Houston Zoo Reviews

It was fun. I have never been during zoo boo and it was fun for kids and the entire family.

This zoo is so nice! It is well kept & continuously updated. The animals seem to have suitable habitats, which I always pay attention to at any zoo. There are many species of beautiful creatures. Here are a few photos from our visit.

A lot of exhibits here. Very wide variety of animals. Fun place for me as a tourist.

Went to the Zoo for Good Friday. The kids had a blast. Parking was difficult at first but everything else was great. Can't wait to go back.

We love going there we are members. They've added new features every time we visit which is about three times a year. And they're always working to improve. They have replaced animals that went passed away. And always added new species. Seems like there's always a new birth for there was infant monkeys and a new baby elephant. The new gorilla exhibit is very good and we always see them outside when we go. The food pavilion is being remodeled and updated; that I'm sure will be nice. The staff is always friendly and will answer questions
There is always an attendant showcasing an animal in the public. This time it was an armadillo that you could touch and he would answer your questions. Parking can be an issue as it is always busy, especially when it is nice weather, weekend or off school. But still is always a good time!

Great place to take the kids. Spent a lot of time in the reptile house this time.

All animals are well taken care of. They look healthy. They need to improve their aquarium though. Not much to see. The jellyfishes are not even glowing. The reptile section is nice though. Some reptiles'cage were placed too high i couldnt observe anymore.

This is the only zoo where the zoo staff is highly visible interacting with both the animals and zoo visitors. They went out of there way to engage my 2 year old granddaughter which gave her a great experience. The zoo was clean and interesting.

Good place to spend the day with family, just come prepared with money. Ticket prices are high plus anything inside. Bring your own drinks and food to save some money.

Maybe it's just me but, I thought the animals looked kind of sad or depressed. I took my 2 year old for the first time today and I will never be back again. The enclosures are nothing like it would be if they were in the wild (at home). They're very small and limited space for animals who are used to being in the jungle, or on the savanna or even in the sea. It was just kind of a weird energy that I got from that place but that's just my take on it...

I always love going to the zoo. It's good to support the conservation of animals. The zoo is always well maintained and the animals are always all on display. A good time for the whole family.

The Houston Zoo is undergoing changes (the new layout will be awesome)! I was treated with respect always and had such a great time there! The ambiance with exotic animals, the massive amounts of SHADE from the native Houston Live Oaks, and large local and tropical plants are soothing to look at, nurturing and just beautiful! Always a Great Attitude from the employees! Got to Love the Houston Zoo!

Great layout, plenty of shade. Find something new every visit!

Houston Zoo is a great place for all ages. The membership is pretty decent as well. They have events year round that always keeps it fresh. Dinosaurs in the summer and Zoo Lights in the winter. Plus, they are alway acquiring new animals to see.

Great place for all! The new renovations are amazing! Had the chance to se extremely closely a grisly bear! The tiger was roaring, the lions is another animal you can also appreciate closely. Is a great experience! Love it!

The zoo is well ran and cleaned with plenty of "cool zones". They have a nice and knowledgeable staff. 3 things to note...

1. Parking is horribly inadequate. Show up early.
2. They are on the "straws are the root of all evil" trend and therefore have no straws available in the zoo. If your kids do better drinking out of a straw, bring your own.
3. The food is over priced and under whelming. Bring a lunch.

Great place to take the kids and I know they are working on new stuff which will make it even better.

Zoo had a lot of exhibits to see. Zoo has a lot of kid friendly areas which allows children to interact with some zoo animals. It is big so plan at least 2-3 hours to fully see the zoo in its entirety. As expected buying food at the zoo is a bit pricey but you are allowed to bring outside food in coolers. Overall it was a fun and great experience.

Great place to take your kids while on vacation and good pricing when you buy the membership

GREAT place to bring the kids, make sure its a sunny day! They do have plenty of inside areas but you'll miss out on a lot. LOVE this zoo!

Very well distributed for the kids to have some fun...the school kidz love it...the area map is sort of confusing but all in all a great place

It's like every year the prices are going up. I love the zoo. I come here at least 4 times a year. I enjoy bringing my family. The reason for the 4 star, is because there is always renovation going on. I like that it's big and they have snack and beverage stands almost in every corner. They also have a lot of shaded areas. My kids enjoy the kids zone. They have a petting zoo and kids play area so the parents can relax while the kids run around and play.

