The Oregon Zoo Reviews

That is an expensive way to spend part of a day. Lots of areas not open due to construction. Hopefully things will get better.

Zoo was cool, but I wouldn't go till late 2020 or 2021 again because most of the exhibits are under construction or closed. Also pack a lunch because the food there is terrible.

Feels a bit overpriced for what they offer...
Food court offers very low quality foods...

My wife, 2 boys and their families, went to the Portland Zoo on Sunday. The sun was out for a good part of the day, however, the temperature remained a bit cool. Most of the animals were a little lethargic and therefore elusive. We did manage to see one bear, one tiger, a few elephants and some monkeys, notably. My low rating is for this particular day only. Not for the Portland Zoo in general.

To much construction.. Not enough Animal.. Very boring and to expensive.

You can see the big animals such as giraffes and hippos much better than at Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo.

Great zoo that is well maintained. Can get very busy on weekends with nice weather.

Like the deal of every second Tuesday which is $4 per ticket

My son & I enjoy going to the zoo on rainy days when it's not too crowded. For anyone visiting, just note that the zoo is undergoing a major project through 2020 to expand some the areas within the zoo boundary. Many areas are now blocked off but kiddos who love construction equipment will enjoy.

Small zoo and the Christmas lights were not the best I've seen but still a great place to enjoy the holiday season and see some animals

Place is always evolving and upgrading habitats. Attention to detail is impressive. Staff is always helpful and friendly.

Beautiful facility , unfortunately many of the children's interactive facilities and eateries are closed. Wished this was disclosed prior to paying full price.

Beautiful zoo. Great staff and awesome venue for a concert.

Lots of fun stuff to see here, and they hosted a great event!

We love the zoo! Beautifully maintained. Friendly staff. The new Elephant Enclosure is huge! Can't wait for the Rhino, Polar & Primate enclosures to open in 2020!

Zoo lights were great, but a lot of missed potential given the current construction underway

Dissapointed that several exibits are closed for remodel or redesign until 2020, food was not great and way too expensive. Seems like the diversity of regions represented is dwindling over the years.

It's slowly getting better and better. More interactive again. I wish we had a few more species of animals. I miss the wolves and can't wait for the return of the polar bear. I remember when they used to do a dinosaur thing in the summer.. Kinda wish they would do it again

If only it didn't have those sugary overpriced snack that attract little kids... we go there often, so it's a problem. How can the zoo promote healthy habits and sell elephant ears? It's right in the middle of the zoo.

I don't have a ton of experience when it comes to zoos but I love the Oregon Zoo. Clean and well designed. Everytime we go we get to experience the animals in a different way. Not only should you go if you have never been, but you should go back if you have already gone. Zooception...

Not all of the animals were out due to the cold weather but it was still a great experience. Very excited about the polar bear and rhino exhibits in 2020.

Such a wonderful place and organization. Love coming here and seeing what amazing things they have to offer. Favorite newer addition being the bug house. I remember the bug area being a shack before

Lots of animals and all were in view from the paths

Love it! Even in the rain. Also conveniently located next to Children's museum. The variety is great and there were exhibits that allowed you to get out of the rain. Loved the atrium where we walked among the birds.

Zoo lights are a staple and gosh damn this zoo is amazing! Go here for zoo lights and you won't be disappointed.

We had a great time on my son's 7th birthday. A lot of new enclosures are under construction, so there are a few animals missing from the collection. When the construction is done, I'm sure I will be giving it 5 stars. Parking does not take dollar bills, so take a bunch of coins or have the correct type of card.

