Houston Zoo Reviews

This is great Sunday funday outing for my family
My son really enjoyed his birthday

wonderful!! excellent to spend an afternoon with family!

The zoo was huge. they had plenty of things to see. plenty of things to do. there were oh my goodness just about every kind of animal you can imagine well worth the trip

First time at Zoo Lights in Houston! We had a ball and spiked hot chocolate!

Great place to see exotic species from all over the world. The recently opened Texas wetlands is amazing

Variety of animals and a lovely place to enjoy the afternoon with the family.

Awesome!!! Much much bigger than Jacksonville, FL Zoo. More variety of animals.

Kids loved it as always. Prices are a little steep but worth it.

Don t recommend going while it is cold or later in the afternoon. Wasn t too impressed with their variety of animals. The best zoo I have been to is the one in Brownsville in mid Feb when all the babies were with their mommas. 100% recommend during their winter light show or when it is warm.

Great zoo with fun for all ages. They have a kids area with carousel, petting zoo, splash pad and interactive exhibits. Well laid out so you can see the entire thing in a couple of hours.

Very large zoo with wonderful habitats for the animals. The animals are lovely and expressive. Spent three hours in shaded paths in and out of varied animal houses. The outdoor environments are full of busy and active animals.

Great size Zoo! Tiger exhibit was beautiful. habitats were extremely well taken care of. Decent prices for food and drinks inside. Can get quite crowded if you go on a Saturday. Very kid friendly and staff goes out of way to make kids time great!

thanks to covid-19 any place where people will be tightly packed is closed off. So many exhibits closed that you should really think twice about spending your money with your family. Also we were there at the beginning of September and the humidity and heat we're still super high while being forced to wear a mask all throughout the zoo. We lasted 1 and 1/2 hours before saying Uncle. I'm sure it's going to return to its former Glory days once this manufactured political pandemic is over.

Spent an afternoon here, there are a lot of animals here but too much space is set aside for the people who are visiting and not enough for the animals who live there. The enclosures are pretty small, especially for the bears and the larger cats. I fully support the conservation work zoos do but I wish they were given more space.

Nice place to visit. Usually free 1st Tuesday of the month. Very kid friendly.

Fantastic Zoo! There are tons of great exhibits and bring your kids' swim suits to enjoy the wonderful splash pad area for some relief from the blistering Houston heat.

We love our local zoo! Get a membership! It is worth it

Can't wait to see the new exhibits! Great place to take the kids (when it is early and cool)!

Zoo lights is awesome! Don't go on the weekend lol.

The place was fun and way to navigate. Problem for when we went, the zoo was half closed off. A 1/2 off ticket would have been a lot more appropriate. Seems like that would have been more fair.

A really nice zoo. Definitely worth a half day when in Houston.

It has definitely changed over the years... #DViatesmZ

Love that there is so much shade and the animal enclosures are big. Food is pretty good too. Kids had a great time. Definitely go to this. Oh and they have a splash pad for the kids.

There is nothing wrong with the Houston Zoo, it just doesn't seem worth the cost of admission to me. It was crowded with a long line to enter, so many people disagree with me. The sea lion training session was short without much information and it was hard to hear. The other animal handler talks we tried we're either no-shows or a handler was there if you had a question but there was no presentation or talk. The no-show was based upon that day's schedule on the official zoo website - we knew not to trust a paper map. We did not know to not trust the official website. Apparently you must find the paper print out of the day's schedule on a tip board in the zoo - ignore the website. Food allergies are not something the zoo is prepared to handle. I knew that cross contamination would be a reality in a venue with only a few eateries, but they were unprepared to answer the question "which bread is dairy-free?". Bring your own food if you have concerns, but consider using a small cooler please. We saw a lot of coolers that could double as bath tubs. It was difficult getting into and out of buildings with the crowds and coolers. Conversely the wagons we're not a problem - it seems that those pulling a wagon are experienced and courteous wagon wranglers. This review is based on our visit Memorial Day weekend Sunday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. with online pre-purchased tickets YMMV

Nice zoo, they are currently working on the middle of the zoo. they treat their animals very well and the staff are very knowledgeable and friendly, especially with curious children. the train right outside the zoo is worth the few dollars to end the day at the zoo and go on a slow sight seeing trip.
Unfortunately they are building a hotel just a few feet away from the zoo and the construction noise and sights break the immersion of learning about the animals and their habitats.

Variety of animals! Authentic enclosures and plenty of shade!

Had a great time, kids enjoyed it. Need to improve cutting lines down for field trips.

Great zoo, I enjoy every visit. Parking can be a nightmare sometimes so we just park by the museum and walk. Feeding the giraffes is fun. The restaurant next to that has great pizza and garlic bread. It's a zoo during Spring break so be prepared.

Splash pad is open during the summer for the kids so make sure to bring swim clothes and towels. If you have small kids dont forget your stroller. You are allowed to bring small coolers and snacks. Lots to see and do, kids love it.

My family always loves going to the Houston zoo. It is clean and well run. They animals are visible and seem well cared for. We enjoy it every time

Worth the membership, we come when the weather is nice. Spend the day or just hit up our favorite exhibits. It is a great way to spend time with the kids.

I love coming, every time there is something New for the kids.

It's a pretty big place with lots of different animals to see. We even got to feed the giraffes while we were there. They had this attraction called dragons which is a bunch of animatronic mystical dragons which was ok it's really for the kids.

