The Oregon Zoo Reviews

All their food and snacks and drinks are overpriced and there's no smoking area anywhere inside the zoo so you have to leave the zoo to have a cigarette did not enjoy myself

Such a fun place, and even better when the evening includes a concert. We had a (couple) elephant ear dessert(s); so tasty!

Great staff and service but a lot of the zoo is closed for renovations at the moment, frustrating, won't be fixed until 2020?

went here on a nice sunny day, the animals were out and I saw that they are adding red pandas soon. its a nice zoo and the animals seem very happy. Some of the staff could have been nicer, especially with children around. But overall it was a great time

Im glad they are updating enclosures. Hopefully this will be better for the animals.

This zoo is alot nicer then some zoos weve been to. It had a great selection of animals with better viewpoints then some other zoos. The kids absolutely loved the elephants and the tigers!

It has always been fun for my kids and they are improving the park.

They would get a much better review if half the place wasn t under construction, but I guess that s the cost of getting new exhibits. Can t wait to meet the Rhinos!

This almost empty, I paid only to see bars, I am upset, they say that there are not many animals on display and so one chooses whether to enter or wait for a better time.

Zoo lights was incredible! The light displays were amazing and the food vendors were phenomenal! My friends and I go every year. It has become a Christmas time tradition! It's definitely a must see for family, friends or couples.

Neverending construction. Half the zoo is always closed. The train tracks haven't been fixed in years, used to be a long ride, now just feel ripped off every time i go to the zoo.

The Oregon Zoo is a fun place to take your kids, however, a lot of times you won't be able to see every exhibit due to weather conditions like heat in the summer or cold in the winter. Food stands are pretty pricey but if you're just looking to experience the zoo you won't come out with your pockets empty.

The zoo is still awesome. Happy with how they have things set up for Covid.
You get a time slot to enter with your group and have to follow a one way path. Most exhibits are still open.

Had a lot of fun walking around and seeing the animals. Lots of stuff to see and cool stuff to buy. Got double charged at the gift shop.

So wonderful. Definitely check out the zookeeper talks. The painted dogs are amazing.

Haven t been here in years, then decided to go for the day, what an absolute absurdity. $18 per person plus parking to walk through a government funded park that our tax dollars already pay for. Complete sham

Whether you come to enjoy the animals, appreciate the conservation efforts, or stay late for a concert, you will not be disappointed. I grew up in the area and still love to come to the zoo.

We were there last month and we really enjoyed being there for couple hours watching animals and walking around with my one year old son.

Had a great time with the grandkids including an up close encounter with a cougar! Exciting but safe.

First thing in the morning is the best time BUT most shops are not open

We visited in late June, 2019. Nice zoo. Easily reached via the Lite Rail. I give it 3 stars because after seeing Busch Gardens near Tampa Florida where animals run free in large pastures and visitors view the animals from trains and ski lifts, a traditional zoo does not fare well in comparison. But there are construction projects underway, which should improve it. I liked the sections devoted to the local native wildlife. It's a good educational resource for families with children.

Amazing walking paths through the icon pacific northwest forest. Exhibits are well maintained and animals have lots of enrichment opportunities. Great species diversity as well.

A fantastic activity for kids and adults. Lots of open space with great opportunities to see animals up close thru plexiglass. Need more animals! Lots of projects underway.

The constant construction makes it difficult to navigate, although I'm really excited to see the updates once finished.

The BAD: During peak times, the zoo can make you crazy....1. The walkways are narrow and its basically a traffic jam of baby strollers 2. Parking is a pain as they don't have enough. 3. It's quite hilly and very cumbersome to navigate.
The GOOD: In off-peak times, its a very pleasant place to stroll and walk and see some animals.
A TIP: if you're going with 6+ people, it may be cheaper to buy a membership.

Great zoo with amazing exhibits. The elephant enclosure was huge. There was construction while we were there and many of the African animals weren t on display, but I suspect it had to do with the cold rainy weather. The zoo lights were impressive too!

Go see the lights at Christmas time! The zoo is well kept with knowledgeable staff. Great for family's, dates, any occasion!

Had a concert today, they didnt let us know they would be closing part off the zoo after certain time. So felt kinda paid full price for nothing.

This was by far one of the most beautiful zoo's I have had the pleasure to go to.
The enclosures were awesome and the interior enclosures (elephants for example) was just as equally impressive. You could see that they truly care for and have nothing but the best interests for these animals. Usually when you watch the animals at a zoo they don't always appear to be happy with their environment and their enclosures however mimic their wild habitat they lack in so many ways as well in serving the animals wellbeing. The staff were all very knowledgeable about the animals in their care and you could see that they had a great relationship with the animals themselves which is imperative for these creatures to thrive outside their natural environment, because they rely 100% on their curators.
We spent a full 7 hours there and didn't realize how much time had passed.
The only drawback I had was that when we arrived for the event we registered for at 8 am I walked by an employee of the zoo twice even spoke with him and not once did he mention that you had to pay to park. I didn't see anything in the section I was in stating that parking pass was required and came out to a parking violation of $45! When I went to the customer Services center and told them the situation I am informed that the parking lot is not actually part of the zoo. However, it's patrolled by the city of Portland and that they were sorry for the situation but I had to deal with the city. So make sure that you pay for parking even if you are on a lot that doesn't have a pay to park sign, because you WILL be fined.
Other than that little bleep on my day it was fantastic. I would recommend it to everyone.

