The Phoenix Zoo Reviews

Everything here is always a good time. I love the interactive aspects like feeding the giraffes, petting the sting rays (stingers are trimmed & can't cause harm & is the equivalent of humans trimming their nails as far as how it feels to the stingrays), riding the camels, and I'm sure there are more activities that allow people to get a little closer to some animals. I also love how there are some little photo opp set ups throughout the zoo like the big clam shell that people can sit in or pose however they wish for a cute memory. I think that's the most fun with small children who fit perfectly in the shell. That's just one out of a few other photo setups. And the gift shop is cute and has some fun options for souvenirs. Onesies for babies with giraffes on them, baby and child size t shirts with cartoon llamas, baby and child baseball style hats, thermos and travel mugs, stuffed animals for children like dinosaurs and lizards, etc. There's too much to name. They had small and large snowglobe type items as well but that was a few years ago so may have changed. Everything else I mentioned were items I saw a week ago when I last visited. The only thing I would change about the zoo would be the prices of some things. I don't knock down the star rating for it because I know it costs a lot, Inways I can't imagine, to keep a zoo running and in good condition for the animals mostly, and visitors, second. The zoo always looks great and the animals don't seem to be disturbed or unhappy. Not that I would know that for sure from my end. But at least from what I can see, things look pretty good. And they do offer discounts and lowered rates based on age. Children under three are free. Holders of certain state benefit cards can enter for a rate of $8 on Sundays and can bring along up to three other people for the same rate upon showing their card and ID. And there's always the option to buy a yearly pass for an overall discounted rate when weighed against how often someone would be visiting the zoo. And I think that having a yearly pass also allows the cardholder to bring along one guest for free with them. Regular admission cost is about $25.00 for an adult. Not sure about pricing for ages other than what I mentioned. Lastly, beware the snacks and drinks for sale in the park. They're way overpriced as it seems they have that Disneyland mentality going on. Like you're in the park, you're not going to leave for food and come back (not even sure if re entry is allowed) so we can ramp up the prices as much as we want. I made the mistake of ordering the dipping for style ice cream, not realizing that's what I ordered because I wasn't paying enough attention to the menu. I'm sure it describe the ice cream, but I didn't see it. Anyway, I'll take responsibility for being distracted while ordering, but on top of it being so wrong as far as what someone would be looking for at an Arizona zoo after being In the hot sun for a while, it was $9 for I think what was a medium size. The small looked tiny and I was basing it on actual ice cream, not little balls of ice cream chemical weirdness. I couldn't barely eat a third of it before i accepted the wastefulness and tossed it. I would've been less annoyed had it been maybe $3 or $4. Or not at all disappointed had it been legit ice cream. I mean, no one ever said that ice cream was great but needed improvement as far as delivery style goes. And if those stupid little balls of ice cream oddness tasted good, none of it would matter. But it's not good, so it matters. In case that wasn't clear from my segue from zoo review to hardcore ice cream tester. Moving on Overall, it's a fun way to spend the day especially if you have children, but is still plenty entertaining for adults.

Far too expensive, especially since you also have to pay to get in to most of the exhibits.

Went to take my kids to the zoo lights event. Managed to find a spot in the parking lot closer to the gate rather than down the street the last year. We were there, paid $40 for the family admission , spent more $ on food, & managed to see what animals we could since it was pretty dark. No complaints about any of that as it was our choice to show up when we did, but as we viewed the light show the kids got tired and ready to go. We walked out, went through the gift shop and purchased a toy truck for $10, a animals book for $18, and some rock candy for $6. Walked out with no bag since the cashier didn t have any, and then got to the car. The kids fell asleep in the car while traveling back to the opposite side of town. We got home and just carried the kids inside to put them to bed. The next day we searched the car for the book, searched the house, the dumpster, everywhere we could ve possibly left it when we discovered we had to have left it on top of the car while strapping in the kids. Well the receipt just says you can t return anything that s been already opened, but nothing about what to do for lost items. I call the store who informed me that they dont do refunds and I can t get a new book but they gave me the lost and found /park ranger number. I had a little hope thinking that the rangers found it before someone else did, & of course I was informed that no book was returned. When I asked if there were cameras that could be seen that would show the far end of the parking lot entrance to the park, I was informed the only cameras they have show directly in front at the gate, so nothing in the parking lot is recorded. It really does suck that they don t have anything else they can do for people who genuinely lost something they JUST purchased. I could see if it was a week but it happened Saturday night 15 minutes before closing and I called back on Monday. As much $ that that zoo makes it wouldn t hurt to invest in better cameras that do review the parking lot; for safety and convenience reasons. There s nothing that I can do at this point because I doubt anybody that finds a brand new book on the floor will take it all the way to the front. But the attitude I got was the most disappointing. Clearly nobody cared. Maybe this happens all the time idk. But I now know not to purchase anything from there unless I have my own bag to keep track of what I bought .

