Houston Zoo Reviews

Returned this time with my family. Everytime had a good time including me and my brother (we're in our mid 20s) this could be thanks to the beer available in the zoo. However I feel accessibility to food and beverage was quite underwhelming. The zoo's willingness to construct new exhibits for the public are great, but some additional help from zoo staff to navigate around the construction would be much appreciated as the construction did cause us to forego a good third of the exhibits.

At first we thought this zoo was going to be small but were shocked after we spent 4 hours there without seeing everything. They have some cool/unique animals. If you are in the Houston area, definitely check this out!

We absolutely loved this zoo! There's tons of shade so it wasn't too uncomfortable during our visit. The place is very clean and the staff is friendly. We went in the evening so a lot of the animals were out because it was cooler but we didn't get to finish the exhibits. We will definitely come back!

Always a good place to see animals and of course fun times for field trip. Love seeing the animals and love the new additions they continue to add.

Great place to take the family and enjoy a good weather day. If you have children I highly recommend opting for the membership as you can go every day or as often as you like and it pays for itself in as little as 2 visits. Do the math it definitely is a great deal. Fyi the souvenir soda cups are reusable as often as you go. So they are also a great deal, you save a few bucks on refills.

Not sure what to say here, I guess we were hoping for a bit more. A little confusing once you got in for the lights. More direction please! We had family in town and thought this was going to be a hit. We were not impressed even the 10 year old and 5 year old were not thrilled. The added light tunnel was tinsel and hanging lights... there was not much wonder and light spectacular. Seemed a bit outdated to say the least. I was really hoping for a lot more. Oh well lesson learned. Will not being doing it again. $25.75 per person, we paid in advance too, even for kids under 10. Best part was taking pictures by the tree and by JOY.... made the most of what we had and that is family, most important thing!

Very educational. The exhibits are amazing and the animals are well taken care of. They are committed to saving wildlife.

The Houston Zoo is definitely a good outing place for visiting with family. I visited the zoo with my family , and we had a great day . It was fun moving around in green surroundings and looking at animals.

We enjoy visiting the Houston Zoo the employees are helpful and professional I know their way around the zoo when you need to ask for advice where the animals are where you want to go see parents.

Great time at the Muscular Dystrophy Association Muscle Walk 9/29/18..rained but fun

We went to the zoo in Houston yesterday for the first time ever with our two children and we arrived to the ticket booth right as they were changing shifts . The man who sat down and helped us buy our tickets was so very kind and generous. We bought two bracelets and had a great time thanks to Sebastian ! He was so nice and helpful and really helped us have a great experience ! We will definitely be back In the future ! Thanks again Sebastian !

Great experience great prices animals are easily visible to visitors. Employees are friendly and eager to help.

Closed this day, but the outside was nice, and from 8 stories up it looks fantastic.

Great zoo. My daughter loved the splash pad. The exhibits are really nice and alot of places to cool off in the summer.

Amazing experience you get to learn about the animals. It's a very exciting place for the kids and a lovely hangout for families. Animals there are proivded with very good care and the environment they live in is set to be similar to there environment.
Gift shops are not quite smart for someone who wants a souvenir and only might have some good toys for kids. However there's an amazing place to exchange what you find during your day to day exploration in street with stuff sold in the shop after they convert what you found to points.

They charge my group$24.99 each for the value pack and never asked if thats what they wanted. They don t offer the general admission for $19.99 they just charge the $24.99 automatically. Not ok

Beautiful zoo, Lots of animals including many who are being rehabilitated. Expensive concessions (but I mean, it is a zoo) but great staff. I would give 5 stars, but the Minnesota zoo is my personal favorite!

Always love seeing the animals. Watching the kids get so excited was awesome.

My sister is a member of this zoo, and she and I go at least once a month for the member mornings. Generally the word "zoo" triggers a controversy, but our zoo is amongst the best in the nation. It's extremely well kept, conscious of environmental conservation and active in rehabilitation efforts for animals and the earth alike. Of all the animals I've learned about through the various educational presentations (member mornings) and keeper talks, NOT ONE animal was taken from the wild senselessly. Not one. I'm so proud of our zoo, honestly. We have beautiful, enormous trees, a beautiful reflection pool (see image), and incredible foliage! Every time I go I look forward to seeing all the beautiful flowers and taking lots of pictures. The Houston Zoo is AZA accredited. Don't miss out! If nothing else, it's a great walk!

I love the Houston zoo! The elephant exhibits are my favorite and the volunteers are so nice.

If you go during the middle of the day during summer, you may miss a lot of animals as the will be inside cooling down.

Definitely check out Zoo Lights at Christmas, it is a beautiful display!

We bought a family pass for this year. It's fun to walk around and see all the animals. They've been doing renovations and making it better every year.

