Houston Zoo Reviews

I loved my visit here even tho i hate walking staff was friendly and the animals were amazing and the baby loved it

Really awesome zoo and the second most visited zoo in the nation! When I visited there was a conservation discussion led by Dr. Noel from East Africa who is a Gorilla doctor who helps gorillas in the wild and also talked with the conservation director about the future goals of zoos which is going to be geared more towards conservation of animals in the wild. This zoo is now undergoing renovations which are due to be completed by 2020 and it will take this zoo from great to fantastic!

Love love love this zoo! Even on a busy Saturday...they had everything running smoothly! Absolutely beautiful zoo and all the animals were out and active!

Lots of animals the kids loved it. Alot bigger than it was the last time I went 20years ago

Recommend giraffe feeding - my 3 year old loved it even if it was quick. There are opportunities for interacting with animals and staff at almost every area - that was exceptional. The staff was very accommodating to quests and of course the animals. As to be expected prices for anything is expensive but they allow you to bring your own cooler with items. My 2 toddlers had an entertaining afternoon.

Zoo in Houston Texas United States is a very large garden and wonderful. There is a large outdoor lake with a variety of birds, fish and turtles. The park includes many large and small animals, reptiles and rare ones, some of which are threatened with extinction. It includes many large wild animals such as elephant and wild buffalo with long and huge horns and there is rhinoceros, zebra, giraffe, ostrich, lions, tigers, bears, many species of snakes, reptiles, birds, monkeys, gorillas and others. a lot. It really is a wonderful garden and fun.

Zoo Boo was great this year despite the Covid 19, very well managed for spacing out the people, the carousel clean after each use.

We love the Houston Zoo. Membership gives generous discounts. The various animal exibits are in great shape. Zoo Lights are a new family tradition!

This low rating is for the restaurant by the giraffes. Took over 15 mins to order with 4 people standing around talking behind the counter then they gave my food away twice! 40 mins later because they only cook a new pizza after selling the last slice, we ate. Never eating there again.

Overall a really cool zoo and worth the trip. Most animals have nice, large enclosures with lots of enrichment. Particularly notable are the elephant, giraffe, rhino and ape enclosures which are all very well done, but may mean the animals are a little far back. This has never been a problem for us though. The worst part of the entire experience is the parking, which is a complete nightmare. Try to get to the zoo at opening and bring your patience and persistence in order to find a parking spot.

It's my favorite place to visit! I love all of the new improvements they are making to make the habits better for the animals!

The Houston Zoo is one of the best zoos in America. First of all it's really big. You can tell by the exhibits and environments they have created that they have allocated a lot of resources to making the living conditions really well suited for the animals. I am always a bit torn to see these animals in captivity, but that's just something that comes with going to a zoo. It's clean and safe.

Attended Zoo Lights & took 3 - 17 year olds with us. They absolutely looked it. A lot of walking, but not bad thing. There were different phases of lights to see, but worth it!!

We habe recently moved here and have wanted to go to the zoo. It seemed loke it would be small, but that is not the case. They have used the space very well. I was glad that we got out tickets on line amd were able to walk up and go in. We passed a long line of people standing snd waiting to pay. The Elephants were great. It was nice to learn about the animals and the things that the zoo does for them while they are there. The giraffe feeding was cool, however we disnt pay to feed them this time. We might next. We do not have kids and we still enjoyed the zoo as adults

Zoo lights were fun. Great for children and a clean park. Not many adult events and the zoo forced us on a predetermined path to view the lights. Probably a good decision due to the ridiculous crowd. Buy tickets online to avoid lines inside the park. Good luck with parking.

Elephant area is now the best I've ever seen. Can't wait to see the Texas Wetlands display

The animals were very active today! We have been here 5xs in the last year, but it seems like today they were out!! Lots of new things to see, seems like it's not that busy it's why. It's always clean which is great!!

Great place for a relaxing noon or evening there plenty of areas to explore and free for college students

Be very cautious!! Parking is very hard to get!!! Other than that, there is much to see and the animals are great.

Our visit was a amazing. We had to pay for a membership because the Zoo we used to affiliate with went private so we couldn't get in free. For a family of 8 the price was a lil pricey but understandable. If your are a member you don't get discounts on food but pictures and gift shops. Its really hot in the summer but I really like the air conditioning spots through out the zoo. They also have a splash pad bring extra clothing for kids and the popcorn was delicious. The kids loved it but do be advised that some of the features are not in the membership you have to pay separate but you do get a discount. We will be back.

Christmas lights are extremely well put together. Highly recommend for any ages!!

Great zoo. They keep changing and expanding it. Try to keep animals close to what it's like in the wild.

The kids had fun, with so many animals to see and many activities

Love coming here!! Became a member. Well worth the money.

Had a wonderful time at the Houston Zoo. Map was given; every thing was easy to locate.

Nice zoo with a variety of animals. Fun for the whole family, especially the little ones

This is a great zoo with a huge collection and lots of information to learn about the animals. The layout is somewhat simple too so you won't have to backtrack around.

