Great zoo! So glad I got to experience it during my short weekend trip to Ft. Wayne. Didn't expect much upon entrance in the neighborhood; you wouldn't expect an awesome zoo from where I turned down a residential road. If kind of looks like a boring park from the outside, besides the giant ZOO sign. Parking is easy and ample; no issues and no parking fee or gate! Bonus. Plenty of gate space and easy entrance and it was during their lantern festival so it was even more visually appealing. We won't about 4 hours or so, exploring every nook and cranny of this place! The set up is great and it's by "location" of the world mostly with unique animals and a great collection to ponder. From jungles and the Amazon to plains and safari, it's an awesome varied spectacle of species. Now they don't have any bulk animals- elephants or rhino types. What they do have is basically every big cat besides a mountain lion and snow leopard. But they have a serval and a clouded leopard and an entire roaming paddock of giraffes that you can feed. There's even a ropes course for kids and a train. However their canal boat ride was closed! They also have one of the only Tasmanian devils in the world- 1 of 7 zoos to do so. They had the last remaining North American devil back in 2014 but now have a pair of females that weee cool to watch. I will say pack your food. The food is severely lacking for hot options. Pizza is terrible and the pretzel is also lackluster. A lot of service counters were closed and had no workers. Found one single spot to get a beer in the Australian outback section but it was a long wait. Oh yeah they also have a sting ray petting pond and an aquarium on site. Truly awesome variety of animals. Another note; skip the treetop ski ride. It sucks. Terrible views and not worth buying tickets for. read more

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Went for the GloWild event and was blown away! It was beautiful and well put together. This was my first experience at the Fort Wayne Zoo and will definitely be back! read more

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This is a excellent zoo. My family of littles loved their most recent visit. There was plenty to see and experience. The zoo is nicely appointed with directions to let you know where you are and where you might want to travel. It was an awesome way to spend an afternoon. Side-note: I've never eaten at the zoo- today I did! My littles wanted to have lunches, which I was opposed to, but I relented. Best decision I made was stopping for lunch there. The chicken sandwich was amazing. One of the best o have had in the city. I'm a little shocked. They make their own special BBQ sauce. read more

Fort Wayne Zoo - Chicken Sandwich at the Zoo! - Zoos Near Me - Fort Wayne, Indiana

Absolutely loved our visit to the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo! You can tell the staff really goes above and beyond -- from educational talks to keeping the grounds spotless. Every exhibit feels thoughtful and immersive, especially the Australian Outback and the African Journey. It's the perfect size for kids, but still exciting for adults. A must-visit if you're in the area! read more

Wow, I was recently in visiting from out of town, and this zoo came highly recommended from YELP CM Nikki from Indy. This past weekend, happened to be one of the weekends for Wild Zoo Halloween, and it was fun to experience all the children in costume, as I strolled around the zoo. The zoo overall is an affordable experience for families, adults, older people, basically everyone that appreciates animals. Parking is free, and plenty of it....what better way for someone out of town to spend a few hours. The zoo is welcoming, easy to navigate, employees were helpful. A tip, that appeared on the zoo map which was beneficial: after the Capuchin monkeys just go right and your on your way to amazing adventure. The zoo is divided into five sections: Central Zoo, Australian Adventure, African Journey, Asian Track, and the Reef Aquarium. Notable things that stood out for me: were the habitat for the giraffes, and the giraffes exhibit, the red panda, the string rays. Two keys factors that drew my attention to the exhibit were the zoo keepers educating all on lookers about each of the animals, the ability to for a small fee feed giraffes, or pet a string ray, if they let you . Sadly, they kept swimming by my fingers, most have know I was an adult, lol. This has to be one of the best zoo's I've visited for a medium size zoo. The extra added bonus that I never anticipated seeing in a zoo was zoo rides, and zoo experiences. The rides include: Sky Safari, Railroad Train, Crocodile Creek Adventure, Carousel and the experiences were: Gem Mining, and Forest Adventure Play... This should be a stop to experience once if your into something different, love animals, zoos and what they have to offer. Snuck a peek at their new exhibit, next year sometime: Coastal Cove: which will feature Harbor Seal, and California Sea Lion....wishing that too be a successful exhibit. read more

