The Houston Zoo is certainly one of the best attractions the city has. The exhibits are all maintained and the facility is kept clean. I became a yearly member which allows you bring one guest for free every time. That value paid itself off in just three visits.
Super awesome for kids and adults as well. Not expensive, free parking. A lot of beautiful animals. The place is amazing.
Loved it! The only reason I didn't give them a 5-star is because their concession stands were closed (on a weekend). I basically had to walk all the way back to the entrance for a drink. FYI- Take a cooler with drinks, they DO allow them inside. My mistake, I didn't research beforehand and didn't realize I could take drinks. Be prepared with water specially if you have little ones, make sure you have some ice or something to keep your cooler fresh. This Texas heat will certainly melt your ice fairly quickly.
TIPS: Academy sells backpack coolers that are easier to carry.
Amazing, beautiful and good food..
Take your own drink
Amazing zoo it grew and it is under construction they are still working on expanding it
Last time I went they were working on the elephants
Now they are working on the crocodile area
Family friendly
You can bring your own ice chest and your own snacks to eat while you are in the park
The water area is nice and you get to feed some of the animals as well
They have inside areas where you can see better some animals or insects
It was fairly clean and not too many people for a Sunday
Great zoo. Great staff. Under construction a lot right now, and that's why I gave 4 stars. Kids love the children's portion too. Become a member and you'll save a lot of money if you plan on going more than once a year.
We weren't during one of their summer promotions where you can stay in the evening. This is the way to see the zoo in the summer. Pretty cool being their late and seeing the zoo dark. Plus not as hot.
Stopped by with CityPASS and had a great time at the zoo.
Wonderful experience. Would come again when I visit Texas
Good place for an outdoor adventure and fun for kids.
The animals were out. The zoo is very accessible for all ages and physical capacities.
They make a lot of changes. Even nicer than before.
Always love the zoo. It was not crowded, parking was good but we got there early. Chasing 5 kids is usually hard places but the animals were active and close up so the kids stayed close. All keepers were eager to help find things like the baby cheetahs. Also with any questions about animals. My kids loved the baby elephant. The park was very clean and cheerful.
The Houston Zoo is one of my favorite places on Earth. Is clean, with dedicated staff and reasonable prices. You can basically see animals from all over the world. They have spaces dedicated to reptiles and insects, Komodo dragons, an bald and more, way more. There is a space currently under construction. When finished, will be focused in the Texas wildlife. parking could be nightmare on weekends.
Beautiful well kept and run zoo! Informative talks information!
The zoo is one of our most favorite places to go. Clean and friendly people. Love the animals.
We went for a family outing on free Tuesday. We live the zoo. When I was a kid it was free all the time. Now, it's only free on the first Tuesday of the month. Because of this, parking is very hard to come by. Be prepared to wait and/or park far away. There are lots and lots of exhibits of all kinds of animals from all over the world. Recommend.
They've expanded and added so much and they're working on new exhibits for next year. My family loves coming here
Fair price, friendly staff. Could use a bit better signage as to guide you around.
This is a great place to bring your kids or friends. This place is for kids of all ages from 2 to 92. You are allowed to bring in your own cooler with drinks with I highly recommend on those hot summer days because the prices are high. The also sell alcoholic beverages for those who want. A must see on our list every summer.
We went to the zoo lights . It was over prises and not worth it at all. Never waste your money there with the zoo lights. Yuck. The day time zoo is good.
Haven't been here since the early 2000s.. I had a great time.. Only downfall was the prices for food/drinks and some of the most interesting exhibits were closed for maintenance.
It was any first time to this zoo and it was great. My 5 year old loved it!
This was an over all great day spent at the zoo even though i had a couple of issues. It was the second time to bring my son but his first time he couldn't walk yet so this time he was able to enjoy walking around and even played hard at the splash pad. The splash pad is excellent for the children to cool off from the heat and they have it set up nicely. This brings me to the first issue though. I had taken my sons shirt of to put his bathing suit shirt on and he had already darted for the water. I didn't see any signs saying no shoe past the red on the ground and i went after him to put his shirt on. One young lady was kind of rude telling me no shoes allowed on the red. That's fine, i backed off and my wife took her sandals off and went after him. The young lady continued to rudely tell other men the same as she had told me. If there were signs saying this rule it was not easily seen i guess. Then another young lady that worked there was also being kind of rude to the children playing, yelling at them to get off the dragon in the middle of the splash pad. I know they have to sit there and make sure rules are kept but they could be a little nicer about it when they say something and not act like it's a hassle to do their job. The other issue i had was when i purchased our tickets, i got my wive and I the value pass, which said on the screen that it was all day access to the big bugs part and a carousel ride for each ticket. My son was free because he is under two years old, so the lady said we didn't need any ticket for him. After we got done with the splash pad we made our way to the carousel. Got to the line, gave the woman the ticket for my wife to ride with my son, only to be told that ticket wasn't for the carousel. I told her I had purchased the value pass which said the ride was included. She again said it didn't say carousel on the ticket. I think she was just trying to get us to buy a ticket for $3. I told her that was ridiculous that I paid the extra for the value pass and now she wants me to pay extra for something that was included. We went about the rest of our day enjoying walking around the rest of the zoo anyway and still had a great time.
