The Oregon Zoo Reviews

Love the Oregon Zoo. I've been coming here for years and it just keeps getting better. Constant improvement and investment in the wildlife and their living situation. Great place to take the kids and appreciate the animals. The elephant habitat is amazing and the elephants seem comfortable and happy with plenty of room. They do outdoor concerts every summer too!

I've had a zoo membership for years, ever since my daughter, now 14, was an infant. To go for a single trip can be ridiculously expensive. On the other hand, an annual membership can be a tremendous value. The zoo is actually very conveniently located to most places in Portland, being halfway up the "cut" on the Sunset highway, it's practically equidistant from the Westside suburbs and most of Portland proper. There is a max stop right there, and lots of parking, though it fills quickly on busy days. What makes a membership such a good value is that it makes a quick or spontaneous visit not a cost decision. 8 bucks a head for a quick stop top the zoo is crazy, but if it's free in the context of an annual membership, a half hour, or hour looking at the animals can be a rewarding way to "kill time". For stroller-bound children, walking the loop of the zoo is a great workout and visually stimulating for both parent and child. Whether you're a member or just paying for a single day out, the zoo is a great zoo, with lots of variety, great information about conservation, and a good balance of trying to get the word about about man's impact on the environment without getting too preachy. There are a number of free or discount admission days throughout the year, and numerous themed days or special activities free with admission (I love the annual halloween pumpkin smash - elephants - meet giant pumpkins). Website is a great place for info, Summer Concert series and Winter zoo lights. I have had my kids in the summer camp programs, excellent and fun. Note: lots of food options on site, all are really expensive and not great quality. As the zoo allows outside food, pack a picnic.

The zoo is the best,Bears,Hippo's but it's very sad that there lock-up it makes me feel like am a bear cuz am lock-up.Greg

I love animals but it is so sad to see them in cages. They look so unhappy.

The zoo is pretty small but it's laid out in such a way you can see almost all the animals.

Love the new elephant lands. However, the number of schools on field trips was overwhelming.

A lot of closed exhibits right now. Wish they would tell you in advance.

The Oregon zoo is always fun but its not the best time to go right now with all the construction going on 4/17/19 supposed to be finished 2020. If you are a low income admission is only $5, huge savings compared to the regular pricing.

Always clean , very friendly staff.. love the food carts

Great zoo. Animals looked like they were treated well. Family friendly.

You can never go wrong going to the zoo this place is aw insparring

Very nice zoo. You feel like you are able to be pretty up close and personal with many of the animals. The keepers were very nice and interactive. They really seemed to care and enjoy their jobs.

I'd rate this 3.5 if I could. Some exhibits were really cool, while others were just so-so. Also, they're remodeling, which is great for the future, kind of a bummer for today.

The animals are the stars here, I really feel like the zoo management could do better in many ways.

Everyone is very friendly and has a very good vibes

Always a fun place to go. Wish they would ban strollers tho

We became members after our recent visit. The Oregon Zoo is making so many huge strides to improve the living areas of their animals, it s hard to not want to support their mission! I would love the train to be funded for an upgrade but understand that s a big request ;)

The best part of this zoo was the 1st section that was like you're on a bridge going/walking down into a forest. After that typical zoo from that point. Paid parking lot.

Great place to go as a family and enjoy all the animals.

Hardly any exhibits open and the train ride is an absolute rip off. We were on maybe 5mins & saw the elephants that you walk past to get to it. I'm from a small city & our zoo is SO much better, and it's not much. Very disappointed that Portland cant do better

I haven't been to the Oregon Zoo in years and was very pleasantly surprised today when I took my 3 and 5 year old for a half day adventure. I only had 4 unfulfilled wishes: 1) that they had not run out of double stroller/wagons with umbrella for the kiddos 2) that I had not forgotten our giant water bottle in the car 3) that we had arrived at opening not in the blistering burning hot as all get-out hour of 12pm, and 4) that we had not missed the last train at 5:30. I really love riding the train even as an adult, it's such a beautiful relaxing treat. Moving on, we survived the insane heat only because the staff if awesome and at most food carts and restaurant areas you can get a decent sized iced water for free! We got adorable giraffe cups ($5.50 ea and totally worth it) for the kids and instead of doing $1 soda refills we just kept re-upping with ice water. The employees were so helpful kind and upbeat even in the heat ( so hot it tends to make me a grumpy bear after a few hours!). With two little ones drinking cup after cup of water I was very pleasantly surprised at the many easily accessible bathrooms some of which featured nursing area with couch, changing table, and seperate washing station, huge wheelchair/differently-abled stalls, some with their own washing station, and even small step stools for the kiddos at the sinks! We ate pretzels (meh) and elephant ears (so yummy). By the time we arrived they had already given free passes to the first 1,000 people but it was only a $4 admission after that. I do not recommend the zoo keys unless it's just a cute novelty item for the kids. There are very few places to use them and the sound is so quiet that you can barely hear the info in most exhibits. It's a great idea, just needs a little reworking.... maybe shorter info sets, more strategically placed, and louder. The kids loved all the water misting stations you can cool off at and I loved it too! They were a very welcome relief from the heat. Pro-tips: if you are pulling a wagon with about 80 lbs of gear and children in it, DO NOT park in the overflow parking. Or at least get dropped off and picked up! That was a long climb and by the time we reached the gate to go in I was ready to take a break lol. Bring your water bottle full of ice, there are awesome water refilling stations all over the zoo. So yeah that's all I can think of for now. I am not sure of the regular admission but I would say if it is under $20 per person I think that would be worth it. It is a really fun experience. Get there early and bring snacks and lunch or dine at one of the restaurants or delish food carts. There are elephant ears, cotton candy, Ben&Jerry's ice cream, shave ice, and I am sure even more yummy treats available. Also if you want to enjoy a craft beer on tap they have a decent selection ($8/beer) and you can enjoy it as you peruse the outdoor exhibits. I want to go to a concert here with just the "big kids" and try it out :). Great trip! Next time definitely taking max no doubt!

