Rosamond Gifford Zoo Reviews

Very nice little zoo with lots of indoor exhibits to stay out of the weather

I really like this zoo and the improvements that they are making for the animals!

No animals , not what i expected . Very disappoint it .

Out of town but this zoo was great!! Would recommend for anyone

Pretty bad when my 7 year old says he wouldnt go back

It has been a couple of years since our last visit, and you can see the improvements. The squid display, the elephant exhibit, and the primates. Have always enjoyed this zoo, and during the winter, it was nice to see the wolves having fun, and the penguins are always fun to watch. During January and February admission is half price which is a bonus. If it is too cold outside their are enough indoor exhibits to make it worthwhile. A nice little zoo.

Veterans and their family get in free...a very great gesture here!! Thank you for that. The zoo is great. Nice easy layout to navigate. Different daily "shows" with animals. Great place to spend a few hours on a beautiful day

Just the right size to walk in a day AND see everything.

No lions when I visited, other than that it was nice.

Beautifully landscaped zoo with amazing herd of asian elephants! Much to love, enjoned the green infrastructure interpretation as well.

A fun local zoo that has a variety of animals to see for an economical price.

Love seeing the animals. Need layer hours so your able to see the animals more active

With Covid everything changed. Make an appointment before you go to the zoo. Unfortunately not to many animals to see or things to do.

Nice zoo we were there later in the season but feel that most of the exhibits could have used some upkeep.

Half the place is closed for remodelling and yet they still charge full price. Kind of ridiculous we didn't even get to see the elephants this time around but we paid to see it all.

Always a wonderful experience. We also loved the huge bug exhibit!

Love it for the family! Plenty of animals to see, even in winter. Winter discount rates help, too. Big enough to be a fun variety but not so big it is hard to troop kids through. Friendly staff, too. Been a few times and will be back.

I've been going to this zoo for over a decade. I've gone with they've had events as well. The after hours breast cancer dinner was fun for families that breast cancer effects. They also had a harry potter day that was just AMAZING! We went today and they've changed alot around but I really don't understand the electronic dinosaurs. They're all over the place, the kids seem to like them but what do they have to do with the zoo. They got rid of so many animals for these expensive machines. One that was in the water even had a giant hose going across the walk way and cords all over the place. The zoo overall it good but they defiantly have their downfalls. It's a bit dirty at times and some never are there less than 10 exhibits that are under construction or missing an animal. They seem to be trying with different events and the dinosaur nonsense but I just wish they'd pay more attention to the animals and exhibits they have. 4 stars because some of the exhibitions here are AMAZING and I love all of the events they plan. But it's easily a 3 star zoo.

Absolutely horrible...they got rid of a number of animals amd replaced them with robotic dinosaurs, which is hugely upsetting. It is bad enough Rosamond Gifford Zoo is tiny and insufficient for animals, but this takes the cake.

What turned me off is that the eagles were chained up by their legs with little to no room to fly in the cage they were in. Why cage them and chain them.

Great variety of animals and lots for little kids too.

It's always a good time. They've brought I new animals and it's always fun to see the regulars because you can earn more about them or share your knowledge with other visitors. The gift shop has pots to offer as well :) and even though it's a little smelly the bird exhibit is sooo relaxing to so and listen

The employees here are always willing to educate the public and I've answered many questions for myself

Best of all beautiful animals and enclosures. Good places to take photos too!

The zoo continues to add new exhibits and maintain its facilities. The staff was friendly and knowledgeable. This is a great value for the small admission price.

Probably better if all the animals came out to play. Seems like every zoo I go to has more animals locked away than outside, and the ones outside are hiding!

Terribly busy as normally would be expected I guess. Rude people everywhere...

A fun place where we can observe some animals that we could not see otherwise

Some of the exhibits are closed but it's a pretty solid trip. I need to find out when feeding time is though.

We chose the Rosemond Gifford Zoo to attend recently becasue their animals have been featured a few times in The Week Junior, a national news magazine my tween receives.

Right now during reopening in pandemic times, admission prices remain the same but online reservations are required for admittance, except for members. Most of the outdoor animals are viewable, but the darkroom and aviary are not open at this time.

