The Oregon Zoo Reviews

Fun! I like that they had a scavenger hunt for the kids. I don't know if they always have those but I'm glad it was there for the kids.

Wasn't able to see a lot of the animals, possibly due to the partly cloudy and rainy weather. However the animals we did see were fun to look at, great experience for my new little family and in laws. I wonder if the animals experience S.A.D. like most people in Portland though, especially the more tropical animals like lions and giraffes. Beautiful architecture and facilities, nice blend of old zoo and new zoo with plenty to keep you busy all day.

Always love the zoo! It's perfect to get the kids out of the house and exploring. Favorite parts are the elephants since they've finished the construction and the giraffes. We always pack a lunch and take our time.

All animals should be kept in cages and beaten when they don't behave! This is exactly why I love the Oregon zoo! Those poor dumb hippie liberals are whining a moaning about stupid animals while millions of children starve, thankfully this zoo puts animals in their right place, behind bars. My kids loved it! They threw peanuts at the elephants to make them pick it up! Absolutely adorable!

Great way to tire out the kids. Membership totally worth it if you live in Portland

Having grown up here and gone to this zoo as a child, it is very special to me to then have taken my children, and now my grandchildren, to this beautiful zoo. There's so much work going on there right now. I'll be glad to see all the new exhibits when they reopen.

What we could see was great but there was/is some construction going on so some animals were not visible.

Wasn't thrilled about all the construction becsuse it put a damper on which animals we got to see but it should be finished by 2020.Also bring your own straw to the Zoo

A lot of fun and very nice exhibits. Well maintained.

Enough space n movement from others animals were not all up but visible so it was cool either way i like it

Zoo lights 2019 was by far the best zoo lights in 6+ years!

Wont go back until 2020. Everything was closed or under construction. Excited for future visits

I Oregon Zoo!

The Oregon Zoo is beautiful, well maintained, and the animals are well cared for. The Zoo gives back to the community and animal research organisations so we can continue to learn about and help animals.

I am a Zoo Member and visit often. The staff is friendly and you can tell that all the staff and volunteers love their job.

We recently did two of the animal encounter experiences and absolutely loved them!! We got to meet some penguins and elephants. It was so much fun, the keepers we got to speak with were knowledgeable, friendly, and happy to let us interact with the animals. We got to feed the elephants which was so cool! If you can do one of the encounters I highly recommend it. It s my understanding that the cost of the encounters go towards medical and research funds directly associated with the animals you encountered - for example the cost of the elephant encounter will go to a medical research fund to help find a cure for diseases which directly affect elephants.

Zoo lights was amazing,the food is a little high price but taste great.Theres so many animals for kids and families to see.

Amazing zoo! Animals are very active. You can tell they are well taken care of and engaged.

Really fun lots of animals. They do a good job having lots of employees working keeping it clean. I have come here twice now before going to a zoo in my home state.

Half of the zoo is always shut down. It is over priced and over crowed. Of all the zoo's I've been to, this is my least favorite.

Loved the lights. Went late after many animals were inside.

There is a lot of construction going on right now, so some of our favorites were not out, the train no longer goes to Washington Park, it's 4 dollars a person for a 6 minute ride of not much, was disappointed on the train but of course the animals are always worth it!

My kids loved it! The map was hard to read as far as getting to other exhibits and as most zoos food prices were crazy high. Surprisingly admission was cheaper than anticipated though , over all great place to visit

Went to see the Zoo lights. Such a great family outing! I will return for the lights next year and visit the zoo throughout the year.

Honestly great, I cant believe how well they have been handling the COVID19. There is guidance on being 6 feet apart, they enforce masks, and there is hand sanitizer and washing stations all over. Apart from all that the staff are kind and helpful and the exhibits are exciting and immersive. I would definitely recommend this place to someone who loves to be outside and experience incredible animals.

If you don't have membership. Get one.
Kids or not. They have so many events and attractions. And they are always improving the zoo.

Must visit especially this time of the year at night, the entire zoo is lite up. I was here only at night.

