Houston Zoo Reviews

Everyone was so friendly. The zoo was clean and there were many activities for th kids

This is our 2nd year coming to zoo lights this time my mother in laws job rented the place out for the night which was perfect because it wasnt too many ppl so we got to enjoy everything zoo lights had to offer

Always a great visit with fun exhibits and engaging staff.

Excellent! The construction was so frustrating but now that they've opened up most of the areas, it's amazing! They have a splash pad now. There are also more "cave" walk throughs which help keep you cool. Several exhibits are 3x bigger than they were before. Love it!

Always a great place to take the kids to see and learn about animals. Nothing beats having a zoo membership, so many rewards, discounts, quick easy entry, and it has literally paid for itself with only 2 visits.

Always a great time. Saddened about our Albino Alligator but the Ansconda is a good replacement.

Very nice zoo... very hot I suggest outside fans with the most floor very hot days and a better parking system

Great zoo. Good exhibits. Has a petting zoo for little ones (and big ones).

Loved this place. Due to covid some of the exhibits were closed but we still got to see alot of amazing animals. If you are worried about covid you should be but here mostly everyone had a mask on except for when they were drinking or eating. My only thing was some people wasn't respecting the six foot social distancing but for the most part it was a over all good experience to add to our family adventure list.

Perfect place to watch people enjoying themselves with friends and family.

Great place to spend a whole day with your friends and family. Ever growing exhibits makes each visit unique and exciting. Bring your own lunch and picnic at the refection pond. Make sure to buy a membership to support the Houston historical landmark.

I love this zoo so much, I've been to many around the country and a couple more in other countries and this is still my favorite. The staff is super friendly and they are knowledgeable of the animals they keep. Just like any other amusement park/zoo the food can be pricey so would recommend bringing some of your own snacks and drinks but there is alcohol around for the grownups and the food in either of the cafes is really good. In the summer time the animals are really just laying around as it is hot and humid so they don't come out much but none the less they have a very good variety of animals from around the world and I still love coming here for a nice walk and the atmosphere. (side note: during this covid situation some of the attractions are closed, I'd say about half of them, so if you don't want to pay to see half the zoo then maybe wait til they open up fully).

The animals need more room. Just isn't fun. They need to get creative and rethink thr lay out and find a way to make it more interactive.

Last time I went was very fun, a lot of fun activities to do with family and friends.

Really great zoo compare to Dallas one and great people that works here. Can't wait to come back!

Went on a winter day with few people, lots of staff - a great time to be there. A major city zoo. Big on educating attendees, animal preservation, and conservation.

Brought my niece and nephews but the gorillas were not visible which is why we came. A little disappointed. This place needs some work.

Most of the stuff was closed! Even the ones not out in the open! My family payed $100 to see 15 animals?? No.

Parking in offsite lot. Shuttle in
Zoo lights is great.

We enjoyed our time here. Lots of animals to see. A lot of ground to cover. And especially love the military pricing. Would definitely go again.

In general, I don't like zoos, but this one was good and animals look happy =)

The zoo is a family fave. We go as often as possible. The kids love seeing to animals and I love them being outside.

Beautiful place, always love walking around and seeing the animals. They are expanding so it can be cramped in spots right now on the weekends.

Great variety of animals to see, fun for the family and is also handicap friendly, with a scooter rental station off to the right upon entry to the park.

Usually I love zoo lights but this last trip was literally only saved because my love proposed! Prior to that I'd been hit by fighting children, had my feet run over multiple times by wagons, and was just overall unimpressed (this was our second zoo lights trip of '18). It's been a tradition to go to zoo lights at least once every year since it's conception, and this year was the first time I was disappointed.
But seeing that I'm now engaged, I couldn't dare leave less than 4 stars. The zoo has always been a special place for me

Animals look healthy and happy, never that crowded, and so many fun things to do!

I really enjoyed my time there. The only thing that I would change is that I went on a cold day and there wasn't hot drinks to buy. We asked one guy and he said that hot chocolate would be available on July. That was really strange.

I went today with two kids (10 and 14), it was so unorganized, every time we went a certain way a worker would say, you cannot go this way and we would have to turn around...clearly NOT marked as to the path they want you to take. You also have to purchase your tickets online, not what the phone number stated when I called. I spent over $67 for us and it was NOT worth it at all...very disappointing. I have been to zoos nationwide and this was by far the most wasted money spent.

Great zoo! One that we take family to when they come to visit. We were here for a special event that is held after normal business hours called Feast with the Beasts. #94.5thebuzz Great event that helps the zoo each year.