Overall, we found out recent visit to be fun even with the pandemic restrictions, and that many of the animals have changed since our last visit. The lemurs were very active and are always worth a trip to see.

*A few months later...

We returned and got the VIP treatment by going on an animal encounter with the two-toed sloth, Arana. We were able to see her in person and speak with the handler for a half an hour. It was awesome!

I was in communication with the Director of Programs, Heidi Strong, and mentioned that my daughter had saved $ for a donation to adopt the turkey vultures. To ride along with the encounter, she organized a special visit to meet the turkey vulture care taker, Lucas. He had the male turkey vulture make my daughter a painting. It was really an amazing experience, above and beyond what I had been expecting!

In addition, winter is a perfect time to visit the zoo because a lot of the animals are Asian species and enjoy the colder weather. The snow leopards, tigers, Stellar's sea eagle, and numerous other animals were very active today during the near-freezing temperatures.

The zoo is my favorite spot in Syracuse! The animals are loved and have lots of space. Great for the whole family!

I wish they gave me some warning about all the construction going on. Didn't realize half the zoo was shut down. Wouldn't of paid 30$ for half the experience.

Great place to spend 3-4 hours. The penguins are wonderful.

It was a lot of fun. I really loved the long neck turtles

My only frames of reference are visits to the Cincinnati and Louisville zoos and considering the climate and space Rosalind Gifford does a pretty good job. Good for kids and easy to navigate however I wonder about the plastic cows and the need for mechanical dinosaurs.
D

This zoo has worked hard to become a great place to enjoy animals from around the world, clean and well kept

Good prices and a good displays. Save the rain program and community gardens make this place very appealing.

We stopped up to see the Dinosaur exhibit before it closed. Had an amazingly fun family day, even got to meet a sloth!

I went this morning and was very dissapointed of the amount of dead animals. I never in my life thought I'd see the amount of dead organisms I did that day. The bison also pissed in the drinking water his brother was drinking. Before we left the zoo, I had the pleasure of stumbling upon 9 mentally confused penguins held captive in a dark gloomy factory screaming for help. All of the animals were drugged up and sad. Other than that, good times, good trip, reccomend.

UPDATE:
So, after a year away from the Rosamond Syracuse zoo, I thought that I had seen it all, I THOUGHT to myself, Let s go again, maybe I just went on a day where all the animals were dead ; I was wrong. It didn t take long for me and my colleague to stumble upon the wolf burying the limp body of a defenseless deceased bunny rabbit that I suspect the zoo tenders kidnapped from some bunny day care. Trying to overcome the horrific sight was hard while we watched the tiger balance himself on a 90 degree angle lookin over the highway and an elephant so drugged up he thought he was moving forward while in reality he just swayed back and forth. But then it happened, I made my way in front of the hawk exhibit when it all unfolded in front of my very eyes. I watched a hawk tear the insides out from a poor little rat. As my colleague and I screamed for it to stop, it snickered while it tore the large intestine out of rats belly and presented it for us all to see. A little boy asked me does it eat everything mister to which i replied yes litte boy, the zoo people encourage this behavior . Savages, the zoo went from being all dead..to..to straight murderers..no words...ill be back next year though really impressed all around.
-M.M

Beautiful Zoo! Love the animal's and how much info the keepers are able to provide!! :)

My children, their father and I went today, three hour trip. Definitely was looking forward to seeing the lion but no one had told me he had passed when I asked about it. My children had fun, it was a great day the only issue we had was the state of the animals. The enclosures we re beautiful, clean and had room but the tiger was thin and looked fatigued, a elephant that rocked back and forth in place and looked thin. Also the red wolves that looked tired and thin. I think the zoo is a nice place but these animals might need some more care or regular check ups. If they had been in a better state I would have given this five stars. I hope they are doing good next time we go

Went in January so the ticket prices were discounted due to the cold weather - $5 for adults. Only things open were the primate house and outdoor exhibits (minus the elephants). It was around 20F the day we went and 80% of the outdoor animals were not visible and the undisturbed snow in their enclosures showed they hadn't been outside all day. The primate house was the best part since all of the animals were active and the only reason worth visiting the zoo in the winter.