This zoo always delivers. We use our annual pass consrantly!

Absolutely loved the Phoenix Zoo!

We were visiting from out of state and had a couple days to kill and decided to dedicate one of those days to the zoo and we are extremely glad we did!

We ve visited quite a few zoos, Portland, Seattle, San Diego etc. And the Phoenix Zoo is definitely a new fave! Great weather (at least when we visited) and spacious grounds. Tons of exhibits and things for the kids to do. We never felt crowded or unable to see an animal because of a huge group of people being in the way.

You can feed the Giraffes, ride a camel, get up close with penguins and more. All at a very fair price I should mention.

Overall a great place to spend the day with the family! Highly recommend!

A great place to spend the day with family and friends. Large open spaces and plenty of places to rest or play. The animals are out and about at different times throughout the day so plan accordingly. Bring water and screen and even a snack if you are making a day of it. There is a vegetarian salad available but not at each one of the snack stops. The snack shops closed early on our January visits.

It's to hot right now but the children love going every time it nice but a little on the smelly side lol

Zoolights are an amazing, beautiful delight, a pleasant walk with friends and family.

Great place to let your toddler run around and burn off some energy while you both soak in the wildlife. They have been updating the exhibits and tZoo Lights is fun every year.

Always nice to get a nice hike and see some cute animals...

Absolutely loved our visit. So many beautiful animals and fun interactive things to do. Food and drinks are a little pricey though. Other than that it was perfect.

It was a nice place to take my grandchildren to, they enjoyed it, we didn't get to see many animals bcos it was at night and it was mainly a light show that we went to see

Not just for kids... But fantastic for kids in adult bodies... Best 2year old adult fun day ever.. The food is chef inspired

Don t waste your money. Saw giraffes and rhino. That was it.

I love going to the Phoenix Zoo with my family we always go to check on our favorite animals ever chance we get

Great place for the family to enjoy the animals. The Christmas lights display in particular is very very impressive and worth seeing.

Great spot for a family outing, with plenty of events and attractions throughout the year to draw you in for repeat visits.

Lots of fun and not too packed when we got there in the morning.

If you're looking to go to the you looking to go to the Phoenix Zoo on a typical Saturday afternoon I believe that you and your family / friends will have it in a great time because there's lots of animals were here at noon not too busy and all I got a glass of water I'm set

Do it in the morning and do not take the "cruise" because you can not stop taking pictures. We pay for "nothing" because we have to walk again. few animals quite disappointed overall

We love the zoo! We brought our 2 boys regularly for their entire childhood for"Boo at the zoo" for Zoo lights "and all the exhibition we went almost EVERY Sunday for a visit where they would play around be entertain by the animals learn about them magical time !!...highly highly recommend it!! Love seeing all the animals ! Please support the zoo!

Great educational experience for the whole family.. Great food too!

Love going here with the kids. In summer best place to spend a day!!! The splash pads are awesome.

I love going the zoo and this place is where i would take my kids to enjoy thank you for a great time

The zoo is always a fun place for big people and lil people,

See how excited my children were when they saw different animals they did not know.

Great zoo. If you live in Arizona I strongly suggest a season pass. It is a great place to spend a day with the faimly. They are always improving everything they can.

Zoo lights are always fun on Christmas Eve but either get the when it opens. Big crowd

Good zoo. Great design business wise. But a few animals shouldn't be in there by their selves. Like the baboon or rhino. I feel they should be in pairs. It gives this vibe as if they're lonely and depressed. Then you start thinking about animal cruelty the whole walk around lol. But for the most part fun ! 8/10.

It's the zoo. If you like animals you'll like the zoo. During the winter the animals are pretty boring though.

Nice and clean! The Southwest Chicken Wrap was delicious!!!

How do they keep improving something that is already wonderful? Love the Phoenix Zoo! So many good memories!

Such a great zoo! There's lots to see and so much to learn about. For a small extra fee, you can feed the giraffes. They are expanding the elephant space so that all three elephants can be out together. There's this fascinating intermingling between indigenous animals and the zoo animals. I didnt have time to check out the bug exhibit, but the glances I got, looked really cool.

