Oakland Zoo Reviews

Had a great time....my 3 year old was so excited to see animals up close....

Had a great day!!! Perfect size for our little ones

Parking can be limited on weekends forcing some people to park on the sides of hills and walking up to the zoo. Parking lot doesn't have enough signage.

It lacks a new section to open ... they leave after 10 only in this way they will see the animals of the zoo in activity

Great for all ages and interests. We have a membership and just renewed it again!

Took my 16 month old son and 8 year old daughter there on the weekend. Had a great time. Got there early so it didn't get too hot. Great fun for young children. My son and daughter both loved all of the animals. The bats were super cool. Train ride is awesome too!

A good size zoo for a city like Oakland. Fun and family friendly.

It was so fun the air lift was amazing,even the bigger one ,all the rides we're so cheap,I went with kids and really enjoyed it

Decently large zoo with a great variety of different animals. Very family friendly, multiple Cafe's, play areas.

There's a mini amusement park at the top parking lot complete with a train.

In the last couple of years they made a great expansion to the crest of the Oakland hills. You take a wonderful gondola ride to the upper facility, where you are treated to constant panoramic views of the bay area.

There is a large cafe, play area and new exhibits of native fauna such as bears, wolves, mountain lions, condors, eagles etc.

They also have a buffalo area where they help raise buffalo to repopulate a herd being reinstated by a native American tribe.

If you do nothing else take the gondola ride and have a bite at the cafeteria. Most impressive.
Be prepared to take a walk for parking though. They have multiple large lots but the place is very very popular and gets crowded by families every weekend.

Lots of hills, ups and downs. Fun exercise for the kids. The new cable car is free to ride.

I've lived in the Bay Area since 1990. I just visited the Oakland Zoo for the first time this year. My friends and I arrived before the gates opened and joined a line. It's a little, ok a lot, crazy at the gates before they open. Lots of confusion, coupled with excitement. Screaming kids, yelling parents, the usual. Once the gates open, it's a free for all. Everyone is pushing and running. I'm convinced the adults misbehave more than adults.
Once inside, we made our way to the new gondolas. We were literally the first ones there and ended up waiting a few more minutes for the attraction to open. No worries.
The gondolas were comfortable and clean. The boarding and exiting process were seamless. (even for a wheelchair in my party)
The views from the gondolas are phenomenal. The higher you go, the more of the Bay Area you see. The gentle breeze was a welcomed bonus.
The food court was a pleasant surprise. Personally, I don't think the prices were too high. The food was actually delicious. Each of us got something different and none of us were disappointed.
We enjoyed all of the animals and exhibits. I'm glad we went early. The park gets really crowded. It really warms up too. I thought I was going to pass out while visiting the camels. Can't wait to go back now that the new exhibits are open.

Ageing. But great for a zoo and not so great for safari park. Gondola is free while adults rope way ride up is 3$. Bears and bison make the place worth it. Tropical section great but when it's foggy and cold the primates were huddling together... So much for tropical rainforest.

It is a beautiful place to share with the family ..

Absolutely amazing experience especially the reserve part. Bring your walking shoes and lots of water

Good size to finish in half the day; food was surprisingly not bad

Well worth a visit. However, call in advance if you are planning to see the elephants being fed. When we visited with our grandchild, the elephant exhibit was closed with heavy equipment sitting around. However, all the large animals are being fed in the morning shortly after opening. It was interesting watching the giraffe and camels munching on branches that seemed inedible. We especially enjoyed the jaguar, mountain lion, and grizzly bear exhibits (reached by gondola). The black bear exhibit was great. We had a front row seat watching a large bear floating on its back with it's paws up out of the water only three or four feet away through a glass partition.

My kids and njoyed this place. The only problem is it took me almost an hour to exit free way and get to parking spot

Best zoo in the area. Gandola ride and small open ride are the highlights. Good place for an outing.

Very nice, very big, everything very clean and many bathrooms and very clean

The zoo overall was showing well on the surface. The California exhibit was a bit disappointing after all of the media hype. The black bear enclosure was the only one that showed well though the grey wolf compound was very natural. If I compare it to another zoo of similar size, the Sacramento zoo, it lacks a wow factor. The staff are friendly and willing to help. Food and beverages are very expensive, you are better off to bring your own snacks and water.

Docent Eva was amazing. Animals had great habitats and view from the lift was beat in the city.

I haven't visited in a few years and so much has changed. The new area they are building higher up in the hills will be opening sometime soon and looks like it's going to be amazing. The area will have animals that are indigenous to California. It's great to see the money going to great improvements and additions to the zoo. As a child we'd visit every Easter and enjoyed all the animals. I now bring my children and they love it just as much as I did. My favorite are the Lions and tigers. Such beautiful and majestic creatures.

While at the outset , I was unsure of what fan fare to expect for a hefty $24 entry fee , I was pleasantly surprised at what the zoo had to offer. Starting with the maps which my toddler could interpret owing to the animal silhouettes that line up, through the Australian safari on a clickety clack steam train, up the sky ride over the lion, camel and the elephants, going further up to the enclosed gondola giving not only a magnificent view of the cities,but also taking one to the California Trail, the zoo just rocks.

