John Ball Zoo Society Review

Reptiles are in enclosures together where they shouldn't be, small, expensive, not a lot. Pretty disappointed overall. I guess good for young children but that's about it.

We stop every time we go to grand rapids very nice tiger exibit!

Still a little early to see all the animals, but a day at the zoo is better than a day at work!

Always have a great visit.. and they're always continuing improvements and expanding their park.

Courteous staff; clean human areas, high prices for food with heaping servings-so what? Work it off walking around the accessible hills/paths while you read the wonderfully written info cards at the exhibits wishing the courteous staff had more help keeping the exhibits less.....pungent smelling. Creatures not seen at Binder/Detroit/Lansing; habitats not real big either except for 'major players' and did not see much of the "enrichment" biz either that I've seen at other places. But what the heck, its a day at the zoo with your fave zoo person/s! No bugs, lots of good memories and a big ole nap started in the parking lot getting ready to leave. And that was just me....

It was clean. The enclosures seemed a bit small. Not a lot of interactions between staff and visitors...I expected that they would be out and about to talk to people about the animals... not so much...it was pricey...if I take a 2 yr old that is 10.00 plus myself at 12.50 and we split a drink and a pretzel that would be 9.50...it adds up pretty quick. The snow lepoard was not there yet. It was mid day and warm...most of the animals were sleeping in the shade.

This is a pretty decent zoo. Our flight wasn't departing till the afternoon so we found this zoo nearby and decided to go. Great way to spend a few hours especially if you have kids.

Been going there since I was a kid, never gets boring. Love it there.

Love going here. Lots of stuff for kids to see and do and they are adding on multiple new exhibits.

So nice to get out today and see the zoo before it got busy. First time making it out this year. Love the updates to the zoo.

Family friendly zoo with fun things for children and adults to do

There's lots of changes to JBZ and I loved the life size lego/brick statues that were planted throughout the park!

Perfect size for an afternoon trip. Lots of fun activities for kids.

JBZ is a Grand Rapids staple, the new updates are really nice, and our family always enjoys our time there.

An excellent place for the family! Become a member and you can make several shorter visits. It s even a great place to visit in the winter.

Great place to take kids. The aviary was especially nice

Ot was rainy so most animals were inside but overall it was a great experience for my family. The animals seem to be very well taken care of.

Not as many animals as used to have. Some areas look neglected. Needs work.

Decent zoo, but not enough "kid stuff". Wish it was more friendly to the young ones and young at heart. Overall though, it's a nice place with good walking parts (if you like pushing strollers up huge hills). Fun for the kids and has some good resting spots overlooking nice enclosures with shade!

The updates they've made are a significant improvement over what I remember as a kid, but some of the exhibits are still way too small for the size of the animal. The bear exhibit in particular felt like a shoebox for the poor creature.

Very clean zoo. It seems every year something changes. So the annual membership fee really doesn't bother me when I see they make improvements and more improvements. They make walkways with gradual inclines that are easy for strollers loaded with kids. The animals also have clean spaces and are well kept. Parking can be a little chaotic but it is a zoo.

I like it but animals like giraffes and elephants are also needed hippos If I had those three For me it would be the perfect place

Amazing Zoo! Discounts if you have a Detroit Zoo membership. Well worth the trip.

Overall okay experience. No huge signs to point you off the freeway into the zoo. Would expect a giant welcome sign or something. It came upon us abruptly. Our maps had us turning around in residential neighborhoods. For the amount of animals that are not out because of the cold, you would think they would adjust admission appropriately. This zoo doesn't have elephants or giraffes, which I would think is a staple. One of the park keepers explained that the zoo is on a hill and those animals need flat land. Cost of refreshments were ok. 30$ for a stuffed monkey was absurd, but I have a 3 year old and we were not going to leave the park without it. We will travel further for another zoo next time.

Fun. Lots to see. Looked like the animals were treated well.

