The Oregon Zoo Reviews

The habitats are realistic for most of the animals living there.

One of the best zoos to visit. The zoo layout is very well done and takes you on an interesting journey through different exhibits. The animals look healthy.

The zoo is a staple of Portland, but it also has a few faults. Sure it s a wonderful way to spend an afternoon especially it s kids. But the layout leads to a lot, A LOT, of very cramped spots with over two dozen people having to push into a tight hallway to see the next set of animals. Then ten feet further there s enough room to play football. This will happen quite a few times. There s also currently quite a few parts worth skipping, even a bunch that are completely empty and barren. I m not mad or disappointed with my trip, hence the 4/5 stars, I just wish there was more put into everything.

I didn't really see any animals on my visit except for a bear and the elephants. Everything else was either closed for construction or the animals weren't out. It's not really fair for them to charge full price when that must construction is going on.

A little tough to navigate, and it fills up fast on a nice day, but this zoo is worth it! Each area gives visitors multiple vantage points to see the animals, and it feels very organic. Lots of placed to sit down and have a quick rest or snack. My personal favorite sections were the elephants and the entire Great Northwest. Very impressive.

Zoo lights are great. Worth a visit, young and old alike

A lot of exibits closed for construction for improvement. So my next visit might be better. Its a great zoo

Wonderful zoo. My family and I enjoyed the bird show on the lawn at noon. It was amazing to watch them fly so closely to the crowd. Even though the zoo is under construction, there was still a lot to explore.

The zoo is quaint. If it's the only zoo you have access to then it's probably great. If you have seen the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans, the San Diego Zoo or even the Houston Zoo, you will probably be disappointed. Overall the zoo is small and the exhibits are ok. Keep in mind that there are lots of closures if you are going during covid shut downs. For little ones, there is no train, carousel, or petting area. The polar bears, rhinos, penguins and some monkeys are also not available right now. We walked the entire zoo in about 75 minutes.

This zoo has a Facebook page called Just for Fauna, Where they put guinea pigs into a baby pool with very deep water and they have a rock that they are trying to lure (train?) them off of with carrots . These people want cavies/guinea pigs to interact with very loud people/children and at the same time be entertainment by swimming in a pool full of deep water!!! Clearly, they appear to know nothing about the animals with whom they are working in the case of guinea pigs.

Guinea pigs are prey animals. They do not want to be around a lot of noise, placed into pockets, and/or handled extensively. Guinea pigs certainly do not like the water and being forced to perform like a circus monkey. They do not need a bath, they do not need to be in the water. They are very prone to severe illness when exposed to temperature changes. I am very offended by this video, and I have telephoned the zoo, but I was forced to leave a voicemail for someone who will not return until Tuesday!

Having an extensive background working with these animals, I find their Facebook page is spreading a terrible message to anyone who happens upon your page seeking to live with a guinea pig. I really hope that the zoo educates itself on the (mis)treatment of these pigs. Exceedingly disappointed in the Oregon zoo, and the page on Facebook for what you are doing to these guinea pigs.

We enjoyed a delightful evening at the Zoo Lights. There are many new arrangements this year. Dress warmly.

Animal conservation is important and while no one is perfect the Oregon Zoo tries to do what they can to make a comfortable place for Animals 1 and people 2. The Zoo membership is the best value.

The Oregon zoo is awesome, it is however, on the spendy side so pack your own snacks and water. The elephant exhibit has grown tremendously with the addition of Samson after packys death. It is also really great to see them play in their pool, it's the cutest thing ever. There is currently some filming and some construction going on right now so a fair amount of the exhibits that are normally open were closed on my last visit, including the polar bear, hippos, rhinos and sun bear which was a bummer. As far as attractions other than the addition of the new male elephant, the lion tribe is all grown up now and the condors are always impressive to see, there are also a couple of baby mountain goats right by the entrance that were recently sheared this season .

As a zoo it's ok but I dont think I will go to a zoo again any zoo

It was ok. Theres wasnt a lot of animals to look at.

The animals don't look anxious or depressed, well run zoo.

They are redoing many of the exhibits, most of which will not be finished until 2020, but it's a nice place, nevertheless. Great people watching. Good concerts, but they sell out fast.

The Zoo Lights were gorgeous! And the veggie quesadillas we had earlier in the day were so delicious.

Not very much there and you only have 1 hour to see anything since you may get a ticket for staying longer. :(

Great day at the zoo. I love this zoo. Even though there's a lot of construction going on, it will be an even greater experience once its done.

Lots of different exhibits. Bring comfy walking shoes because there is a lot of walking if you want to see it all. You can see it all in roughly 4 hours. Bring a water bottle and snacks as drinks are 3.50$ and not all water fountains are on. Check feeding times and event times so you don't miss out. Today I pet a goat and a giant boa snake.

To many animal habitats under construction at the same time

A lot of animals out this time of year. They are doing construction on some of the exhibit; polar bears, rhinos, apes... they should be completely done by 2020 sometime. Also coming to the is a baby elephant in November 2020 pretty cool stuff. Check it out its fun for all ages. Prices are a bit steap but understandable for the new exhibits.

Is okay at night but best experience during the day and summer

Made it there before it was open. So we were in & out before it got super crowded.

Need to have all the vendors open on the weekends. Train ride was really short for paying 4$ per person. It was not even 10 minutes long. Those were my only complaints

It's incredible how well the money is spent at the Oregon Zoo. They utilize every dollar in the right direction. I have been a member since 2000, and I will continue to do so. I can observe animals on Earth that have a better healthcare plan than I do. Good job, can't wait to see Nora come back. With my funding and your knowledge we saved that critter

Lots of stuff under construction, but it's hard to be irritated when there's something better every time we attend, it can be busy and the parking lot can be a nightmare, but if you avoid the crowds it's usually a great visit

Great park-like setting and great information for all ages of children, and adults.

