MILL MOUNTAIN ZOO Reviews

As an animal lover and experienced breeder the place barely meets each animals required needs in each exhibit except for the bald eagles that were the healthiest and most taken care of critters and of course they are due to being on the endangered list. Animals should come first not the displaying for profit this is not a zoo more like a rescue center that desperately needs funds just to maintain itself. Still inhumane to the animals that have no stimulation or social surroundings laying in there feces all day long. If you are in need of funding so badly just ask for donations and funds with advertisements with out making these stressed out animals deal with more exposure to families with loud kids that can harm there well being.

I loved hiking and biking here, lots of animals here also

Awesome place for kids. It's winter time now so a lot of the animals are put up. But I'd bet this place is absolutely amazing in the summertime!

The Zoo is small and we were able to get through the entire thing in about an hour and 10 minutes. There were not that many people there for the day time in the summer. We also had a guided tour about the animals habitats and that was very interesting and informative.

very poor excuse for a zoo...don't even bother to spend your money at this establishment...it liiterally takes 15 minutes to walk around the zoo...terrible!!

Well spent happy 50th birthday with my grandson we both loved our time here!

Neat little zoo, not badly priced, animals enclosures need some updating.

This is a tiny zoo. The largest animals you will see there are the cougar, snow leopards, and red wolves (no elephants, giraffes, zebras, etc.). That said, I'll tell you why we love it. Because of its small size, it is a great place to visit with young children. Children can walk the whole thing, and they can get much closer to the animals than at larger zoos. The featured animals are different from the usual main attractions at other zoos, which, in my opinion, makes it interesting. As a plus, almost all of the pathways in the zoo are shaded by tree cover, which can make it a bit of an escape on hot, sunny days. The Zoo Choo is also a hit with my kids. The engine has the sound and smell of a modified lawn mower, but the children enjoy the ride (two loops around the zoo - over in a few minutes).

Great little zoo. Explore park and the star are also great for kids of all ages. Hiking trials and a flower garden add to the charm of this attraction.
The star and the park close at 11pm. Opens at 6am. Security on site.

So disappointing, we used to have a membership there probably 25 years ago, I have more animals at home than this whole zoo, I think! No monkeys , tiger. Petting area...

Zoo was small, but made up for it with lots of exotic animals. They had a train that goes around for smaller children and a decently priced admission makes this place a good visit.

Really beautiful, fresh mountain air, butterflies, wildlife and spectacular views

Horrible, period. Even the train for your kids isn't even guaranteed to work they say. It took them an hour to get it to start. Half of the animals are never there, no matter the time of year. You'll see for yourself. Though, small children like my son, still very much so enjoyed it. That wouldn't have been the case is they never got his choo-choo started.

Been going to this zoo since I was a little girl. Good ole hometown favorite <3

There are very few animals here and all of their animals are in tiny enclosures. The first animals you come across are domesticated like cows and goats. It s just weird since they have so few animals to begin with.

Most of the animals were trying to sleep in a shady spot on the hot day when I went, thus they were quite hard to spot.

A small zoo. Costs $9 per adult and less for children, seniors and the military. Contains about 35 exhibits, and all of the animals appear to be well cared for. I recommend spending a bit of time in the aviary myself. Overall, a good way to spend an hour or two.

We took home a new Fuzzy Friend! Unfortunately the possums were not out today. I love them so much and was incredibly happy to hear that they have them here at the zoo. This is the closest I've ever been to a red panda and a lot of the other animals were in very easy view. It was a great little Zoo!

This is a great local zoo. They have a snow leopard, red panda, tortoise, bald eagles, wolves and more. The train was under construction during our visit. Lots of shade available. Children s playground to visit. Cute tiger statue for a photo opportunity. Super area to enter to get close to some awesome looking birds. Great place to bring young children.

Not generally a fan of zoos and this one is sad like most others. Many animals pacing out of boredom. Enclosures seemed very small and depressing. Just a sad place overall unfortunately.