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This is such a nice little so. I like going there still with my adult children when I come to visit. It has a nice array of exhibits and I like that they changes the animals are more protected from visitors feeding them food they aren't supposed to have. It's a good walk around the zoo. There are of course the rude people who cut in line, hit you with their strollers, kids shoving you but what do you expect. The gift shop is cute. You can eat there and there are drink stations and restrooms around too. read more

I've long wanted to check out the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo, however, I don't really frequent Fort Wayne and every time I find myself in the area my timing seems to be off. Fortunately, I finally made it happen. The Fort Wayne Children's Zoo has early roots from 1952 when Fort Wayne's Franke Park had 54 acres added to it in order to establish a nature preserve with animal displays - 4 monkeys, a black bear, three wildcats, mountain goats, raccoons, foxes, porcupines, pheasants, ducks, swans, and an American eagle. In 1962, the success of the nature preserve led to visioning for an actual children's zoo. It opened on July 3, 1965 with 5.5 acres and 18 exhibits. By 1971, the zoo had over a quarter of a million annual visitors and a new exhibit, African Veldt, opened in 1976 and became one of the first zoo exhibits in the nation to have mixed species on an open pasture - this is common practice now. Over the years, it has continued to grow. The zoo continues to be specifically designed with children in mind and now has over 40 developed acres. The zoo is open April 27-November 3rd. General admission for adults (13+) is $22, $20 for children ages 2-12, and free for under 2. Membership includes free admission. If you buy your tickets online, you can typically save. Parking is free. The zoo has some additional rides and experiences that are an added cost - Sky Safari ($4), Z.O.& O Railroad ($4), Crocodile Creek Adventure Ride ($4), Ride Endangered Species Carousel ($4), or a 10-ride Ride Pass for $25. There's also a ride wristband for $10. There's also goat feeding, chicken feeding, giraffe feeding, stingray feeding, and sitatunga feeding (new). Again, while it seems like there's lots of extra expenses it's worth noting that the zoo often offers ways to save. Check the website for info. I had high hopes for accessibility. Generally, kid-oriented spots tend to be more accessible and for the most part that's true here. There are parking options available. If you have doubts, contact guest services and they do offer reasonable accommodation. Wheelchairs, strollers, and wagons are available on a first-come, first-served basis at the main entrance for rental (single stroller, $10; double stroller, $15; wagon, $15; Wheelchair free (ID required and held while chair is in use - 350 lb. capacity). They also have ECV Scooters for $25 (weight capacity of 330 lbs. - photo ID required and age 18+). The zoo is also a certified sensory inclusive facility and is registered with KultureCity. It offers quiet places, sensory bags, and headphones. Staff receive specific training to help guests with sensory needs. I'll also note they print maps of the zoo in English and Spanish. I was honestly pleasantly surprised by how many animals the zoo had. I expected it to be a lot smaller than it was, however, it's pretty impressive. Favorites for me include - banded mongoose, blacktip reef shark, several different types of monkeys, several turtles, and a woma python among others. It's a nice mixture of the familiar and unfamiliar. The zoo cites as its mission "connecting kids and animals, strengthening families, and inspiring people to care." The zoo is operated by the Fort Wayne Zoological Society under a cooperative agreement with the Fort Wayne Parks Dept. It is fully accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. I found the grounds for the most part wheelchair friendly, the employees friendly, and even volunteers well-informed. While I required very little in the way of accommodation, I didn't really have difficulty getting around and enjoyed my time. If you've ever been to Fort Wayne, it's actually Indiana's second largest city and is definitely worth a weekend getaway. I'd say the zoo is worth a visit even if you don't have kids, however, it's even cooler if you do. read more

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Best children's zoo I've ever been to, and that's saying a lot, considering we go to a zoo nearly everywhere we travel. It just happens to be in my hometown and I love that. read more

Fort Wayne Zoo - Zoo photo - Zoos Near Me - Fort Wayne, Indiana

I love seeing the animals and my favorite zoo animals is cheetah and lions they are fears to conquer their nature read more

