Houston Zoo Reviews

Been here a few times and I always enjoy it. Always a new experience and a wonderful way to spend the afternoon in houston

Had an awesome time with the grand kids! It was super busy and had to get a shuttle because there wasn t any parking available!!! Yes I took a cooler and regret not having time to ride the train!!! Next time I ll leave earlier!

We got to the zoo early and were able to see just about all the animals awake and interacting with each other. Love all the animals!

On the down side there is often construction. Although it means new and exciting things are coming.

You are right there with the animals. I have never seen so many elephants so up close.Great experience !!

The Houston Zoo is a great place to spend the day walking , learning about animals and looking animals. The Houston Zoo does a really great job of keeping you cool in the summer . They offer plenty of shade and cool places . They also have fun things that everyone can participate in like the petting zoo, splash pad and the various animals that you can touch or see up close and personal. The zoo has very helpful and friendly people who will help and assist if you need anything . The price for zoo can be a little bit high but if shop around you can find discount tickets . The zoo does not charge for parking but if you arrive early to get a good spot expect to walk . The zoo also allows you bring in your food too. The Houston Zoo is a great place to bring anyone of any age . This is a great place for families, couples and single people who want to spend the day by themselves.

The houston zoo is always fun and I love it even more during the holidays with their zoo lights, great atmosphere and I always can't wait to come back!

Ok. Little spaced out and not many food options. Parking is insufficient. Paid $20 to park 1/2 mile away.

TXU Presents DINOSAURS !!!! The Dinosaur is a little short but it is still pretty awesome. Bring your own food and drinks in. Restrooms conveniently located. Wagon and wheelchair rentals. Get there early because parking is limited at the zoo itself.

I have never been an adamant of enclosed animal spaces for the entertainment or the needs of human beings. I do have to say this is not what I expected and that it doesn t compare with what I had experienced as zoo growing up. I like that part of the proceeds go to saving wildlife. It is educational and it raises awareness on the endangered species. A great place to bring the little ones there are tons of activities for them.

Such a nice place, appreciate the cool zones, the free water refills, and the FUN!

Great place to go with or without kids. You can take your own food and drinks. Then afterwards you can go ride the train or the paddle boats!

We had a safe and fun time, masks included, at the zoo. Our young grandbabies made it more amazing with lots of smiles and giggles. Do miss that the petting zoo was not open and several areas under construction, but all in all was a great family outing to make for the Corerna virus.

It's expensive and there weren't enough signs to direct you to, well, anything. Hard to navigate overall

The zoo lights were really nice, it's still very sad to see such beautiful animals in such small enclosures.

Wonderful time at the zoo! However not a lot of options for refreshments, so bring your own, and be sure to wear sunscreen!! Also, as shouldbe obvious, wear cool, comfortable clothes and shoes!!

A fine zoo! If you're basing your expectations off e.g. the St. Louis zoo, the price of admission may seem steep, but I found it was a worthwhile experience and you can apply the price of your day's tickets to a membership as a sort of 'try before you member' deal. For me the standout attraction above and beyond other zoos I've been to is the elephant exhibit - there are two large areas with separate female/family herd vs. bachelor male herd, and you can see the two baby/child elephants Tilly and Joy at play.

Zoo was good. The Cypress Circle Cafe is terrible. Bad set up, nobody knew where to go, how/where to order, how/where to pay... it would be so easy to order and take your food without paying

Phenomenal place to chill downtown! The zoo always attracts an awesome crowd with so many different things to see and do! Any and all types of animals, plants, trees. Tons of shade to stay cool! Indoor exhibits with AC. FEED THE giraffes, get close to the lions during special exhibits, and walk walk walk! Bring the whole family, all the friends and come prepared with plenty of water and snacks. Many foods and drinks sold on site as well!

Although a zoo is primarily, a place where mankind has awarded life term to many other species, there are times when it serves as an important centre to help understand the needs of & threats facing these animals... With numerous exhibits of exotic fauna- the Houston zoo is a good place to observe & learn. With rich green cover & accessible passage-ways- Houston zoo is a friendly place for families, kids & elderly. Do not miss the lions, tigers, elephants or giraffe - actually dont miss any of them.. All the beautiful animals of our planet...

Great zoo! Not very big, but not too small either. Exhibits are well kept, as are the grounds. Once inside the zoo, you no longer feel like you are in the middle of the city. Overall, a great experience and well worth a visit.

