Potawatomi zoo Reviews

Did an EdZOOcation class for my 5-year-old and he loved it!

Fantastic Zoo for my area! Many years with new exhibits rotating

Great little Zoo. Having not been to this Zoo since I was a young child, it s much smaller than I remember. But it s a great asset to the community. You can easily do the whole zoo in 2 hrs or less if you don t spend much time at each animal. We purchase season passes each year, which IMO are insanely cheap! We go a couple times a month. They frequently have little activities for the kids. And my 2 year old loves the train and carousel. Tigers are normally pretty active and we can spend most of our time watching them. Of course the petting zoo are is a big hit. Staff we ve had contact with are always super nice and friendly. I m glad to see the positive changes the zoo is making for the animals and their enclosures and look forward to seeing how the zoo improves in the coming years. There s three parks, one across the street and one by the parking lot and one in the petting zoo area. Pack a lunch and play after the zoo and we re guaranteed a nice long nap for the littles after!

For being a relatively small zoo, Potawatomi is pretty great. Currently (April 2021), there is a lot of construction going on to prepare for some upcoming exhibits, which look like they are going to be fabulous. Also, several animals are indoors because of the cooler weather. On the positive side of this, crowds are small and minimal waiting in line.

Had a great time with my wife, daughter and granddaughter. Nice smaller zoo.

We have carried a family membership the last three years, and it has been great. Potawatomi Zoo is a great place to spend a few hours with the family. They are always improving their facilities and trying to provide a top notch day trip, with courteous staff and exciting exhibits.

Every child in South Bend should experience the Potawatomi zoo at least once. If you're willing to make a day trip out of a zoo visit though, I'd recommend trying Ft Wayne, Chicago, or Indianapolis.

Nice small town zoo. Good for a day out with the kids to see the animals.

This soon seems to have too small of habitats. There isn't really much room to grow due to its location.

For a smaller community zoo its hard to complain about anything there, its a great place to go, the cost is just right, if you go more than once a year you should be a member!!

Our family is a big fan of the Potawatomi Zoo. We've been members for several years, and they keep making improvements to the exhibits and adding more animals each year. There are larger, better zoos, but for a small, local zoo, Potawatomi is pretty good.

Payed full price for 2 adults 1 child.1/3rd of the place almost 1/ 2 of the place was shut down but not the price full price.spent more time upset with what was not there any more could not enjoy what was still there sorry folks don't waste your money.

Choose sanctuaries instead of zoos. This place is a sad home for the residents. There has to be more to life for them than small spaces where they are gawked at all day. It is demeaning, and they are unable to live in a way which is natural, or closer to being more natural to them. Their lives mean so much more to them and they deserve better than this.

It's definitely better than it was in the 90s. Many new improvements. Get a zoo pass it's worth it

Peaceful, clean and well staffed. In the last 10 years it has been upgraded nicely.

A large variety of animals and best parts is kid get to pet animals at a farm section.

Small but nice zoo. Love their Zoo Brew night for adults and it's a great place for a quick trip with the kiddo (you can hit every attraction in about 30-45 min). We get the yearly pass for $75 - it's $10 per visit per person without. Would love to see more perks for being a season pass holder (I'd pay $100 per pass).

I love seeing all the animals..and it's not to expensive...

It's ok but to much walking around for the attractions (animals) also it seems the potawatomi is under construction and for a enjoyable ride the Michigan City Zoo is much more enjoyable and Lake Michigan is right there bring a lunch enjoy the day

Had a blast at Roars and Pours
Love the Zoo.

We love having this zoo so close . It's something we can do at the spur of the moment!

Decent amount of animals and a fun carousel and little train ride

Smaller zoo but not too expensive so it was a good experience all and all. 11 year old was loving the animals, 6 year old loved the small train ride... If you can get to Lincoln park zoo in Chicago, do it. This was a great experience too though

Oldest zoo in Indiana. It's a small zoo but there is a lot packed into it.

Very hot day, but the park was clean, and the animals were great!

Zoo was closed due to adult party thing going on today went to park area had party and cooked out grilled etc

Great zoo for a city of it's size. Still wish there were more animals, though...

Awesome place for kids to experience wild life an adventure in a safe environment

Good zoo alot more things added for kids and adults

Great for the kids and family. Train rides. carousel ride. And good animal views along with info of each animal.

Lots of small exhibits. Nothing really special about it. Better than Michigan City but it's the Splash Down Dunes of regional attractions.

Took the grandkids all the animals were out five star!!!!

We love this place. We have been members for 3 years now and we go 10 times a year. The member benefits are amazing. If you have kids under 12, buy the membership and go. We never eat there so I have no idea the cost of food.

It's was okay maybe for little ones it could be exciting but I was personally impressed with the zoo compared to the price you have to pay.