While it's not quite at the level of, say, the Henry Dooley Zoo in Omaha, or the San Diego Zoo, this is a very competent zoo with plenty of large exhibits and a wide variety of animals. Has a good sized children's area, and provides nice views of the towers of the Texas Medical Center. Surrounded by the beautiful Hermann Park to fill the rest of your day.

Had a great time at the Houston zoo today. They have a great section of primates to visit with lots of great opportunities for photos!

One of the best zoos in the nation. Wear comfy shoes! And lots of poke stops!

Zoo is wonderful all year round , the park is right behind if you want to talk a stroll .

Great way to entertain children of all ages! From 5 years to 69 years we all have had fun learning about different animals!

Great place for one time or repeat visits. A good addition to a day at the park. Indoor and outdoor activities and events year round. Kids love visiting and learning about animals and third eco systems.

We LOVE the zoo. They're updating and renovating, which is needed. Be sure to check the schedule and times to feed a giraffe!

Good place to visit. Parking is tough during rush hours

One of the best place in town to take your kids and show them different animals from different part of the regions which includes different fresh and saltwater acquarium, lions, bugs, reptiles, giraffes etc. They also have some good places to host parties and some shops to buy suveniors and toys. Do get their membership if you interested to visit more often.

Zoo Lights was beautiful, magical! Well worth the money!

The Zoo had really come along way from what it was when I was a kid. The price to get in is too much, but its a nice Zoo

This zoo is amazing. We go to alot but this one has the most animals that are walking around and doing things. The price was 24.99 for adults (12 and up) and 22.99( 11-2 years) but this includes the dinosaur exhibit, a bracelet and unlimited rides on the carousel. The splash pad was closed. But bring a swim diaper if you are planning on doing it. There is alot of cool down spots from people to take a break and get out of the sun. We did see all the animals due to having some that couldnt handle the heat but it is a really big zoo.
You are allowed to bring:
Coolers
Strollers
Wagons
They have on site:
Restaurants
Restrooms
Shops
Cool down spots
Alot of shade
Splash pad
Misting area
Carousel
Alot of benches
Water fountains
Playground
Petting zoo
Slides
Learning area for kids

I will be back to do it all and will post more pictures for all of you.

Thumbs up. This is the best zoo I have ever been to in the world. You won't regret visiting this place. I went there with my family and we enjoyed every minute of it. Look out for the white tiger!

Nice but kind of expensive for a big family
25$each to see the light show

Clean for a zoo. Employees are very friendly. Enjoyed seeing the gorillas after a many year absence. Family friendly with refreshment and snacks available along the various routes.

It was a really fun day to get to see all the different kinds of animals. I ll admit with Covid it s kind of confusing to find your way around the zoo and the petting zoo part was shut down, but other than that really enjoyed it.

I had a blast. I was able to see a lot the big cats & monkeys. Dislike the price of food and drinks.

Been coming here since I was a kiddo, this past may they opened up the new wetlands area and it was soo awesome, going to update with more pictures soo, thank you Houston Zoo.

Great place to walk and get away from everything love the animals

My kids love the zoo. Sadly, most indoor exhibits closed right now. Still a great place to go outdoors with their new dragon exhibit.

At 46 I was experiencing a fun and pleasant day it takes my back to my early years living in Houston especially enjoying the zoo with my 6yr old son.

Great Zoo! Extremely kid friendly, the staff was very engaged and polite, and great animals. I just wish they had more restrooms and water fountains. So be sure to stop when you see one or ese it could be a hike

Beautiful Zoo Lights. Loved the free hot chocolate and friendly staff.

My child love the zoo , we always have a great experience there . Highly recommended.

Stop keeping these animals in confinement. These deserve to be in their natural habitat, maintaining their own ecosystem. What right do we have to put these animals in display? If we want to see them, we should go out into the wild ourselves and observe them. The animals look miserable in their cages

To me, the elephant, giraffe, gorilla, and big cat exhibits are the stars of the show, but there are so many different animals and exhibits to look at. The zoo continually updates itself with habitats and exhibits of animals from around the world as well as here in the local area. The children's area is a lot of fun for young kids with it's own playground and petting zoo area. Staff and keepers are friendly and share information about the animals and there are all kinds of scheduled encounters with different animals. There's plenty of shade with large oak trees, bamboo groves, and beautiful landscaping, but it does still get hot and steamy walking around in the summer. Thankfully, there are cooling zones and enclosed habitats that offer air conditioning to cool off. I recommend getting to the zoo when it opens. Parking is hard to come by if you're getting there near noon and into the afternoon.

There is a lot to see in this zoo.
During summer, don't forget to take your kiddos bathing suit and bring them to the fountains in the back. Bring your own snacks and drinks to avoid having to buy expensive unhealthy food.

Good zoo - some odd policies though. Needs to be cleaned better & not much concessions open. Lots of animals.

