Oakland Zoo Reviews

People friendly, elephants, zebras, bears, cafeteria, free gondola to top.

I would like to know if this Monday holiday will be open? I want to go with my family

Had to choose a time slot for visiting, nice because there were very few people. Staff spraying sanitizer inside gondolas and on people's hands before going on. Some habitats were closed, but most were open. Appreciated that there was plenty of soap in the restrooms. Cafe on the hill was closed.

Didn't see many animals. Don't know if they were sleeping. Train ride nice, however they need to cute away some of the bushes an trees so You can see more of the view, which is Beautiful. I only saw one gift shop and some of th rides were broke. The food was awful.the pretzel was so hard that girl didn't change me for it. She said all of them were hard Wow Awful.

Nice zoo with lots of animals. Train ride was fun, you could see kangaroos up close.

$24 for adults we did not pay for our kids because Oakland Zoo Partners up with the summer reading challenge program (with several library in the Bay Area) we had free passes. Since our last time we've noticed upgrades too many of the exhibitions and with the new gondola ride you get beautiful views of the Bay Area.

The zoo is great! My wife ate here and said there food is good!

New gondola is outstanding! A much better zoo than I anticipated. Just going for the gondola and lunch at the top , with great views way worth the trip

Really big, and the animals are actually awake and visible!

Love this zoo. The way it is set up is very nice with a lot of trees and plants. They have elephants, which the sf zoo does not.

I went with my two year old granddaughter and we had a blast. The lights the music and the total Ambiance was fantastic. I highly recommend going it's definitely worth the trip.

8 out of 10.... nice Zoo parking and instructions and where to go is a bit confusing.... but once we were parked and settled in everything was great, we did a overnight with the Boy Scouts and the docent staff was amazing, the docents who led us on our tour, the docents who took care of us and our sleeping accommodations and the docents who fed us did a great job, the educational and docent staff is simply incredible.... regarding our night tour could have been a little bit longer we did five locations, would have been nice to do at least 8 or even 10 locations / exhibits considering we were there we had the time and it wasn't that late.. all in all a good experience thank you Oakland Zoo...

Good selection of animals. Too many hills. Prepare for some hiking.

I've been coming here as long as I can remember, and it's been growing bigger as the years have gone by. This place is perfect for family outings and super kid friendly. They have all kinds of animals, from lemurs to elephants, and more. I really liked the fact tat they allow you to leave the zoo for whatever reason and comeback, all you have to finish show them your parking receipt and get a stamp on your hand.

Boo at the Zoo. It is the best outing for you!!! Tale the family and enjoy a day with the animals. The lions wolves beara tigers and monkeys were in full swinging prowling action. Always a good day at the oakland zoo. P

Love the animals and their so great to be around the understand the humans so well

Great place to bring kids. Manageable size and nicely organized.

Nice place, variety of animals in good conditions and natural environment, that's why there is no guarantee that you can see lions closely if they sleep anywhere ;)

East Bay's hidden gem. My favorite zoo, perfect size for a day trip and always maintained great.

It's a great place for little and big ones.. The gondola station takes you to see other animals in the highest area and is great because is a zoo !!

Great family fun! Can be over crowded during weekends and holidays.

Sky ride, gondola ride and train ride are good. California trail is nice. Also animals are there. :-)

The zoo is normal, not to much excitement this place can bring to you and limited animals to see.

Great Zoo! The upper area, that can be reached with the gondola, is a must as this is what really completes the experience. The bottom part is a bit old and could be rejuvenated but the overall ambiance is not destroyed by these details that could be improved. Most employees are great to deal with, especially the ones that handle animals and are clearly passionate about it. I write "most" because I ran into 1 exceptionally silly person who didn't give me enough tickets, which I had paid for, for the train and then made me pay again... but oh well, wasting $3 wasn't really worth running my day by arguing with an idiot...

Always a favorite, the recent upgrades finally make this a truly full day place. Awesome children's area with special exhibits [kid sized doors!] and a cool goat petting zoo. Food is decent and a better value than similar institutions. If you can, take the free gondola and eat at the cafe with a view at the top - totally worth it.

Beautiful zoo. Tigers and lions and bears oh my! Great for younger kids, especially the upper level.

The zoo is nice many animals to see and much to walk, what I do not like is the price of admission we are 5 in the family and if I did not have the memebresia it would be very difficult to visit it. It is more convenient to have definitive membership.

Great zoo. They let us participate in volunteer activities, something we really enjoy. They have to improve the food, more healthy choices for kids please.

The Oakland zoo is my favorite besides San Diego, the place is awesome. They have giant fruit bat's, chimpanzees, elaphants, tigers, loins, and grizzly bears oh my. Yes and also wolves and Buffalo. There is, a brand new top level, with breathtaking views of Oakland and San Francisco. Well worth the trip here for sure.

This zoo keeps getting better and better, and it's in a beautiful setting in the oakland hills.
Zoo personnel around the grounds are available for questions about the animals.
This is one of very few zoos that has African elephants instead of Asian. It takes 20 keepers to care for the 4 elephants.
You can visit bars, bugs, reptiles and alligators in the children's zoo and of course , owt the goats.
Newer native animal section at the top of the hill. Gondolas take you up to the top of the hill to a wheelchair accessible walkway thru native California animal enclosures including Grizzlies, condors, mountain lions and gray wolves.
Get to the zoo when it opens, there's a lot to see and parking fills up fast

One of the best zoos ive been to. Beautiful, large, rich enclosures and non- depressing caged animal scenes! What more can you ask for from a zoo!

