Houston Zoo Reviews

Great place. Note it has a bit of construction work going on until 2019. Entertaining and educational

It's really big but the only thing is that we tried coming one time before actually foing and we left because we couldn't find a parking space this time we actually a spot but it took a while. So like pls make more parking lots:)

They have really upgraded the zoo. Everything here is worth the money that you pay at the entrance fee. All the food and beverages throughout the park is reasonable. We went on a kind of rainy day but all the animals were out.

They really have done a lot to make the zoo look amazing! Tons of shady places too!

I ve been to at least 7 zoos all over the country and I have to say for my both my kids and myself, this zoo is the biggest and has so many hands on learning opportunities, and is definitely our favorite now. It actually took two days to really get to experience the whole zoo and we ended up getting a pass because it s worth it if you are going to visit at least three times in the year. I would say it s a must see while in Houston.

awesome zoo. Lots of great animals. As a person lining brat Houston, I don't go often but when I do there is almost always something new. On their website you can find updates on animals, construction, and events. Events are often and both informative and fun. Food and toys can be expensive though

Is a good place for the family I also work across the street

It was a blast best part is the water pad. My kids has a blast.

Love it great for kids and enjoyable.Many things to do recommend the nature swap shop

Houston zoo is wonderful and great for all ages. It's fun to buy a beer or wine and just walk around and enjoy seeing the animals.

One of my favorite places in Houston. Enjoyable experience even during a pandemic - they adapted well for the current situation. Dont forget to stop by Herman Park for a run!

Absolutely beautiful with the Zoo lights. It was indeed worth the money and time. I would recommend.

Very nice zoo! might want to wear some comfortable shoes, alot of walking. I also suggest riding the train outside of the zoo. Food is pricey.

I always have a wonderful time at the zoo with my family. The staff is great! Avoid visiting in August if you can!

The tropical bird exhibit and aquarium are both great stops for zoo-goers. The lions and tigers we're out, overall it was a great experience for the whole family!

The zoo is wonderful to go to during the week when everyone else is in school. Most of the trails are shaded so you are not constantly in the sun.

Very basic. Was less than impressed for $22 admission price. Bathrooms by the entrance were clean.

OMG, loved it. Since we bought our tickets online for the Xmas lights we didn't have to wait in the long line. The lights was spectacular...The best was the giraffe section. The animals are put up for the lights but the giraffes are free to go in and out the building....These smart creatures gave us a show that we will never forget. The smores part was everything and then some. My family and I are definitely going back next year...

...The zoo is not as it was. I felt bad for the animals there. The zebra seemed lonely. They are here animals so they may need to that one some friends. They do not necessarily have to be zebras. That animal just needs some company. The tiger needs more space. In fact most of the animals there need more space. The zoo should be expanded throughout Hermann Park. The golf course should be moved to a different location, or just made a bit smaller. The bull elephant was very angry during our visit. The saving grace was the happiness that my children show when seeing the animals.

What and amazing place to spend time with family & friends

There were really nice animals and a really cute petting zoo. There was animals there I never even heard of. Every animal you can think of is there

Great place to bring the whole family. Enjoy and take pictures. Check the website so you can see the tim of the shows. You learn alot

Cheryl Lockett Alexander author of "My Hero is a Duke of Hazzard (The autobiography of a teen runaway) loves Houston Zoo.

Beautiful zoo, one of my favorites so far, there are free range chickens hanging around so if you are scared of birds watch out for them. But if you are not scared and have a friend that is 100% worth the fun of watching them run away. The baby elephant is very cute she seems so happy.

It was nice. We arrived there about 9:15 am and the line was only about 4 people. Had a great time and so did my kids. The zoo let me take in drinks and food.

The animals are really close so you can see them easily unlike in some other zoos. Also, the 'matriarch' elephant that is really old dances sometimes- especially with music, something a little upbeat. I put on Roar by Katy Perry and she loved it.

The parking situation at the zoo is horrible. It took half an hour of driving around before we ended up parking at the museum of natural science.

Love the zoo! Prices are a little far fetched and is hard to be "affordable" to go. Nice open walkways and easy views of all animals.