Since we were staying close to the Zoo (Wyndham), we decided to visit the Zoo after we checked out since we had a few hours before our flight home. The Houston Zoo is a great Habitat for the Animals. It is a large Zoo with many sectors to explore. There were many species of animals a few of which I have never observed and a couple I didn't know existed. I enjoyed the artistic sculptures throughout the compound. It was a busy day but not too crowded so you didn't feel closed in or rushed. I would recommend this Zoo to anybody visiting the area of Houston.

Always a good time, feels like there is always something new

We have been members for a year now, and it is a great value if you are able to regularly go. There is a large parking lot, but it fills quickly. You can bring food and drinks, strollers, bags, etc. But they also rent wagons and have food and drink available for purchase. There are many indoor areas to cool off on hot days, and lots of shade outdoors.

Awesome zoo! Had to wear face masks the whole time :( but thats not their fault.

We go every time were in town, the do a good job and give great military rates.

Came for Zoo Lights. It was very crowded, but worth the experience. Great for the kiddos.

They have successfully created a simulation of what its like to transfer trains at Penn Station during rush hour in Manhattan, but with Christmas lights and lots more children and no option to jump in front of a train. The lights were pretty cool but the whole experience is rough. There are no emergency exits or ways to leave after you have started: there s no turning back and its an hour + to get through. Some parts were so crowded you were forced to shuffle along shoulder to shoulder with strangers. Exiting the area was equally as stressful, traffic was gridlocked, which took about 45 minutes to an hour just to get out of the parking lot area. Do not recommend unless you want to walk through endlessly packed subway cars festooned with xmas lights. God speed.

Great water play area for the small kids to cool off at in this hot Houston weather!

Went here for the first time two weeks ago, it is really big and lots of animals to see. We loved the splash pad for the kids and the merry go round. Most of the animals were hiding or asleep but we were able to see some in action. Definitely a place to go in the fall or spring, too hot during the summer

Last Year Christmas, we were fortunate enough to experience the light show at the Houston Zoo. Let s just say my mind was blown by the meticulous detail in all their displays. What really blew my socks off though, was how they had set everything up to protect the animals from the flashing lights and displays. I was thoroughly impressed with the way they went about protecting the animals by covering up animal display areas etc. this is really worth the effort visiting, even better if you can do it over Christmas time!

Always a great day trip for the family. Bring a lunch and plenty to drink.

We went for the Zoo lights. This was worth seeing. It's so incredibly beautiful. I'm so glad my wife and I did this. We will make this an annual thing from now on. My only regret is we had not done this sooner.

This zoo is always getting better. Their zoo staff is helpful and knowable. And the Zoo Lights they put on are beautiful.

They don't allowed cityPASS for the zoo lights . I spoke to the manager and she said those are like private events so couldn't enter.To enter we needed to pay for another ticket. My family and I were really disappointed! We had to leave and didn't get to use the tickets since they have expiration date.

Very clean, helpful staff, prices are what you expect at a place like this

My kids love it!!! Wife loves it I love it!!! Zoo has come a long way

I think coming here for over 30 years and it is absolutely the best I ve gone to Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, Milwaukee but they re not like The Houston zoo it s always pleasant to come here and also bring friends and relatives who visits the city

This zoo is much more compact than other zoos I've visited. It has just as many exhibits but without as much walking which has its pros and cons. This is a great zoo and the view of the animals always seems to be great. The children's zoo was captivating for my two year old who seemed more interested in the letting zoo and children's areas than anything else we've seen on our trip to houston.

We went for my granddaughter's 2nd birthday. She and the others kids enjoyed seeing the animals and walking around. The elephants were our favorite. The staff was friendly. There was plenty of parking. We will be going again.

Wonderful place to visit with family and or friends. Very children friendly and have most wild life animals. Clean, very organized and well put together. You will love it when you visit.

Amazing time at the zoo! It has improved tremendously over the years!

Went for the Night Lights. Very fun and nicely outfitted. Wished there were a couple more animals out, although I know it s limited to sleep cycles.

It was such a great experience, the kids had such a great time. There was lots of activities.

Zoo lights were great. I loved the hot cocoa with the peppermint schnapps!

Great day for all three of us. An advice take the MRT is easier

Zoo lights are fun, you don't get to see many animals, but you get to see how much work is done for your enjoyment. Incredible.