Houston Zoo was quite nice, it was my first in US and I was ok with that. There are pretty much animals, nice areas. It s little sad that you have to pay extra if you want to see giraffe feeding closer.
I got the ticket through city pass.

I loved my visit to the Houston Zoo! It's fun for all ages, and has a variety of exhibits that are a must see for anyone.

Visiting Houston and wanted to see the Zoo. Was 'members day only,' but did not list that information anywhere and we arrived very disappointed that we couldn't enter without a membership.

The zoo lights event is ridiculous for the price and we arrived at 3pm and we were told we couldn't see the animals and the only ticket we could buy was the zoo lights. At $20 per person and WE WEREN'T ALLOWED IN FOR 2 HOURS. The cafe was closed so we were basically starving and walking around for 2 hours waiting to see some boring lights we could see for free literally driving anywhere in the street. Horrible place horrible people never waste your money or time here. SAN DIEGO ZOO IF YOU WANNA GO TO A REAL ZOO

Very nice Zoo, one of the best our family has been to! The kids loved it, even more so than the National Zoo in DC. So many things to see to keep the family busy for most part of the afternoon. We were all ready for a break & sit down dinner after making the rounds!

The prices to visit the zoo are outrageous. Half of the attractions are "under construction", & there aren't that many animals to see. Now I'm not saying go and capture more animals. I'm just saying if you want people to pay $15 for a 2-year-old, let it be worth the money. There are far more better zoos that are free and are way better than this one.

The zoo looked like it got bigger since my last visit a few yesrs ago. Loved elephants, giraffes, lions!

To find parking took us over 1hr it was over crowded and just a complete chaos. The zoo itself was nice didn't get to finish everything, the aquarium in the front was over crowded we could really see anything of how full it was. It would of been better if they have personal controlling the entrance for everyone can enjoy the time with the kids, if the capacity is 20, only 15 can go see once they are finish another group goes in and so on.

Nice place to go . The people in the front Harass you to take a picture

We had a great time and got to see animals we don't have at our local zoo, this place is huge. Parking was a nightmare

Brews at the zoo were super fun! So many different beer vendors to try. Only reason it didn't get 5 stars was due to the lack of animal exhibits. only about 30% of the normal animal exhibits were open for viewing.

Overall it was a decent experience and even though half of it was closed down it was just good enough for the kids to enjoy. When I didn't enjoy is paying full price for half an experience. They should've priced it at 20% off and or a buy 3 get 1 free. Maybe they can see what I see.

Free entry for students.
Can roam in around 2-3 hours.

Despite what their website says, the zoo lights ARE NOT free for college students though they do have reduced days. Still a delightful experience even if they should adjust website.

The zoo is amazing. Very clean and they have a lot of animals here. The animals have a good amount of space. Also feeding the giraffes is so much fun! For like $7 you can feed them big pieces of lettuce and they'll eat it from your hand. Definitely must try that

I was not impressed with the xmas lights this past year. They did way better job a few years ago. Not worth paying $70 in a family of 4

Always lots of fun! The zookeepers at the sea lions and elephants were wonderful and answered lots of ou questions.

I always have a good time and learn and/see something new and amazing Everytime!!

Such an easy place to take the kids and they always have a blast!

Love our zoo! Can't wait to see what's coming with all the new construction!

I feel bad for the caged big cats, the enclosures are clearly too small and they seem mentally ill, pacing back and forwards repeatedly.

Very nice zoo. The animals were understandably lazy in the heat but enjoyabke all the same. Bring your own water!

We will forever love this zoo. The family pass is well worth it, and paid for itself in one visit. We take our field trips for our children s school here, and it is always a blast. The zoo personnel are very courteous, and the animals are always amazing. The zoo lights are absolutely to die for, and a family tradition in our household. 3 children later, and it is a must even on the hot summer days just because of the splash pad. And gorilla cool down area. The Houston Zoo is a must for everyone, and anyone.

Houston Zoo is constantly upgrading for visitors to have a great experience. Here are a few of my past pictures with my son.

Animals were awesome but during the hot seasons, they need more cooling stations throughout the zoo including mist and drink stations.

We had a fabulous time dressed as the Incredibles family for Zoo Boo. We paid roughly 100 dollars (not including costumes and parking) to enjoy this day. Luckily, we did enjoy most of the day up until the very end when an arrogant staff member yelled at us to take off our eye masks AS we were leaving. The eye masks are BARELY more concealing than average sunglasses if that! I m thankful that this highly rude encounter happened at the end of our experience and not the beginning given our dedication to this day! We were happy that masses of children enjoyed our costumes and loved putting smiles on families faces. The staff member that yelled at us is a thief of joy and SHAME on him!