This is a small but enjoyable zoo. If you'd like to take a few hours to walk around and see a nice variety of wildlife, I recommend this zoo. Most of the zoo is easily walkable, pretty flat. There are also many benches scattered about for rest. Thus, it's very friendly to people of all ages and abilities.  A section leading to the elephant and bears has some hills and requires effort to walk, so if you'd like to avoid that, just skip those animals. The zoo has many peacocks that roam the grounds. You will have many opportunities to see them on buildings, fences or simply reading or walking, frequently with their feathers in full display. The train is best for children, as it simply goes in a circle around some water--it's not a tour of the zoo. read more

See all

A nice "little" Zoo, overall. There was a pretty nice variety of animals and their habitats were mostly clean. Feeding the giraffes is a must-do! There were some animals that I haven't seen in other zoos, such as mountain lions and black bears. We went on a Tuesday afternoon in September, so we had the place almost to ourselves. read more

See all

Zoo is great. Food options are mediocre and not very healthy. Giraffe feeding was super cool. read more

See all

We are zoo people so we were happy when visiting friends that this zoo was close by. It looks very small from the outside, but there is a great variety of animals. The paths wander through the zoo, and signage is great. We were able to buy some lettuce to feed the giraffes which was very fun. You could also buy food to feed the goats at the petting zoo. The animals seemed very content, although many of the exhibits seemed rather small, and not all that clean. I was very impressed with how many varieties of animals they had for where this is located. Great little zoo that I am very happy I got to enjoy with friends. read more

See all

This is the cutest zoo! It's on the smaller side and perfect for when you want the charm and excitement of a zoo when you don't have a lot of time or when it's super hot! Price was SUPER reasonable and we really enjoyed our time! read more

I am not usually a zoo fan as I am "zooed "out. Growing up having family in San Diego means LOTS of zoo trips. This zoo is actually SO much better in my opinion. These enclosures appear to be more conducive to seeing and appreciating the animals. We went with our neighbor after work and we were so impressed. The animals seem to be well cared for and after 5 they are active ! We fed the goats and the giraffes and we watched the elephants stomp fruit. We had popcorn and soda and the weather was absolutely beautiful. They had a flow up maze set up and the kids were loving the zoo. We also rode the train and had such an amazing experience. read more

Ample parking as it is next to the fairgrounds. Easy to find. Be ware there are hundreds of peacocks roaming free and they are LOUD. One greeted us as soon as we walked to the entrance. Military discount is nice but please ask for it. A map is given which is pretty accurate. Pricing is reasonable. Staff is friendly and were wearing masks. We went on one of the hottest days of the year so most animals were not out. We enjoyed the exhibits and how clean the zoo was kept for the animals. The animals all seemed to have adequate shelter, food, water, etc. we even watched a caretaker remove two venomous snakes from their enclosure. Neat! The diner had typical diner food but the workers took pride in their food as it was not hastily put together like mcd's. Would recommend a stop and to bring water. Enjoy! read more

While we have a pretty awesome zoo here in Houston, it's always fun to visit other cities' zoos and see what they have to offer. This zoo definitely didn't disappoint! While it was a little chilly when we visited (we're from Texas, so 37 degrees is cold, okay?), the animals were totally used to it and out and about in their confinements. Our favorite animals we spotted were the giraffes, kangaroos, and lions. It was also really neat to see how the peacocks were just everywhere! They were wandering all over the place - but steering clear of the tiger cage of course. This is a great place to visit if you have little ones or are an animal lover yourself. read more

See all

I love our little zoo here in town. It is a small regional zoological facility that has a good variety of exhibits and animals. For me, it's a great place to drop in and talk a walk with interesting sights and things to do. Like most zoos, they are extremely kid-friendly and offer many educational opportunities for kids up until their teens. They also do birthday parties with animals and their keepers for kids 3-10. The prices are reasonable. The $79 pass got me admission for me and a guest for a whole year and included 2 free admissions and $2 off of paid guest tickets. Plus 10% off on food. read more

Dickerson Park Zoo - South/Central American King Vulture. - Zoos Near Me - Springfield, Missouri

Great little zoo for the smaller area. Sad the hippo is gone, but the giraffe encounter is always fun! read more

Dickerson Park Zoo - Giraffe area - Zoos Near Me - Springfield, Missouri

Such a fun place for adults and kiddos alike! Prices are $15 for adults $10 for kids 3 and up or you can purchase a 12 month pass for $104 and go as many times as you want which we totally did! I didnt expect it to be so big and to have so many animals to see, ive been to my fair of zoos but was surprised by many different species that I havent seen before. Super cool, definitely recommend! Also if you have little ones I would also say to get a stroller or rent one they have because its a long walk and they get tired after a while. read more

See all

Loved this zoo. Nice spread out but not too much walking! Great staff and lots to do and see.

