The Oregon Zoo Reviews

Love the zoo. Great for the kiddos. Lots to see and do. I do wish the food was better....I bring my own lunch.

There is a great deal of construction going on at the zoo so expect some attractions to be closed. You are required to wear a mask while in the zoo and there are hand washing stations and sanitizer available. I enjoyed seeing the sculptures made from plastics that have been gathered from Oregon beaches and was saddened by the shear volume of waste it took to make the sculptures. I always love seeing the big cats. There is still food service available, but not all facilities are open. We skipped the gift shop this time.

The zoo is always so much fun but the parking situation is always very frustrating.

Loved this place soooooo much!!!! My mom and I went and had a super fun time. They have all kinds of animals and attractions. They have accessibility ramps also. The food is pretty good at there cafe. They really take care of their animals and are adding new animals too. I have to go back once the new animals come!

A lot of changes going on. I will go back after 2020

Half the exhibits are closed whenever I get up there. You pay for parking then kind of a speedy amount to get in... zoo lights has been disappointing the last few years as well:/
They do a nice job I just seem to be there when they good stuff is open. Very once in a whole thing due to prices.

Bummed a few animals weren't there but excited for all the new changes being made.

So much fun i loved interacting with the baby goats

We had a great visit to the Oregon zoo with plenty of animals to see. The parking lots sucks, it fills up so quick and you have to wait someone to leave in order to park. I love Oregon zoo. The animals are active and playful.

We love the Zoo. Thanks to the incredible work of Dr. Mitch Finnegan. We will not be
renewing our membership. So very sad and disappointed.

Could not find the animals with all the construction

Very cool zoo with a layout that fits naturally into the area. It's a great place to have an afternoon off and learn a few things about animals. The staff is extremely friendly and you can tell that they truly love what they do

Go on a cool day and get there early if possible. Zoo is spread out nicely so it doesn't feel too packed on busy days. Parking is pretty limited so getting there early is advised.

My wife, kids and I just recently moved from Seattle and I had previously lived in LA. Both having bigger zoos then Oregon's. We were not expecting the same experience at the Oregon Zoo. We were pleasantly surprised at how great the zoo was. Ya, it might not be as big but it has a great selection of animals and the zoo has one the most beautiful locations then the other zoos I have been too. We have been back a few times and really enjoyed zoo lights around Christmas time was great. We hear they have great concerts during the summer and can't wait to check one of those out. Strongly recommend checking the zoo out if you have not already.

I hate to give the zoo such a low score but I really feel they have gotten to a point they now deserve it.

Maybe this score will change in 2020 when they bring up their standards and bring back / get new animals after finishing all their new build projects. But for now the zoo has been increasingly more disappointing. Since the time that I became a zoo member it seems to me that the zoo has gone downhill every single time I go. Less animals and more construction / closest habitat areas.

You can no longer see polar bear, tiger, leopard, sun bear, Caracal, seal Lions, various small primates, elk, wolves, rhino, hippos etc. There's even animals that technically they still have but you don't get to see such as the orangutans. This has been truly disappointing for me and my family and considering the amount of money that you pay each time you go not only for a pass but parking and food as well. I really do think it's something that they have responsibility to address. It was really hard to explain to my child why we couldn't see most of his favorite animals. (But hey at least they still have naked mole rats)

The next frustration for me is the apparent low standards of their cafeteria and their bathrooms. The bathrooms feel like the kind of bathroom you'd go into had a crappy 7-Eleven. It's Rundown not very clean and the urinal, sinks, soap dispenser, paper towel dispenser are not set up for children. Don't believe me look at the pictures I posted. I Have a serious problem with this considering the fact that the zoo should be catering to children and Families.

As for the cafeteria the money you pay for the food (that was not hot) you get seems a bit much and they no longer have lids for cups or straws because apparently they didn't realize there are alternatives to traditional plastics, such as PLA that is biodegradable. Instead they just decided to make things even more inconvenient for their patrons in the name of environmentalism. If you have children you understand how annoying it is to not be able to put a lid and a straw on a cup. But I digress....

In their defense there are some really nice areas that are still up and running such as the elephant or the lion enclosure enclosure but for me the pros don't outweigh the Cons anymore and I will be taking my family and our hard-earned money somewhere else at least for the next couple of years. I really do hope that they can eventually straighten out there Park.

Wonderful place. Lots of renovations going on when we visited so some animals were not on display. Still a full day of activities.

I love this zoo. It's always clean and the animals are awesome. I wish the tiger would come out more.

Everyone here today seemed to be in sort of a bad mood, I don't know if that's how the zoo employees usually are but people were just short and sort of rude. The guy at the elephant ear stand was very flippant and he served the people behind me first even though I placed my order first. For a first time zoo goer I was expecting people to be kind and helpful but I guess maybe the employees just expect you to know how things work.

there was a lot of stuff under construction and I can appreciate the fact they are making the park better for people before people and manual wheelchairs it was very confusing and there was not a lot to see at manual wheelchair height

Oml amazing as SHITE best ever. POLAR BEAR, ELEPHANT, CROCADILE, GIRAFFE, AND SO MUCH MORE!!!! :)

This is our 2nd year with an annual membership. We love this zoo.

We came out today and loved this zoo. Between my brother and I we have visited over a dozen zoos in the US. This one is definitely one of the best. Will come again!

This is a fantastic place on beautiful grounds! Just the right size with a great variety of animals! Totally recommend it!

This zoo gets better and better at $14.50 gotta plan to stay. Membership is good deal.