Nice place, wish they had mates for their solitary animals, also wish they had a little bigger gift shop with some animal window decals...

My baby's had an Awesome time at Mill Mtn Zoo recently . They got to see so many animals in their improvised environment. My great niece and her mom and my bro got to visit from WV. We had a blast laughing and learning at the same time. Mill Mtn Zoo plays host to so many visitors in The Roanoke Valley. Our family took away lasting memories of a day spent together .

Had a great time at this little zoo! I was visiting from NY so in comparison to the Bronx Zoo, this is tiny but well worth the visit. The facility is well run and the staff friendly and helpful. The animals are in full view - perfect for picture taking. Great way to spend an afternoon!

So fun! Train is the best- my kids loved it! Looks like animals are well taken care of.

Small quaint zoo in the mountain. I enjoyed it. They're reasonable priced. It was a fun thing to do after we visited the big star. Kids would enjoy it, there was a lil train to ride around the zoo on.

Small but interesting zoo in a pleasant setting. Lots of shady areas to get out of the sun and natural areas for beauty. Nice place to spend an afternoon.

Great little zoo! Try to make time for the tiny train ride and definitely bring your own stroller as they do not offer rentals.

The animals weren't all out but it was fun anyways with whatever animals did come out. Our favorite was Eli the fox, he was adorable and super friendly.

Zoo was closed, winter hours, walking trails open, beautiful day beautiful views

Good for little children not a whole lot of animals here

The staff were friendly. That's the only good thing I can say about Mill Mountain Zoo. The animals, most solo in their too-small habitats, were lonely, pacing back & forth, showing clear signs of distress. It was horribly sad. Plus the mosquitos were horribly thick! And the admission cost was outrageous. Our family will not be returning & we hope those poor critters find a better life somewhere else.

Quaint little zoo. Really good with social distancing.

We took our grandson there, very disappointing. There was only a few animals other than birds and they were mostly sleeping. What a waste of $25. The train was not working due to Covid, why?

Nice zoo for a smaller town. My favorite animal is the zoo's iconic red panda!

I have always enjoyed coming to Mill Mountain Zoo. 30+ years of fun, excitement and train rides. Now my children are creating memories and enjoying themselves here.

You should too. By yourself or with your family it is worth the trip!

The reptile exhibit was my favorite! But the raccoon was very lively and the cougar was super sweet just hanging out in the shade. It was honestly worth the $10 and better than my expectations.

Kind of a one trick pony but my son loves it, every time we go. The train is fun, the snowleopards fighting was an awesome sight to see and there are plenty of picture opportunities. Jaxon, my son, also loves the playground and the gift shop. So make sure to not go in there unless you want to see how they make up the price of the reasonable tickets...

Nice little zoo with some very cute animals. The staff is super nice and helpful. I visited in late Feb and some animals are still hidden away & keeping warm until springtime. The best thing is that this zoo is part of an expansive recreation park with plenty of things to see and do.

Very nice clean Zoo. Train ride that came with your admission. Staff is very polite and informative. Would recommend it to anyone. It's a wonderful place to bring the family for the afternoon. Playground for the children as well as picnic tables.

The zoo is small but great. Well worth the admission fee

Small enclosures for animals was just sad. Definitely should not have eagles in cages! All the animals seemed to have broken spirits. Poor animals just paced back and forth. Definitely will not go back. Mill mountain zoo should either give their animals to a bigger zoo or set them free!

Very small zoo. Spent maybe an hour there after walking around it twice

This is one of the smallest zoos I've ever been to, and I went around 1 2ish all the animals were asleep. Granted it was late in the season it still doesn't change the size of the place. Staff was friendly though so A+ for that.

Not a terrible zoo but not great either. We have been here several times. There used to be a honeybee exhibit here in the first building before the walking path to the zoo. I think they got rid of it because its not there anymore. Theres also a rude blonde woman named Grace who works in there. She actually told me Don't ask me, just go away when I was asking about the animals in the zoo. I told her to her face she was not friendly and she replied I am soooo sorry very sarcastically. When you actually get to the zoo from the walking path the staff get nicer but the exhibits are very small. They need new ones.