I have to be conservative on my review of this zoo as I have been to many and I am not sure how much I really liked this zoo or not.

It started going downhill quickly as it became very apparently that a lot of the property was under reconstruction which didn't make for a pleasant view point. It is admirable that they are redeveloping or expanding the zoo, but it seemed like every time you turned a corner, you were facing another part of the construction barrier in your face.

What exhibits that were open were nice and well designed for the animals wellbeing. Lots of natural space and habitats set up, so it didn't look like the animals were in discomfort of unhappy. The elephant space was very impressive with how much space they gave to the large creatures. Most of the exhibits were impressive overall for the space they gave to them.

One thing lacking from other zoos I have been to was exhibits for small and very exotic animals. There were some here and there, but not a big collection. I guess after going to the National Zoo in Washington D.C., one becomes spoiled, so maybe it is not fair to compare. However, it is 1000 times better then the very shameful Honolulu Zoo.

I would have given this zoo a 4 if it wasn't for all the construction going on. It would have been nice to be warned about it and even given a break on the admission. However, if you take the HOP to visit, you get a discount on your admission when you show your ticket.

The zoo is a cool little place. It's a lot smaller than expected. A lot of things are priced separate but the price to get in is only $17 per adult which is low compared to other places. Plus you have to pay for parking. I dont remember the restaurant but they had the most amazing chicken tenders and french fries for $8. I would go back just for those!

Clean and friendly, but 60% of animal exhibits were under construction, or the animals werent even there.

Honestly I'm not a huge fan of zoos but this one is so much better than the one I've been to in Washington. I can actually see almost all of the animals here. The only thing they could have done better is opened the second elephant ear shop the line was so long we skipped it but we didn't go to the zoo for the food.

Elephant talk and indoor arena alone is worth it. Glad to see our donation money going to good use! Become a member!

Not a lot of the animals were out, kinda disappointed with it. Still it is well maintained :)

The Oregon zoo is great! When all the renovations complete, that should make it even better. Can't wait !

I went to see the Christmas lights and I really wish to had go during the day to see the zoo as such, was pretty though.

A lot of exhibits are being redone. The up point though is the new elephant habitat is great!! Looking forward to future new habitats.

Parking is a nightmare, but sort of expected at a place like this...still terrible though. Lots of things shut down both times I've been here over half of the stands and food carts are closed up, on a Saturday no less. Lots of construction/exhibits closed or being worked on. I understand making improvements takes time, but for the ticket price + over an hour to travel there, that's a bit insulting to have so much closed off. Also $30 for the copy of the picture they take of you at the entrance is laughable.

It was under construction when we went ND the train ride which use yo take 40 minutes has changed and now it's a 5 minute ride which should only charge $2 but unfortunately it does not instead it is extremely over priced. Maybe when construction is completely done and the price for the train ride drops a great deal

This is the second best zoo after the zoo in Omaha. Though the animals are in enclosures but they are in very bigger enclosures and zoo is located in a hilly place and felt like the animals, people are in the forest

My family loves this zoo! The grounds are beautiful! Also, the animals look happy and well taken care of. The admissions price is very reasonable. Even on a busy Saturday, we were able to see all of the animals. I would highly recommend to anyone! One drawback is that parking can be limited during busy times. However, the zoo offers shuttles so you do not have to walk too far.

Love the Oregon Zoo. Most the animals have enclosures that suit their needs and are large and well maintained, yet easy to view. Many walking paths make you feel as if you're walking in dense vegetation adding to the expierence... Cant wait until the Polar Bear Exhibit is complete in 2021. This visit was not as fulfilling as past times due to COVID19 some areas were closed (wish they would find a work around, such as small group tours ect.) masks make for a hot day in areas without shade, but overall still enjoyable.

My kids love it but I hate how there seems to always construction or an animal exhibit closed.

One of the best zoos I've been to (and I've been to zoos in many states and several countries). My only complaint is the constant construction and remodeling.

The enclosures have a lot of viewing spots to see the animals from all over the exhibit.

No parking but we found free parking by the archery section with a free ride to the zoo.