Lots of shade on a hot day. Interesting outdoor exhibits. Really good indoor exhibits.

We have the year membership it's worth it alone just get to go check out the animals and the natural wonder. There is a new playground for kiddos in there must check it out if you have kids. They have puzzle and climbing for kids.

Lots of gorgeous animals. Lots of shows to attend. Definitely could make a full day out of it if you wanted. But the Houston heat makes it near unbearable to walk through until you get to some of the enclosed areas. They could do with putting up some large fans and misters throughout more often.

They're trying to take some good precautions, it could be a little more organized which would keep people further away from each other but also would probably cause less people to visit and actually walk the zoo which is less money for them but overall great experience. We have always enjoyed going throughout the years and I'm glad they do what they can to keep people safe while they are open.

The Houston Zoo is a great attraction and has excellent exhibits and staff. There were clearly-marked "Cool Zones" to visit air-conditioned indoor exhibits and catch a break from the heat. There are plenty of exotic animals and the themed areas feel very authentic. The current (Summer 2017) traveling exhibit they have was a lego section that had some really cool animals built with lego bricks. Many used several hundred thousand bricks in total!

Great exhibits, kinda difficult to navigate though.

The zoo is great however it can be extremely crowded because it is so good. My missing star is not against the zoo itself but the parking on days like this a mess. Whoever is in charge of the lots needs to do a better job controlling access and ticketing/removing vehicles parked in the isles.

A wonderful place to visit with your children! Not a very huge zoo but there are a lot of animals :)

Nice staff
Good safety rules

We love this zoo! Christmas lights are way too expensive but ultimately I think it is worth it. Although I wish you could see the animals with the lights, I didn't realize it was just going to be just lights, at least they were animal themed. Worth it!

The zoo was a good size and had a good range of animals. The animals appeared to be well cared for. The queues to get in were very long to get in and it was very busy.
Two large areas of the zoo were closed which was a bit disappointing.

It was hot and humid, but plenty of places to refill water..... Enjoyed the interaction with the chimps reasonable price and tucked right in the center of the city.... Right across from the Japanese garden, Rose garden, museums, and a park with an awesome playground!!!

Its so much Fun! Recommended for kids and Parents!!

The zoo is nice , with a children's zoo inside for smaller kids. A lot of walking so keep your strollers for young ones. A lot of snack stands were closed so keep water and snacks with you.
The giraffe feeding was a fun experience. Needs better maps to navigate the park, it's not as big as some other zoos like Omaha or Toronto but a decent enough zoo to spend a day at.

Went with my daughters class. They all enjoyed it very much.

I have been a member here for over 15 years now and have always had a blast. Even during this pandemic they have managed to keep the areas clean and the enclosures looking great with minimal staff. Keep it up!!!

First time here, it was nice, people could bring coolers. There was alot of shaded areas, maybe have a few more cooling or mist areas esp with the heat. Overall, it was nice. Thank you for the military discount.

We are always in a hurry and we do not realize how much it wears us, when we are here in the Zoo, nothing bothers you, it is as if you were in another world, I really liked and pointed out this magical place !! Luis

Wonderful place to walk around and clear the mind while looking at the animals.

really great place. my son and my family always enjoy to spend the time in the zoo while visiting Houston

The Houston zoo has good size but parking could be challenging during the weekend.

Unblock the middle so you dont have to walk all the way around the edges. Strange. Cool though.

Being from the hometown of arguably, the "best zoo in the country" ,Omaha Nebraska and the Henry Doorley Zoo and Aquarium, it is my opinion, the Houston Zoo is , by far, an environment much more appropriate for education and conservation. A beautiful and very well kept example of what a zoo is supposed to be. Keep up the great work Houston

Best Zoo we've seen in years, very large and easy to navigate thru, friendly staff & vendors, a must if you're visiting Houston!

The Houston zoo is a great zoo! Many animals and experiences that are great for pretty much all ages. If it's not crowded is the best time to go and have fun.
The place is very clean, the food is decent, and the staff is actually helpful. If you live in Houston I would say buy the membership so you can co e as much you want (or can) for a lower price.