Great trip today , too hot out so the animals were mostly sleeping

Not the biggest nor the most exotic, but it's on a mountain and what they do have is very enjoyable. Staff was friendly and knowledgeable. Definitely will be going back

It's small but everyone is friendly and there are amazing views both from lookouts and from the train.

Great little zoo. I suggest going in the morning so you can see them feed the animals. Staff was friendly and very nice

Love the animals there! Red panda is my favorite! Staff are friendly!

Beautiful place, loved the animals, kids loved the train ride. Doesn't have a Restraunt, you can get chips and drink from souviner shop.

I have a membership, arrived at 4:30 with my grandchildren and they shut the gates at 4! I wish that was on the website!

Too expensive. They tell you what parts of the zoo are closed after you pay. Very little to do or see for what they are charging.

Small zoo that keeps kids occupied for a few hours. The staff is friendly and helpful, and they've got a small but diverse collection of animals. There's a small train and playground to keep younger kids occupied, and you can hike up to see the Roanoke Star from the parking area.

I'm sharing my experience as a warning..I went to the zoo expecting a pleasant time but instead I felt like I got robbed..please do not spend your money during covid pandemic on the zoo. I saw probably 6 animals. And my tickets were discounted for $18.00..Dont waste your money..enjoy the trails and view for free..they r worth it..Shame on U

Great deal for the price. Several animals were off exhibit, but the ones that were there seemed to enjoy their habitats. The zoo was well maintained and had a beautiful overlook.

It's a great place to visit. Also there's a train ride around the zoo.

There is no downside to this zoo, as they keep the momentum going. If one wants a lazy day to stroll around, it can be had here. A quick energy burner for the kids, here too. The animals are great, as are all the staff. Only complaint is the ZooChoo should be running every day, but I understand the cost restrictions on that. Can't really ask for much more from a zoo with plenty of plans for the future, and the community support to back it.

Great place and reasonably priced. Spent about 2 hours here.

We went to boo at the zoo expecting to get lots of candy and there were probably about four candy stations and each only let u get one piece of candy so we only got like 5 pieces of candy it would be good for like a 2 year old not for older children and we payed like 23$ just to get in and spent like 20 minutes in there the animals also stunk and looked very depressed and there was also a raccoon in there which I could have gone into my backyard and saw this zoo is a waist of time not to mention it took more time to park and get in than we even spent in the zoo

I was with a group of ladies who recently visited the zoo. We arrived when the zoo opened and met a young lady feeding the possums. She was wonderful about telling us about the animals. She continued talking and feeding. We followed her to the Red Wolves, Red Panda, Otters, and Porcupine. The zoo has two beautiful bald eagles and will be getting bears soon. The view of Roanoke from the Mill Mountain Zoo is beautiful. Very small zoo, but animals and staff were great. Worth you money and time.

Nova the red panda and Bali the snow leopard were absolutely stunning!! Due to covid the hours had changed and we unfortunately arrived too early but the very kind staff allowed us to walk around anyway!! Small town feel with a clean, friendly, and exciting atmosphere.

I like the zoo myself for a small Hometown Zoo. Wish there were more animals. And it was a little larger place. But I enjoy going there. For my home town today.

Small zoo but nice to have a zoo at all this close to home!

Nothing at all like it was when I was a kid or even years later bringing my children when they were younger. Very dissatisfied and disappointed. Spend a little more $ and either go to Natural Bridge or North Carolina Zoo.

Very hard to get anyone to answer the phone or a call back.

These sweet babies are well taken care of and this is the perfect afternoon place to relax and enjoy the beautiful outdoors.

Wonderful 3.7 mile hike around the mountain... If u got a few extra hrs and want some beautiful surroundings and a invigorating exercise this is the place to go....