One of the best Zoo's you can go to. Truly top notch. the new elephant exhibit is world class and incredible.

Great zoo loved it since childhood and it just keeps getting better

Love the zoo, bought a zoo pass. However be aware of all the construction and missing animals. Check before you go.

This is a lovely zoo in a beautiful setting. Be sure to take the train ride thru the zoo - super- fun for kids!
We had lunch in the Pavillon - it was just ok.
The zoo was pretty great though

Nice time with family band friends, great sight seeing amazing animals

Great zoo. Animals are beautiful, happy and well taken care of. The animals all have large habitats and most of them were out playing or sleep in plain view. The zoo is beautifully landscaped and the staff was friendly and informative. I feel sorry for the animals at my local zoo now that I have seen the Oregon Zoo.

Great place for kids and family. There aren't an abundance of animals. No lions, gazelles, giraffes, etc. But the otters and penguins were adorqble. Prices lisred at food booths are membership prices. So if it says 5.00, you will pay 7.00.

Been coming here since I was a kid. I'm not a huge zoo person, but I enjoy what this zoo has done as far as education, and other activities they provide for the community of Portland. They're constantly trying to keep this place up to date and rebuilding and creating exhibits. The kids love this place. Will surely keep coming here with my grandchildren.

Great time. They were doing some renovations but the exhibits were nicely done. Train ride was disappointing.

Amazing Zoo. Its in forest and the enclosures are very interactive

The animals are so interesting and there annual light show is spectacular

This year there is major construction and will have construction for awhile. The kids had fun but I did not feel it was worth the cost of admission with the lack of animals.

Most of the animals were sleeping or couldn't be found.

It has a great variety of rare animals: reptiles, mammals, birds and they have cute, large and comfortable habitants. I guess that if they could speak, they would have been told that this is a luxury resort. The area for elephants is gigantic. Information boards are very attractive and educative. Cafe with the view inside the avian house is nice and comfortable for quick rest-n-snack. Interactions with animals in special hours are so exciting experience! Zoo lights festival is so amazing especially if covered with snow. The Zoo is one of the best places in Portland, Oregon.

Nice zoo with alot of vareity most is under construction so check their website so you don't miss out. Also I would park somewhere else and ride the tram, parking was limited with small spaces, and they dont give courtesy classes with a drivers license.

Great Zoo, medium sized, much fun. Lots of events. Concerts, special evening admissions etc.

Parking cost $2 @ hr. About 1/3 of zoo was under construction/rennovation, which was not disclosed on their website.

Love this place, I came from indy so I was kinda nervous. But it was amazing, and after the finished projects I'd add another

In the cafe restaurant today at 1:30pm. This lady is so amazing friendly to all customers I'd love that. Also the lady at the little train is wonderful patience and friendly I bring my 88 mother with me and she had the friendly patience while my mother look for money change.

This zoo gets it right. Great exhibits, and you really get the love and care for animals. Food choices could be a little better, but still not bad. Love being able to grab the zoo train from washington park and take it into the zoo. Only way to travel.

We went there yesterday with two small children. We are about to leave after we saw the leopard. One of the worker there, tall, big guy standing there passing out maps. I asked him where the exit was since my sons were crying. He pointed and said "right there" and as we walked away, he states: " That is the most hilarious questions I heard all day". I don't want to complaint, but this worker (volunteer?) was rude. I will be back for the animals, but not for their customer service...

Great family friendly place or just a place to explore and learn about nature. Located in NW hills surrounded by fresh air, beautiful greenery. Hot arboretum is next door and nearby easy hiking trails. A great place to explore the outdoors in a city.

Love this Zoo. Wouldn't mind returning once improvements are completed.

Fun for the whole family. Most of the exhibits were open, fun, and informative. The carousel was an unexpected big favorite too. We will definitely return sometime in the future to see the new upcoming exhibits.

Not bad. Overall its usually pretty spendy, and crowded. The real problem is the "cool" animals are always hard to see, the apes are depressing to see.

We went on a class field trip to the zoo with 2nd graders and kindergartens. The kids had an amazing day. Only drawback was the lack of animals. It seems like over the years there are less and less animals to see.

What can I say, the northwest trail is amazing especially on a rainy fall day.

The Oregon Zoo is such a fun place to go. It's the place to go when your great- niece comes to visit. The animals are well cared for, and seeing them in nearly natural habitats is refreshing. Watching the otters is my favorite. The caretakers and staff are quick to answer questions and interact with the guests..

Great place to enjoy with your family. 3 huge construction projects going one, new rhino exhibit is very close to being done, the new chimp area is huge and a month or two from being done, and the new polar bear exhibit is very early 2021, with a new huge restaurant area added in.
Right now there are some covid restrictions, but still lots to do.
Most of all they have the best elephant ears in the state

It was a little cold out and the majority of the animals weren't out. Probably best to go in the Spring or Summer time.

One of the best natural settings for a zoo in America. Plus they have two amazing hippos.

I don't need to be welcome and told happy pride month.

Looking forward to up dates. Like how they are handling this season with traffic flow.

I absolutely love the zoo. I need to take more photos, but this one moment in particular caught my focus. Love how well the animals are taken care of, as well as how knowledgeable and caring the employees are.

Love coming here with my kids. Zoo lights are cool.

Not what it used to be! Animals need a lot better care, more attention and cleaner more stimulating environments. Disappointing and Sad!

My daughter did zoo camp and had an amazing experience. Her councillors were great and the whole week was educational and a blast

Place seems very well maintained & they always have something new to explore & do. Food isn't overly priced. Only bad thing I can think of is a lot of times the animals are hiding or their not out in the viewing area & something is always under construction.