Fort Wayne Zoo - Cheetah - Zoos Near Me - Fort Wayne, Indiana

The zoo is a fun activity for 2-3 hours. It's well maintained, and the staff are friendly. I'm fine with not having a whole lot of rides, and I'd want to have more zoo animals instead. It is lacking on good food options. Some of the playground options for the kids seem fun, but the ground it's placed on looks like it'll hurt if they fall down. The only animals I wish they had are pandas and polar bears. I know that's a big ask, so I don't knock them for that. If you want to see all the animals, make sure you come out on a warm day. We were there and it was cloudy and low 60s, and maybe like 10 exhibits had animals inside for warmth. The gift shop could use some more things. They have an abundance of stuffed animals, but they need more clothing, keychains, and other fun things adults can buy. Otherwise, everything else is pretty good. The animals are fun to look at. Oh, and watch out for monkeys trying to pee on you through the gates. Have fun! read more

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Upon reaching the ticket counter, I presented my Cincinnati Zoo membership since this is a reciprocal zoo. I was greeted with a very rudely toned "the tickets are already discounted" like I was trying to not pay or something. I'm not a cheapskate but I do pay for my membership and that is a perk when you're out of town. This was immediately turned around when we were greeted at the Capuchin monkey island where a keeper was there and told us all about Wilson the capuchin chin, he was so cute. That being said I hadn't been to this zoo in almost 30 years and it was a very nice surprise to see the log flume ride, brought back memories of my son being young. The exhibits are wonderful and although it was cold today, a lot of the animals were out and moving. For photos, there are a lot of glass viewing areas and open air instead of wire cages. Not a lot of food was open even though it was Saturday. Also there were no maps in sight. read more

Went Friday 4/18 and it was pretty disappointing! I will preface it by saying I wasnt expecting too much being that it's only $15 to get in, but wow it was pathetic. The ONLY animals on display were 3 types of monkeys, the red panda, mongoose, turtles, stingrays, and farm animals. Almost every single display has a sign saying due to cold weather, animals are off display. It was 80 degrees that day, and average of 70 all week. Essentially we paid to take a long hike and look at all the fake cloth animals they had in every display. Maybe they should tell you they don't have animals out before scamming you into buying. Kinda scary people rate this place so high. Get out and actually go to a real zoo and you'll see. read more

This is an extremely affordable zoo for adults ($12) and anyone 2+ was $10 which seemed higher for kiddos. Although in my opinion it was worth it. There was a bunch of stuff closed off like the African safari, a number of other exhibits. Additionally the gift shop was very highly priced for things. The dome animals were by far my favorite. They had lots of cool birds and a zoo keeper talking w us. The sting ray zone was fun, pretty lighting and able to pet the critters. There were peacocks everywhere. The carousel was free, super fun and located near food to help with occupying hungry children while they wait. The fries were great -- super tasty and just crisp enough. The pretzel was okay (: read more

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Now this is how a zoo should be! Inviting, interactive, and fun! We honestly had a blast here. The Zoo is in the same area as a park so parking was free! Walking up to the zoo entrance, everything was so colorful and made you want to go inside! We purchased tickets online thinking we could skip waiting in line but there isn't a designated line for online tickets so we had to stand in line anyway luckily it wasn't that long! Once inside, it was magical. My kiddos loved every minute of it! Every exhibit has so much detail put into it! You can tell everything was put together with little people in mind! One our favorite areas was the Kangaroo exhibit! It was cool to be able to walk so close to them and see them roaming doing their own thing! We also enjoyed the free roaming peacocks, the African Area, and the White Pelican exhibit! They are huge! There are concessions throughout the zoo! We grabbed pretzels and slushies which were good and not priced too high! There are also a ton of photo ops around the park! Overall, we had such a great day here and are already looking forward to coming back! read more

Fort Wayne Zoo - Zoos Near Me - Fort Wayne, Indiana

I'm not sure exactly what makes this a "children's zoo" as opposed to just a zoo. They have some unusual animals here, but it's not that big. I guess there's a posting so area, but many zoos have that. read more

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The zoo is an awesome place to visit! when I was at the zoo there was a volunteer if I remember right her name was Lylla. She was very kind to my family, and she knew so many facts about the goats and giraffes. I would definitely recommend going to this zoo if you want to see great animals and workers. read more