Must make reservations. Buying a membership is very beneficial. Love the zoo. So many animals. The penguins always put on a great show!

Great zoo with lots of animals. The elephants were amazing, happy and majestic. Also got a sweet view of the tiger who was sleeping right near the glass. So cool! Very inexpensive at 8 for adults and 4 for kids. I recommend it.

I had an awesome awesome time when I went I love how they put sprinklers around so we can wet ourselves a bit because it was so hot I'm so thankful for that

Prices were great and the layout made walking through the zoo very pleasant. They have feeding or education shows/demonstrations so try to plan being at one or two. Great cell service throughout the park, plenty of places to snack, or get a basic lunch menu items. Bring your kids, camera, and sunscreen and have fun!

I went to the zoo for the first time in 12 years and loved it! There were so many changes and its larger. I was with my boys and another family and we loved the displays, pictures, descriptions, etc. I definitely won't wait so long before I go again.

it was incredible the sloth was one of our favorites. prices were fair and gift shop carries nice low cost suveniers as well as expensive ones. good court was a little pricey. the penny machine that turns pennies into animal printed suveniers so that was cool and cheap.

This is a lovely place to spend the day now that it is getting warmer. They have wheelchairs that are push only for the disabled. Great place for everyone and very affordable.

Great place with friendly staff that is always expanding and making the habitat for their animals better.

Excellent zoo! They always have new exhibits and the staff are very friendly. This summer's dinosaur invasion is really well done!

Some animals were too far away to see, other than that it was great!

This place is always changing. Every time I go I see something different and new. The animals look well taken care of and the staff cares about the wellbeing of the animals. Also Hamilton the goat is super cute and very friendly.

Great educational event about bears....my 4 year old loved making the enrichment

Was a great day despite the rain and cold. My family has gone there almost every mothers day since I was a kid. Never disappoints!

Great for a few hours of fun indoor and out. Best on a sunny day.

A lot of different varieties of animals and a nice family oriented way to spend the day

Great selection of animals. Clean. Family friendly. Affordable. Interesting and exciting. Would like to go again.

Love our zoo here in Syracuse. The baby leopards are adorable enough to steal your heart, but I'm totally taken with our octopus!

Best zoo around. Love the octopus, tiger and cheetah exhibit.

The Syracuse zoo is good, but certainly a bit small. There are quite a few animals you might expect to see that aren't here such as giraffes and rhinos.

Some highlights though--lots of elephants, an octopus, a fantastic penguin exhibit with partial underwater views, quite a few primates, and a decent selection of fish, including Dory and Nemo lookalikes.

A brief tip: Apple Maps users will be directed to a neighborhood adjacent to the zoo entrance which has been frustrating for us. The actual entrance is slightly further down the road and features a zoo sign.

My husband and I visited this zoo yesterday (hadn't been to a zoo in a while). We were very disturbed by what we saw. When we went past the Fisher cage (like a weasel), he/she was frantically pacing back and forth from gate enclosure to gate enclosure. Frantically, neurotically, clearly a behavioral disturbance from being enclosed. I am an RN and could see immediately what this behavior represented. It was sad, disturbing and upsetting. I contacted the zoo and they never responded. I asked them to give the animal a larger enclosure at least, maybe put another animal in w/ it. Nothing, nada, no response. How many other animals display this behavior? I can't imagine my own pet living like this, let alone any animal or pet.

The CLEANEST, most well maintained zoo I've ever been to. You can tell they truly love the animals, they are all bright eyed and alert, glossy coats and feathers. It's a smaller zoo but they have an elephant care center and enclosure where you can spend all day just watching the babies play. My favorite was the giant pacific octopus in the front lobby. Seriously the BEST zoo, and we went during the "off" season where a lot of the extra stuff wasn't open.

Always love coming to the zoo it's now an annual family trip we saw every animal the food is a little pricey but you can always bring your own.we always enjoy the informational shows they put on and then you can see them up close afterwards I have never be able to say I had an owl 3 feet from my face before and he was beautiful

Awesome animals and enclosures. Very clean and well-maintained. Overall great place!

Staff was great but to pay full price for half the zoo that sucks

Still the same old Zoo from 30 years ago. However, why change a good thing.