I used a summer outdoor concert and chair seats. Since the entrance fee to the zoo was included, I could go a little earlier and observe the animals. I couldn't find the elephant I wanted to see most, so I gave up and entered the concert hall, and the elephant was right by my side. I was worried about how the elephant felt about the environment where there was a lot of crowds with music every night, but I didn't think for the time being. Alcohol drinkers should purchase some drink tokens before starting. Every sales floor is a line. There was no priority lane for token holders, so if they were lined up normally, the staff would occasionally go to the queue and call "people who have tokens ~" to take an order. If there is no call, it is good to talk to nearby staff. Food is a must. Let's go early. There are many toilets on the right side of the stage, and the queue is short.

Wonderful place to see animals I would not ever see in the wild.

Even in winter it was still worth the trip! Great for kids and adults. Don't miss the seals. They squish up on the glass

Great, large exhibits. Well laid out and a decent, but not overwhelming amount of animals.

Lights were glitchy. Staff was rude. Too much construction at the zoo.

Had a great time at twilight Tuesday and the new elephant enclosure is AMAZING. I sill say that with the monkeys and polar bears and African savanna all closed down for repairs they should be charging people less for the entrance since they are not able to see the larger exhibits.

Most of the animals were out roaming the cages. But super busy

Lovely exhibits. I rented a mobility scooter, and it worked well. My only issue with the zoo was the parking. We parked in designated handicapped spot, and our placard was on display. The sign said it was unnecessary to pay with placard. When we left, there was a flyer on windshield that said only wheelchair users did not have to pay. I had to use a walker to get to scooter rental. Normally I rely on a power chair, but didn't know if they had secure storage for it. My personal chair and scooter would not handle the zoo hills. Not sure why only wheelchair users don't have to pay.

Pretty awesome zoo layout overall but for us 3 or more large exhibits were closed for remodel. It was our once a decade visit so it would have been nice to have updates posted, allowing us to make a better decision on when to visit.

Well balanced exibits and special attention to conservation and rescue, the Oregon Zoo is actively becoming a better steward of the earth while providing access to educational experiences.

The animals all have such small areas to roam. Its pretty sad to see them so confined.

Always fun at the zoo! So much to see and do even in the off season. The only bummer was that we couldn't ride the train.

Always fun, especially when you take the grandkids.

Great new exhibits. Elephants were awesome. Only four stars because they're still doing a lot of construction but it wasn't in my way it was totally fine

Great place for the family. Elephant exhibit is amazing!

They are doing a great job during this difficult time. Felt really safe and plenty of space between people. There were a few people I saw not wearing masks, but the zoo staff did a great job addressing them and making them put on masks. There's always going to be people who are difficult and not gifted in following directions, and I appreciate the zoo staff's patience and professionalism in dealing with the situation.

It's always good to visit the Zoo! Much of it was still under construction. Weather was amazing*

The zoo is always wonderful. The prices are a bit steep with all the animal habitat construction going on... Lower prices would have been nice.

I showed my EBT card for discounted tickets so it was very affordable. The zoo lights were super cool! Some areas were closed off hours before closing which was sort of annoying. Lots of food and drink options, and great animal viewing areas. Over all I highly recommend checking it out go with at least a couple of hours because there is a lot to look at!

This place was so fun! We went during the winter, so a few of the animals were hidden in the warmer parts of their enclosures, but there was plenty to see! My favorite exhibit were the fruit bats. I also enjoyed their insect habitats. The place is huge, so be prepared for a lot of walking.

Beautiful Zoo! We had a very difficult time parking so I would suggest to get there at least an hour or two before they open!

Let me start with what could be a surprise negative. If you are a frequent visitor or past visitor, the polar bear display, inside primate display, and some other few odds and ends are presently under construction for new habitats and inaccessible. But overall this is an awesome and well thought out zoo. There are many restrooms, water fill stations, and even misting water areas for hot humans. There's all the animals you'd expect from the Pacific northwest, and the popular ones from around the world. Good for some wandering around for an hour or few.

Concerts, animals, good food carts, and elephant ears!

