The Oregon Zoo Reviews

Oregon Zoo is growing into a better version of itself. Having worked at the San Diego Zoo, I had the privilege of meeting many compassionate zoo keepers and animal handlers. It gave me a profound respect for a zoo's mission to preserve and learn the science of species with kindness and respect. Oregon Zoo is on the way to becoming a place for wildlife to exist in peace. The elephant enclosure expansion is an example of forward thinking and offers an environment conducive to healthy living. #OZ

It was a fun time seeing all the different animals and I can't wait for the new animals in 2020

Summer concert was very nice, perfect weather, great people!!

Paid full price plus parking....to see only half the attractions!!! With a 4 year old and a 2 year old in tow we were through the entire zoo in less than 2 hours. No train, no food/drink vendors, no merry go round (which is especially stupid when the animals mounted are about 6 feet apart). Very disappointed with the day.

Great place to take the kids for a fun day. There's a lot of activites to do here and great food to eat the staff are friendly and the animals are great to see like monkeys, fish, bears, all kinda of different birds like eagles, condors and a bird area where you can walk in and see also giraffes and many many more and in 2020 there will be finishing the rhino habitat that I cant wait to see the also have a historic train ride that takes you around the zoo

Perfect place for a oncert, good food and plenty to drink.

Had a blast with the grandchildren, great light show !!

Whoa, a lot of walking.... But i love the newly redone elephant habitat. So amazingly spacious compared to the old space.

Loved the zoo and all that it has to offer. It incorporates nature into the actual zoo. Not a lot do that.

Went and saw a show here, and got to enjoy watching them feed the elephants beforehand! They were adorable and overall it was a lovely way to wait for a show, and fill the time inbetween sets. Highly recommend!

Came here with my family and we had an amazing time! So many animals, the atmosphere was amazing and the prices were okay!

We have been long time patrons of the Oregon Zoo... It has always been a great family day activity. The pens are kept clean and staff is always seem tending to the animals throughout the day. Shows on the main lawn were a favorite for my kids. I love that they're becoming eco-friendly now too!

It was nice but most of the animals were sleeping.The train and carousel are not even free or cheap.

Bring in your own snacks! I never seem to plan ahead and when the kiddo and I get hungry, food options at the park aren't open yet.

I really enjoyed zoo lights. The display seemed a lot more detailed this year than last year. I could be wrong, but it seems like there are a lot more lights. It s a very popular event, but it s easy to move around, and the crew that designed the displays and installed them was very creative and everything looked very beautiful.

I love our Oregon Zoo. They are adding so many new things. Veterans get in half price or free. check schedule. Concerts in the park, New animal additions. Polar Bears and sea otters. Giraffes, elephants center.
MUST PAY FOR parking here, so be prepared. Huge walking paths, disabled friendly. Restaurant expensive. Plan ahead. Nice gift shop, stop by!!!
Several nice parks near by.
Donate to Zoo if you can!!!

Was fantastic! Lots of things to see and nice staff. There was lots of construction when I went that I didn't know would be there. Was still great

Compared to other zoo's this one isn't that great. Most the animals aren't there since they are redoing a lot of things. Hopefully they will make the zoo better.

The Oregon Zoo was a pretty fun activity. The animals weren't super active when we went, but it was sort of a cloudy/rainy day. There was quite a bit of construction going on, so I'm excited to see what it looks like when it's all done.

Beautiful setting and well kept park.They should consider building the new primate enclosure they have planned before anything else. I love the chance for everyone to have an up close look with something so intelligent and wild but on the other hand I don't enjoy or agree with primates in captivity. I left feeling particularly conflicted after seeing an Orangutan give the shittiest look, turn his back and cover himself with a sheet so he could eat without being watched. I left feeling really confused about my whole experience and seriously contemplating animal intelligence and captivity.... Your kids will love it!

I wish they had a minus star review system cause this zoo would get minus 5 stars. Very few animals and the ones I saw looked to be suffering from depression. Hard to see these poor ment to be free animals. Not to mention the flagrant disrespect for handicapped people. Great place to skip, always.