Are there certain times that the train is running? My grandson was looking forward to riding the train when we were there yesterday but it wasn't open. read more

Fun for the family. It's actually almost as fun to listen to the customers who know more than the staff lol. Visited here off and on for years and now my kids can enjoy it. The staff is very friendly and informative. read more

Dickerson Park Zoo - Dickerson Park Zoo is a great place, peaceful - Zoos Near Me - Springfield, Missouri

This is one of the prettier zoos we have visited. Staff is friendly, and the animal exhibits were very nice. Checking out the cheetahs with the quarter-operated telescope was pretty cool. Mountain lion was awesome. River otters swam right up to the glass. My kids loved feeding the animals! We spent about 2.5 hours here, but we could have stayed longer! We missed the train ride, but that's ok. We rented a stroller, got a pressed penny, and found some souvenirs. Great day! read more

See all

This is an okay zoo, not as big as you'd expect for a city of our size. Lots of the exhibits are fairly small, and the animals seem to hide a lot. I'd say it's more of an exercise trail with a chance to spot an animal that an actual "zoo experience." There are some cool things to see here when you can see them, a bit pricey so if you plan on going more than 3 times a year it's actually cheaper to get a season pass. I do wish they'd bring back Spooktacular though! read more

Dickerson Park Zoo - Zoos Near Me - Springfield, Missouri

I loved this zoo! The reptile house was AMAZING! The ostriches looked lonely though :( would love to see another animal in there!

Springfield's Dickerson Park Zoo is a great zoo for a small town area. I'm giving it a 4.5 bumped up to 5 stars because of the general fun factor and the fact that my 2 lil nephews love it! (And because it blows the last zoo I visited away... the SF zoo... bluck.) Our zoo has changed a lot since it was first founded in the 1930's. After many years of no funding or improvements, it's now home to 450 animals representing 160 species, a lot of whom have nice, spacious habitats to live in. I especially love that it works so much with the children (even does videoconferencing for schools). The zoo offers educational classes (like Z.E.B.R.A.) and has stop points along the zoo paths that provide interactive education for kids in between animal exhibits. They're even clever about their education tools. My nephews favorite feature of the zoo is secretely an educational stop, too. They love getting the 'special key necklace' that unlocks the 'dance box'. This is simply a box that sings about the animal if you put the key in right side up and offers spoken information about the animal if you turn it over. Such a hit with the lil ones! Dickerson also features geographic themes and species survival plans, 'most notably Asian elephants, maned wolves and cheetahs', that help us understand the importance of preserving our wild life. In addition to all the great monkeys, lions, kangaroos, giraffes and so on, the zoo has a train for lil ones to ride, a great park just beside it's parking lot, and several playgrounds and water play areas inside the zoo itself. As you can tell, I'm a big fan of this zoo. With an admission price of only $8 for adults and $5 for children, I think it's a great deal and a perfect way to spend a day with a kid (or maybe even a date). I do recommend you go during the least hot time of the day. The animals will be more active then. And take a bottle of water and some snacks with you. They have food stations there but, you might not be close to one when you're lil one is thirsty or hungry! See ya there! read more

Good price.. Nice place.. Very clean and good walking path. A lot of animals were asleep. :( but got great pics of others. read more

Dickerson Park Zoo - Zoos Near Me - Springfield, Missouri

Ever since I came to Springfield, Mo, for college, I always enjoyed going. The Dickerson Park Zoo has really grown. My oldest is now 20 years old, and I remember great times we had strolling around to look at all the small and large creatures; what fun! Now it's time to visit the zoo again. read more

Was amazing when I went as a child with my family. Even more amazing now that I get to enjoy with my children and see the joy the animals bring to there faces. Honestly one of the best attractions in the erea read more