It was slightly underwhelming watching some of the animals as most of them were sleeping or hiding away, but it was still a fun experience. I will say this: the cafeteria beside the giraffe enclosure has THE BEST PIZZA I HAVE EVER TRIED OH MY GOD I'm not even kidding. I would hop on a plane and head to Houston again for that pizza

I'm sure it's normally better but for what you pay they have not even half the animals out due to covid. None of the restaurants were open. But we did enjoy the gift shop lol

What a wonderful experience. This place is huge so wear comfortable shoes and walk with a cap and ensure your crew remains hydrated. Tip: If you go early you beat the long entrance lines which is a plus because this place can get really crowded really quickly.

Always an awesome place to go on a nice day. But on nice days everyone is out and parking is horrendous. So get there early or be ready to park far from the entrance.

I give NO stars for the service. I have spent FORTY minutes on the phone trying to talk to someone about tickets. The first call was on hold for 18 minutes before someone picked up. I was asking her where I could go online to get the general admission. The ENTIRE phone call she was short as if she hated her job. I KEPT trying to be nice and cooperative on trying to get answers because the site was only showing dinosaur admission tickets. Rather than trying to help me when I was telling her what I was seeing on my screen, she cut me off to tell me she was transferring me to Admissions. Without me getting a chance to say anything else, the call was just tossed to a line that did nothing but ring until it stopped and disconnected. The second time was the remainder of 40 minute on hold and then, it shot me to a ringing phone and then went to a voicemail. HORRRRRIIIIBBBBLLLLLLEEEE SERVICE OVER THE PHONE!!! I could have NOT wanted to go & NOT called & instead gone and picked my little girl a little earlier from her daycare than to waste my time calling that friggin zoo!

Always a great experience at Houston zoo. Ive brought my daughter to this zoo since she was 1yr old and now shes 4. We always have a blast! Oh and this time we saw Nemo almost get crushed

Escape from the city at the Houston Zoo! We enjoyed a morning visiting cats, primates and elephants. The zoo has a great flow and lovely exhibits. Get there early finding parking can be a bear!

So much to do. Great Cafe overlooking giraffes. Cool-off areas, and lots of water fountains - bring a reusable bottle.

I've been to maybe 10 zoos and this was my favorite. The animals have very large and realistic enclosures and seem well taken care of. We spent an entire day here and we were never bored. It was the best part of the City Pass in my opinion.

Lots of fun for kids. Our toddlers had a blast. Many exhibits being repaired & renovated. Should be awesome when the wetlands area is open. We'll definitely go back.

On the fence. Some animal enclosures are too small. Many of the big cats like the lions, tigers and cheetah pace back and forth due to lack of space.

Also, the food is grossly over priced. I paid $8 for a kids meal which includes a single square of a cheese quesadilla, an orange and a tiny apple sauce.

A very well managed located in the heart of the city with all the animals in their natural surroundings. The sprawling enclosures are thoughtfully built to suit the needs of the different species of animals. The cafeteria in the middle of the zoo entertains you with a variety of take away foods and soft drinks.

Clean, quiet, and fun family-friendly environment. Nourishment offered to the public to purchase on grounds is over priced. Bring your own bottled water and save yourself some money.

Too hot and humid.wonder how did the animal survive this heat. Evry animal looks tired and were lonely

Love this zoo. Prices are a bit higher but it is very nice.

Wonderful zoo well maintained and new adventures each year

An awesome experience. Me grandson and I enjoyed it immensely.

Limited parking! Get here early for a good parking spot. Zoo is great.

It was a great experience, even with a mask and social distancing. Loved being able to see the animals so close!

I loved the old zoo before the renovations. Can't wait to see the improvement.

Unfortunately it was a cold day and many of the animals were hiding or sheltered. We still spent 3 hours walking through the areas, I can imagine spending a whole day here if it was warmer. The kids were fascinated with the animals and enjoyed the petting zone.

Slower day then usually but still an awesome place to spend some time with my kids.

Great free parking. Good selection of animals to view. I wish there was more information on things like how big the animals get, age they live to, etc. The app could use since overhaul. Overall though our experience was very fun! Good indoor cooling off areas. Food was good, just pricey - will bring our own next time.

We live the zoo. We live to spend time watching the Elephants. We keep missing their Swim time but still enjoy watching them play in the mud.

The price to eat at the zoo is outrageous!! The zoo itself is great, a lot of animals and the kids love it. But the prices are absolutely crazy.

Great day. Part of zoo is under renovation. Hot day but perfectly spaced rest spots

U of H students get in for free!! pretty busy but well kept by staff

Reminder: all of the exhibit's are closed during Zoo lights. My nieces somehow thought the primates were going to be out in their structures, and I immediately got disappointed faces when I told them all the animals would be asleep, and out of the cold. Nonetheless, the experience was great! Lots of lights! The creativity was amazing! The crowd was INSANE, lots of people in one spot at once, we shuttled to the actual zoo because the parking is nearly impossible to get to. In all, a great time!

