The Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens Reviews

My family's favorite place to go with my wife's grandmother

It is very large, to visit it in one day you must arrive very early since they close at 5pm

Beautiful place. Lots of walking. Great place to go if your looking to relax. Its calming.

I had a great sunday exploring Hollywood with my sister :) I finally got to see the famous abandoned zoo! It was wayyyy smaller than what I have expected. We jogged up the hill toward the zoo to warm up a bit because it was friggin freezing outside.

The early 1900s zoo is covered in graffiti and interiors were all tagged up. It's sad to think that all those animals were trapped in such tiny space :( looking through those lil windows gave me the chills...

Super
cute

Disappointing. Half the animals weren't around. Where did they go? Africa?

The weather was perfect today at the zoo. We were able to see all the animals except the anteater. We had a hamburger and fries and it was something we easily could have split between my 11 yr old grandson and I. We also spent a few extra bucks to use the hop on hop off tram. Worth it if you need a break and want to get around. Glad I did this today. Oh, AAA members, they do give discounts but a lady in line gave me a coupon for $8 off kids ticket so I couldn't get any more discounts.

Well done zoo. Lots of places to stop and rest. Reasonable enclosures for most animals. Clean bathrooms. Lots of shows and activities available.

Went to to the zoo lights thing at night. It was very pretty. Loved the water show and the stained glass animal art. To all interested they also have cocktail stands which is awesome!! Very pretty, lots and lots of cool photo opportunities.

We loved it. Especially when we saw the elephants. It was great.

A good zoo but very spread out. Despite best efforts with the kids they tired out from the hills before getting through 2/3 of the exhibits. Membership makes more sense than an individual ticket.

A great place to take kids lots of animals but you better have your walking shoes on because there's a lot of hills but it is a very nice zoo

Place hasnt changed since the last time I was there in the mid 80s except the dire need for building maintenance. What is with all the dads wearing leggings?

Kids like it. Bring your own food and drinks. Dinosaur exhibit for an extra $5 was eh

This zoo has reinvented itself the last 10 years and has now become a destination for families with kids and dating couples alike. The LA Zoo Lights during a Christmas and New Year's season is now one of the must-see holiday lights display in SoCal.

I like this zoo. Surpassed my expectations. If you see a costumed character outside of entrance, Barney, I think, beware he is not official and is dirty and smells.

It was a really nice visit, so many animals to see and a good way to learn about them. For plant lovers there are varieties of plants and trees. The bird show is fun and impressive, it lasts 15 min. but it's worth it. I recommend you planned your visit and see the show or event they are offering the day you are planning to go.

Took my daughter to the zoo on memorial weekend. It was so disgusting to see the chimpanzee exhibit was infested with rats running every where.... tails were so long. I don't think this was part of the exhibit. It was really gross.

Great place for the kids and lots of animals to see. Had a play area too for kids.

Surprised that the zoo was much larger than anticipated! A good few hours of exploring and an easy to navigate layout.

Was a little unfortunate to see that some exhibits looked awfully lonely and not very well taken care of but many animals seemed active despite the heat.

Surprisingly no parking issues at noon on a weekend and tickets were reasonably priced.

They dont have almost any show after midday ando souvernirs are all the sale...

Los Angeles Zoo is about average. Despite the many negative reviews, you will see animals. The one time I went I did not encounter a bee problem. There is a shuttle around the zoo for a small fee. I however, prefer to walk. You see more, and it's just good to get the exercise. The food, of course, is expensive. This is really good zoo to spend a few hours in. It is not trying to be The San Diego Zoo. Don't expect a full day, or a bunch of extra activities. It is a nice place to spend a day and see some wild animals. Yes, it is worth the price of admission.

The Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens was founded in 1966 and covers 133 hectares. It is too beautiful because it is surrounded by many gardens, and small lagoons, it also has enough space for the animals to feel free to move, eat and do their basic needs.

My daughter lit up when a ginormous giraffe strutted by - we're getting a member pass!

