The Oregon Zoo Reviews

We had a great time, been 3 years since we came with the kiddos. I would like to mention thou, that the train ride was a complete waste of money. It went by very fast, I could not hear anything the guy said over the intercom, and we seen 1 animal (elephant) for about 5 seconds. We were expecting some scenery and animals, all we saw were people taking pictures of us on the train. But what really set up failure with the train, was the gentlemen selling the train tickets. As I did notice he was disabled, there was nobody there to accommodate him. He was very short with me and rude, did not smile. When I asked him for a map, he literally looked annoyed, tossing the map through the window like a frisbee. It landed on the ground behind me, I looked at him and said ok Thank you. Everything else was great.

Loved the elephants and the other animals. But there wasnt much else to see.

Wonderful experience. We received a membership for Christmas and it makes an amazing time even better. Down side was that a few of the exhibits were closed for renovation. That is expected considering the facelift the Zoo is going through, and those exhibits should be open soon. If you go during the week, no line, no wait to see the animals. Excellent overall.

Amazing clean and fun zoo.. had a great time. Prices are good,. Worth the flight from idaho.

Actually I was very disappointed. Seemed very run down & unkempt. Animals seemed lethargic & 2 have been euthanized since we were there. Not sure I will ever go back.

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I've been coming to this zoo for 29 years and always love it. they are making so many improvements. the elephant enclosure is top shelf. summer concerts every week is probably my favorite part. I got to see the roots play to a crowd and a herd of elephants.

Between this, OMSI, and Playdate PDX, your family will never be bored in Portland. Daily learning experiences and close encounters of the bird kind.

Out boys did 1/2 day Zoo Camp for a week. They loved it and the staff were great.

It is fun to go to. You can ride the train and watch the animals. It's really nice to go to.

They have no more tigers. Very sad. Maybe next year, they said. And the construction is STILL GOING. Seems like 4 years now or more. Maybe it's because of money. Idk.

We always have an amazing time as a family at the Oregon Zoo and with the family pass it's amazing to be able to go whenever and just pay for parking. The renovations completed so far are phenomenal and we can't wait for the rest of them.

I worked here as a teenager, it was fun. I went the other day with family, it seems like they are always working on something, there is always some type of construction but I guess that's good because they are constantly doing promotions or adding things to make it better. Their maps will tell you exactly what is going on or what is being added and where. Me and my 2 year old daughter got in for just 5 bucks after showing my WIC card. They will give even more discounts if you take public transportation!

Shame on you for euthanizing Packy the Elephant and not giving him to the sanctuary to live out whatever life he had left. What a horrible, horrible decision.

Quite a big zoo. Took the Max train over, use your ticket to get a few dollars of your entry ticket. Lot of animals to look at. The elephant enclosure is huge and good views. Recommended to check out if you are in the area and finding time to kill.

They get the last 2 stars when they bring back the African animals. No rhinos, no monkeys, no alligators, and in 14 trips over this past year, I have never seen a single sun bear (did they ever have them!?)Also, no polar bears! My favorite! Renovations go until 2020, so hold your membership monies till then, because it s a pretty empty zoo with animals in only every other exhibit it seems (was just there this weekend).

Enjoyable day. Great price. Looks like a lot of new enclosures are being added.

Responsible, conscious zoo great for kids and adults to experience. A good variety of habitats with everything from big cats and elephants to penguins and bats. It's still a zoo but many of these animals have been rescued.

Plenty to see despite some areas being under construction.

I'm sure it's nice, but when we went half the animals were off exhibit. It felt like we were just walking around looking in ampty enclosures.

They are improving their animal habitats and the newer exhibits keep the animals more active and fun to watch.

Not a very big zoo but I was only there at the Zoo Lights time and it was Great fun! The train ride was fun for the kids, parents, and grandparents! Go!

Who doesn't love the zoo!? Great guest services and a nice, easy to follow layout. Not only does this zoo care about their guests; they care about the animals too. All animals seem happy.

The zoo at the time was remodeling a few enclosures which is something I love hearing because it means the animals don't have to deal with conditions deemed okay back in 1980 or sometime but my most recent visit was pleasant, my prior visit to that was aweful the water fountains were unoperationable due to somwthing but it was summer and water bottles where 5 dollars each which is terrible, especially for a party of four which I was in making the day cost an extra 20 dollars for a decent drink and food was beyond anything I sincerely think that if they wish to keep charging so much they should increase the amount of variety in the zoo and make service there seem more prominent the only person I ever met that was staff and not at a vendor was a nice old man that gave facts among the animals and he should get a raise, overall wasn't my worst zoo visit but there's always room for improvement.

At least half the zoo is under construction! They shouldn't have so many exhibitions out at once! So disappointed

elephant ears are to die for but strolling pass the elephants smells like their a*sholes have died

The Oregon Zoo is great. Nice loops through the different areas. All the favorite major animals can be found. The misters are a nice feature on a hot day.
Admission is quite pricey for a family with several children.

Great day at the zoo. Can't wait for this bond project to be complete so we can have all the exhibits open and hopefully get the rhinos back. The elephant enclosure is the best anywhere and they are thriving like never before. You can sense how happy they are. Would be 5 stars if they fixed the railroad through Mt. Washington park instead of just staying in the zoo property.

got a $40 fine for haveing a weelchair sign in my van for my son that is in a weelchair parked in a handicap spot and got a 40 daller ticket really that is just heartless and dose not make since ....... oregon zoo thats just mean ...also no kids hats, also you got a bat places, but not one bat thing to buy:( ..we came all the way from washington

The zoo is awesome when the sun is out and sunny the rain not so raining there when people are going to the zoo

Well kept zoo. Great elephant enclosure. Programs for kids. Train route has been severely severed by new Elephant area, waiting for resumption of track to Rose Garden. Check schedule for when steamer is running! Zoo lights are great with opportunities for fantastic steam engine pics in the cold weather

Such a beautiful place. Always being improved, and lots of activities and special programs!