Had an awesome experience at the Houston zoo. All the animals look very healthy and well treated. My favorite animal was not there ( allogator/ crocodile) but the visit wasn't bad at all still . I recommend getting the ticket online so you can skip the line to the ticket booth. Would definitely come back.

Although the kids absolutely love to go here because there are so many different animals and very unique displays... But the main thing that sticks out to me is how expensive the zoo is. How they expect families to come and bring their kids I have no idea. We only get to visit the zoo once a year if that because it is so outrageously High to go there. They should be ashamed of how much they charge.

We had a blast with the kids! Definitely a go to place if you have the time!

Super nice zoo a lot of things to do with your children. My only regret didn't get to see everything. Definitely would go back.

The zoo was awesome! The people that work there are very nice. Be prepared and wear good shoes because it is a lot of walking!

Went to zoo lights was amazing! So much better than years past.

Loved our visit to the Houston Zoo!! Everyone was friendly and helpful.

Zoo lights were wonderful and was a good value. Too bad every exhibit was closed. Been to other city zoo lights and they leave some open like reptiles and a few others. Worthwhile event and so many lights decorated nicely. Loved the tunnel of lights and listening to the music.

It's very fun you get to interact with the animals it is a very fun family experience kids love it here

Super cool super hot it s the zoo you like a lot it s super freakyyy

Has lots of animals to see... such a beautiful scenery it has....

This is always a fun trip. Too bad it costs so darn much to get in, if it were less we'd go more often!

Excellent place for kids and family. .....over priced not to affordable for large families

Zoo lights was a fail. Super boring and not worth $19 per adult and kid!!! They really need to add more lights and fun to this place. Super outdated decorations. Kids were bored and couldn't wait to leave and go elsewhere. What a rip-off and waste of time :/

The Houston zoo is always a great time. This is a very big zoo

Love the Houston Zoo! There is a wide range of animals and different habitats and sections. They also make a lot of effort to help the animals.

It's always fun to visit the zoo. Kids find adventure with each exhibit.

Beautiful light exhibit at night during the holidays and during the day. It's an amazing place to see. Love the accessibility of the exhibits and knowledge of the animal handlers. I do agree with another review regarding vendor training. Some vendors good. Others are ok but seem to act though you're bothering them when wanting service. That's just in my opinion. But. I would not let that stop me from enjoying an amazing experience.

This past visit, we attended the Christmas Zoo Lights. It's such a marvelous setup! Lots of fun for the whole family.

This was a great place to visit with our granddaughter. Kind of expensive though at $20 per adult and $15 per child. Definitely has lots of things to look at and watch and a lot of very interesting information. Easy to get tired with all of the walking. Thankful for many benches and places to sit down.

The zoo is very nice and full of amazing creatures! The only bad thing is that some of the workers are a bit rude.

I love going here every year. Best to go early morning when it's cool or wait til cooler months. I love learning and teaching my son about all the variety of animals and their current and natural habitats.

It s a bit pricey for my liking but overall the kids have fun. They always have activities going on. Staff is super friendly so that s a plus

Giving only three stars. Half the animals not in there enclosures. For the price paid won't recommend or go back. Staff not helpful! Waste of time.

This Italian restaurant has the worst tasting meatballs I've ever tasted.

My trip to the Houston Zoo was the best zoo experience I've ever had! (Even better than the San Diego Zoos.) The Houston zoo was not overly crowded, all of the animals were incredibly active. All of the facilities were clean and the animal habitats were well maintained. My favorite part of the zoo was the bat exhibit!

Wonderful zoo with a lot of fun animals! We have been here in the winter for zoo lights as well and it is absolutely spectacular!

We have only been living in the area for a couple of years but we now have a membership to this zoo and love it. The zoo layout is great and pretty easy to navigate. The best part is the amazing closeness to the animals. The enclosures are wonderful and viewing areas are great. The parking is free but it is parking for the whole park, not just the zoo, so it tends to be crowded. The park is beautiful so the walk in is not bad.

Amazing place but be prepared to walk a lot.. this place is huge!

I was surprised today with the dinosaur exhibit, it had more of a Jurassic Park feel instead of in a building. The zoo is the same once you go you have to take a break from it for a bit!

Amazing zoo with some amazing animals. Had a really great time there, I think we spent around 5 hours just enjoying every second of it. I think the best part was the giraffe feeding, for only $7 you can feed them and take some awesome pictures. We will certainly be back there since it is also a good place to just hang out. 5 stars zoo!

Absolutely amazing. It was a hot might day and still amazing!

Had a great time here. All the animals looked healthy and happy!

Houston zoo is great place for family outing and lots of things for kids. It s located near park so people can enjoy park and zoo both. They have some great membership plans. If you are member then you get to skip line and get faster entry. One thing I don t like about this place sometime it s hard to find parking. Specially on weekends or holidays.

There are lots of animals and rides for kids. In my experience I feel they do take great care of animals there. They also do nice lighting time to time. I would have given 5 star but took one star off for parking.

Lovely zoo, definitely family friendly with lots of activities and educational opportunities.

So so wonderful! family friendly, decent prices, cute souvenirs, and staff is welcoming.

The Zoo is clean and very family-friendly. The staff is so nice and the whole organization seems to be very mission oriented in helping preserve eco-systems for future generations.