Holy mackerel, $74 for 2 adults and 2 kids. They start charging starting age 2 -$16 each. Zoo is nice and what is really attractive is how close you can get to the animals. Nice, clean and friendly. I would try avoiding the crowd by going early as when we left at 12.30, is was getting packed.

Zoo lights for the holidays! The Zoo lights event, held each year between November and January, are a perfect family event. Beautiful holiday lights, music, and nothing but happy people of all ages. We use a wheelchair for Mom, and the staff is very helpful with that, too. Go, it is wonderful!

And during the day, the LA Zoo is great. Lots of enrichment for the animals, nice natural looking spaces, and a very nice botanical garden as well. Very well priced for family fun, I'd advise a weekday morning trip, as our zoo is very popular with local families, who tend to go on weekends.

Definitely a must see especially for kids, and totally feed the giraffes! I go to zoos everywhere I visit and this is one of my new faves in the US!

The zoo has a vast selection of animals to view, feeding the giraffes is a must since they are the most adorable animals I've seen. Seeing the animals is amazing by themselves but having the extra material to teach you about them is a great plus to have. I would highly recommend this place to anyone

I loved seeing come to the zoo with my children, it was nice to see how my children had fun, here I recommend them to come and have fun watching the zoo animals.

The largest zoo I have ever seen. Kept very well and with protection and respect for animals. To visit very calmly. You can do it on foot or take the panoramic view with the train. For the little ones there are also shows and activities. Many of the guides are volunteers. Entry is good value. It is worth spending a day, if a 5-minute memo there is the Observatory not to be missed.

Enjoyable zoo with various animals and petting experiences. Affordable tickets.
Tip: Show them your AAA membership to save a few dollars on admission

No one attending the parking lot entrance. Parking lot entrances closed except for one so long line out from zoo drove to parking lot. Such a headache we would have left but we bought our tickets online and drove all this way.

LA Zoo Lights are a MUST SEE! Such a beautiful collection of interesting light displays, great music, and just a good old fashioned time out. Great idea for a date night, btw!!

Really enjoyed the day at the zoo. Disappointed that most animals were asleep and not active. But overall, we liked it.

Fun but around this time most of the animals are hiding would recommend to buy the little train that takes you up to the top of the zoo and start there and walk your way down since it is like a hill 5$ and it unlimited times to ride it

My husband and I had a fantastic time at zoo lights with friend Jeff who gave us a tour and also works there

Maybe one of the best Zoos I ve been to. Our family had so much fun there. The zoo is very clean and has a lot of beautiful animals. It s a great place to spend with your kids to do while in Los Angeles.

Best place ever food and drinks a relaxing and fun trip to take

The zoo is large, it has many animals and very good areas, but everything is very neglected, dirty, garbage in many places, the glass of the exhibits are carved, dirty and in many you can no longer see what is inside, and for consequently you cannot see the animal that is on display, the entrance is a bit excessive and for what it offers you, the place could be better !!

I like it because it is super safe, everyone with face masks taking care of the distance, well organized, my daughter, granddaughter and I had a good time and safe

I love it, lots of lights and nice pre-Christmas decoration.

First time at the Zoo and loved it! Hard working people there and very friendly. Clean too! Loved it!

Has lots of animals to look at and has a dedicated tour around the zoo and a kids center.

Very welcoming to tourists and service dogs. Great people and great animals. I took lots of fun pictures. Thank you.

My kids love coming here and they have a very affordable family year pass..

Love the zoo! My kid was fascinated by all the animals! Great family trip!

My family bought a year pass and thoroughly enjoyed our visits to the zoo. We were able to go about a dozen times and never tired of seeing different sections of the zoo. We got to witness a wide variety of animal behaviours throughout the year. Kids loved it.

Was covid safe. Not that jaby animals in people, 2 restaurant areas time eat.

When for the holiday lights didn't seem as good as it was a few years ago.

Nice place but not suitable for hot weather. It was too hot and no shadow places

I liked it a lot and my children, there are many animals and very clean ..

We enjoyed the beautiful decoration with lights, it was a beautiful experience.
We will wait for the next exhibition;)