Zoo lights were horrible. Tickets should of been half off since half of the zoo was closed for construction.

The zoo is amazing. The new exhibits are beautiful.

The zoo was a great place to see a concert. The sun was a little much at first, so be sure to wear some sunscreen, but once the sun goes down the stars really put on a show.
If you plan to bring a lawn chair be sure it's one of the low-profile style, since the higher backed chairs are prohibited. Any water you bring needs to be in a sealed container and no outside food or any alcohol are allowed.

What was up and running was nice. The penguin area looked less appealing then my previous visit, my son really loves them so it was disappointing to see a basic and plain enclosure. The polar bears weren't there, and there was a bit of construction. If I were to review a year ago maybe 4 or 5 stars. But, they seem to be in transition and I can only rate the experience.

Absolutely one of the best zoos in the country. Fantastic place for kids and adults.

I love going to the zoo. The staff are friendly and the zoo is easy to navigate.

Zoo is always fun. Should be even better 2020 when all the construction is completed

It's not too huge but a great selection of animals. Great organization of the animals.

It says I visited the Zoo yesterday. I go every day! I work there! It is great though!

Too much construction going on and the train ride is too short

I've been to a good number of zoos and this one is by far the most visually appealing yet. It's clean, well laid out, the enclosures are all good sized for the animals and also provide plenty of "natural" aspects for the animals to live like they would in the wild as well as coverage from the elements if needed. The staff was professional and generally pleasant to be around and had no issues answering any questions we may have had.

Love the zoo. Concert was great except for the hot sun beating into our eyes

Brew Lights was cool. A chance to see the lights and animals without all the children + there's beer if you're into that. The train ride isn't worth $4pp.

lindsey is the most responsive contractor you will ever deal with. Immediate replies to texts or phone calls. He came out and did the prep work on my door opening and his installers, Arron and Chris, did a great job putting the door and garage opener in the next day. I am fully satisfied with the job. Great value too!

This was my first time visiting this zoo with my family. We came for a company picnic and we loved it. It had beautiful landscaping, it was very clean and the signs were visible and well placed. I loved that many of the animals we visited had zookeepers giving information about the animals, they were very friendly and answered questions from all ages. The venue where the company was held was also very clean and the food was really good! Definitely will bring my family back!

First off just since last year the prices have almost DOUBLED. A family of three is now expected to pay almost $60. A lot of the construction from last year continues. The staff aren't the most cheerful group. The water, glass, and enclosures seem to be dirty and in disrepair. Where's the extra money going folks?

Incredible zoo to be so close to downtown Portland. A lot of construction in 19, but will be worth it for the amazing habitat renovations in 20

Fun experience but pretty expensive without a discount.

A beautiful place to go visit, we got family passes when my children were young and have watched the zoo grow.

Going to the zoo during COVID was definitely different. I found it nice that they had a pathway to follow to make sure we got to see everything while social distancing that being said I feel like they weren't fully open on everything in the zoo that's closed right now, and there were a lot more people in the zoo than I expected for buying tickets with time slots.

Contactless entry, plenty of social distancing, and about 90% of people properly masked all the time. Not all the animal exhibits are open, but plenty to see on a nice long walk through beautiful surroundings. Bring your own snacks and drinks would be my advice.

Had a great time there! Bridget in the elephant section was so incredibly sweet and informative as well! Stop by if you ever get a chance!

It will be great when all the construction is done.

Always a fun time for the family! We go to zoo lights each year.

I took the family to the zoo for the first time. Most of the animals that they want to see were out of sight or there was a big crowd. The amount of people with strollers and no arrows to have people go one way through the narrow pathways. Also don't waist your $$ to take the train ride that cost so much just to go on a 3 min ride around the Elephants and back. Silverwood is a free train ride to go around the full park and there is a show. Maybe they could take some pointers from them.

There are a lot of displays, exhibits, enclosures being built or refurbished for reassignment. So there were many creatures staying in other places and not available for viewing. I know this is mostly for the good of the animals, but I wonder if it was a good idea to have so much of the "inventory" away at the beginning of the summer break for schoolkids. The train was a rip off - a short track with a loop at each end, for a five minute back and forth which only passed a tiny sliver of the zoo. I'd suggest putting it on your 2020 calendar, but think it will be better then.

Great experience as always. Doing some upgrades now, but still plenty to see.

We became members and it s such a great deal! Gorgeous animals! The food could be a tad bit better but it s definitely better since the last few summers so I can see they re trying. Love this place. Definitely a must see if visiting the area.

One of the best attractions in Portland. Admission was decent, not much of a crowd. Plenty of animals and the exhibits were spacious. Also a lot of the staff were helpful and friendly. Convenient access from the public trans system, which will also get you a discount on admission.

Nicest zoo I have ever visited, and great place to see concerts

My family and I enjoy the zoo so much. We loved the updated elephant habitat (hadn't been since before it was finished), the African savannah, and the black bears especially. We visit every year or two, and always have a great time.

I've only been to see the actual animals once with a school trip, so I haven't been able to explore the whole place for real. The concerts though are great and what I have seen is pretty nifty. You are allowed to roam the zoo if you have concert tickets. Before the concerts they have had a falcon show and they always have an elephant come out and got for a dip and play and you can ask the employees questions about the elephant. It's fun to watch them bob for apples. They usually have a ton of food trucks cone for the concerts (including the paleo truck and the best mini donut truck you'll ever have) prices are .....well what you would expect at a concert ..... or the zoo for that matter. Kids really enjoy it though. Big gift shop in the front and plenty of places to eat or grab a snack.