A lot of money!
Exhibits that were there, no animals.

My parents were in town and we decided to go to the zoo. With zero expectations we were all really impressed and had an awesome time. We spent about 4 hours there and still had more to see and do. I will definitely go back.

It was very enjoyable and a whole family can have a lot of fun.

Huge!! Only thing negative was the elephants were hiding indoors. Beautiful zoo though.

Wish it had a cohesive design and story like Desert Botanical Garden. Great place especially first thing in the morning.

I visited for Roars and Pours and overall had a great time, but I think the event could be improved upon. There weren't enough food and drink tents to accommodate the amount of people, so the lines were extremely long. It would be easy to spend your entire happy hour waiting in line for a drink/food. Also, a lot of the animals were not out in their exhibits. I love the concept, though, and hope that they can improve for future Roar and Pour events. I would love to try it again.

Big place. Clean bathrooms. Nice walking trails. Very relaxing views. Not crazy busy & crowded. Nice areas to sit in the shade & eat. Feeding the Sting rays & the Camel rides were worth the small amount of money.

The layout could use more signs for people who can't read the map or are negotiating a handicap person and can't stop to look at it constantly on a hill with a choice of directions.

There is so much for kids and adults to do. And if you receive food stamps and show your card you can get up to 4 people in for only $3! I couldn't believe the savings!? I couldn't have afforded to take my kids any other way. Especially it be right after Christmas.

The membership is the way to go 3 adults and up to 6 children for $269 a year. On top of that you can use it at a 150 other zoos around the country. It's a fun-filled day for the whole family, and to top it all off my Fitbit loved it!

Zoo lights were worth the time to see!! A must see for all ages!

$40 to get in and you still have to pay to see the drafts

Always enjoy visiting the zoo! I love learning about the animals. The staff is always very knowledgeable. Food and merchandise is overpriced but expected. Zoo Lights is great too, especially for kids.

The place was under construction when we went but still a fun place

I typically live the zoo. But many animals were under medical observation and the petting zoo was closed, which was a little disappointing. We did purchase an annual membership, so hoping to enjoy the full experience!

What an awesome zoo. Easy to take pics and get good views of the Animals.

We went for roars and pours which turned into zoo lights which was REALLY nice but I wish the monkeys weren't so confined! They look like they need way more space

I used to think the San Diego zoo was the best ever until yesterday, when I was able to go to the Phoenix zoo. This place has some happy animals, beautiful plants. Plenty of shade, multiple places to sit down and take a break, very clean, something for all ages. Great for families and the elderly. I m thinking about a membership. Very friendly.

We've had a membership at the zoo for many years and I have brought my children often. I like to take my time and linger in different areas, so it's not possible to see everything in a one day visit ~ that would be a rush. I also just pop in to relax on a weekday, when there are less people. Then, I can chill and watch a specific animal for a while. It's the perfect place to go alone or on a family outing. We've even had birthday parties there. Throughout the year, there a special events as well. Definitely one of my favorite places to keep going back to!

Took our kids, and grandkids tonight for the ALS drive through. We all had a great time!! Yes, this grandma has ALS.

Went for Zoo Lights a week after the New Year, to avoid the crowds. Had a very memorable time. I'd recommend going solo, as a couple, with friends, or as a family. Order tickets online, cheaper.

Expensive food and drink, but otherwise great experience

I LOVE LOOKING AT THE ANIMALS AND ENJOYING THE WONDERFULL EXPERIANCE!!!

Big exhibits and very walkable, was a little disappointed that so many animals were put up for the cold season - but that s what you get for going in early March. Good proximity to Papago Park and makes for a nice full day activity.

Went for ZooLights, plenty of room in the overflow lot which is a pretty short walk from the entrance. There were a couple of animals awake at night but probably don't go for that. There was a really cool variety of animals made out of lights and a light show synced up to music. Buying a ticket online saved $1 each ticket.

I love the Phoenix Zoo. It's fun for both kids and adults. We have a membership and love going here on the weekends for picnics.

It's so fun. The animals are amazing. It gets packed so get there early for parking. I like the indoor food place. That helps with it being so hot. And the have a water place for the kids to play in.

It was a wonderful experience at the Phoenix zoo. The 4-D theater was interesting as well.

Great place to take kids. Tons of animals and beautiful plants, trees, and shrubs. Rose garden there is really beautiful, too.