Lots to see. There is even a splash pad for the kids. The restaurants are a bit expensive as is the gift shop, but that is to be expected at a zoo.
Many different ways to experience the zoo. we've found what works for us and have enjoyed our time there. We have been members for about 6 years now.
A nice zoo. It has a good selection of animals. There is a huge exhibit for elephants and lots of big cats
Fun place for young children!!! Zoo lights is beautiful but it is annoying that even members have to pay to see!!!
Love it as always! The keepers are helpful and informative. It's got plenty of air conditioned areas for the hot summers of Houston.
Fantatic zoo, clean and professional. Animals seamed to be well taken care of. They have it all pathed due to covid but you can see all the animals and they are doing thr encounters again as well. You have to wait to get into the exhibits if there are to many people in. Also they didn't say this on their website but you must buy your tickets ahead of time, and reserve your date and tome of entry
They only have 2 lions and one tiger I think and is hard to see them. Food is too expensive, $4 for a bottle of water I didn t like one thing about this Zoo
We love visiting the Houston Zoo its always an awesome experience. Its clean and the employees are GREAT they're nice, friendly and very helpful. The water park for the kids is great. We are pleased to have purchased the family membership
I LOVE the Houston Zoo!! A place filled with lots of great animals, there are signs that educate you about the wildlife, where they come from, species, if they are endangered, etc... The zoo is a great place to go destress and walk around for a while and enjoy the outdoors. If you have small kids you can buy a membership and go as often as you like for a year. There are great events that are done for zoo members that you can participate in (additional fees may be required). The feeding of the Giraffes is my favorite, coming up close to them is amazing. Be sure to check out any day events of when trainers come out to feed other animals and talk about them. Zoo Lights in the winter is also incredible to see all the lights. You can bring in your own snacks for a picnic so no worries about overspending inside (restaurant and vendor snack prices are reasonable too in case you didnt bring a lunch or beverage). You can apply to become a zoo volunteer if you really like animals. Overall a GREAT family friendly place to be!!
Not being here for over 10 years, this place is amazing. Hours of great views, attractions, and activities. I plan to come few times a year.
The animals were so active. The layout was perfect and it was easy to get to everything!
ALOT OF THE ANIMALS LOOK VERY NEGLECTED especially RightNow that it's scorching hot. Alot of them had very little water. Please tend to them
The Houston Zoo is a great zoo very dedicated to conservation and education. It has a great children's area with a playground, interactive exhibits and a hatchery. I was telling my husband i actually think our children's zoo is better than San Diegos. Exhibits mimic natural habitats as much as possible and enrichment opportunities are provided for the animals.
Love love love the Zoo; however, I was having lunch in the park this day and not attending the zoo...
Social Distance was in use. Animals came out of habitats too.
Parking was terrible, they really need another lot. Other than that the zoo and surrounding area were very very clean, staff was curtious, and the zoo concessions were very good.
We love it here, my Son does too and really that's what's important to me. They seem to take great care of their animals and it shows. Thank you guys for being our favorite zoo.
Pretty nice. To be honest not many exhibits for the price, but the park is well maintained, the employees are nice and helpful, and most of the enclosures look pretty humane. Only one I was iffy was the lion and tiger, didnt really look like enough. Overall, if you got the money to burn, go right on ahead. Also if you're a Lone Star student, dont make the same mistake I did and think that you get a better discount. That means WIC and food stamps, not the college system.
Extremely long line with only one person working at the register. However there were three other employees standing by that were too lazy to work
I am a person that likes to go to the zoo every time I can. The Houston Zoo was amazing, great exibits. It was very excited to see the elephants, jirafas, rhinos and much more amazing animals.
Amazing experience, the zoo itself is massive and has tons to do and see we had a Great time. Feeding the giraffes is a really fun time.
I'm excited to go back! My family and I just moved to Houston few days ago and my two-year-old absolutely loved this Zoo!
So much to see and do with the family! My littles always enjoy a visit to see the animals and play. I've been making memories at this zoo for almost 40 years and am thrilled to share good times with my kids.
