Oakland Zoo Reviews

Beautiful zoo with amazing new California area. Be prepared for hills though.

A very nice zoo for you to take your children. What I like the most is when you climb the baskets, and look down the lions que, that mello ejejje where you come to break the baskets and you fall, .. you will be fresh meat for the lions ... I recommend them the whole is very nice ...

Nice clean great place for children and adults alike

Our son loved the Oakland Zoo, we got there when it opened and had a great 1/2 day (as that was all he could handle) we went back on Sunday to see the rest. Loads of animals to see, you get really close and exhibits are close enough but a good spacing where you dont feel cramped. The terrain is a little hilly though so I dont think I would bring grandparents as its a lot of up and downhill walking to certain parts.

I have so many memories that have been here as a young adult with friends, then my family as the children grew up, and then now a good time with our grandchildren. the only drawback for me now is the hills just get to my knees. The layout and animal habits are great. The new Californian area is a work in progress but really cool

Love this zoo. The "cages" do not look like cages but rather they have created spaces to resemble the animal's natural habitat. Good variety and mix. To get to the giraffes and lions be prepared to do a bit of climbing. This zoo is not on a level area but the views from the gondola are nothing less than spectacular.

Great place good food court, and amazing selection of animals to look at

Much better than the SF zoo. Lots to see here and the animals have space to roam.

The new California Trail is really great to see. They have bison, wolves, jaguars, condors, bears, etc. The new gondolas they also have are much better than the Skyride ones. They're enclosed, and they can seat up to eight. It's a great zoo, overall!

Awesome zoo, been members for years. Exhibits give animals a chance to roam and be animals. Friendly and helpful staff

Nice size zoo. Clean grounds and bathrooms too. Lots of animals to see. My 5yr loves to come here.

I heard from many friends that this zoo was amazing and now I know first hand. Fantastic zoo for animals that can't be in their natural habitats with room to roam. The animals have space!!! Imagine that!?! And the prices are very reasonable (even has a discount online for membership- worth every cent and includes parking).
During this pandemic unfortunately a lot of exhibits are off limits and closed for obvious reasons but we still enjoyed ourselves immensely and plan on coming back again soon. The zoo really needs the community's support to help sustain the animals needs.

When fully reopened (hopefully in the near future) there are kid play zones and viewing areas thoughtfully placed all around the park, an awesome gondola, a train and children amusement park area.
I didn't get to try the cafe (my only complaint) the cafe up near the Buffalo and bears was closed and I was starving and munching on my kids snacks .

Animal enclosures seemed a bit rundown. Gondola was nice.

Great zoo, humane conditions for animals with large open spaces.

Very nice time, pretty place,love the gondola ride ups and back! Easy and NO extra charge. Plenty of animals, bat exhibit was fascinating!

Great place to visit and spend some time with the family, or just to go see some awesome animals!

Amazing zoo with large exhibits and great animal Care

A nice zoo that you can spend whole day there with your family

The best place to explore animals. The new California expansion is phenomenal!

Such a beautiful Christmas lights, we enjoy a hot chocolate and some food with a great bay area night view

Very laid back zoo. Great animals that kids like elephants, tigers, giraffes, etc. Place is in hills. So, up down walking which can be tiring if you also have a stroller. Bring your own snacks. There arent many good options.

Looking for the best views in the Bay Area? Definitely walk the Trail up to the Bison area and bears, the tram will take you up there.btw, have your camera ready for some serious panoramic photos.. gorgeous green area. Never gets old, done it thousand times and you always see some new things, also take rainboots for the kiddos, there is a super fun creek at the play area and would be a must to play in it.
Also an extra change of clothes, they will get wet..but happy at the end of the day.
win-win.

It is very nice very educational and big and they have fun rides.keep it up.

The best nature, the most important. Very excellent hygiene,

Great place to bring the kids. Bring a picnic punch, get a little exercise and cell out the animals

I like it was very nice and quiet that day but I really like the animal's in the zoo

A beautiful zoo with large, natural enclosures that the animals clearly enjoy.