Went for the zoo lights. We arrived at 5:15. Still parking spot across the street. It is better to book online. The check in is easier.
A bit crowded inside. Nice lights. Love the musical one!

World-class zoo with a huge collection of animals. They have it all: Meerkats, sea lions, tiny baby elephants, giraffes, more monkeys than you even knew existed, all the various great apes, birds, reptiles, etc etc. This really is a world-class zoo in a world-class city. You can often find a Groupon which gives you two-for-one admission. Highly recommended.

Beautiful zoo!! We LOVE spending time here with the kids! There are great views of the animals and fun things for the kids to do! It never gets boring for us!! My husband never complains about going now that they have beer lol if you have little ones or if you just like to hang out with animals, I would totally recommend purchasing one of the membership packages!

many animals cannot be seen .. enclosed exhibition, no feline or bear can see it.. maybe for the hot and coronavirus..

It's a great place to hang out with the kids. The area of elephants is expanding. You can bring snacks and drinks. If you buy tickets online, when you arrive at the zoo look for guest services to release your entry. It is in the main entrance on the right side.

Really nice Zoo for the size. Being from San Diego I am use to the big Zoo experience. However, Houston's primate exhibit has to be one of the best I've seen. Their rhinos, elephants and giraffes are easily accessible so you can get right up close to them. The animal handlers are always pleasant and informative. I highly recommend you stop in for a visit if you are just passing through. If you are new to the area and are looking for a place to stroll around or get out of the city while on the city, then definitely get a membership.

Only improvement I can think of is some of the kiosk vendors could use some additional training in hospitality. Otherwise, it's always a pleasant experience.

The Thanksgiving lights were very nice and was a memorable experience

I was highly disappointed! Although the zoo lights were cute, It's a zoo but NO ANIMALS were incorporated... You pay all that money for lights. That's something that should have been free if that's the case. If you want to see animals do not go for this event!

Nice location spending time with family almost every animals here.

It s very cool for the family have many animals to see you can interactuar with animals it s big and i love it

Always love going to the zoo. Especially the baby elephants.

Its a nice zoo. But, the directions in the zoo are poorly placed. We arrived around 10 am. Many of the animals were not out. And the ones that were were not active. Also, they are doing construction. Adding new animal exhibits. Blocking paths. So you have to turn around and go back the other way. We had lunch here. The food was over priced. And not so good.

Really nice and cool. I liked the variety of animals there.

If you love animals... this is the perfect place to spend the day...!!!

The price is to high. It's not entertaining enough and always under construction. I've been to smaller zoos and the entertainment was better.

Love visiting with my kids, but I would like visiting alone too. There newer exhibits are particularly well-designed. There is too much to see in one day with kids, especially if you have a long drive home, so pick what you want to see most and do that first. You can bring your own food, drinks, strollers, wagons, etc. They are also available on site. If you want to park in the parking lot, I suggest arriving as close to opening time as possible, especially during hot weather.

The kids love coming here! So much so that we hold a family pass. There are several interactive stations and the animals are typically out and about, if not they are easily found inside. We can spend an entire day here easily! Just outside the zoo is a pond with paddle boats that is not included in zoo admission however it's next on our list to check out! Very family friendly and day long entertainment!

We have enjoyed the Houston Zoo a lot this year while taking advantage of our family membership. It's clean, family friendly, stroller friendly, and a good amount of animals to see with more coming in 2019.
They have cafe's, restaurants, and stands to buy food and drinks, but you can also bring a lunch from home in with you with no issues.

It always strikes me as odd that the zoo is right in the middle of the city. You'd never know it's right there. There's so much to see here, so many paths to take. Went during covid and they had everyone wearing masks. Kept the numbers down inside the park. But in spite of signs everywhere to social distance, there were crowds of people by the animals. No one was distancing and no one from the zoo was enforcing it. The dragon exhibit is amazing but crowded. Lots of elephants!

Biggest zoo i have ever been to. It is clean and well kept.

This is a great zoo! I just wish it had more parking. We had to park at the museum and walk about a mile.

Should have rated this a long time ago! NO CAP.....