Wonderful zoo with natural style habitats, zoo train, summer outdoor concert schedule, & winter holiday light show. Parking can be a challenge, so recommend taking the light rail Max train to the Zoo station for a fun easy ride from downtown Portland or west side.

Its because every time my dad and me go with my siblings he is paying for a zoo with pretty much everything closed. But it was hot and pretty fun!

Went for Oktoberfest, what a joke! Don't waste your time.

Good amount of animal exhibits, good layout, and easy to get to.

So impressive. The animal exhibits are interactive and wonderful.

I have been to the zoo in Portland many times throughout the years. There is a great diversity of animals. The reptiles are awesome and there was a cougar there once too.

Wonderful zoo with a lot of interesting exhibits, straight forward layout and fun presentations throughout the day. Parking is not free and generally is easy to do d a spot. Good food and beverage offerings throughout the park and very fun and interesting experience for a fair price.

Always a great time with the family. Lion feeding time and Elephants are the highlight.

Most of the zoo is inaccessible and wasn't told prior to visit. Covid cannot be an excuse for missing elephants!

The Oregon zoo is known for their huge Asian elephant exhibit. They are also currently under construction to expand the primate exhibit, polar bears, and giraffes which will be completed in 2019.

Kids love it. I built some of it so its rad to see the animals in the areas i got to work on. Just a great family time

Better show up w/bags of change if you're parking your car there...the meters don't take paper $ nor would they accept visa

It's a great place! It has loads of animals, and zoolights is a joy! Because of all the animals, though, it is a large place, so be prepared to walk around a lot.

Really great zoo. Amazing layout makes it easy to hit all the exhibits. Everything is well maintained and the animals look healthy. worth it for kids and adults alike.

It was an okay zoo. The day we went was very hot that is why animals were not interested in showing off themselves. But the diversity of animals was limited.

Great place we have a membership and we love taking our son there! Zoo lights is amazing! The membership defiantly pays for itself.

Wonderful zoo. Beautiful to walk through. Great got kids.

It's a really fantastic place. Easily accessible by tram from anywhere in Portland and the admission fee is reasonable. We introduced a lot of animals very kindly. It creates a harmonious environment in a lush forest, so there is less discomfort. The route is also good, so it is very rare to go back on a secluded road. It's enough to take enough time to take a rest and watch it in 3-4 hours, so even if you arrive by 2 o'clock, you have plenty of time to see it. However, since it was raining and there were a lot of people, I think I should be prepared to get crowded when there are many people. Many pompu came from the souvenir shop, but I was very patient.

Great layout. Handicapped accessible everywhere. Great day.

My family and I visited the Oregon Zoo in May 2017, and were APPALLED at the LACK of care all of the animals there received. The penguin enclosure smelled worse than anything I could imagine - intolerably filthy and smelling OVERWHELMINGLY of urine. The elephants had NO shade from which to escape the hot sun, and the orangutans' enclosure was WAY too small. While I'm not a fan of zoos, I do understand the need to bring animals to people who might never otherwise see them, educating them to the needs of these animals in the wild so that they may fight for their rights, and this is what I was HOPING to do for my daughter. This experience was disheartening and depressing, and made me feel terrible to have to leave the animals in such conditions. They looked terribly neglected, and there were NO caretakers ANYWHERE - the only employees there were the ones who worked in the food stands, gift shops, and restaurant!! I don't know HOW anyone could rate this zoo anything above 1 star!

My children had fun enjoying the lights and animals

A really solid zoo! I'm sure it's even better without coronavirus, but they also have really good coronavirus guidelines. Most of, but not all of the animals have really good enclosures.

Showed up expecting to spend maybe 2 hours here and we were there all day. Its really clean and the animals all seem to be really well cared for. We ate in the food court it wasn't very good, but there was other food outside that was probably better.

Very nice. Well cared for animals. Zoos make me sad but this one isn't depressing.

Pretty amazing zoo.
Staff worked hard to make sure your visit is still fulfilling.

Zoo was fun. Went for ZooLights. Was not disappointed.