Had a lot of fun seeing a lot of different types of animals in the zoo. The zoo has a trail that goes through all the exibits. Highly recommend if you are in Portland!

I love going to the zoo it's incredible almost every time the only downfall I have is it extremely expensive

Excellent zoo, definitely in the top 5 I've ever been to and I've been to a lot! Kind of stinks that in the off season they don't have their smaller food carts open (we went in October) especially since the zoo is open year round. A little pricey but will definitely return!

Cute zoo! Rather small but has neat features. I loved the train ride although it was short. It has the last functioning mail train in the US and they have their own stamp which was fascinating. The fall colors were beautiful here. I loved that a lot of the enclosures felt open enough with the animals that it felt like you were more connected with them.

Lots to do and see. Naturalized exhibits. Healthy food choices. Merry-go-round and train. Lots of walking. It is huge and we'll spaced out. Under construction in several places. Parking a challenge. Rather preachy on climate. Would prefer more animal facts and less politics.

Best zoo I have ever seen. I went on memorial day so every animal was out and i got in for free.

The zoo is great, but there is still a lot under construction.

What has been happening to the Oregon Zoo over the last few years is wonderful. Animal habitat is growing more natural. More ways for children to Play and Learn have been installed.

Had a great time. Went to a concert recently. The zoo has done a good job reconstructing several of the habitat areas. The new elephant exhibit is a far cry from the cement enclosure I visited as a kid in the 60's. It has been fun watching the transformation through the years.

Awesome zoo, gonna be even better in 2020 with the new areas under construction.

To much money for the food

Lol Pepa Pig

Was a great day. Some exhibits were closed, such as some monkeys and the alligators, but they have rhinos and polar bears coming in 2020. Looking forward to my next visit :)

This zoo has alot of attractions for children along with cool animals they have a barn with goats, rabbits, and even cats! All of which have names, theres a train as well for a ride through part of the zoo and well named districts for each environment

One of the best zoos around, big cages, the animals generally seem happy and content

The animals are awake in this zoo, during my visit. At the other Zoo's I've been to, they only wake at morning and before sunset.

First of all, I believe this is an amazing place and the animals are awesome but...Everything has a charge....not an inexpensive place. $3 for a mini carousel ride. Pay to park, pay for exhibit info, pay to enter....and its just a zoo!

Love the zoo did not love zoo lights would not go again (to many guest in to small of area) no enjoyable

Absolutly love this spot. Kids love it. Plan ahead by takeing snacks and parking and you'll have a great day.

It's magnificent! So many things that help people to understand about the animals and their habitats, especially by placing them in enclosures which represent their normal environments. It's far improved over what it was 30 or so years ago.

A good workout as well as an informative and wonderful zoo.

Beautiful zoo and animals. Upsetting that the elephants were outside and so close during the concert, though, I m pretty sure they re sensitive to such loud noise!! Also, concert was super awkward, no one was standing or dancing or anything! Everyone just stayed seated. Very strange to me.

Ok so my pictures won't do this justice, but my experience was legit Disney Princess magical. We went when it was raining, at 3pm and really we're just trying to make things happen for the 3 year old. Well, the rain stopped immediately and we had the place to ourselves. We saw the fruit bats eating, we got up close and personal to the orangutans who literally came to hang out at the glass right next to us. We had a "private" hangout with the elephants, and even got to watch the lions play all of 50 feet way. Fantastic trip and I think it really showed the potential of that zoo.

This place was amazing! The people who take care of the animals and wildlife there are very kind and helpful at questions you ask. This is the cleanest zoo I have ever been too. Thank you for the experience!

It made for a great day when we visited! Our visit was a gift for my daughter in celebration of her 13th birthday! The staff were very friendly and the layout made it easily accessible for us to use our stroller (for our little one) and many areas to stop and rest in between exhibits. The best part though is that when we left we stopped at the gift shop and bought several souvenirs, after traveling back home (4 hours away) it was discovered that the three boxes of fudge we had purchased did not make it into the bag of purchases. I called them the next day and they said they would send it....and it was here overnight! I really appreciate that and am so elated! After an awesome first visit we know we will be back!

Had a lot of fun with the girlfriend. Still a great place to visit once a year.

Went for zoo lights. Many lights were not working. Very small area lit up. Not impressed..

Wow, I hadn't been to the zoo for a year and already there are so many changes! It is clean, nice paths, and lots of animals were out! It's a great place to take kids. You will need to pay for parking unless you do public transit. I think it's a bit pricey (if you go with several kids especially) if you don't have a membership, but it's not worth getting a membership unless you go several times a year.

I love the zoo. Events for kids and adults, and their programs for rehab and conservation are a wonderful bonus