An all day experience that was alot of fun. Good food, friendly staff and more animals then you know what to do with plus the stuffies that you can buy in the gift shop are super soft

We were really impressed with the number of animals and exhibits here. Lots to learn about and you have to make sure you spin your head around so you don't miss anything. I liked the fact that a lot of the zoo is built into the surrounding environment instead of tearing forests down. Loved it!

Great exhibits. The zoo has improved several exhibits. Movement in some sections is hampered by remaining construction efforts.

You can walk around with a beer and look at animals.

We've had a zoo membership and loved going for years. Right now, they're doing a great job enforcing and encouraging social distancing so we can still enjoy going to the zoo! In particularly high traffic areas they have employees letting people know they need to have their masks on, and at the giraffes they even had someone directing people to the spaced stickers on the ground. Basically all the viewing areas had stickers in the ground which made it very easy to encourage my two year old to follow the rules for social distancing. We had a great time!

First I have been to a zoo in a long time and it didn't disappoint.

I always like the Oregon Zoo. They have different exhibits going on all the time. Save your money in the gift shop. It s a little too expensive for what you get. A nice family outing.

The Zoo is the perfect way to enjoy the day with family

This place is amazing and there is so much to see! I enjoyed the summer happy hours here but never fully walked the zoo until today. I had a great time. They do so much to enhance the lives of animals and nature that dwell here. It is very environmentally friendly and they continue to work on improvement. Can't wait for the polar exhibit coming next year. They are constructing some very cool new sites!

Amazing zoo.my kids loved it.lasting forever memories .

Loved this zoo since I was a child, the animals seem happy for the most part. They should invest in better food vendors and a better train route.

I really love going to this zoo. The only downfall is the amount of construction happening inside, but that doesn't deserve knocking this below 5 stars. They make the construction fun and entertaining by treating the equipment as exhibits as well. I certainly can't wait to see what the finished product will look like!
PSA: In case anyone isn't aware; during this pandemic, you need to purchase tickets online before going. They sell out quickly, so plan on advance!

Love zoos and this one was a nice mixture of exhibits and nature.

The zoo is still nice to visit however many exhibits are shutdown for renovation. Given that what feels like half the exhibits are closed I don't know if the price is fully justified right now.

I love the zoo. Discounts if you ride the max! Can't wait to come back in 2020 to see their new exhibits.

Under $10 for adult admission--saw Oregon and global wildlife. Beautiful place to explore and an ideal outing for locals and travellers to spend time with cool critters and each other :3! #families #solotravel #greatdate

The zoo is fun. It's difficult not to enjoy some aspect of your visit. Sure there is some human guilt, but I think these animals are well cared for.

My wife and I visited on November 9th. It was the first time I've been to this zoo, and the first time she has been here in 5 years.

The Good:
Parking was convenient. Make sure to check your space number before you walk to the parking meter ;-)
The park is really clean and easy to navigate.



The Okay/Lame:



The train ride was pointless. Pay more money to ride on an old-rickety train for 6 minutes in a straight line. It doesn't go around the park or near any animal exhibits.

I'll probably update this rating in the future when we visit again. There were some really nice things about our visit, but, overall it was pretty average.

Staff is very friendly. You can bring your own food/drinks. Plenty of benches/break areas for little ones. Relatively affordable entry compared to other zoos. Parking can be a pain during spring/summer, but public transportation is easily accessible.

This is one of my favorite zoos I have been to. Great selection great set up. loved every second that we spent there. Even made a friend with Nacho the Penguin. It has been almost a full year since we were there and would absolutely love to go back. Follow my adventures on YouTube/RSP58 :)

Crowed as hell.waited in line for 20 minutes for elephant ears.cause they only had one open.there's only one way around now.people with multiple strollers with the kids walking.

Great layout with wonderful exhibits, and new exhibits being built this year will make it even better

One of the best zoos in the country. Fantastic elephant exhibit!