The Houston Zoo is always a fun experience. I have been going there since I was a kid and I now take my children there. Always friendly faces at the Houston Zoo.

We went on a cool day. All the animals were inside.

Great place to take your kids and spend time with them and eat.

Great place to take the family . Splash pads for little ones on hot days . Try to go in the morning when its cooler outside and the animals are more active

Spring is a great time to go to the zoo. It is lovely, shady and ever changing. There is more there to do than you think. It is better to stroll and really take everything in. It's fun watching families have fun. There are paddle boats on a little lake. When we were there it was breezy and over cast. It rained a little, but because of the trees and coverings we didn't even get damp. The elephants were being fed and very active. Go check it out. It's for everyone!

The best professional group program in Houston. Highly recommend joining as a member or Flock group. Makes sense after 2 visits a year.

Great place for the family! A must go to for fun and learning.

It was a nice zoo. The elephants were our favorite especially since they had a new baby. It was very hot out so I'm thankful for the cool spots you could stop at. Only thing I wished was better was access to cold filtered water. The water in the machines outside did not taste good and the people at the cafes seemed bothered when we asked them to refill our reusable bottles we purchased there.

Great experience. Lots of visitors and some discounts for local students ...and I think for veterans. Be sure to visit and experience the about 2 weeks long of Christmas (zoo) lights in December.

It is a perfect family outing specially if you have young kids. They will love the birds section, flamingos are amazingly beautiful. Elephants are gracious and naughty and kids will engage with them quickly. I ride in the animals carasoul will make them happy.

The zoo was incredibly clean and well-managed, the keepers were happy to answer all of our questions, and there was a wide variety of animals! We took about three hours walking around the zoo, seeing all of the animals. It was lovely exercise and there's plenty of shade and places to sit if you get too tired. The animals look happy in their habitats and were mostly active while we were there. If you come early, you're less likely to see crowds. Parking wasn't too far away, just a couple of minutes within walking distance. It was a lot of fun, and one of the best zoos in Texas that I've been to.

One of my 2 favorite zoos (Santa Barbara Zoo is another). It is very well staffed with friendly and helpful people. The layout is fun and exhibits well placed so something exciting is around every corner. The animal enclosures themselves are thoughtfully and aesthetically done. Lots of "chill zones" to stop in and take a seat and cool off. Hit and steamy in Houston!

I Really enjoyed my time with my family There. Gorillas; the elephants with their babies, monkeys , comodo dragon.... were all amazing animals. The best zoo i have visited ever. I surely Want to visit again. I love Houston

Such a great peaceful place to be to get you closer to nature and watch exotic animals in what seems to be as close to their natural habitat as possible. When we went about a couple months ago, we saw a real life lioness fight! To say it was amazing to watch is definitely an understatement. No animals were harmed, lol, but one was definitely defeated. WOW! Can t wait to go back!

Great Zoo, the animal displays are set up so that you get close up views. Only problem is wait to get in, over an hour in line. It's best to get your tickets online.

Dude.. 8 dollars for a coke? The zoo is nice but the prices are horrid. Lower the prices of the food and drinks so people can have a good time without breaking the bank.

We went there on a summer vacation. Daughter loved it. Wife loved the elephants.

My daughter love this place, we have the membership because she wants to go at least once a month and every time we visit the zoo, she discover something new. The only thing we worry about is that is not place in the parking lot sometimes and that s a problem but we hope soon they make more spaces for people to park.

It rained and was very cold so I didn't get to experience it much while I was there. Bought a city pass so wanted to visit the zoo. Will go again when the weather is better for the full experience.

We went on Sat and were not made aware of the fact that there are only about 20% of the animals available to see. I'm assuming it is because of Covid 19, but if the price is going to stay the same then let people know who can't always afford outings like this, of that fact. We would have waited. My recommendation, don't waste your money, $70 for a family of 3 and the entire tour (that's what it is, a tour) took 1 hr 7 minutes and that includes the walk to and from our car.

My mid-week trip was well worth the traffic I battled to get down to the zoo. The volunteers are friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. (Especially Eleanor [since 1974]) the primates were super active. Feeding the giraffes was awesome! The cheetah training session was fantastic! Still havent seen every part of this large zoo.

Fun & educational -- best zoo this side of the Bronx!

The zoo is ok. It's smaller than what I'm used too and quite a few of the animals were not available to be seen the day we went.

What a fantastic zoo! A large variety of animals, ease of parking, lots of shade trees, and great accommodations for families with little children. It s also laid out in such a way where it doesn t feel too crowded. The season pass is also inexpensive, and your day pass can be applied towards it if you decide you love the zoo as much as we did!