Nice place to spend time with your family and friends. Be ready to walk because this place is huge. The exhibit is huge and very safe, be careful with the chimps they're very smart they sometimes throw feces at people who dare to get too close and sometimes hit bystanders. You're warned. They have bears, monkeys, chimps, hyenas, crocodiles, lemurs, elephants, camels, turtles, flamingos, reptiles, insects, jirafs,etc. They have children activities, a little museum elevator, handicap ramps, restrooms, restaurants, aereal gondolas a little train ride, mechanic rides, penny press machines and a gift shop.

The new exhibition is open view and the grizzly bear with wolf, bufalos bison and others it gets more attention. It should have discount for students and AARP, for people low income. Other than that ok.

Always a fun place to go with kids. With the gondolas completed and the upper area... It is a real treat. Going during the week makes such a big difference in having a more relaxed and less crowded time.

I love the Oakland Zoo. I recently went for my 50th birthday and my kids are grown so I'm not giving a kid or parent perspective. My family no longer visits the rides, but we like seeing the animals even though some are elusive like my favorite Sun Bears. I don't mind. My only complaint this past trip is with the new California gondola ride. It's free and has a lovely view, but after waiting in line to go up you must disembark and wait in a very long slow line at the top just to get back down. We would have much preferred the option to stay on and go back down straight away.

Haven't been for years. Came back to a new ride the Gondola. It brings you up to the other side of the zoo, to observe 3 more animals, coyotes (along with new members of the family) grizzly bears and bisons. My little one is really amazed!!! Very clean place as well.

I liked the tour has the cable car and games for the kids

Beautiful setting up in the Oakland hills. Great breezes on hot days make the walking up hills barrable. The habits all seem really nice. Just wish all the animals weren't all asleep like every single time I come, not that the zoo can really help that!

The layout and feel of the zoo is absolutely beautiful..... however, for such a big size zoo there didnt seem to be as many animals as one would hope.... still worth the money and trip out here

Been here with my daughter since she was one year old. Good condition of the facility. Very responsive and friendly staff and good exhibits. All in all, great experience

Quite expensive price, paid parking ($ 10) but very nice for a great time with family.

The zoo was very disappointing due to the lack of care I has gotten. Every single habitat looked the same with weeds and crabgrass overgrowing everywhere. Tue ride area had attendents that were rude and not able to tell you when the next train would be. The only nice part of the zoo was their new attaction that you were taken to via gondilas (the old ones no longer run) to the top of the mountains in which he cafe had a fabulous view.

Great spot to take the entire family to spend an entire day at. Should be even more fun once they open the additional areas in the summer of 2018

This is a pretty small zoo.
All animals was hidden somewhere. No tigers, no lions, no bears....
Other animals were too far to watch them.

No places in the shadow, where we could seat and feed our baby.
Just two small places, where you can eat.

We probably will never return back to this zoo.

That is a small zoo with a few animals and very poor explication. The facilities are shabby and not well maintained. The small attractions are not free for zoo visitors, who have to pay extra also for the train to the Australia section.

It's a really good place to take kids with various animals to watch along with rides.. Rides include a sky ride, gandola, train ride and also few more kids rides. Lot of educational information written all along the path. Gandola ride is beautiful and that ride is included in the zoo entrance fee. They have restrooms everywhere.
They have ample parking along with shuttles to help people get to the entrance. And also very clean and well maintained.

My kids love it here. Also, they have entirely failed to be eaten by animals while here. Also, kudos to the staff for failing entirely to clone dinosaurs and unleash them on an unsuspecting public. that in itself deserves five stars.

We are members, we love this place and go regularly.

Decent amount of animals in a pretty calm environment.

Perfect place to come enjoy a day with friends and family

Love love love the new edition it's an amazing contribution to such a wonderful place I've known for a very long time.it really allows me the opportunity to bring my two-year-old son to see animals in a way that I feel comfortable that they have the freedom and luxury to live as close to the Natural Life as we can provide and keep them and ourselves safe.

It is a stunningly beautiful place to be. Exotic animals, and great zookeepers make this place amazing. The layout of the zoo keeps one curious and engaged. The gondola ride is a must. SF bay view from the cafe is simply gorgeous.

Bringing the kids here is great! The zoo is downhill so I suggest parking down hill

Oakland zoo lots of fun for the family and friends came enjoy see animals.

Wonderful zoo, the new tram has fantastic views and the restaurant at the top is a nice way to relax and have some decent food.

