Houston Zoo Reviews

I love this the Houston Zoo, I've been coming here at least 2 times a year for about 10 years. Oddly enough there was a albino Gator that I never saw and over the years the park has sort of gotten stale. It might just be myself from old age or the lack of new ideas added to the zoo. The park is always clean, zero to no trash, great playgrounds for the kids to run around on with some over price toys, understandable for the park to make some earnings.

Excellent zoo with all animals well looked after. Prepare for sweltering heat though.

This visit was my first since I was eight. Many many year ago. A whole lot better. Spent the whole day and was never bored.

There was much more than just animals to enjoy also a train trip, swan ride ,water playground and more. Just be sure to get there early.

My kids love the zoo. They are always asking when are we going back.

The cleanest, friendliest, most well managed zoo we ve ever been to. Incredible, well cared for animals because of a fantastic staff. And it s located in the heart of Houston. Only struggle is parking, so be sure to arrive early or use public transportation!

Fabulous for an family outing being your ice chest and food splash park for kids to coop off and beer

Great zoo. I grew up in Houston and the Houston Zoo was always just decent. The recent improvements have really expanded the size and attractions there. We recently went during Thanksgiving of 2017 and found it very enjoyable and very clean. They even had Dole Whip!

Nice exhibits. However takes less than two hours to walk around due to alot of exhibits being closed. Charged full price and pushed like cattle through the park. Also very load with helicopters overhead most of the time.

Love taking the kids here, most recently went to see the Christmas lights and it was worth it! Can't wait until it warms up again so the kids can enjoy seeing all of the animals and maybe listen to some of the keeper talks.

I haven't been there in over a decade. They have done so many updates. We were able to see almost all of the animals. The idea that some were indoors, gives you breaks in between Or else you would dehydrate. My favorite part was eating in the patio next to the rhinos. The least favorite was I didn't get to see the giraffes because only the people paying to feed them could get a good view. They're my favorite to see. My 6 year old favorite part was the aquarium and going through the tunnel in the fish tank. Very neat!

I have always loved zoos since I was a kid. This is no exception, the place is nice and the staff was friendly

Love the zoo. Quick and efficient entry to the zoo. The exhibits were well tended.

Hot day but always a great time to go been there several times. Some of the animals were gone to be taken to a veterinarian but overall great experience!

Being that I'm from stl I can't phantom paying to ride the zoo's train to not see any animals or attractions from the zoo!! Disappointed

Parking is a disaster!!! Only reason for not giving 5 stars. Other than parking and traffic the zoo is awesome! Pleasantly surprised at how big this zoo is and the wide variety of animals for the "Big City" location. Nice paved, wide walkways. Concessions available in several areas. Being able to bring outside food & drink is a huge plus! Pack a good bag & cooler and prepare to be all day exploring! Outside wagons/strollers are also welcomed. Just account for about 1 hour extra time getting in and out of the area & parking.
ALSO- many zoo memberships are reciprocal for half off admission to Houston Zoo.

Very nice zoo with several animals. Be aware that a majority of the primate exhibits are closed right now.

I love the baby animals! Especially the time jelly fish in the spring. We go as often as we can. My daughter is obsessed with the carousel.

What a great day to be at the Houston Zoo! The temperature was fantastic, not too crowded even though every elementary school child was there, too! All of them were excited to be there and polite! We are from AL and visiting friends with our daughter and grandaughter! Buying our tickets online saved us time!! Great idea! It was also good to have our friends who knew how to see the most in the zoo bc our granddaughters are so little and could only do so much before exhaustion set it. Loved having the activity spots for restless kids! Thanks, Houston!

We loved the zoo so much we bought s membership. I recommend this for anyone who plans on going to the shop more than 2 times a year. My daughter loves the offering zoo and she loves going to see the animals. The food is pricey which is too be expected going to any type of park but it's fun experience for the entire family. Right now they are renovating so it seems a lot smaller and crowded but still or favorite.

Xmas lights show??? It should not be done in a zoo. No good for poor animals with all those lights and music during that time.

Amazing animals cool gift shop and I loved the gorillas and the bird house. Highly reccomend

The Christmas lights are fantastic!!! It's like walking through a fairy tale with great music of different genres throughout. If we had the energy, we would have walked the entire park twice. The lighting and special effects are fantastic! I think this is fun for all ages.

The free afternoon is so worth it! You leave wanting to take the red Panda with you...! Make sure to bring a cooler with your food, the food on-site is generally overpriced.

I cannot wait to go back! This place is fantastic and there is so much to see!!! We didn t get to see everything, so we will definitely be back!

Great place for killing some time and having it with friends and family. Can't go wrong with bringing the children along and they always update things to keep it fresh so it's not the same thing over and over again. During Christmas time, the Christmas lights are something to behold, they have lots of lights throughout the park and lots of different things to see. I definitely recommend the dancing tree lights around the fountain, they're my favorite.