It was a good day. Lot's of changes. Many empty exhibits. But still a good time

My kids love the zoo, it has some areas that are under construction but it was still alot of fun. Alot of area for the kids to run around.

This is the most amazing zoo I have ever been too thus far !!! It's a lovely childhood memory that I can share with both my children. It's a must see while you are in Houston. I've been to many zoo's and I must say The Houston Zoo has it all. Well they dont have polar bears like Asheboro N.C But it's still great!

The Trail of Lights was too expensive for what you get out of it. The lights were just okay not phenomenal and you don't get to see any animals you basically just walk around the zoo with some of the trees lit up. It's a rip-off except for the fact that the money goes towards the zoo animals.

One of the Best Zoos in the US or even the world. Great exhibits and always enjoy taking my son here. Parking can be challenging at times as it is next to the park. Busy days can be very hard to find a parking spot.

Love love love the Houston zoo. The staff seem very educated and answered all our questions

Great zoo! Very clean and beautiful place. Love the zoo lights during Christmas too!

This zoo is way better than the one in San Antonio. This zoo was very spacious, clean, and had a lot more landscape/greenery than other zoo's I've been to. The staff was friendly and it was very easy to walk around the zoo. I was lucky that all the animals and critters were out despite some drizzling. This zoo is a must see!

Today we went to go see there Zoo Lights and they were so beautiful. My family and I enjoyed it so much! The price for the tickets were so worth it

Love the Houston Zoo. I only get to visit about once a year but enjoy it every time. We usually buy the family pass for the kids and grandkids so they can go throughout the year. We always love the animals, especially the giraffe's and elephants. We like the reptiles too! Plan to visit again in February if not too cold!

Took my son for the first time. He loved it. Would give a five star but for the food prices. Of course you are going to spend money at any park, but 4 dollars for a 2 Oz cup of gold fish is kind of crazy. Spent all day enjoying the sights. Animals seem happy and well cared for, especially the giraffes which you can pay to feed some lettuce. Definitely recommend visiting. We will be returning.

Great variety of animals to see. Make sure to ask for senior/military discounts at entrance to get cheaper tickets.

We enjoyed out visit. The dinosaur exhibit could've been longer. All in all a good day.

This zoo is very open and shaded. The animals are showy. The wait short. The only thing I do not like is the lack of parking. Come early to get a decent spot.

The Houston zoo has been improving over the last few years. More exhibitions and more species than the last time I visited. It is great for families and our family enjoyed the Sunday afternoon very much.

Came for the zoo lights. Was a great time and looked nice.

It was Kool had a good time animals were very exciting but fun to do something with family exspesive food but got it cheap with loanstar card

Nice place for visiting with kids. My little one was very happy with petting zoo and all over zoo.

Good day with the family, interesting programs and exhibits for adults and older child, quite a few play areas for the small child. A lot of construction but the enclosures and and environment show a lot of care and ingenious detail worth a visit.

Love my first visit to Zoo Lights amazing Christmas light show...the walk around the zoo lasted a long time... I would like to go back and see the animals though one day!

My major experience has only been online but this is one I visit frequently for both enjoyment and education. I share it with my grandchildren and they too are gaining great respect for the animals, the keepers, and especially to live a more conservation conscious lifestyle.

Thank you

The children's area is great. I really enjoyed the swap shop. Kent can bring something they found like a pine cone, rock, fossil, feather, and swap it. Cool idea for souvenirs.

Except the water fountains. Hot water does not cool you down. Food too expensive.

Definitely better than it was 10 years ago, love the fact that there are a lot of trees now, so in the middle of summer the sun is not hitting us directly, the exhibitions are better too and they keep improving them. If possible get a membership, kids love it and we get to go to the special events!

Great place to visit with family... It just gets hot!!!!

Better than expected. The zoo was very clean and the animals were cool. No aggresiveness in the animals was seen. Very good zoo.

3rd visit to this large and very modern zoo. Excellent enclosures and animal welfare standards and friendly and interactive keepers

I had a nice time with my friends, we don t even realised we had spent 3hours by the time we took a glance at our watches.. It s a place where kids can learn and have fun.!

Who hasnt been here? Its fantastic and alwayd growing and changing. Park and redtrooms always clean. Staff friendly and always a great visit.

So far it's just ok
They should have warned us today was a multi district school field trip event. Way too many (1000 plus) kids screaming and running wild. Most of the animals are put up due to weather yet the price remains the same.

Love taking my kids to this Zoo. We get the annually membership every year and my kids never get bored with going. Animals are always happy and healthy. And the exhibits are always clean. It can get a bit crowded at times.

I have been to many other zoos period from London do Florida to everyone. This ranks up there as one of my top three

Love the Houston Zoo! We have a family membership and go as often as we can!