Never went in the line was 2:30 hrs long to get in.

Good atmosphere, lots of parking, clean and open space, animals looking very healthy and easily visible.

It's a zoo and a pretty good one at that. Be sure to go up the ski lift for a semi recent additions.

Beautiful site seeing and new exhibit with smooth ride on top of the zoo and you can see all the lions elephants etc

Love the Oakland Zoo! Got an annual pass for our 20-month-old. She enjoys seeing animals that are like her toys and like in her books. There's also space for her to run around and play. Every time I go, I like the zoo even more!

A great place for dates and family outings! The animal husbandry is top quality, and the keepers are excellent at answering questions. The gondola ride up to the California Trail also shouldn't be missed. There's a cafe, plenty of native Californian creatures, and a playground for kids to exhaust themselves (if the walk hasn't done that already). I highly recommend the membership for any local parents, as you certainly get the full value quickly.

Oakland zoo is great. Get there early and take the gondola to the top to see pumas and bears, then play on the playground. Hit some rides on the way out.

My kids had a great time enjoyed seeing all the wolves and bison in a pack. Great view of the bay from the Gandolas.

Heard some good things from friends and the reviews on Google. There is also the Oakland Zoo App. I have to say we had a great time exploring everything that the zoo had to offer.
All the employees we interacted with were very nice and friendly. Some of the enclosure's are very large and like the lions, they hang out in the back where it might be hard to seeing them through the telescopes. I would suggest to ride the 'Sky Ride' it's $3 each, you get a great view of the lions, giraffes, camels and bison. Take the gondola to a cafe, visitor center and the second part of the zoo, with the all new areas that opened in 2018. Really enjoyed the Grizzly enclosure huge with lots of viewing areas.

The best place in Oakland to bring family and kids. The animals are happy and will cared for.

Awesome place. Good food,but pricey. Cool animals. They also has a ride part with a train that takes u around the park.

The staff is arrogant and not polite at all. They literally were yelling at people. Another guy directed me to push my kids cart over the hill instead of a road which was right behind him.

If you want to ruin your mood, go ahead to this place full of arrogant people.

Wow nice size zoo, clean, lots for kids to do, variety of animals. Can't wait for new exhibits to open. We joined as members.

Been a member for over 20yrs. Love the Oakland Zoo!

Such a fun zoo! Even though there were a ton of people during the holiday weekend we were there, it didn't feel crowded at all. The animals had large exhibits and we're surprisingly visible almost all the time. Great play areas for younger kids too. Wish we knew that the cost of rides is not included in the admission, but it didn't really affect the awesome day we had.

Wonderful place! The expansions they're doing are so nice! And on a clear day the views are amazing! Very family-friendly and very clean place. Best zoo in the Bay Area!

Very big place! Was a lot of people on a very hot day but still didn't feel crowded. Just bring lunch! The cafe on the lower level is pretty pricey and the food isn't good.

Great place for kids and adults, support your local zoo!! Some moderate walking up and down bring water! Had a great time with my family they got TIGERS!!!

Such a great zoo! So many little ones running around, but never feels crowded. Knowledgeable staff at most areas to answer any questions.

Cool place active aniamals! And a great ride n view on the gondolas!! Kids loved it!!

This is a great zoo! They treat the animals well, the views are beautiful, and with the new expansion there's plenty to see.

It was nice to get out with the kiddo, the prefect distraction in these crazy times.

This zoo was great! Especially the California part. Very knowledgeable and friendly docents. Emphasis on conservation.

Was insanely busy. Parking took 30 mins or so. The credit card terminal was not working so that I could buy a drink after walking around. Places where animals were not available to see. Empty. I did like the newer gondola ride.

The new restaurant at the top of the gondola ride does not open until noon which makes it tough when you get there at 10 am so you can eat there very disappointed.

Best zoo to visit and I have been to many, both in the US and in Europe. Animals have large spaces to enjoy, enrichment to stimulate them to use their natural hunting and scent abilities. There new California section is fabulous; wolves, eagles, brown & grizzly bears and more! There's I lovely play area for young children at this location, plus a cafe.

Staff sincerely care about caring well for the animals, providing exceptional care and daily enrichment. Fun events and a happy place to visit.

This priceless last piece of quiet, unspoiled open space in the Oakland hills has been replaced with a restaurant and animal cages, denuding the meadows and killing the oaks and even locally rare native plants. The buildings, views, and animal displays are attractive and informative. It's just hard to enjoy them understanding the cost to Oakland's native ecosystems.

New gondola to new exhibits now. The Zoo is overall a great day out, and is certainly the better choice in the bay area for zoos. I do have "some" gripes though. First, the new area has a LARGE area dedicated to wolves. I saw zero wolves. Plenty of dead dish as feeding bait, but zero wolves. Bunt animals are unpredictable so I will give it a pass THIS time.

The REAL gripe is with the staff here. Overwhelmingly, most of the staff can't be bothered or are clearly disinterested in their job. The number of faces displaying "I hate my job" is extremely noticeable and distracting from what could be a great experience.