Houston Zoo Reviews

All the drinks stands were closed it was so hot and no were to go get a drink but the animals were cool to see

The Houston Zoo is a great place for kids. They have all sorts of animals, petting zoo, two playgrounds, a jungle gym, carousel, animal feedings, splash pad, etc. I'm a single mom so the $79 yearly membership definitely pays for itself. Good luck :)

Very well kept! Animal enclosures are so large and the animals look happy versus a smaller older zoo with dreary animals. Wonderfully child friendly as well.

Try to talk to volunteers, they are doing a great job and are always ready to explain things to you

The zoo is looking real good. I really like the new eating area. The restrooms were nice and clean.

Always love bringing out of state people to the zoo! Lots of fun to be had!

Great Place to visit! Here is a secret bring drinks, food, and snacks and a comfortable shoes! There is room for a picnic and prepare to spend a good 3 to 4 hours to enjoy everything. Must see!!!

This zoo is okay. It would be better if they had adequate parking and more areas to grab a fresh beverage. There was no parking what so ever and I had to make my own parking spot and I got a ticket. Other people trying to park were just as frustrated. I wouldn't be surprised if an all out brawl happens for the lack of parking spaces. On two occasions I had people acting pretty barbaric in front of me over parking spots. SMH

My family and I have been members for years. We have loved it every time.

Always enjoy the zoo and the Zoo Lights were pretty good. The price is what gets me. So many can never enjoy because at $25+ per person including children and water or a soda is $5, so many cannot afford at Christmas. Sometimes charging less will bring more people and you may make more money in the long run. Sad!

I absolutely loved this place. Lots of shade. Free parking. Plenty of areas to have a picnic. They sell beer here which is a plus. Try to get there early to avoid lines and parking issues.

Zoo lights 2019 was wonderful as usual! This is a wonderful family holiday tradition!

I love going to the zoo. Just try to go when there is good weather and not on a huge weekend when too many people go because parking is not the best. Even inside the park wasn't too crowded. So many interesting things to see, my favorite was the gorilla habitat.

We were visiting from California and had a great time! The animals were lively, the scenery was pretty, Zoo staff was friendly and accommodating, food was very tasty too!

Great zoo if you like zoo's, guessing you do if you're reading this... Brought my three kids here with some friends and everyone loved it. The sporadic play places and splash pad make the zoo stand out amongst other zoo's I've been to. If I made it to Houston again, is be back.

Great Ice cream cone alot of walking but you have the option of a train ride 2 hrs but there is alot to see. Enjoyed!

Always fun at the zoo. Pro tip bring a cooler with food!

Love the Houston Zoo. It ain't San Diego, but there is only one of those. Houston and San Antonio are right behind it, and both keep getting better. The remodel a few years back was great and they are continually making improvements. Make it to the Christmas lights show during winter it is fantastic.

Definitely bring your walking shoes. Great time with my family and friends. Food was good here as well. Had fun seeing most of the animals some were to far or like the monkeys weren't there at all but I would definitely go again.

Feast with the beast was amazing! It was incredible to see all the vendors and get to be up close with some of the animals! This was my first year but ill def be going again next year

Great place to see animals. Take your kids there so they can see nature.

MY KIDS ENJOY COMING HERE. I'M EXITED FOR THE WINTER ZOO LIGHTS IT WILL BE OUR FIRST TIME ATTENDING.

Great zoo, lots of shady areas along the trails throughout the zoo, nice and clean.

The Houston zoo is very nice. The layout and flow of the park goes smooth. We go here as often as possible and the kids really enjoy seeing the animals. There is a petting zoo and places to interact with the animals such as the giraffe feeding.

The staff were very helpful and we loved seeing all the animals

As beautiful as it is to see the animals, it's also very sad to see them caged up and not be in their natural habitat. But you can tell they are all well kept.

Some recent pics. .. it's always nice to take the kids for a nice walk at the zoo...

A great place to bring small children and teens, and everywhere in between, there is a place where you can trade interesting natural objects for other stuff. The rides are meant for small children, big kids won't enjoy them as much. The gift shop is full of good souvenirs. Overall, a great place

I am loving the elephants, the zoo is lots of fun 10/10 would visit again <3

We love the Houston Zoo but so does everyone else. Trying to find a day/time that's not crowded can be very difficult.

It was a very hot day! The cool off sections were not working properly and could definitely use more throughout the grounds. It's really nice to have shops and certain areas you can cool off at as you go. Plenty of beverage and food options if you're not prepared. Staff members are pleasant. Grounds are well kept. Construction is on going for New attractions but kept out of sight for the most part. If you're looking to buy ice I'd highly recommend a convenience store or elsewhere.$ There are water bottle refill stations now as well. The splash pad was a big hit! "Love it"

They've done so much with the park since I was a kid! You pretty much have to dedicate an entire day to see the whole zoo. It's easy to get a little lost but with everything there is to see, you don't mind it. The onsite food is decent and the exhibits are kept up and well done. Will definitely be back.