I love the Houston Zoo and its conservation efforts! A must visit for anyone in Houston.

Nice city zoo. The memberships pay for themselves quickly. Very informative staff.

Some exhibits didn't really have the animals and they should've had golf carts or bikes because the walking was too long if a journey

Had a great time! My boys are getting older and still love the Houston Zoo.

The Houston Zoo is honestly one of the best zoos in the entire United States of America. Not only do they have one of the greatest conservation groups that do everything they can for the health and happiness of all the animals. They are diligent in being mainstream and connected to the Houston Community. You can have some great close encounters with the animals. Like feeding the giraffes or possibly getting a kiss by a seal. The Houston Zoo is also an amazing location for children to learn about all the animals of the world. The Houston Zoo also has a great program for children that is Affordable for all levels. If you catch yourself in the Houston area go to the beautiful Park check out the area around the zoo. But whatever you do don't miss out on going in and checking out one of the greatest zoos in America.

My daughter loved looking at all the animals. Can't wait to go back when reconstruction is done

Most wonderful zoo....had some animals I hadn't seen before. Awesome experience.

I took my wife for her birthday. They had the 90's after dark party event. She loves observing the animals. I loved the fact that they had adult activities and live music. In addition, they had old school video games. I mean Donkey Kong type games people. It was definitely different and refreshing. The staff gets a thumbs up. They were smiling and just helpful all around. Great job staff! I look forward to coming to the next event.

We love the Houston Zoo! The animals are very well cared for and the variety is diverse. You can feed giraffes, ride the carousel, and pet animals in the petting zoo. They also have seasonal activities like zoo boo and zoo lights that are fun for the entire family. Their summer special events like Lego animals and big bugs are always great ways to get engaged.

Very expensive, But fun and a great learning place to take the kids.

I forgot how much beauty was in our own backyard. The Houston zoo sits on 55 acres of land, in the middle of the city. Holy hell, we are so lucky to have 55 acres of land for animals IN THE CITY. The zoo opens at 9am. A lot of parents make a day out of it and pack lunch or have birthday parties there. It's really lovely. We like to visit with the silly gorillas and the elephants. The volunteers there are so kind. It's the the astroworld of nature. Kids running around all day and they even sell beer. We visited every animal and it killed 4 hours of our day. Then you walk out and there's hermann park. It's really nice if it isn't too hot and too humid. I think we were the only couple there without kids. The kids are a little loud, but they're kids, and many of them. We only went through one bottle of water.

The animals are so beautiful, happy, and some are really friendly. The cats were so boring. They lazed around and didn't move at all. I think what surprised me the most was when we went to the bird sanctuary and they had free range chickens. Literally, next to you.

Fun place to go with the kids! The zoo is very nice and the staff are very friendly!

Love to see the animals!!! Very good condition they are in.

My family loves coming here. Especially for the Christmas lights

The Houston Zoo is a fantastic place for families. It will be a very educational experience for children of all ages. While it is very hot and humid during the summer months, there is ample shade and cooling stations. Getting there earlier will also make for a more comfortable experience.

Quite pricy for the fact that some animal enclosures were not available. Badly organized. Some cafes were closed. Food isn't good at the cafe we visited.

Visited December 26, 2017, on a rainy Tuesday after Christmas. We went fully expecting the prospect of enjoying any outdoor activities to be hampered by the weather, and it was an overall positive experience. While the inclement weather seemed to have kept many visitors away, keeping the crowd size small and lines short, the downside was that many animals were not out and about. Our daughter would have loved seeing primates and more big cats, but was nonetheless excited to see the elephants, giraffes and rhinos. Despite the dreary weather, the staff were cheerful and professional. Rainy day discount would be certainly appreciated. This being our first family visit, we'd consider the membership a worthwhile investment, if we lived in Houston.

I could come to the zoo once a week and never get tired of it! The environment is gorgeous with all those wonderful old oak trees, and the exhibits are always improving and new ones being added. The Houston Zoo focuses on teaching people about conservation and they participate in those efforts around the world. Fantastic!

I love the zoo, I enjoy everything me, son and husband. We come pretty often.

So my wife attempted to take 3 of my daughters and our son to the Houston Zoo last weekend (3/16/19) and the reason I say attempted because she was denied entrance because she forgot her id at home and tried to pay with her debit card. Now correct me if I m wrong but most businesses don t require an id when using a debit card that s the reason it requires a pin (PERSONAL IDENTIFICATION NUMBER). So my wife asked if she can use the atm and the cashier told her no because it s broken.