We were running late for our monarch release day. When I got up the booth to pay for our passes one of the staff there quickly went to see if our monarchs were still available since we were like 10 mins. late. She came back and told me that they were holding them for us, I was grateful as mom and it was really nice of them to do that for us. My kids were happy and I got to take some awesome pics of my kids. This was our first time doing this and it was extra special. Thanks a ton John Ball Zoo!

Great family place. I took a bus load of 4th graders there. The zoo had interaction activities with lots of learning. I give an A+!

Crowds not too bad, well maintained. Pleasant staff and happy+healthy animals.

Plenty of animals to see, lots of things for kids to play on and with, picinic tables and a playground by the parking area makes it a great place to spend the day with the kids.

It was a great day for the zoo. They are remodeling a few exhibits so there was some open spots but the staff was very friendly animals look well taken care of.

Great place to take the kids they always have a good time

Shady,lots of different animals and great food selecting.

Good very cozy place, ideal to spend a few hours with family.

Great Zoo, had fun at the IllumiZoo. Was a little expensive, but its supporting the Zoo. A worthy cause.

Good experience today, games and activities for kids for the Halloween.

Good times here. They keep raising the prices but my son loved it

I love the improvements since I was last here. However, don't go if you have mobility issues. There is lots of hill climbing involved.

The exhibits and block figures were great to see. It was very disappointing that it was very busy and most people were not wearing masks and there was no enforcing it. I was very uncomfortable and wish I didn't have to run through it trying to keep 6' distance. I'll come back when most people stay home.

Best zoo on west side of Michigan! Fun boo at the zoo event!!

Zoo is too steep in most areas for a standard wheelechair. Would like to see most walk paths paved.

Awesome Zoo with lots to see and do. Never disappointed with our visits here. Places out front for picnics.

We love the John Ball Zoo. My daughter loves seeing all the animals and she can play on the big rope play place while mom and dad sit down and rest for awhile. Great place to take family and fairly inexpensive.

It's a great place to hangout with family. The only thing that sucks is that it's all a uphill walk..lol

This zoo has always been a family favorite spot. Staff is always friendly, exhibits well maintained and a decent variety of foods and snacks offered. Many sanitizing stations as well. We went during the Lego extravaganza.

Great place for families. Love the animals and exhibits. Great place all around

They were celebrating Princess Day, and the lines for meeting the princesses was over a 20 minute wait. The princesses who were on their way to the greeting sites took the time to stop and greet all of their little fans. Plus, my 6 yr old granddaughter got to do the zipline. Very affordable

A few displays still closed due to Covid, but it was great being able to schedule an entrance time. The grandkids loved the Lego statues and had fun spotting them, they also enjoyed feeding the parakeets

Bought a membership that's was great but would like to see some activities that don't cost extra since a person has already paid tp get into the zoo

A few exhibits were being built and a few were not open yet , but had a great time through the eyes of a little girl.

This is an awesome place to spend the day with family and friends. I was born and raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Over the yesrs it has been nice to see the upgrades, expansions and additions. They have done so much to improve the zoo for the animals and visitors. Do yourself a favor and skip the fast food in the zoo itself. The playground and picnic areas are shaded by enormous oak and maple trees. Lay claim to a table and a grill and enjoy a brat, hotdog or burger. It will be a day you will remember for a long time!!

The new entrance is great! I love the flow now. We visited during illumizoo/Boo at the zoo/Brick animals. It was great to experience them all on the same visit. We did not see many animals as it was quite dark. Would love to go back during the day and visit the animals again.

LOVE VISITING THIS PLACE. BUT DOES NEED BETTER UPKEEP IMO.

A good place to picnic, and then zoo with the family!

Only complaints is during zoo camp I was told and saw with pictures that there is cockroaches.

We have a good time with every venture at John Ball Zoo. The staff is informative if you ask questions about the animals. The restrooms & grounds are well maintained. Keep expanding John Ball, the hard work shows & is appreciated!

We go here at least once a summer. It's a fun family place.

Love it! They r always improving and it's keeps the kids entertained.

Had a great time but was so hot the animals weren't active because of the Heat