This is the best zoo. I am certainly not biased because it is my hometown, and I grew up coming here, lol, but it is such an amazing place. Timed tickets, one way path, a couple indoor spaces closed due to covid, but they have done an excellent job of adapting and the experience was still excellent. Some kinks need to be worked out with the food service, but they will get it figured out.

Going to the zoo is always such a great experience. Today was fantastic as it was snowing and limited visitors. It was easy to see how well the zoo keepers care and love for the various animals there. The layout is perfect for an adventure with tiny humans and not to tiring for them. Excited to see the new improvement and exhibits over the years to come.

I have always loved the zoo growing up! I am glad the construction will be done in just a year. I do miss some of the animals that are no longer at our zoo- the zebras, elk, wolves, meerkats, and more. My favorite place to visit is Elephant Lands.

So much fun and love the train. Just wish the track was longer.

Zoo lights are awesome. Definitely take the max in as parking is a nightmare.

This was the 1st time that I did the zoo lights and enjoyed It very much. I went with my Daughter and her familyWho also enjoyed very much. My granddaughter wanted to ride the train as she loved it and wanted to go again and again. I would recommend visiting the zoo lights 1st chance you get

Nice place to hang . Monkey area under construction. The penguins smell so bad.

Brought friends to the zoo. Visitors from out of town

A lot closed exhibits under construction. Can't wait to see it finished again.

This is a great place to take kids for the day. We went on a busy day with kids and parents everywhere, and still there was plenty of room to move around and get to all of the exhibits. The layout is great, and allows for plenty of shade and places to sit and relax or eat a lunch. The food vendors are price wise a little expensive, but not insanely so, and the food quality is amazing. Overall it was a great day, even if it was a bit expensive.

The Zoo lights were absolutely amazing!! The train ride was just as amazing!!

Fun big place! Many good choices! Parking r impossible!

Great place to spend the day with friends & family! Just went to Zoolights and had a memorable evening.

This a nice place for all age of people. There so many animals & species to explore. The best thing not too miss visiting species live in water.

They should lower the price until they complete the other exhibits. As of 7/29/18 I won't be back. Don't forget to bring your own food and drink because even a 20oz water is $3.50... Everything is overpriced.

The zoo is absolutely amazing but their website for reserving a ticket is completely broken, 2 hours in trying to reserve a member ticket, 3 computer attempts and a poorly designed virtual waiting line just bugs the system out so much you can t even reserve a ticket. No wonder there are so many available! I hope they get this fixed soon because the people at the zoo and the zoo is great but their IT department is really lacking during the virus.

(Not to mention you only have 10 minutes to attempt to purchase your ticket in this incredibly bugged out system)

Quite Awesome visit w\grandkids this national holiday weekend

A good place to spend time and bring children has a good variety of animals that children love

Parking was terrible, cars were re-routed to Sunset Transit Center for over flood parking. There's no free shuttle like years before, it's 5 of us, we not only spent money on zoo lights tickets, we have to paid extra for the train ride. Cost us more than zoo parking fee. Where are the free bus shuttles???

Made for kids 10 and under. If they get tired walking after 15 minutes or you need to leave in a hurry, bring a stroller. And plenty of liquids.

Beautiful park with well-crafted enclosures to keep the animals happy and healthy.
The park was very family friendly, and had countless opportunities for children to get very close to the animals.
A great stop for a family outing.

Wow.... I was very pleased with Zoo Lights! First time through and already thinking of my next time. I had been warned about the experience being over crowded, surprisingly it was not crowded at all! Bonus for my family and I!

The Oregon zoo does not care about the welfare of their animals. There is currently a polar bear who is living in very poor conditions. The zoo says well they just don't have enough money!
WELL DONT KEEP AN ANIMAL WHEN YOU CANT PROPERLY TAKE CARE THEM!! There are thousand of places where that polar bear could be happy, instead they are abusing him! If I could give them 0 stars I would.

Every month or so our family has gone to the Oregon Zoo, and we still love it. Always a great place to go.

My almost 2 year old daughter really enjoyed the Oregon Zoo!