Great place to take the kids out and have some family fun! I love going to see the gorillas.

The Zoo has gotten progressively better over the last few years. They are hosting a series of adults only events that provide a child free experience worth the cost of admission.

Great experience. Family oriented, close up experience with the animals.

Its always a good day when we go. Especially on tuesdays free day.

Today was my first time to Houston children zoo, and I must say I was quite impressed. My two year old grandson had the time of his life. We rode the carousel three times and saw almost every single animal they have at the zoo. I recommend to arrive early and expect to stay the entire day; we arrived at 9:30am and I would have stayed until closing time, unfortunately my ankle began to ache which was the reason we left at 3:00 pm. Also bring your own food and drinks if possible because it can be pretty pricey if you will be buying for a family of 3+. Face painting $10+, burger with fries $9.00, childrens meal $8.00, smoothie with tax $7.57, refills $1.99.

The zoo was greta. Lots of animals. Parking is horrible though

We love this zoo. There is so much to see and do without it feeling overwhelming. The new restaurant that opened near the Texas exhibit is great (but expensive). The only aspect of the zoo I can complain about is the special events. Zoo Boo and Zoo Lights are extremely crowded and overwhelming for me and my three little kids.

We will continue to renew our family membership again this year - always evolving and inspiring.

Had a nice time with my family decent prices lots of entertainment

So much fun! It's super clean with a lot of clean bathrooms and snack stations. The animals are great! The zoo keepers were very kind and knowledgeable. Wonderful time

Best Zoo in Texas! They are expanding again next year!

It was HORRIBLE I m from Atlanta & I must say it was a waste of my money and a waste of my time!!!!

We had a wonderful time at Zoo Boo! Thank you as well Ranger's Tyson and Amanda for your special attention!

Super fun, super amazing. They mapped out a route to take that takes into consideration the 2 hour time limit. And it was an amazing place for a first date

I was worried about the miles one need to walk before visiting this place but it came as a pleasant surprise that Houston zoo hosts 650 species just in 55 acres, good for mothers with toddlers !!

Parking was a mess. But the zoo experience was great. The animals were alert and awake. Very fun trip for the family. We took our own food in and made it a picnic

Houston Zoo is always fun for the entire family. We decided to purchased our season pass, and it was definitely worth it. There is always something new and attractive for my family to discover.

Maybe not everyone knew but aperantly if you have an EBT you get a reduce on the ticket cost to less than 6$ all you do is show your ID and ebt card in the window that covers 2 adults 2or4 childs
Hope it helps someone have fun

Nice zoo, lots of animals. Since it is hot, it s suggested to go either early morning or late evening. Animals are tired in the afternoon.

This is my first time to the Houston Zoo. It's the last week for their light festival. I had night vision set on my camera so I could see the giraffes. It wasn't too crowded which was nice. The only thing about the light festival is that its night time so you can see the lights (obviously). What people don't seem to understand is that the animals are all asleep or in the back where they can keep their privacy. Other than that, the light festival at the Houston Zoo was awesome!

We really enjoyed our day at the Houston Zoo. There were parts of the zoo that were closed for construction but most of the zoo was open. Lots to see - kids really enjoyed the zoo. Also great to see that the zoo is doing it part in helping save different endangered species around the world.

Fun trip. A little pricey considering you don't get to see any animals but we had a good time.

I loved it when I took my son back on 2013 but now there's just to much construction and they changed to much stuff. The sea lion was the best part.

One of the best Zoos anywhere! Super friendly staff, great exhibits! The Swap Shop is a great place to take kids! I use it as a homeschool science supplement! Kids take what they find in nature (just nothing pertaining to birds) and they get points! They trade in their find, and if they can answer questions about it or better yet- wrote a paper!- they get knowledge points! Save up points to buy things in the shop! So fun! And, it's the cheapest Houston Membership place! If you go and decide, "We love this place! Let's buy a Membership!" You can use your receipt and get that day's entry fee taken off the Membership! Hope these tips all help!

I went there on 1-16-20. It was a lot of fun. They have a Reptile house, Lions, Tigers, Gorillas, Giraffes, Ostriches, Zebras, Elephants, and more. Great place to take the hole family.

The shade, fans, cooling stations, and free water bottle refill stations made this a stress free trip. The food at the cafe outside the giraffe enclosure was very good! We planned to eat at the food trucks (b/c Houston Food trucks have great food!), but they were not open/ not selling food by 2 PM on a Sat? I had fun and i got some great sketches. I will go again.

I work in the area and the people really do care about the animals and the experience, they will do anything to make it better.

