth the money.

It was super hot. Some of the exhibits were closed that was sad. Maybe more water mist thru out the park. And fans in sitting areas. The kids love the aquarium stingrays and seals were the best

Loved the facilities and exhibits! A lot of animal babies were out during our visit! Got to see everything we liked... spent close to 6 hours!
The only bad thing I could say is it was a good thing I didnt want a caricature- the booth was open but the artist was hiding behind the desk! See picture attached.

Always so fun to see all the animals. Everytime we visit the Kangaroos are closed.

My family and I had a wonderful time at the Columbus Zoo!

Incredible zoo. Had great deals in the off-season. Plenty of diversity and the exhibits were very well designed.

Great zoo. We loved the manatees, the fish in the aquarium, and the polar bears. It is very appreciated that they have nursing stations available, which really makes it welcoming to infants and nursing mothers. Our older son had a great time exploring. It's big enough that it would be good to take two days for young children to see everything and play as much as they'd like. We did not go to the water park.

Holiday fun at Wild Lights! Get a coupon at Wendy's and enjoy the music and lights

Amazing zoo! Even in the middle of a pandemic it still maintains a quality experience worth your dollar. A special thanks to the zoo faculty for the many safety precautions taken to make it a safe and fun time for everyone!

The zoo is great every time. We buy season passes bc we are only about 40 minutes away. The kids still love it even though we've been there so many times.

This is a wonderful zoo. They have the best animal collection I have ever seen. It's easy to navigate even on busy days. There is always something going on there. The light show is really neat. If you want your kids to actually like a zoo trip, take them here.

Always a great visit. Go early in the morning during the week and you'll have the entire place to yourself!