This zoo recently let their Aardvark STARVE TO DEATH. How could this even happen?? Extremely cruel and incompetent staff. Shut this torture chamber down.

Nice zoo, not a great variety of animals. Food ok for a zoo. Saw a bird show with a heavy commentary on saving environment by not using drinking straws.

Fun place to take the kiddos or your girlfriend/ wife. There's a lot to do other then just look at animals.

My favorite was the Bull Trout! However, the Elephant Lands are good too.

Always fun to come to the zoo and see the animals or the zoo lights. The parking situation could be improved though.

Awesome zoo. Proud to be a member. The zoo train is a bit disappointing now that it doesn't leave the zoo vicinity, and the food carts are a rip off, but otherwise it is great.

Wonderful experience at the MS walk at the zoo. I haven't been to the zoo in a long time. Now you have to pay for parking, which is ridiculous considering the price you pay to get in. :(

The Oregon Zoo is such a magical place. Full of life and love and laughter. There are always children running around so happy. The employees and the guests are helpful and kind.

I like this zoo. My latest visit was a little disappointing because of the construction. I'm hoping it will be even better when they are done!

We drove all the way down from Seattle to go to the Oregon Zoo because it s the best zoo in the area! I can t wait to come back once all the enclosure expansions are complete. I ve been coming to this zoo since I was a kid and it never disappoints. Also, the elephants were quite frisky when we were there...

4 Because of cold weather otherwise it would be five stars.

The lay out of the zoo is great and goes along with natural topography. They are so caring and good to their animals always attempting to improve their well being. They are also conservationists at heart improving the wellbeing of the species. . Improvements to the zoo that will be done next will make it that much better!

You have to go here...HAVE to. Had a blast touring the zoo

Too many closed or empty exhibits. Nice gardens and very clean though.

Wow what a fantastic zoo, best part of our trip to Portland!

Great to see the progress the zoo is making. Still have a ways to go, but things look amazing. Beautiful open spaces, and lots of good stuff to come. If the train and africafe were up and in good standing the zoo would get 5 stars everytime regardless of the construction. I'm happy to be a life long zoo member and contribute in my own little way. Would like to put a fundraiser together to raise money for the Washington park zoo train, it would be best thing ever to see the train running the length of the zoo/park like back in its glory days again. Anyways, this zoo is always worth a visit, great improvements every year.

Train only went about hundred yrds and did a turn, wast of 5 bucks, total rip off didn't pass any animals or anything, besides that was just okay. Honolulu zoo Way better, so was AZ phoenix. Come on PDX, woulda thought ud be rt up there with the best. The best part of the visit? The people we went with.

Been coming here my whole life, and they're making some major changes. Half the zoo is closed and they'll be remodeling even more later this year and the other half will be closed for another two years while they renovate even more. Great place to come with the family though.

Huuuge, lots of things to show the kiddos and a large diversity of animals to see. The maps helped navigate through the zoo, as well as obviously placed signs. We had a great experience.

Great experience during the holidays. A lot of exhibits have lights up and even the occasional animal out

It has been 30 or more yrs what a change and so much nicer for animals etc

Zoo lights was amazing. A lot of work is done to make this magical. Looking forward to the upcoming exhibitions.

It's great for kids. They had good information in insects.

The new layout flows beautifully. The living spaces for the animals feels more humane than the paddocks that where there the last time I visited

We came for what we thought were few hours and stayed 9-5 :) Watching elephants taking a swim was a highlight but so many other exhibits we also very fun and educational. Upgrades and remodels over last few years have made the zoo pretty amazing. They also added food carts and great ice cream truck. If you have kids get membership, it pays off quickly.

This is a really nice zoo. This is coming from someone that lives near and has passes to the San Diego Zoo. The Oregon zoo is a great place to visit. I would highly recommend and I will go again when I up in the North West.

Just came on a Saturday and there wasn't very many people. Less exhibits are open but still enough for a couple hours of enjoyment!

We love the zoo. We are members. Right now they are making improvements so a few of my toddlers favorite exhibits are closed which is a big bummer for him. I know it's going to be awesome once it's completed.

Super expensive! 3.50 For a bottle of water! Are you kidding me?!

Always love going to the Zoo! The last couple of years we purchased a membership so we could go a few times without it costing us extra; the membership is definitely worth it!

Parking can be cramped on certain days but I usually find a spot within 20 minutes on these busy days. There's also an indicator on the Washington Park website telling you how full the parking is. If you're really worried about it you can park at a park & ride on the MAX line and take that in (I park at Sunset TC).

They have been frequently adding more features to the Zoo and I am excited for the Education Center to open next year.

They are undergoing quite a lot of upgrades for the animals, so many of the exhibits were closed. It was an end of summer party and there were bands and food trucks. It was a fun day! They do a lot for conservation and contributing to ecosystems so I m happy to contribute to that.

Love to visit this place with family and friends. Friendly relationship between animals and human beings is observed here.
Well maintained and at different timings animals talk show is observed here.
During my visit at this place our family loved the elephant show very much.

Might be great in "spring 2020" but as of now you're paying almost $18 each for..... well, not much. 80% of it is closed because of construction. Why can't they work on it one exhibit at a time? Anyways, NOT worth the money right now.

Very nice place for Children. In the map there is a schedule for different animal shows. Don't miss that. You will enjoy it.

Amazing fun for all, great animal selection. State of the art facilities.

Our grand daughter loves seeing all the animals as we all do.

Zoo Lights was a perfect night out, love all the lights :)

Awesome zoo. Animals very easy to see and learn about. Affordable