It would be 5 stars, but the customer service recieved at the ticket booth a few weeks ago was a little shocking. I am a full time student, and logged into my account/had my TX ID to prove address.. but they would still not allow me to enter as a free university of Houston student.

It was a lot of fun to see the different types of animals that aren't in many other zoo's. We went on a rainy day which was our mistake but even then it was a great experience. We'll be going back soon.

Love taking my kids here, always see somthing new each time we go.

I purchased 2 tickets for the elephant encounter and we had an emergency come up so we were not able to make the encounter. I emailed them and they won t even try to work with us on trying to get on for another day. Instead they just said they are non refundable! For something that is so expensive you would think they would be a little more understanding now I just wasted over $440 on something I can t do! I definitely will never be going back to this zoo! DO BETTER HOUSTON ZOO!

Had a great time this weekend with the family exploring the many exhibits and animals of the Houston Zoo. Every employee we came across were always smiling and helpful. We especially loved the Giraffe Feeding. We happened to make it for the 2pm Feeding on a Sunday and we weren't let down. Our little one fed the Giraffes for the first time and it was just awesome. Parking was a little hard bit it was the weekend and we did manage a front row parking after about 15 minutes of waiting. Definitely recommend a day trip during the week. Also POPCORN is really great here lol. Know that is weird but it was that good.

The price is outrageous when over half the animals aren't out or closed off. Then on top of that there is never parking. Then they allow school trips which is great but not when they aren't being supervised and push my 2 year old down. The playground should be monitored for children to large out there with the tiny children. My baby loves animals but always has to leave early from unruly children and parents who aren't paying attention to them.

Great fun! Feeding the giraffe was the cherry on top for the kids!

Awesome zoo. There's construction right now but the open exhibits are worth the trip. Go early and on a weekday to avoid the crowds. The best parts are the Asian elements and the giraffe feeding. My toddler LOVES the petting zoo and playground in the children's area.

I loved the zoo lights it was fun and family friendly!

Was great. Family came from out of town and enjoyed the animals!!

A lot of the exhibits where missing the animals. But was a great and fun experience. We made one of the exhibits where the guy told us about one of the birds. He seemed very knowledgable and answered everybodies questions very thoroughly. Was a great experience over all.

This is a very nice and well organized zoo. People who work there are friendly and the animals are very beautiful. There are some animals that I have never seen before. I recommend. Enjoy! God bless you!

Your typical zoo. Refreshments wayyyyy overpriced, sad bald eagle, wish they had better food options, waited till we left to go eat.

I enjoyed the personalities of the animals I found, most hidden away on this day due to freezing temperatures. The big cats were particularly engaging. I wasn't sure if they wanted me for dinner as a guest or entree. But they interacted so wonderfully.

Best of the Best zoos! I just get frustrated with how convoluted the walking paths are. I take my students here ever year and I love that they are always adding and changing things to keep it fresh and new for the guests but when it's time to go to the busses I have the added stress of "how do we get out of here?", especially from Children's zoo to the front entrance where the busses pick us up. I think some arrows or cute animal foot prints on the path would be a great way to guide guests to important spots.

Nice zoo....do yourself a favor and purchase tix online ahead of time to skip the lines. Also, be prepared to drive around a bit looking for parking. Next time I will try off site parking and shuttle in, if that goes well and is easy I would happily add a 5th star.

Loads of fun. Get a membership for the year and if you go twice that year, it pays for itself. You get special hours and exclusive fun days for members only for free.

It's great for kids and adults.. But they need more variety in drinks that not so expensive

There isn't much not to love about a zoo. They have really stepped it up in the last few years with all the new habitats they've created.

We had an awesome time. The renovations are coming along really well

Had a great time with the family, the winter zoo lights are a great way to spend an evening.

When we went the animals were mostly hidden in their areas or sleeping. No flamingos. Orangutans we're hidden away.

Good place to bring the kids for some fun but you better bring your wallet too. If you don't bring your own food and drinks, and you try to get a souvenir or two at the gift shop, you'll end up dropping $200 plus easy.

It's the zoo. What's to say: try to avoid summer weekends, otherwise it's a fun place to spend a day with young kids. The staff are helpful and there's plenty of signage to help you find your way around.

I love zoos in general and this is among my top visited zoos I've ever been to. Make sure to book a full day to see it all. I would also recommend making sure if you're going to view a specific animal of interest, that they actually have them there when you go. They were working on the bear habitat when we were there, so the bears themselves were nowhere to be found.

We would need to go back another day to see everything.

