Houston Zoo Reviews

Awesome zoo lights exhibit by all there just missed seeing the animals

I am from Atlanta GA, and a few months ago I took my children to the Atlanta zoo. It was okay, but I really enjoy the zoo in Houston. They had different exhibits and my children really enjoyed themselves, this is a very nice zoo to visit.

Houston zoo didn't disappoint. Only the bears were a no show plus a handful of other small animals but the zoo had signage up saying sorry and why they were not present. Even rained a few times but plenty of places to take cover.

Not all attractions were open, but the ones that were the grandkids loved. Limited number of people made it very nice.

Beautiful Christmas lights, looking forward to return in the spring to see the animals!

Good layout. Great exhibits. Will be better when the construction is done.

Visited this zoo on our vacation,we loved it! It does get really packed . I recommend getting there about 30 min before they open if you plan on getting decent parking.

Excellent family spot!! Due to the summer heat, some animals were not out or they slept... But overall, great exhibits!!
Parking is FREE!

Great lights just wish I could have seen more animals rather than smelling them

We absolutely loved it! It's a small Zoo packed of lots of full activities for the little ones.

Houston zoo lights are the best but... Parking is so bad.

Always have a good time and the zoo is always clean

Took 3 different aged kids and all had a great time. Only complaint is that a very large part of the zoo was under construction.

The most interesting animal there would be the squirrels.

I go there once a year and always have a great time !

It has changed so much since I was there with my sons when they were little. I went with my grandson for the first time. I had to use my walker but it made me able to do it. We had a blast. Everyone that worked there were so nice and helpful.

Went to zoo lights it was better this year than previous years. I would go back again.

Zoo Lights is AMAZING I am going to make it an every year event for my family you should make it one for yours too its incredible!

Not so bad, but many animals are missing and still many parts closed! I think that fall or winter would be better than summer time.

Wife and I are members, this place is great and constantly improving!

Love it. A great place to spend the day with the family especially on a budget

I love this zoo. Is very clean and organized. Lots of places to refill your water bottles. Let you bring your food and drinks

So relaxing and I love seeing the animals. Easy to access from anywhere in the Houston area. They are improving the zoo everyday.

Loved this zoo, all animals seemed to be out and available to view

My time here was not very pleasant. I visited from GA with my family. We visited 1/30/18. The zoo itself is great. There are plenty of cool animals to see and it's a big zoo. The reason for the poor rating is because when we arrived we were not informed that the zoo would be closing soon. My family and I were escorted out at closing time. We had not even been through half the zoo. We were told that we had plenty of time to visit. When I asked for a refund I was met with attitude and given the excuse that refunds are not given. I persisted on a refund stating that we were not informed, upon purchasing our tickets, that we had limited time to visit. After a while my entire family received a refund. If you decide to visit please make sure you have plenty of time to stop by. Do not rely on staff for anything. To the staff, if you end up reading this, please take the time to tell your visitors if you are closing soon. Also, if the zoo has closed, it is best if you stop harassing/following your visitors until they leave. This can be avoided by informing your visitors of your hours ahead of time. Thanks.

It is a big zoo. You can spend 4-5 hours if you want to see everything. And if you have kids with you, you can spend a whole day there.

I always love zoos. However, the past couple times I have been, there is always construction taking a major part of the zoo up. So that is a tad agitating. Like I said though, I absolutely love zoos, and the fact that they are working to improve and expand is always great.

We spend hours here and there is always something we never end up seeing that day. We love this place! My kids enjoy the animals. On cold days, the zookeepers put blankets out for the chimpanzees to wear. It's adorable. On hot days, the elephants jump in their mega swimming pool. We always have the best time here. You could spend 3-4 hours here easily. The children's zoo is great, too.

Really cool zoo. Well laid out and easy to navigate through. They have an extensive variety of wildlife and a beautiful setting. We also got the opportunity to feed the giraffes, which was incredible. Highly recommend visiting if you get the chance.

Cool zoo. Some enclosures better than others. Nice layout and tons of great activities and interactives. Good way to spend a day!

Nice place for a family but a little bit expensive for the average

Good place to visit on the weekend if you have nothing better to do. These folks have a wide selection of animals to observe.

Good fun for the kids. The options available for physically handicapped and families with infants, toddlers are very convenient. Being in downtown they're a little cramped for space.
Was disappointed to see the longhorns gone since our last visit.

Very friendly employees... Good experience for everyone

My parents have been bringing me to the Houston Zoo ever since I was old enough to walk and probably before then! It has only improved over the years! I bring my kids here now and I think I get more excited than they do when I walk through the gates. It's an awesome, fun environment for kids and adults of all ages! It's always an all day event, coming here, and we always have a blast. Concession prices are a little steep for my budget, but that is always to be expected with places like this nowadays. And it doesn't effect the fun. They just keep expanding and adding more fun and exciting things to do to keep you coming back for more! Definitely come check this place out; it's perfect for making life long memories!

Such a wonderful relaxing place! Animals seem to be well cared for. Lots of zoo keepers to answer questions at almost all the habitats. Enjoyed being here so much!

The Zoo was magnificent. I have been in many years and I didn t realize how much I miss it. I would recommend the zoo to anyone! We brought in our own food and drinks, I think coolers are allowed, I used a backpack. Don t remember it being so expensive.