The trip to the Zoo was splendid. I enjoy the animals. The different scheduled activities are so enjoyable. It is such fun and their is so much to see.

Attend summer concert series. Great place to enjoy a show but very strict with timings and band wrap up

Lights were great!!! Santa was great barely any line to see him..

Went here for a trip at the zoo as well as a concert. Zoo is beautiful with friendly staff. As a concert venue, it's pretty awesome to listen to music with the elephants hanging out nearby.

It is great but some of the animals are not there cuz they are making the place bigger

I think that the Polar Bears are not real! I'm just gonna say it! I've been there 3 times and each time, they are sleeping! It is like they don't want to see me! I love spending the entire day there! I can watch the sea lions all day! I really wanna watch a concert there this year!

Amazing. Just beautiful!

We spent the whole day here and barely finished seeing all the exhibits.

I loved the animals and bug exhibits. The polar bear lunged at us. It was spectacular. The activities for the kids were great as were the learning experiences from the zoo personnel.

I loved the giraffe. It gets really hot in the summer so I definitely suggest being prepared with water and snacks for the kids. There s areas to cool off and have a treat but it gets really packed with people.

I wish the mini train ride was a bit longer. I thought it was short and hoped to see more of the zoo on the train.

A lot of walking and paying for partying is very expensive

A lot of things under construction so only got to see a few things.

Lovely experience, but I question how well they take care of there animals

Great place to let the kids explore. The zoo grounds are designed really nicely and they make a great experience.

It was great first time zoo wish there was the polar bears tho

Went for the concert. It was fun. It easily gets jammed up with people during the concerts.

Great zoo. Family friendly and very entertaining. Wide variety of animals

It's always wonderful. Right now, there is a long line to get in since they are allowing a limited number of people at a time, social distancing and masks are a must. I liked that. Worth the wait.

We got to see the two week old mountain goat! A really nice zoo and has concert venue as well.

It has lots of animals and is fun for children. They supply food and have shows.

Great time to go is 3 PM so that you get there in time for zoo lights! We had a wonderful time. I reccomend it to anyone with a family!

lights are cool this time of year 17.95 for adults get there early it closes at around 9

The Oregon Zoo Euthanized Packy on February 9, 2017. The reasons are questionable considering this Zoo has Euthanized 12 other elephants.

Went to see Christmas lights, unfortunately a good percentage of the display was not working.
Hopefully next year will prove to be better!

Must see
!

We moved here from California having visited in the past the San Diego, Sacramento, and San Francisco zoos. We have to say this is definitely our favorite-if not, in the top 2. There were multiple occasions in which there were employees cleaning cages, feeding the animals, or cleaning up spills careless visitors had left. This zoo was clean, the staff was friendly, and most importantly, the animals were being taken care of. For those complaints about it being busy on the cheaper day- what did you expect on the one day of the week where the prices are drastically reduced? You aren't the only ones entitled to that discounted day, so obviously it is expected to be busier. For those complaints about the construction- the new exhibits are fantastic! And those animals are so incredibly lucky to have been placed at a zoo which works towards improving their quality of life. Better that than at a zoo that is never changing, and doesn't keep the animals' best interests in mind. And to those complaints about the weather- you chose to visit a zoo in Oregon and know what the weather is like here, so what do you expect? Note to those not in the area deciding on whether or not to visit this zoo: it's in Portland, so check the weather first and be prepared for what might turn out to be a rainy day. We packed an umbrella and when it started to rain, we were fine! Just be prepared for any kind of weather and be prepared to have an amazing time, seeing animals that are absolutely magnificent. We are looking forward to visiting this zoo again!

Awesome experience, went on a Saturday and it wasn't crowded at all. The kids loved it. Going back for the holiday lights!

We love the Oregon Zoo! They have done an amazing job of expanding the exhibits so that the animals are comfortable, and that their facilities are as close to their natural habitats as possible. This creates a very pleasant Zoo experience for both human and animal. It also is very visually appealing for its visitors.

The Zoo is doing a major remodel that will not be completed for over a year (fall of 2020). The polar bears, and sun bears were gone, no butterfly exhibit nor interactive bird feeding (appears to be replaced with a coffee shop). There is a small indoor insect exhibit as well as an outdoor carousel.

A lot of animals and there are snacks like elephant ears and pop. Also, in 2020 there are going to be polar bears and monkeys bige monkeys.

Excited about remodeling and great food trucks they had last time we went. Great stop for families visiting Portland though not as many animals as the zoos at the Oregon coast. Wear your walking shoes as its on a hillside

Want much that I haven't seen before and it was rather boring. That said, there were a couple cool animals I enjoyed seeing and that made it worthwhile, warranting a positive review.

Excellent way to spend the day with the family, see wildlife and learn about their habitat

my son loves going to the zoo with me but $2 tuesdays need to be every tuesday.

To many things are under construction until 2020 to enjoy it for now.

Zoo lights was pretty awesome but it was way crowded. I recommend going on a week night instead of weekend if you dont like crowds.

Zoo is nice but not a lot of animals.
Maybe good just for kids.