This is one of the best small to mid-size zoos that I've ever visited; and I've been to many of them. With the name, I expected a small petting zoo and figured just over an hour. Well... I spent two hours and had to rush at the end. They have 4 distinct sections. 1.) The central area when you come in that has sea lions, penguins, and a farm where you can pet and feed goats. 2.) An African section that feels remote enough that you don't feel you're in Indiana that has a small play area and giraffe feeding. 3.) An Indonesian section with a carousel. 4.) An Australian section where you can touch stingrays. Much of it is shaded by trees; and gives a feeling of immersion. With small children, could spend 3 hours here! read more

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I have mixed feelings about the zoo. I grew up going to this zoo, many times every summer. My mom made sure to have a family pass all during my siblings' and my childhoods. Over the years many changes have been made, some good, some not so good. More and more, I've noticed the Not So Good changes. Less animals, more focus on food, less attractive gardens, and I can't even look at the lake in the center of the zoo. So much algae and muck. I no longer wish to visit the zoo, which makes me sad. Hopefully things will improve. For now, I'm not enthusiastic. read more

It's a good children's zoo we have been many times. I enjoyed feeding the sting rays and looking at all the animals. When we went the sea lion exhibit was closed which was disappointing. The rides are fun it's worth buying a ride pass for $25 or unlimited ride band for $10 a person. I feel like they raised the prices since last time. A child ticket is $20 and an adult ticket is $22. I feel that a children's ticket should be max $15. It was a little bit of a sticker shock. I recommend bringing your own food as it is quite expensive. $10 for a hot dog and fries with no drink. Overall good zoo not too many bigger animals but my kids still enjoyed it. read more

Good zoo for everyone of all ages take the whole family!Will take about 2 hours!Free wheelchairs have for strollers 1 or 2 options!

Besides all the wonderful animal exhibits, there are lots of fun activities for kids. The log ride on Crocodile Creek, Wild animal carousel, Sky Safari, and sting ray encounter, to name a few. read more

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If you have children and you're anywhere near Fort Wayne, you need to visit the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo. Just do your whole family a favor and go here right meow. Do it! You can really tell that this zoo was designed with children in mind. Everything from the exhibits offered to the placement of objects so that they're accessible to children, this zoo has kept children in the forefront. For instance (and this is just one example out of a thousand), in the sting ray exhibit, there are sinks located at the exit and all the sinks and soap and paper towels are at kid-level, because you know that kids love to do things themselves. Another example: There is a little trickling creek just outside of the Australian exhibit, with wooden blocks that kids can use to make small dams or just play with. It's a simple thing, but my kids immediately gravitated to it because they needed a little unstructured play time. It's nice that the zoo recognizes that kids love to play and need hands-on activities like this! One of our favorite places of the zoo was the Indonesian area, which was built to look like we were in the trees. We traveled across bridges, saw waterfalls and animals that live in a tropical climate. The Indonesian area is also where the carousel is located, as well as an indoor nature center with fossils and such. The food is OK and typical of zoo food, but what I was REALLY excited about was that they sell pineapple Dole whips here! Yes! If you don't know what that is, it's pineapple custard with a little pineapple juice on the bottom of the cup. A highlight of our visit was riding on the log ride. It goes super slow and doesn't get you wet, so it's good for all ages. It just takes you around the Australian area, and it was a nice way to get off our feet and yet see some of the zoo. read more

We used to live in Fort Wayne for over 20 years, and raised all of our kids there, so this Memorial Day weekend we decided to take a 'retro' trip back to the Children's Zoo. It's been over six years since we've visited the zoo, and they've made several expansions and improvements, the most notable being the Australian area. It has been completely re-engineered with all new attractions. This was needed, because the Australian exhibit was notoriously dated and was becoming run-down. They've really made great improvements to all the major areas of the zoo. However, and this is a big however, there is one thing that definitely hasn't changed, like an old souvenir from the past: The long lines at the entrance. I realize I was there on a busy day, but from what I hear, these lines can be found on any weekend day. Personally, I would have much rather sacrificed one major renovation inside the zoo, just to be able to get into the place within 30 minutes. And, for most of that long wait, you're standing directly in the sun. So, I challenge the zoo foundation to take a look at that. It makes no sense to build a beautiful place like this, only to keep alive the one thing that gets on your patrons' nerves the most. Baking in the sun for 30 minutes and becoming a sweaty mess before even setting foot in the zoo seems unnecessary. Put up some of those sun-blocking shades like they have at the big amusement parks. read more