Amazing zoo and very affordable compared to most zoos.

Overly priced and not all of the lights were on. Payed full price even though not all lights were on. The old race track has better lights and its cheaper. Here are some of the pictures I took!

Loved it! Great variety of animals. Loved the monkeys

Fun friendly family atmosphere... #zoolife #animalawareness

People will be people. It was hot the animals were hiding in shade

Best Zoo, I made friends with an employee. He gave us tickets to enter for free, also to feed the giraffes, skipped the line and got free lettuce, which costs $7. My family had a lot of fun :D Parking is annoying here, everyone tries to be nice but there are those snooty people ;)

The majority of the zoo was still closed due to covid 19

Beautiful landscaping, large modern animal ernclosures with lots of enrichment for the animals, lots of informative signage and healthy looking active animals make Houston Zoo a great place to visit. Plus informative signs r egarding conservation throughput the zoo. Well worth a visit!

We had a great time exploring this zoo with our family. As MN zoo members we enjoyed the reciprocity of a 50% discount. My youngest was so excited to see the lions. (Sadly he missed seeing the new Male lion. Aka the lion with a big beard) A thunderstorm popped up but we were able to find cover st the Cypress Circle pavilion to enjoy our picnic lunch. It was neat to see the expansive elephant enclosure. We loved that they have their own pet dog. We ran out of time/ energy to take in the special elephant displays, but found them of interest. The reptile house was a group favorite as were the bonus activities like mask making and airbrush tattoos. My toddler wore his mask for days. My oldest was sad there were no sharks- can't win them all. We'd visit again the next time we are in town.

Had a great time at the zoo with the family I got to see the animatronic dinosaurs which was pretty neat always recommend the Houston zoo and there new exhibits

Very unhappy with the pricing. There are no price signs and I was charged for the value pass, which added seeing the dinosaur walk through.I didn't want to pay 6 bucks extra for that. I had no idea I could have just bought a regular zoo entrance ticket. Wasn't given the option.

Its Really awesome we all like everything in there it was really clean for animals all around lol but the staff was amazing this guy gave us free food to feed the giraffes we liked the aquarium and the reptile area they also have military discounts the prices were cheap I would recommend to spend some time at the zoo with your children it is very nice.

Beautiful display of Christmas lights, price is a little high but a nice holiday experience

What is there to say? Have you never been to a zoo before? This is a zoo. It's got animals. Your kids will love it. You will love it. You'll subconsciously feel guilty for caging the animals. You'll comment to your friend about the lion testicles. Then, after 2-3 hours, you'll go eat Whataburger. It's the American way. God bless America.

Zoo lights. It was pretty. Not worth hours of waiting

I love this zoo, it's seriously so clean and beautiful, well maintained. The habitats for the animals are so amazing. They are really gorgeous and clean and animals don't look sad. There's a section for birds, bugs , area for small children to get wet on a hot day. Perfect place to bring a sac lunch and hang out all day with your family. Oh and there's also an aquarium!
It's located next to a really beautiful park as well, where you can see ducks , turtles , lizards and a ton of friendly squirrels for free lol. Hermann Park is absolutely gorgeous.
They don't charge for parking so that's awesome! They also have overflow parking for those days you go to the zoo and there's a school bus trip.
They have a restaurant on site, a place to buy soft serve ice cream , a gift shop and more.

Everything is overpriced and the parking is a joke. You can't be a zoo in the 4th largest and fastest growing city in the USA and have your parking so out dated.

Been several times and always fun and new. Went to Christmas Lights this year. It was amazing! Worth it. Great for all ages.

An excellent zoo that has a wide array of wildlife on display. Given the heat Houston typically experiences, visitors can get worn down quickly. However, as much of the property is covered by trees, guests are not forced to bear the full brunt of the sun. Also, there are a bevy of concession options throughout the park to help visitors stay hydrated. Whether you're into lions, gorillas, or something else, you're almost certain to get a glimpse of your favorite animal during a visit.

Bigger than I expected. We really appreciate all the cooling zones sprinkled throughout the zoo.

Get there early! Parking is horrible so get there early. Pack lots of water and lunch to eat. Expect to spend at least 4 hours at the zoo. Overall for my first time I loved it. Alot of walking involved and very cool seeing the animals.

My twin girls and i went for the first time and absolutely had a great time. The new splash pad really was a treat. We did not pack any swimsuits or towels and end up having to buy them. The prices for that was a tad bit much, but other than that, it truly was a great experience.

Was a great experience our visit, the Zoo was surrounded by Hermann Park,
We love the time we stay in Houston...our 3yo son enjoy all the amenities.
art museum, Harmman Park, Railroad....
we love it.