It was a great morning, perfect day to be at the Zoo, almost empty. I have a good time. Come visit the Zoo.
Big place. Not enough parking! Lots of people holding spots, etc. Couldn't park in zoo lot, but it was a fun walk.
My girlfriend and I came here on an overcast day and practically had the zoo to ourselves. The variety of animals was fantastic, all the exhibits were well kept and the staff seemed friendly but interaction was limited. Great memories were made and we'll be coming back!
Had a great time with the family. Kids loved it and there was plenty to see
Really nice place to go the only problem is parking so gonna have to take it into consideration
Had such a nice time last winter. The heat was tough, but the mask wearing outside was unbearable. Not medically necessary in such a low density venue. Animals are all resting away from the heat. And as a member, if you dont have your card, it is a 20 minute ordeal getting the ticket set up. And the ticket seller, inside, wasn't wearing a mask.
We enjoyed it but there was a lot of construction going on at the time. Going back again in a few months
Can't go wrong with the zoo. Besides prices going way up. It's still a blast. Loved it as a kid and still do.
Holiday party for work was spectacular. The staff did an excellent job accommodating our employees in the natural encounters building. Highly recommend booking any party at the Houston Zoo.
We don't appreciate the animal's cause the best attraction is the lights.... but it was beautiful
Love that Military gets discounts on regular admission as well as yearly passes So much to see and a great time out with my husband and kids
Loved loved the Zoo. I really loved how they have improved the Elephant enclosure from many years ago. I was very sad to see that there were no Africian Eleohants at this time.
We loved it! There is so much to see. Lots of walking so make sure you have good shoes lol.
They have a nice place for smaller kids to play. There are some cute shops and some spots to eat.
Lots of animals to see.
They have nice bathrooms as well.
Parking was easy and there is a lot of it. Price was not to bad. Worth it if you can make it!! Would go again.
Wonderful. Well run. Clean. Great exhibits. We loved the sea lions, ants and elephants.
Great place for everyone. Lots of new attractipns are being built
Clean, fun and a great atmosphere that shutters the sound of the city.
Wide collection of species. Most of the animals were healthy and active and it was good to watch them moving around, rather than lying idle as its in most of the zoos.
Well planned and maintained habitat for the respective species.
Prefer to go early morning. This is the time the animals are fed. Post lunch some of the animals would be taking rest.
I've always enjoyed the zoo. Perfect place to spend all day lots to do and see. But the prices seem to get higher and food also. Just a bit pricey.
It was hot that day but it was fun i enjoyed looking at the animals with my family.We had a good time..
a little confusing in regards to layout. but all in all a really nice zoo. i fell in love with their Okapi, and during the winter time they do a christmas lights display that will friggin blow your mind. i wish the food system was a bit better with more healthy and vegan options. otherwise awesome
Its always fun. There are some additional exhibits being built out and should be ready for next year.
It was a huge scenery, extremely kid and parent friendly. We had a ton of fun. Couldn't bring our wagon on the bus but they have ones you can rent there and they were way better lol. Def going every year!
The dragon exhibit was awesome!! The meerkats were sleepy but adorable!
I had not been to the zoo in years. I was very impressed with the look of the zoo. It was very lush. It had areas to rest and shaded areas. I like the improvements made to our zoo over the years.
Excellent place to visit with your kids, very informative with peaceful, green, fresh area.
Wish for quick completion of construction
Excellent viewing areas the staff is friendly and knowagable.
I LOVE animals and had a natural encounter with Curly, a 3 toed sloth!
I've been to a lot of zoos because animals are dope, and this is definitely in the top 5! It took me 5 hours to see everything, and that was even while hustling. The enclosures are generally large and authentic to the animal's original habitat, and I especially enjoyed the elephants and their wranglers!
We had fun we didn't get to see the animals they wore sleeping. What we seen was Christmas lights and they wore fun.
I did not go in I took a elementary school here but heard it's really nice
Very good zoo, though fairly large! Been to zoos all over the world, and this has as much variety as any. No polar animals however, for obvious reasons!
Its extremely packed during Spring Break, massive amount of people. I suggest going another time. But its always a good time when we go. Please do not park on the yellow lines in the parking lot. You will be ticketed and towed. We seen at least 5+ ticketed and saw 3 tow trucks working to haul the cars off.
We are members and love it. With a family, a membership quickly pays for itself if you visit 3 times a year at least. We love the animals of course, the fact you can bring a picnic lunch, the playground/kids area in general, and all the staff who have always been super friendly and knowledgeable.
houstonzoo.org