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Absolutely love this place.so many animals I loved that u could feed the giraffes my family enjoyed the log ride on crocodile creek, sky safari, and the sting ray encounter got soooooo many cute pics of my kids its probably the nicest zoo I've been to so much better than the Potawatomi zoo but that's another review l have positively have nothing bad to say about this zoo its kid friendly so big especially for Indiana read more

This was such a fun experience with our grandchildren. The zoo is smaller and easily accessible with lots of interactive activities. We happened to go before Halloween and they had trick or treating as well some characters walking around. The kids loved it! I'll definitely be purchasing a family pass read more

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Went for the first time last weekend. It was a perfect day but a little chilly for some warm weather animals. Due to a new strain of the avian flu ALL bird are currently off habitat (all zoos are currently doing this). I love the way this zoo is laid out. Smart design and engineering. At every intersection you come to if you turn right you will not miss any part of the zoo. I also love that each section of the zoo has their own ride; Z. O. & O Railroad (see what they did there), Carousel, Sky Safari (a chair lift), & Crocodile Creek Adventure (a log ride). You can do all the rides for $25 (3 tokens per ride). They have photo ops in each section too; safari jeeps, shark mouths, camps, surfing a wave, little poof (mini train). I ate at Ray's Barefoot Grill. I can't remember what kind of burger I got and that's fine it was so forgettable, it was t great, didn't have a lot of flavor. It looks great but super blah in flavor. The fries that came with it were fantastic. I also got a Pineapple Mango slushy thing and that was super tasty. I also got a pre packaged fruity rice crispy treat. I don't know what company it was from but it was great and HUGE. read more

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Great place to take children and relax with family. The nature is incredible and how the animals feel in their habitat

Best zoo around. Cheap prices, great animals. Wonderful family fun. Cant beat it. Their passes even work for other zoos. Totally worth checking out. Consistently redoing it making it better. read more

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One of my favorite Fort Wayne activities throughout my life! I still try to go as an adult every so often. Fun for all ages. Every time I go they have Incorporated something new. Personal favorites have always been the walk-through rainforest, giraffe feeding station, and sea lion exhibit. read more

Fort Wayne Zoo - Tiger - Zoos Near Me - Fort Wayne, Indiana

Awesome Zoo. The animals are so funny, the lion sometimes sleeps right next to the window, the monkeys go crazy and the wide range of animals is very cool. Somethings to consider: -Adding more shade or more misters it is very hot in the Australia area and dying in their. -Add some more fish -Add some bears -Add an Arctic area -Add an area where you can do see animals do tricks -They had a bunch of kids activities through the zoo and YMCA, but it was way to much for that one day. Everywhere I go I would here the kids of the YMCA or the other kids ghost crazy or hold up the line to feed the giraffes, or take a picture with a lion, etc. -Refill the soap machines by the petting area with stingrays, and the giraffe feeding area. -Have someone control where families go in the sing rag petting area, because this family in front of me was holding up the line super slow because they would not fill of the gaps I would see -Add a butterfly area (where you see butterflies fly, not the replicas) read more

Fort Wayne Zoo - Zoos Near Me - Fort Wayne, Indiana

Very positive experience. Free parking. Big enough to be interesting and small enough that small children stay engaged. There were a number of quiet areas and nursing stations. I was very impressed by all the interactions. The zoo is very accessible. Few inclines and the ones that were there are very gradual. 70% of the areas are under shade. Enclosures are forward thinking and child friendly. read more

Great for the entire family. One of the nation's best children's zoos. Special events throughout the zoo season.