Gianticus place, great for a big walk with the kids. They get entertained while learning about animals and their habitats. Best thing is you can bring your own food and snacks (but they have different spots for refreshments and have a bite).

We love being Members of the Houston Zoo we always have a great time and usually the staff is always very helpful. My favorite is always feeding the girrafes with my granddaughter the lady selling the tickets this last time was not very nice but we had a great day anyway

It was a great day at the zoo. Animals were healthy and lively. But, the poor tiger was pacing back and forth the whole 10 minutes I was there watching him/her. It's a sign of stress and anxiety. Sometimes used as a coping mechanism. I'm still thinking about it the next day.

The food was not good but the zoo is well taken care of

Drove 2 hours to take my family to the zoo today. Drove through every parking lot and around every full paid parking garage for another hour just to not find a single damn space available. Left Houston mad as hell. Since the city and the zoo can't provide any adequate parking we cannot spend money at your establishments. Build multiple parking garages next to the damn zoo in place of the open lots that are always filled up!

Great way to sneak in a work out if you work a sedentary job and enjoy yourself by educating yourself on animals while doing it!

Really enjoy going for afternoon walks. They do have a majority of exhibits closed due to covid so as long as you don't mind that it's still very enjoyable. The elephants were very fun to watch.

A wonderful serenity has taken possession of my entire soul, like these sweet mornings of spring which I enjoy with my whole heart. I am alone, and feel the charm of existence in this spot, which was created for the bliss of souls like mine. I am so happy, my dear friend, so absorbed in the exquisite sense of mere tranquil existence, that I neglect my talents. I should be incapable of drawing a single stroke at the present moment; and yet I feel that I never was a greater artist than now. When, while the lovely valley teems with vapour around me, and the meridian sun strikes the upper surface of the impenetrable foliage of my trees, and but a few stray gleams steal into the inner sanctuary, I throw myself down among the tall grass by the trickling stream; and, as I lie close to the earth, a thousand unknown plants are noticed by me: when I hear the buzz of the little world among the stalks, and grow familiar with the countless indescribable forms of the insects and flies, then I feel the presence of the Almighty, who formed us in his own image

A incredibly nice atmosphere although the food is a little pricey

The employees were cheerful and helpful. I love going on a rainy day when it is less crowded

A Zoo for All Ages: Houston Zoo sits on acreage full of old growth oak trees and other lush vegetation. The animal habitats are mostly featured in clusters with the same origins so the Zoo is mapped out as a walk through countries/continents like Africa, Asia, etc. In addition to the featured animal life, the Houston Zoo is a good place for a walk or resting around the reflection pond that is under a canopy of sprawling oak trees. The admission price can be steep but much of the ticket sales revenue is applied toward wildlife preservation. Go now and go often!

I really enjoy this zoo. The animals seem to be well cared for. Our favorite is the Gorilla exhibit , which seems to be a hit with everyone. Food and drinks are pricey, but we bring our own. And no charge for parking, but any day of the week I would suggest getting there around 8:30am to park, as the lot fills up very quickly.

Very huge a great place to spend the day with the family.

Our 1st year as members and we love it! Our family visits at least 1 to 2 times a month and we always have a wonderful time. We always learn or see something new! A great investment for our family of 5!

This zoo was great. Went today on last weekend of Spring break. Loved the Elephants! Could of sat there and watched them all day. They have a few animals you can feed but opted out due to long lines of spring break. Wear comphy shoes will do lots of walking.

Houston Zoo is always great!! My 5 year old loves it as well.

If you can survive the parking lot, this a great place to bring family members of all ages. This zoo is constantly making improvements.

I suggest parking elsewhere and walking here if you can.

Good times to come are in the morning and after 3 when it is less crowded.

I always love going to the zoo, they're always doing things to upgrade it.

A lot of the zoo was off limits, but our tickets were still full price, And most of the animals werent even there! Plus i felt so bad for the tiger i almost cried. He is very bored and is constantly pacing and crying. His cage is too small and there is too much water and he needs a mate. Wild tigers are solitary but captives need each other. Very disappointing

Great customer service, lots of fun for the family, good food, excellent attraction

Loved it! The parking was full so we took the shuttle with no problems. The animals were all out so we were able to see them up close. We went to circle cafe to eat and the food was ok but we didn't go there for the food. Overall we had a great time.

The month of Oct allows the kids to dress up when they go to the zoo. Fun seeing all the kids in costumes.

We all extremely enjoyed our time with the elephant family. Absolutely suggest doing the "behind-the-scenes" with the elephants.

I just love going to the zoo I had a very nice day with my husband and granddaughter, thank you look forward to visiting again

A great place to go and relax. Getting tickets are easy as is the paths walking through the zoo.

Loved my time there very nice zoo. Highly recommend it.

Love the zoo! They were doing some construction, but I'm excited for the new exhibit to open in 2019!