This place is constantly changing,( getting renovations) We love the Summer activities like the temporary exhibitions and the movies at night. Also we greatly enjoy the Zoo Lights over Christmas season.
It's definitely worth a visit and if you're local, AND have kids, the membership is a must!

I took my granddaughter to the zoo, we had a really good time and there was a lot to see. It s a little pricey, but worth going a few times a year.

I lost my bag and someone turned it in. the employees are so so helpfull and patient! Always have a good time here.

Had a great day at the zoo. Plenty of shady spots. Loved the animals.

Its a very big and fun zoo, i loved seeing the animals and it was exciting to just walk around and look.p

I have lived in Houston all my life at even at somewhere above 40 years of age, I still love coming here.

This zoo is good but not good arrangements for Animals...e.g. no water for Kingfisher to dive.
In 97 degrees temperature, animals were kept outside without any cooling arrangement..I felt very bad for animals...this is worst zoo in terms of caring of animals...

It's a nice zoo. Fairly easy to navigate. If you love nature and animals, give it a visit
Great for family or friends.

General upkeep is satisfactory. New exhibits are featured every summer. The Christmas lights exhibit continues to be very popular year after year. My only complaint is why nobody bothered with posting signage pointing to the exit. What if there is an emergency requiring guests to evacuate quickly?

Not really as good as expected. As we visited in July not many animals were there to see. They have added a new zone which have the different kids of bugs which are huge and were making some movements, but was not of great interest.

Had a blast! Great place to bring your family for the day

Large and fancy. It San Diego by any means but certainly bigger and better funded than most. A good time for family.

Very well maintained with constant upgrades. Even on Memorial weekend it wasn't bad. Love the chill zones and occasional sitting areas. The more natural environment for the animals was great to see!

Food spots were closed but they still get a 5 stars for how well everything is run during Covid. My daughter loved the dragon exhibit!!!

I bought my family the Zoo Membership because there s never enough time to experience all that you can at this zoo in one trip. Love the added discounts on food and merchandise as well

Great place to bring kids! Petting stables are very nice to get hands on time with the animals.

A gem located on the outskirts of downtown Houston. The layout of the park is very easy to navigate. Each exhibit does an excellent job transporting you to the world of the animals in the park. For me, the gorillas and chimpanzees are worth the price of admission alone.

It's a lovely place and we visit often. This last time we had an issue because my husband had forgotten his wallet and thus his ID, but they apparently charge every card as a credit card, so we had to go through an ATM and pull out cash in order to get in. That seemed really silly.

It might also be good to add more water fountains and AC areas, especially near the children's section. The only one I could find near the petting zoo was the restroom, and I didn't really want to hang out there just to cool down.

Typical zoo. Nothing too out of the ordinary. Great place for children.

Took my kids. Love this place its the biggest zoo weve been to. Very clean and my kids loved all the animals. And the petting zoo. The dinosaur exhibit was pretty cool as well.

Happened to go on a very cold and windy day. Wishing they had a bit more plan in place to see more animals when weather gets inclement, but whatcha gonna do? Houston zoo is one of the best ive seen, but thank goodness you can bring your own food in when a cor dog and apple costs $9

Large zoo, but several attractions were closed and there was construction. It was packed, of course. The reptiles, gorilla and orangutan are the best exhibits in my opinion. Parking is a nightmare after 10 am.

My daughter loves the Zoo. We became members a few years ago because she lo es it so much. We go at less 2 or 3 times a month.

Very nice elephant exhibit, good variety of animals, very clean.

Loved the visit and the informative keeper talks with featured animals. Coolers are welcome, concessions are totally over priced. Buy your tickets online and skip the LONG lines. Don't miss a ride around the park on the Herman Park train.

Plenty of exhibits and show to see. Lot's of shaded seating and water fountains. Pathways designed with families in mind. Food was reasonably priced and was tasty.

Looking for a nice family outing, the zoo is a great choice. Expect to spend several hours inside the zoo as there a lot of things to see.

Awesome place to visit! Staff is very friendly and helpful. I would recommend going in the morning or evening because the animals are not as active in the heat of the day.

The Houston zoo has lots of animals and a great kids area. Restaurants are available but can be expensive. Zoo lights during the holiday season is wonderful and a lot of fun.

Great place to take the kids. Try feeding the giraffes. Zoo lights are also fun but it can be difficult to see some of the animals.

Amazing experience! The black bean and quinoa burger is the bomb! The staff was so welcoming and friendly!

Great place for kids and adults alike! Love going there for a couple hours with the kids. Season pass is the way to go so you don't feel like you have to see everything in one visit. The zoo has spent so much money in updates in the last 3 to 6 years. It is a great place to go. If you have not been in the last 5 or so years, you will be pleasantly surprised. I can say with confidence that it is a major Houston attraction now. The elephant sanctuary is both mine and my son's favorite thing to see. The reptile exhibit and the meer cats are so cool. Primates are sometimes sitting right up at the glass. Huge mary-go-round!

Excellent family spot. Lots of fun activities for the kids, helpful zoo staff and a variety of eating options.

Clean and organized. A lot of variety of animales to see and activities for kids.

Fantastically large Zoo didn't manage to finish the whole thing even their cafes were good

I love coming and getting a lap around the zoo. So relaxing!

I didn't know that the male elephants were kept separate from the female and young elephants, and the Red Panda is so cute. Part of the Zoo is being upgraded, so isn't open, but there's still more than I could see in one day before my feet gave out. Go to the Zoo I think that you will enjoy your experience.