Saturdays may not be the best time to visit since it's crowded with families with kids. Parking could be tricky at peak time. There was a long line for tickets but it moved fast. To make the wait more pleasant, zoo workers came out with animals for kids of all ages to pet. It was a nice experience. It's a nice zoo. I hear that they will add a pavilion with bears and wolves. Overall it is a nice place to visit, better before noon
I the early afternoon the animals are having their siestas.

Nice local zoo. It is smaller but perfect for smaller children especially.

To find a better zoo you are going to have to drive at least an hour an a half and then deal with crazy crowds. I have been many times going back to grade school and still enjoy it to this day. An excellent place for a budget friendly family day.

While they have done some things to improve the zoo over the years, there is a general lack of maintenance and even cleanliness. This picture is from the fox enclosure and there is litter in it. The cage would not allow for paper to be thrown from the observer side.
It could be a really nice zoo if they would keep up with things.
We'll be going to Fort Wayne zoo from now on

Had a birthday party party. Had a good time. Got to go look at the animals,enjoyed that.

Nothing but good things to say about this place. Super nice workers.

The tiger exhibit is excellent they get up close and personal! However if I came back for no other reason it would be to see the Otters again. They are sooo delightful and very active me and my son had a blast

The zoo is really small and there are not many animals, it took close to 3 hours to walk trough the entire place. It is a zoo more oriented to entertain kids.

Maybe I went to late or it was to hot ,most animals stayed in

Nice little zoo. And when I say little I mean little. Would be nice if they actually had animals in half the exhibits

The selection of animals for such a small zoo is surprising. Quality park with an intelligent layout, and you can't beat the price of admission. The petting area is too much fun. Don't forget the cursing parrot walking around ROFL.

Great little zoo, and the food and drinks are very reasonable. We were so impressed, we bought a membership when we left.

For a smaller zoo, this zoo has something for everyone, from a good selection of animals to the rides and feeding stations for the kids.
There is a great selection of food at the concession building.
If the kids still have energy to burn after the zoo, there is a very nice park adjacent with a fun play area and lots of room to run.

We love this zoo! We just invested in a seasonal pass and have enjoyed it! Our little one was only 6-9 months through the summer, but she still loved our zoo trips. We loved the train and carousel rides!

My 3 year old daughter loves this zoo, so I have an annual pass. Remember $2 a head for the train ride. I feel like half the animals are perpetually not in their habitats. The whole zoo feels low budget, but still not a bad afternoon.

Great place to bring the kids. There is wonderful picnic areas for parties and playgrounds with splash pads, and grilles, and then a zoo on top of it.

Small but well rounded zoo. They need to pump some more money into the place though as some of the habitats are really small.

They are continuing to strive for excellence!! New exhibits, walkways, and maintenance of all landscapes. We enjoy our city zoo and will continue to as is grows!!

One-on-one time with Lenny the Slough was an experience I will never forget. So much fun and informative.

Great exhibits, clean, and just small enough for a quick visit.

This little zoo is pretty awesome in the city. The train was definitely a favorite for my kids!

Great zoo. It has done much to improve over the years

Good zoo ... still under construction... Kinda small

Cute little zoo. Great for younger kids that may get cranky and overtired at larger zoos. Shady and nice path

No concerns for public safety. We took our kids and almost no one was practicing social distancing or wearing a mask

Horrible experience, there were at least 10 school districts with multiple bus loads crammed into a zoo still under construction. I was there 5 years ago - IT WAS UNDER CONSTRUCTION! Nothing is better. One of the lions had a giant wound on its hip. No staff around to hand out maps or help until we were near the front of the bathroom line after waiting for at least 20 minutes. I was chaperoning a group of four, 7 year olds. A staff member walks up to the line and says hey there are other restrooms way over there in some building on the other side of the chopped up zoo. She s looking at me with the 4 girls doing the pee dance. I m like gee thanks but wouldn t we be better off staying here since we are nearly to the TWO stall bathroom?! She chuckles and somewhat agrees, it s no big deal to her. Anyhow, I also spent $10 for us to ride the carousel one time. We waited in line for at least 20 minutes for those tickets that weren t available at the carousel, I had to drag all 4 girls to the gift shop to stand in line and look at toys no one could buy! I only had $20 dollars and felt horrible having to tell the girls no to the face painting and train ride. No money for goat or fish feeding. No souvenirs! By the way, while standing in the bathroom line I notice a lady with a field trip pass for several of the attractions. We were on a field trip! I would only recommend shutting this place down.

Fabulous for the size and the price. I hope they continue to grow

Kids love this zoo. The current construction (Spring 2019) is a pain, but it'll be even better when done!

Small, but great zoo with many attractions and cool animals!