Wonderful place to spend the day! Wear comfortable shoes!

The oakland zoo has always been a favorite of mine- I've been going there since I was a baby and now bring my own baby :) the membership is fantastic and I'm extremely impressed with their new exhibits and kids area!

Mismanaged and disorganized, but the kids don't care! Also, member tips included!

I'll start by saying we are members of the OZ, and have been for years. We believe in the mission and the kids love it - zoo lights, the gondola, the new California experience, the rides, and every single animal habitat... truly, they LOVE IT.

Here's the but, and this hopefully is constructive... It is poorly managed. You can tell this is a culture thing. It comes from the top down. Keep in mind that the members and visitors really only see and interact with the service staff. Not the zoo keepers, not the management, but the people running the show. It is abundantly clear that they are just there to push a button or advance a line or sling a chicken tender. They are not there to be helpful or usually even polite. In fact, most of them are on their phones and, if they even look at you, it looks as if their very souls are being crushed if you deign to ask where the restroom is. Crushed.

The volunteers, on the other hand, are usually the opposite and go out of their way to provide info, chat up your kids, or just make sure you're enjoying yourself. Strangely, not paid.

Anyway, as promised, here is the local/member tips part: if you don't have kids in tow, do whatever you like, unencumbered and free to enjoy without a million bathroom and snack breaks! If, like most of us, you have at least one young child in tow, lucky you! Seeing this world through the eyes of a child is pure magic, so:
1. Arrive by 10am. Forget nap. Park in the upper lot nearest the main entrance. If you arrive past 10am on a weekend there's a good chance you're parking in the lower lot of having to walk some insane distance up a crazy hill.
2. Bring a stroller with storage space or a wagon, snacks, plenty of water/juice boxes (for bribery), and a full meal. Also a blanket.
3. It's usually good weather in the hills, so bring layers, but plan to be warmer than colder. Sunglasses, hats, and sunscreen help a lot.
4. They recently changed the parking paradigm so now you have to collect a ticket and pay for parking at admission, which is truly the DUMBEST THING EVER. Until they change it back, park in the upper lot and as close to the rides as possible. This is important.
5. Dress said children in sturdy, comfy shoes that will not fall off their feet. See gondolas, roller coaster, running, frog pond, and any other number of fun things where shoes go missing.
6. Do not, under any circumstances, go to Tuskers, the restaurant. Not only is it crazy overpriced, it also takes exactly one elephant's life span to get your food. Unfortunately, they have excellent french fries, so you will be tempted. See #2.
7. Best exhibits: the California Experience (new high speed gondola up to the highest point of the zoo), the lions (best view of those guys from the original gondola ride near the train tracks), the lower Children's playground and frog pond/alligator exhibit, and the amphibian and reptile house. We also love the bat house but that's not for everyone!
8. Best rides: the train, of course, but the line is long so be prepared to wait and have some fun riddle or something for the kiddos to do whilst waiting, otherwise you're just in for a lot of swinging from the corral railings. The carousel is well done and the tiger roller coaster is scary-fun, in a mostly good way. The littlest ones will like the car "driving" ride and the carousel, the Jeep ride and perhaps the airplanes. Tickets for rides are the best deal at $24 for 16 booklet. Otherwise they're $1.75 each.
9. End your day at the rides, bribe everyone with a cotton candy or ice cream to get them to leave, and then voila! You're right near your car and the exit!
10. Become a member. We kvetch, but the money is immediately made up in just one family outing, and it goes to a really good cause!

If they would just revamp the management, put a little more pep in everyone's step, and sweep and paint the place so it doesn't look so shabby and run down, then we'd be in business. Dare I say we might even get 4 or more stars.

Oakland has done a lot of upgrades...me and my son had a blast..!

This park is a bit small for my liking, however, this trip is worth it. Take the gondola and you'll understand.

By far the best zoo in northern California. Rides for the kids. All types of animals and they all look happy and healthy. They are adding more in July of 2018 and my family and I are excited to go see the new animals. The layout of the park is very user friendly and wide enough to get around those slower people! Lol

Came over here over a long weekend, so was a bit crowded but otherwise my young daughter enjoyed a lot. It has lot of animals from monkey family, elephant, lion etc. Major attraction for us was gondola ride. Overall had very good time out here.