The Santa Barbara Zoo Review

Very nice zoo, have some great animals. It is located in the center of Santa Barbara and the views are awesome. Lots to do and a great way to spend time with the kids.

Good place to spend with the family outside the routine of work and learning with the children

LOVE this zoo!!! Would not mind driving 2.5 hours to visit!!

Amazing trip. Family fun, not too far away. For me it s a short jaunt north. I can make it easily on my days off. My daughter loves it

Very pleasant experience and not crowded at all. The only reason it gets 4 stars is because it it's missing some general animals youd go to the zoo for such as tigers.

Lot or exhibits were closed. The Koala bears were not visible unt 4:15pm...disappointed

Beautiful zoo. Not the largest but still a great facility. Plus, they serve beer so you can enjoy a drink while the kids check out the animals and play area

Amazing for kids, very well maintained. Food and drink prices are inflated, but that's normal for zoos.

Enjoyed the Zoo with my family! Small zoo but really enjoy the atmosphere and the walk

Loved it. Has gotten a lot smaller and a lot of activities are closed unfortunately because of Covid but it was still fun and I did feel safe. There was a line to see the lions which was nice that it wasn't so cramped up.
Feeding the giraffes was fun as well.

Too small, but have outdoor playground, kids like it.

As of right now there are quite a few exhibitions that are closed. To ride the train you must buy tickets online in advance. It's still a fun way to spend the day.

Great place for a good price. The train ride was my kids favorite part.

This is a great little zoo. If you have little kids that like animals and you live in the area, you should totally get a membership. The zoo is small and accessible enough that you can spend a satisfying hour, or you can see the whole thing in 2 hours.

Loved feeding the giraffe s. Small but nice zoo. Free parking for handicapped.

Very underrated zoo. Has an inmate feel to it. Super clean

Great place overall, wanted to feed a giraffe but didn't have the option when I went.

Great little Zoo. We love visiting small local zoos and this doesn't disappoint. Easy to spend a full day here and see everything and still get to spend quality time with each of the animals.

Was a VERY busy day but all the employees were cheerful and helpful. It was fun.

Love coming here. If you don't live too far away, the annual membership is a no-brainer especially for families with young children.

Fun. Interesting animals. A bit pricy.
Great overall

I love our Zoo because it's such a personable and small and family-oriented space. It does not have a large collection of animals but the animals are much better taking care of compare to other much larger zoos, it appears that way at least. It's a great place to take your family to spend spend 3 hours together!!

Feed the Goats early in your day. Then Train ride. The Best!!

Had a really fun time. You can tell the staff were truly caring of the animals, and made sure they were comfortable.

Great zoo. Walkable, good animals. I miss the giraffe with the crooked neck RIP.

Nice place to take your children enjoy the day viewing animals. a money saver is to pack your own lunch and goodies if you're on a budget. Prices are on the steep side for just about everything.

Went with my husband on a Wednesday afternoon. We hadn't been there before. We were incredibly impressed. We are used to the L.A. Zoo. This was way more personal and intimate. All of the animals were out and active and with minimal view obstruction. We had one-on-one interaction with zoo keepers who were very excited about their work. We had a great time.

I've been here quite a few times now, but this last time was the best. We decided to go out here on a somewhat rainy day and it was the best. No one likes to be out in the rain, but if you can muster up the courage, then I highly recommend going out here on a rainy day. Why? Because it's less busy, which gives you closer encounters with the animals.

Loved it. I wish they had more animals but it's a great zoo. Clean restrooms, friendly staff, lots of animals...it's a good zoo.

This Zoo is great for the little ones. The exhibits are close to each other and pretty much one right after the other but in groups. The Zoo animals have an ocean view on top of a mountain. There is shade and grass for a picnic lunch. One thing that I was surprised about was the no lid or straw policy. Had a great time.

Beautiful medium sized zoo with a fairly large assortment of animals in a beautiful location on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean just a few hundred yards away.

First time here love it but smaller then expected but kids loved it so will be coming back more in the future

Extremely small, and kinda expensive more of a place for children not adults

It's small as far as zoos go but it's really nice. Very clean and lots of areas for kids to run and play.

Always a great time at the zoo! Happy animals, great zoo keepers, and a beautiful environment.

Very nice place to go either with kids or without kids. I went without kids this time, and enjoyed looking at the animals, the views and scenery, and sat down to have a nice beer with my lunch. Made for a very nice relaxing day. Take the shuttle from the wharf. it's only $0.50!

Great relaxing educational zoo! Enjoyed the gorilla habitat the most. Will return

It is just good for a picnic day out. Not many animals and it is not built to expose animals. Could be fun for kids

Love the animals and staff, a stunning and beautiful zoo!!

overrated, and small cages, okay for a visit but not more

Very cool place to go. Took my sister, nice and mom there we all had a great time. The gibbon was active while we were there. Facilities were stocked and well maintained. Feeding the giraffe was was awesome experience for my niece. The little train ride was cool too.

Nice Zoo with many animals to see. Shelters were bigger than in other Zoo's I've been, and the animal service crew seemed to care good for the animals. Entrance fee could've been a bit lower though. Kind service crew at the entrance but the service at the beverage/food-points seemed a bit 'annoyed'.

The Zoo even had a parking lot for our RV/allowed us to park in the bus parking lot, big thanks for that.

Attended a wedding here. Not a large park, but plenty walkable, lots of hills.

Fun zoo to visit. Can see every animal in under 2 hours. Plus Santa Barbara weather is a plus.

Great family zoo! Geared for kids of all ages. Nice size, good variety of animals, and reptiles . Great weather with a nice ocean breeze.

Very small zoo, but I generally like those more! Less people to block your view, and the bonus opportunities like animal feedings are cheaper. This zoo had some animals that not all zoos have, like Koalas and they were awake when we visited! I would definitely recommend this zoo to anyone visiting Santa Barbara.

Only $20 admission for a big park like zoo, good idea to bring your own lunch. Good enough animal viewing for my 2yr old, but not all animals were out (we missed the elephants and leopards). Right across street from beach so nice and cooler temps on a hot 95+ day

It was a great time. Fun family place to hang out at. Bring your own water in and little snacks. You can pay for parking and re entree is free. Just get your hand stamped on the way out to your vehicle. It's a must see place. Thank you Santa Barbara Zoo employees for a wonderful kept place for it's to visit.

Seen all kinds of amanials. Dinosaur show for the kids. Amanial feedings

Used to come here all the time as a kid. Prices have increased quite a bit, but it s still a fun, relaxing family friendly place.

Bird cage was pretty awesome, and the giraffe feeding was pretty cool.

Love the Zoo... Its staff... clean bathrooms..most of all beautiful area for animals..food service
Is great.! Special overnighters for Girl Scouts too! This is a special place yo unwind..

fun place to be with kids.its not very big but kids will enjoy its playzone area..

I remember going to this beautiful zoo when I was a small child. Now I am bringing my little ones. I was impressed with the cleanliness, beauty, food, location and ant hill. My son loves the train ride too. The weather and beach location are much better than other zoo's.

It's a nice, little zoo with a good selection. Nothing fancy, but nice.