Visiting family from out of town and decided to check out the zoo. We really enjoyed it! We started right when they opened on a week day and it was chilly out so it was almost like we had the place to ourselves (there were others there but we started way before them). A lot of the animals seemed like they really enjoyed the attention. My ONLY complaint is that they have sooo many peacocks that are free roaming, which is great but they left human sized poos EVERYWHERE! We had to constantly watch where we were walking and there was even several piles of poop on the railings where people lean to look out. Seems like they need to hire someone just to clean up after them. read more

Our family loves going to this zoo. We bought a "friends of the zoo" membership so we can go anytime we want. That alone has payed for itself over and over again. It does cost a little extra if you want to feed the giraffes or ride the train but still makes a day of fun with the family extremely inexpensive. The staff is always friendly and they do a great job keeping the zoo clean. My wife and I went there before the kids and enjoy it even more now that we have two little ones that love the place. I highly recommend this zoo. read more

Quality not quantity is the hallmark of the Dickerson Park Zoo. It's not anywhere near the size of the KC or St. Louis Zoos, but this is a friendlier, more enjoyable place to take the kids to spend an afternoon exploring. They have worked to keep admission prices affordable, and dollar for dollar this is one of Springfield's best entertainment values, especially for the kids. You can't go wrong by coming here. It's worth taking the time to do so. read more

Nice place to take your young family or even elderly parents. Had a great time. Will go back.

The zoo is just the right size. You can spend two or three hours and see everything without walking twenty mins between exhibits like other zoos. It has a playground and lunch area outside the park and a restaurant ($8 burger) inside the park by the playground. $10 adult admission. read more

Dickerson Park Zoo - Variety of animals - Zoos Near Me - Springfield, Missouri

See all

Nice well kept zoo and perfect for young Children. A couple of things to consider if you plan to go: 1. Bring sunscreen because you are kinda in the sun a lot 2. it's a lot of walking 3. you can get season tickets if you plan to go a lot. 4. I think it's more expensive than when I went with my cousin's kids but the train is a nice thing to do with kids. read more

Not a very good zoo at all to be completely honest. Hardly any animals and animals look like they are not properly taken care of. Extremely cheap prices. Just go to St. Louis Zoo! read more

They keep the park really clean, the animals always seem happy and always have fresh water but also they make their enclosures as realistic as possible read more

This zoo is one of my favorites that i have been too. I have been to several which are much larger, but this one is still and always will be a favorite for me. The animals seem very well taken care of and the staff is wonderful. read more

It was good. Most of the animals weren't moving much because it was hot. We ate there and for the price of the food it was horrible. It was all overdone. But enjoyed seeing the animals. A few of them looked kinda skinny though. read more

Good zoo... could be better but for Springfield it's good!! We buy season passes every year cause it's a WAY better deal!

The zoo is very small but was enjoyable for my daughter and myself. Most of the animals were sleeping but that is natural. The food was pretty good but the gift shop was very limited. Overall great time with my daughter read more

Dickerson Park Zoo - Mountain lion - Zoos Near Me - Springfield, Missouri

See all

Love our local zoo. I have had a zoo membership for the last couple of years and we love it. We also take full advantage of the half price at the Zoos in other states with our membership. read more

This is a great small city zoo. Affordable, very clean, and beautifully landscaped. Lots of animals to see, and most are well within view of getting some great pictures, yet the animals still have lots of room to roam. read more

It was much cheaper than i thought it would be for the tickets to get in. The facility is clean and well kept. The animals look like they are treated well. I walked about four miles around the entire zoo. It was a very hot day when i went but it was still enjoyable. I would love to go back sometime. The best part was getting to feed giraffes. read more

This Zoo is nice and the staff is friendly. However, the zoo its self is small and most of the animals were asleep. If you want to spend two hours just walking around then this Zoo is the place for you. read more

This is a great small zoo. A lot of animals and all well kept. There's something for everyone. Just the train ride is pretty lame for $10 per person. read more

The zoo is clearly well-maintained by a staff that genuinely cares about the animals under their supervision, but in terms of variety, the number of diverse species is fairly limited. Certainly, the high points are covered: lions, tigers, bears (oh my!). But some of the less obvious choices that you see in others zoos are conspicuously absent here. That said, the low price of admission makes this an afternoon everyone in town should experience at least once. read more

Great little zoo for a very reasonable price. Animals seemed happy and lots of shade. Wear your walking shoes! Worth the drive from Branson! read more