The Zoo is always a great time for a family day out! Plus it's located near parks and museums and will keep you busy and moving the entire day! There are tons of animals to see and you can even talk to the zoo trainers in certain sections, which is pretty awesome. But the best part is getting to feed the giraffes, it's just truly amazing.

Very nice the way they have the enclosures for the animals. Could be cheaper, but proceeds help the animals

Great zoo. We liked all the exhibits, and the staff was so helpful!

Nice place to take your kids or just spend an afternoon. the animals seem well taken care of and there are plenty of staff for questions and plenty of things to see. I gave it 4 stars because the food prices are outrageous. You expect the food and drinks to be overpriced at places like this because of tourism but it was beyond obscene. Diffenetly bring your own drinks. The gift shop items were reasonably priced.

We went to the Zoo Lights one week before Christmas, not the smartest idea. Parking was difficult, and the line to enter the Zoo was long. But the event was so fun. As my friend's daughter would say "It's like a theme park." I must admit it was so beautiful as we walked around the Zoo, without feeling overcrowded. Plenty of picture opportunities set up, and people were behaving nicely as they waited their turn. It was beautiful and well designed. We had a lot of fun.

Good zoo. Clean. Conservation is a high priority and it shows!

Purchase my admission tickets through Groupon at a really great price but obtaining my wrist bands was a drag. The map didn't show where the big bugs location was. A sticker would be helpful. Still a fun day with my sons and my friend and her 2 minions.

The new Africa exhibit is great! Looking forward to what they'll do next.

Had a gentleman tell us all about the lions then helped us with directions. Just as we were heading around the bend, he caugjt up with us just to tell us they jad just let out the cheetas so we could see them before heading out of the area. Then, another employee walked us all the way to the cafe so we didn't get lost. Never had so much help amd was almost astounded. Only downfall, construction workers were petting the monkeys from the other side of enclosure so we couldn't see them in action.

It's great just the Texas weather is well hell for lack of words

When you see all these beautiful animals. You have to believe in God.

The website has cool extra things you can buy tickets to. They offer educational talks about specific animals before the zoo opens where you can see some of the animals up close in a small group.

Fun, friendly, and tons of fresh places to hangout in during hot days

Very family friendly, went on a week day so there was hardly anyone there and seen all the animals there.

Amazing, highly recommend to spend full day with family

We came here tonight for Brew at the Zoo and had a great time! We watched a jaguar jump up and eat a rabbit! Totally awesome.

We love visiting the Houston Zoo! Always a fun trip, and we seem to discover something new each time we go.

Limited parking - but enjoyed the zoo a great deal!

The best zoo I ve ever been to. Friendly & knowledgeable staff. A lot of exhibits. Beautiful scenery. Worth every penny.

Very fun for the kids they enjoyed all the animals.

The Zoo Lights Expo was smaller this year; I felt cheated!!

A very nice zoo just down the street from the Houston Museum district and Medical Center. Well laid out and is getting some nice upgrades in 2017 and 2018. Try to check out the elephants while hanging out in their new pool! I would definitely recommend feeding the giraffes and checking out the aquarium and reptile houses. Best thing is you can bring your own food and drinks (the food is a bit pricey)

Hands down, one of my favorite places to go in Houston. Purchasing a membership is the way to go! Beautiful scenery everywhere you walk in the zoo. During the hot summer days, there are even cool stations for guests to enjoy! It is great for all ages, adults included! And coolers are welcomed with plenty of areas to picnic at throughout the zoo!!

It was really nice and the staff was very helpful. Lots of cool animals

This is my family's favorite place in the city. It's a wonderful way to spend an afternoon outdoors. Don't miss the red pandas!

Amazing Zoo! Google says people typically spend 3 hours here.....wrong we were hustling out at 5 hours!! Soo much to see and very well kept. And lots of penny press machines! They also have a bug museum and mini aquarium!

One of the best Zoos in the nation. Many great exhibits and fun kids areas that include splash pad, carousel, playground, and petting zoo.

Such a beautiful zoo. Lots to see and experience. Great for family and great for just a nice romantic date. For parents they have strollers there for rent

This zoo is the best
I love the dinosaur exhibit

Don't go during spring break. There is a lot of construction right now. Always making improvements for animals and visitors. Great to go with kids.

Great exhibits! Every time we go, we see something new.

Not bad for most of the Zoo being closed off due to COVID-19.. Kids section completely closed, splash pad e also closed, aquarium closed... But it's actually quiet and all the animals seem to enjoy the peace.. thier all out! It was a great day.