I called the @houston zoo on Monday just to see if the atm was or have recently been broken and was told no not at all I then asked the person on the other end of the phone what s the procedure if I had my debit card and no id, I was told that they don't take debit cards without id because they don t have the system to enter the pin code( but being that they charge so much to get into the zoo I don t see how they can t afford an updated system) but what they will do is allow you to go to the atm and get cash I then told her what happened to my wife and kids, and she said oh no that s not right let me let you talk to a Suprvisor well the Suprvisor never called me back even tho I ve called and left messages over five times. I finally got a hold of a Marcus Mack Suprvisor of admissions, and I m assuming he had a rough morning judging by the attitude he had with me as he told me it was busy that day and they didn t have time to escort my wife to the atm (as if she can't be trusted to go on her own) then continued on to tell me that if my wife really wanted to enter the zoo she would ve bought the tickets online well Mister Marcus Mack you don t have worry about me my wife or my kids patronizing the @houston zoo ever again I d drive my family to the Dallas or San Antonio zoo before ever step foot in there again. Houston Zoo

We are members and LOVE going to the zoo. We made our online appointment and arrived on time and went right in. No crowds
No waiting. They have it mapped out to have you follow certain routes. (Due to Covid). We went into Natural Encounters exhibit to cool off and enjoyed watching the tiny monkey / marmoset(?)...so adorable. Continued along and saw giraffes and elephants and then went to see the animatronic dinosaurs which were really fun. We will go back as much as possible since you always see and experience something different!

I love the Houston zoo, the staff are great , and the animals are well taken care of. I also love feeding the giraffes. We have a membership and we get our moneys worth.

Really nice place for the family, but I don t like to watch trapped animals. The lion doesn t seem to like being trapped, and looked defeated. I won t go there more often.

It was not as nice I thought and the staff was not very friendly. I asked where the big animals wrer and they acted like I was bugging them. Will not be back

Great zoo, reasonably priced and a good amount of different species.

Had a very good time with my family. They are from Dallas and they enjoyed the different variety of animals they weren't able to see at the Dallas Zoo. The areas were very clean and although there was some areas and exposures under construction it was still enjoyable.

Always a great time had by all ages even in the Houston heat.

Don't really like animals being caged, but the folks taking care of them seem to be doing a great job. Lots to see and do there. The prices are what you would expect, higher than normal.

LOVELY experience today at the zoo. My husband and I are travelling from Canada and were happy to visit here for a day. The zookeepers genuinely care about the animals that they work with. We thoroughly enjoyed the sea lion presentation and all the tricks they performed. The staff have worked hard to train the animals, but you can tell it's been done in a respectful, humane way. The zookeeper that fed the meercats is FULL of knowledge and we learned alot from her as well.
The price, cleanliness, and amount of exhibits is more than worth the price for a fun-filled day with the family. All this AND an emphasis on animal conservation puts this at the top of the list for must see attractions in Houston.
Keep up the good work!

Love all of the new changes they are making and all of the member appreciation activities.

Very well maintain. My kids love it. New attractions are coming so we"ll definitely repear

First time being here since I was a kid. I enjoyed taking my nephew and little cousins.

I love how the zoo keeps expanding and adding fun events for families. Can't wait for zoo lights again this year!

Beautiful place to spend with the Family.
They have water splash, cooling zones, carousel rides, aquarium, all these beside the animals.
You can rent wagons or strollers for ur kids.

So much to see and do! Bring a wagon and water if you bring the kiddos

Staff and facility are great. Clean area and very helpful staff.

DO NOT GO TO THE ZOO AFTER COVID. BOUGHT TICKETS AT FULL PRICE FOR FAMILY IF 5.... NOTHING NOTED ON THEIR WEBSITE THAT HALF OF YHE ZOO IS CLOSED DOWN & not open. This would be fine if they at least notified ppl of this before purchase OR gave discounted tickets... seriously FULL price for like No kid play area, no inside exhibits, no monkey area open, no lions or tigers open

We when on the last day of the year and the kids as well as my husband and I loved it!! The zoo is designed beautifully and the animals up close was neat.

Basic as far as zoo's go. They do have a lot of big cats, and two baby cheetahs which was cool to see. But nothing spectacular, just solid overall selection.

It is a good zoo overall, but zoo lights was really disappointing a waste of money.

Love! love! love! Our trips to the zoo to see all of the animals the elephants were swimming in the pool and it was amazing for my family to see, we are so blessed for the zoo! My only issue would be the horrendous parking situation.. Sad but true!

We love the Houston Zoo. The grounds are very well kept. If you plan to visit more than twice in a year, get a membership. It will pay for itself on the third trip.

The zoo was fun but a little confusing to navigate. My only dislike about the place was that the restaurant or food court place served very pricy. Loved the leapords and elephants!

New Texas wetlands exhibit was a great tribute to our native creatures.

Awesome and great experience. Also educational. Just that it was hot, too, haha!

A really awesome zoo! Great variety of animals and an extremely helpful, friendly staff.

Great zoo, tons of exhibits and animals to see, staff are courteous and helpful, will definitely be returning.

Fun zoo. Tons of animals to check out. Friendly staff!

This is a nice little hike,with cages and enclosures along the way while you hike. The trails are scenic and breathtaking! all in all, this is an AWESOME PLACE TO EAT LUNCH HIKE AND EXPLORE WITH FAMILY & FRIENDS!Awesome place.

If you wanna see all the zoo, you have to arrived earlier. The Hermann Park have a big parking lot free.

I felt like a kid again. Large zoo; Many animal species. Loved the Gorillas, the fish aquarium, the elephants. A wonderful day at the zoo