Beautiful zoo! Although it was hot, some of the animal stayed in so we didn t get to see them. But we got to see healthy close up animals. I ve been to smaller zoos and the gates or wall kept the viewers further away and it s hard to get a close up view, but here I was able to view them closely. Like the cheetahs, lion, chimps, elephants, and giraffes. I was mostly amazed by the cheetahs and lion! Prices are like $23 for adults and kids $18. Parking is free in the area and there s like this train that you pay separately from the gift shop to ride around the area. Side note: there s no many poke stop and gyms in this zoo!

Loved visiting the Houston zoo. Theres many animals and plenty to do.I also enjoyed grabbing a bite, eating pizza was such a delight.

Great place to take your children. Good prices and good service.

A very good day, All animals was out . Very clean very pro fessional

Awesome animals! Most of the exhibits had viewing stations when the animals were not in the main area. We went on a week day with rain, it appeared many others made the Trek, but it wasn't busy at all. I don't know that I would try on a free day or a popular weekend, unless you like crowded places (think Walmart on black Friday). I had to keep reminding myself that the entrance fee is more of a forced donation than just an entry price to an attraction. The animals looked well cared for and there was a large enough variety to keep the troop interested and entertained. We were a little disappointed that it closes early in the holiday season for the light show, but were grateful for missing the traffic leaving Houston.

A good place for family time. Some enclosures are very great

Spring break visit is a HUGE mistake. Avoid at all costs. Zoo reminds me of what comedian Mitch Hedburg says about pancakes: exciting at first, but by the end, you're f'n sick of them. Once near here at 10 am, it took over an hour to find a spot miles away and wait in a 45 minute line to shuttle to the zoo (rude staff).

At the zoo... map is useless cartoonish piece of garbage. Maybe 1/2 of the animals were out. Zoo was packed with a bunch of people, many of whom lack basic decency, manners and common sense. Insufficient staff to manage the crowd.

Then over an hour wait I'm the hot afternoon sun to be shuttled back to the parking lot. Not realistically family friendly at all, especially for over $100 admission fees. Come when its more likely empty or Spend your time and money elsewhere.

Fun and great place if you want to to sit and relax or to take the family to see all the animals and birds.

So much fun to go and walk around! I was able to feed the giraffes, which was interesting. They have construction going on right now, which won't be done for a while, so I'm hoping to go back when it's complete. Unfortunately, it won't be soon because it's a big change.

Our question was, why a zoo in the middle of the city? Houston, Texas has plenty of acres to have planned this better. Parking? It's a nightmare! You can plan on walking the entire zoo in roughly 3 to 4 hours. Head there early and preapare to park your car far away.

Great exhibits, good atmosphere and adults can enjoy a beer if your willing to pay the price

Great zoo, Giraffe Feeding Exhibit is definitely worth it. 11/10 Would go again!

This is my favorite zoo by far. I love it more than San Diego, Phoenix, SLC, Chicago, Dallas, etc. The favoritism of the park is likely due to the fact that they have so much shade and the architecture is reminiscent of Disney's Animal Kingdom. All the foliage helps you feel like you are out in the wild. They have a large diverse population of animals, the park is clean, the parking is excellent, the primate exhibit is large and fabulous, and my husband enjoys watching the seal show.

Went for the adults only zoo lights. Almost $100 for two tickets and you had to wait in line. Just to wait in another line. And if you wanted any beer or food that was more long lines. Very few food/drink vendors. And then there was long lines just to use the bathrooms. Not worth it at all.

Been going since i was little, took my daughter for her first time and she had a blast

Enjoyable. Good luck with parking, if you see someone leaving, it's best to wait for them. Have patience. Lines moves pretty fast. Restrooms to the left, more than one in paths.

Covid precautions are a joke! Bought a timed entry ticket for Saturday afternoon - the place was absolutely PACKED. People jammed together at the entrance, no enforcement of the one way traffic through the zoo, tons of people and entire families maskless or with their masks pulled down. We were so uncomfortable with the massive crowds and lack of enforcement that we left within 15 minutes of arriving. Normally I love bringing my daughter to the zoo, but will definitely not go again on a weekend until the pandemic is over.

It is so much fun in the zoo, is huge and there are so many animals. I had a good time with my family and is not too expensive.

It was great for my kids to enjoy even though they accused us of trying to sneak someone in and that someone has to pay immediately! Of course once we showed all the tickets again got by without an apology from the racist girl! Cause i know she referred to us as "wet backs".. Just because I'm an adult and know I'm born here showed my children the better person I am by simply letting her know that God loves her and I walked away!

I enjoyed this visit so much! The elephant exhibit was fantastic and there are so many animals. The lines are very long to get in, so get tickets before hand. Parking is a nightmare, so I highly suggest parking in midtown and taking the train down to the zoo.