From a toddler's perspective it was sheer delight given the fact that I eased his walks with a stroller to go everywhere. The trails are covered with greenery making the walks a non issue even on a hot day. Conveniently placed stores , restrooms and water stops make enjoying the animals your only option! I was impressed with the magnificence of the African section with the Giraffes, Elephants and Elands.

I would highly recommend this place for a full day trip with your family. The well maintained trails, the carefully manicured enclosures with ample space and human created mimicry of natural features like stone walls, deserts, water falls etc along with geographically apt flora make the fauna come to life.

Fun place to visit, wonderful time had by the whole family.

We LOVE this zoo! It's well laid out and never too crowded.

Class zoo. Parking 10dollar. Otherwise, the entrance is cheap. The reason for 4 points instead of 5 points is that the enclosures of the elephants, coyotes & lions were "closed". Clean zoo.

The new section of the Zoo that you go by Gondola is amazing!

I love the Oakland Zoo. Very family and animal friendly. Much nicer than it's counterpart across the bay. Oh, and there's plenty of parking.

I like it but they need a place to cool the children battlements oh cooling centers

Good time here at the zoo, last time wasnt so good but we came again and things are much better!

Visited during Covid-19 and felt like they did a good job with COVID protocol. I felt comfortable especially seeing that it was every other one for the gondolas and they would spray it down with sanitizer and also squirt some sanitizer in your hands prior to riding. Got to see some animals but but all. Hilly but nothing impossible as we went with a stroller and was fine.

Good city zoo and with enough parking spaces. The zoo is reasonably priced for a 1 round zoo. It is under development and the stays are good, but could be better. The lions were well housed and the elephants had some space. It is a pity that the voilieres have a lot of thread, but for the small children it is a great educational zoo. The alligators and bats are beautiful. Close to and for a European once not in a blood hot hall.

Love the zoo we are members. And they are taking COVID serious and continuing to.make updates for everyone's safety.

Great place for small kids. The new California trails is excelent.

My brother with significant disabilities and I had a great time at the Oakland zoo recently. It was very clean,easy to navigate and not too crowded. Check out this classic Oakland spot.

Great place for kids. Animals and rides. Highlight is the gondola ride

Most exhibits were open, which was nice. Hardly saw staff to ask about animals. Half the information boxes were wired wrong or not working. Extremely limited on drinking locations (buying or refilling). Only 1 gondola was working (the one that goes up to the mountain lion), so it took longer to get through the zoo.

Loved this place! My kids had a blast! I totally recommend you go!

Visiting Zoolights is a great way to stroll around, enjoy the cool air, and put more steps in.

I love this zoo - so much to do and see, either with the kiddos or just the adults! From awesome animal exhibits to fun activities. Don't miss the old school train tour around the property or the brand new sky tram!

It was awesome fine with the family all 3 of us enjoyed it can't wait till we can go with the next one as well.

Awesome gondola and new play area. The food at the Cafe was delicious and theres a great view up there

Kids' field trips, gondola. Veggie burgers, giraffes, elands, elephants. Runaway strollers, new parents. Nice people. Lots of walking, even coffee.

Good for one day event. Expect crowd on weekends. Try to reach early on weekends so you can get parking. Worth a visit once.

Really nice zoo where you can get very close to the animals. We spoke to several zoo staff and it's obvious that they love the animals and care very much about the zoo.

Love the annual membership, what a great value for the whole family!

Very conflicted about this Zoo. On the one hand, they way the animals are kept rub me the wrong way, on the other hand how else do I expose my kids to animals other than raccoon and deer? While there with my kid the chimps were very agitated and didn't like the huge crowd watching them. The glass we were standing in front of broke when one chimp threw itself against the glass. We made the determination not to spend money here. And yet, I go back with my kid, because I have a kid, and they like zoos. Ignorance is bliss I suppose and you're never too old to be a hypocrite. Sigh.

Don't go in the winter. Nearly half the exhibits had animals inside where they couldn't be seen. The gondola and train was closed which meant another half of the zoo couldn't even be accessed! Paid a lot of money to see 3 "big" animals.

Oakland Zoo is less if a hidden gem since it's expansion but we'll worth the visit. Best view of the Bay Area you can find from the Sky Cafe.

A truly wonderful experience for children and adults alike. The animals are exceptionally well cared for and loved, the entire zoo is well kept and beautifully maintained, and there are several rest areas to stop and let children play when they become restless.

Not very crowded .. nice place to spend time with family and kids

Half the Zoo, the new part, is still closed, despite public promotions leaving the impression its open. I just paid full price to cost see half the zoo I expected. Trying not to be bitter. My advice? Wait until this fall, and don't trust the promotions now being aired on public radio and elsewhere.

New gondola is great, we had difficulty convincing the toddlers that we can't ride all day!