Knowledgeable staff and some really cool elephants made our day here. Unfortunately, the primate exhibit was closed for remodeling, so we didn't get to observe that. It was also very warm out (being August, one of Portland's rare sunny months), which the zoo combatted with mist machines set up randomly around the park. Multiple food and drink options available.

I came here for Lights at the zoo, where they put Christmas lights all around the zoo for you to look at. I wasn't very impressed. It was short, and didn't stack up to some of the other ones I have been to. It definitely wasn't worth the $80. The one cool thing about this trip was getting to see the elephant exhibit.

Not enough lights, and half the animal attractions that they have open aren't even visible. They don't have lights on in the enclosures so you can see the animals. The elephants and bats were all we saw. One sea otter as well.

We bought an annual membership and my daughters love going to the Zoo. My oldest daughter loves looking at the elephants and banging on a tribal drum. It is also a great learning experience about the animals.

The Zoo lights was amazing this year. Everyone in my family loved looking at all the different type of light displays.

I highly recommend going to the zoo and an family annual pass will pay for it stuff by the second time going.

I walked through this parking lot on the way home. It was definitely hard and mineralized, in texture. Many surface transportation devices were stored for convenience, here. Overall, they appeared in good condition. The sound you will hear is the constant white noise of vulcanized rubber carrying many people on a nearby highway, in these things. Inside the zoo itself, many different species of animals suffer some of the most noxious, polluted air in the state, because of these same devices of convenience. As such, it may have an adverse effect on a highly successful captive elephant breeding program I remember being educated about, once, here.

Small, cramped cages, unhappy animals. Several of the bats were dead.

Never again...

Zoo was nice with a Max stop right next to it, so using the train was a breeze. We were expecting a little more zoo for a metro area as large as Portland. The zoo closest to us is in Knoxville, TN and is comparable with Knoxville being a much smaller metro area. Recommend, but don't over expect.

Have gone to the zoo before, nice experience, however, this event was a fundraiser for SOLVe the only animal available was the tiger, who came out to stretch. Nice place for a fundraiser, too.

Went for zoo lights. Parking is difficult so go with time. The lights are fun and bright. They have hot cocoa, coffee and "naughty" cocoa (alchol) and Irish coffee at the entrance. It's a bit pricey next time I'll pack snacks.

One of the best zoos in the United States! It is really amazing how close you can get to the animals. They also do some amazing presentations at each of the animal exhibits. The new elephant exhibit is very impressive to behold and experience. They also do a very fun elephant feeding around noon daily.

Probably the nicest zoo I've ever been to for both the people and the animals. All the animals seem to be well taken care of and have ample space. The layout is nice how it goes through different themes too. You could definitely spend a whole day here with how much there is to see and how large it is.

This is a great family place. The animals are well taking care of and have good habitats. We have been going to this zoo for 20 years. They are always striving to improve the experience. A must see on any Oregon trip.

Several exhibits were closed, but there was still enough to see and do that made for a fun 4 hours with our kids.

Mad half the animals were not on display and there was no fire warning so 8 major exhibits where closed

Spent way too much time trying to park. Cars keep circling around looking for a spot to park. Fee is as high as parking in downtown Portland and yes, they use meters! We paid for the facilities with taxes and donations - do they remember that? Entry fees are high also and there is not much to see. Elephants have more space now but other animals are suffering. What are they doing with all the founds they receive?! The zoo is very crowded so its a good money maker for some...

Love this place, can't wait for the construction to end tho

Slow and disorganized offer cotton candy at $4, but charge $7. I ve been a member for years but won t renew.

Beautiful zoo. Especially loved the walkway through the Northwest.

This place is great. They have made great improvements and continue to do so.

Beautiful layout of different habitat's and a fun place to see concerts in the summer.

I love the zoo's Northwest section. In general, a great basic zoo -- but the Northwest section manages to reflect Oregon's mountains.

Great staff, wonderful enclosures, and a good view towards conservation.

Love watching the animals and the surrounding, plus love the easyness of traveling there!!!