Best zoo I've ever been to. I've been to zoos in 7 different states & so far no one has beat this one. Up close encounters with so many animals: tigers, lions, giraffes, sloths, hyenas, and many more. I was so excited to be that close to animals. Most of the time these animals are laying about too far to see or learn from, but not here. As we walked around we found that the upkeep was constant through: cleaning, feeding, training, and even watching how the animals are adapting. The staff is so knowledgeable. They were everywhere & happy to answer questions. Anything I asked they responded with much more information than I asked for....I was impressed. The animals' habitats are adequately spacious compared to many other places I have seen. Like a zoo I visited in NC they have their zebras, ostriches, & wildebeest roaming in open land together. The giraffes also have wide open space to roam. Zoos are hard for me normally as many inadequately shelter these beautiful animals. Spaces too small, unhappy residents, bored animals, frightened, unhealthy practices, etc.....but I saw none of that here. Made my heart smile. There's also a farm area for hands-on for the kids (and people like me who feel the need to touch any animal I meet). Pet, feed, & brush goats. Feed ducks, geese, & peacocks. There are shows presented throughout the day. Much of the park has a safari or tropical set up including bamboo, banana trees, waterfalls, & mists. We took our family of 6 (kids ages 4-17) & everyone loved it. We bought the year membership which gives us free access to the park & extra deals throughout it plus it gives us discounted admissions to over 150 zoos in the U.S. A great idea. We can't wait to go back!!!! read more

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Beautiful grounds, perfect size for little kids, lots of interesting animals. Love feeding the giraffes and goats and taking a train ride.

Fantastic area zoo. A big draw to the Fort Wayne area. They have animals I haven't seen in any other zoos before. It is a very clean facility and the animals seem well cared for. I like the additional attractions they have and the close encounters you can have with different animals. The food and beverages are theme park priced so bring $$ or a picnic lunch. You can do the whole zoo quickly in two hours, take on only certain areas, or spend the whole day stretching out your visit by taking your time and easing your way through it. I would recommend a late afternoon trip because the animals seem more active and it is less crowded. Definitely bring plenty of water! Masks are required at this time. My favorite is the Indo Rainforest. The plant life they have is gorgeous and the cool boardwalk they built through it makes your experience more authentic. read more

Fort Wayne Zoo - Close encounters of the goat kind - Zoos Near Me - Fort Wayne, Indiana

We love this zoo! We just moved to the area and normally visit the Indianapolis Zoo. This really is a zoo made for kids! My 18mo could see everything and go right up to the exhibit without me having to hold him up! Everyone was friendly and it was very reasonably priced! We will be investing in a membership and visiting frequently! read more

Fort Wayne Zoo - Zoos Near Me - Fort Wayne, Indiana

Went to zoo 10/30/23. Very disappointing. Tiger and Australian portion of zoo closed. Alligator not available. One of each available might be visible. Sea Lion exhibit closed. Yet they continue to charge $18 full price to see half a zoo read more

This zoo is incredible! I am comparing it to the Indianapolis zoo and it puts it to shame! First of all I loved that there was convenient free parking available. I also loved the price, significantly more fair than Indianapolis zoo. Next I loved their hours!! Open till 8 currently!! Wow!! The experience at the zoo was like none other. They had employees at each exhibit spreading knowledge and answering questions for people. The exhibits are lovely and you can tell the animals are happy. I loved that it didn't feel crowded. We were able to take our time and not have to rush to beat a crowd of people. The giraffe exhibit just won my heart over! My daughter loved feeding them and we couldn't believe how close you could get to these beautiful animals. The rides they had were soooo cool!! The log ride was so magical! I really appreciated that it didnt cost an arm and a leg either. Prices for extra were very fair. Overall I can't wait to go back. We spent over 2 hours there and still didn't get to see the whole zoo. Thus far it is tied with San Diego zoo in my opinion. read more

Such a great zoo! They totally live up to the name, making it so easy for kids to interact and really understand the animals. They have a great stingray pool, farm area, and large open Africa exhibit. read more

The best zoo out there. Lots of childhood memories. Great animal exhibits. Love the restaurant the great sandwiches and fries. I wish they still had the zebra jeeps on the tracks but they don't. All in all pretty good place to come to. Fun little place for sure. Love the zoo. read more