We were looking for fun things to do around the Quad Cities on 4th of July weekend and stumbled upon this zoo. It was a perfect summer day, so we decided to checked it out! Note that the Niabi Zoo is much smaller than your average. However, there's still all kinds of animals to see here, and the admission to get in is pretty cheap! They have a few different add ons you can purchase, like a train ride or giraffe feeding (we opted for this and it was really cool!) One thing that really impressed me about this zoo was that even for being on the smaller side, there were a lot of animals I had not seen at other zoos before! It was neat to get to see a porcupine and armadillo! We had a great time here. It's a great place to spend some time when the weather's nice! read more

A 2 mile trail with small habitats. Nice grounds, clean restrooms and friendly staff. We came off season so the big animals were not out, carousel was not running. They have a cute train ride, snack bar and gift shop. Cheap entry fee worth a visit. read more

Niabi Zoo - Prairie dog - Zoos Near Me - Coal Valley, Illinois

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We found this on Google and decided to check it out when we were in Quad Cities. We have only been to San Diego Zoo so had super low expectations for this one! However, it was OK. I would say its sad since some of the animals were by themselves (like the rhino - but described as social), and it seems like they do need to have some larger habitats. However, they do offer free entries several days a week - which we did - so it is nice for families. Its some good education and also a good way to learn about different animals. read more

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I grew up in the Quad Cities area and went to the Niabi Zoo each summer growing up. I am now repeating the tradition with my children. We live about 3 hours away, but travel up once a year in the summer to visit the zoo. This is a small zoo and unfortunately after some winter weather damage in 2024, the exhibits have become even more limited.  For children under 6, I think this zoo is perfect. Visibility of most animals in their exhibits is excellent and the walkability of the entire zoo is very kid-friendly. There is a carousel and train rides; both require additional tickets which must be purchased online or at the entry gate. Petting zoo food and koi pond food also must be purchased at entry. I highly recommend the koi food (it was less than $2). The fish are very active and my kids loved watching them nibble at the food. In terms of wildlife viewing, there are larger animals like giraffes, a rhino, and camels. And there are many smaller animals including small primates, exotic birds, and meerkats. Because of the weather damage, when my family went this summer (2024) there were no big cats, bears, or wolves- which arguably are my kids favorites.  I suggest buying tickets online, as the discount for larger families is significant. The train ride is affordable and well worth the additional cost in my opinion. There is also a gift shop and restaurant within the zoo- both of which are moderately priced and not outrageously expensive like some zoos.  So, why 3 stars instead of 5? The limited exhibits is a bit disappointing; you can see the entire zoo within about 2 hours. Some of the animal exhibits are a bit too small in my opinion (the giraffes have quite a limited area). The staff do seem very dedicated to keeping the exhibits clean and ensuring their animals are well cared for, though. Outside of the exhibits some of the sculptures are broken or in need of repair. The closed exhibits desperately need maintenence. I'd like to see more snack and drink options throughout the zoo as well.  Overall this place is a treat for the Quad Citiea area. Not many metropolitan areas of this size have zoos. The zoo needs more funding to build itself up to where it needs to be to remain a major attraction in the area. I want to see Niabi Zoo succeed and return to the delightful quaint little attraction it once was. This is going to require a lot of effort and funding. I hope, over the next few years, they can build themselves up and the community continues to support them in that time. read more

Niabi Zoo - Zoos Near Me - Coal Valley, Illinois

Hubs and I took our adult daughter and her children here today. It was reasonably priced for parking and entrance fees. We purchased additional foods for the animals as well. Pre-purchasing saves a few dollars on the fees. That was a pleasant surprise. It was horribly sad to see a lone giraffe with no other animals near it. In its enclosure it didn't even have a real or live tree. It had food hanging from a tall umbrella hanging contraption. The white rhino was alone as well. The American Bald eagle could hardly look glorious when it was in such a small enclosure it couldn't spread its wings to fly, It more had to hop around. The sign about it said it likes to eat fresh fish, however it had a really small water area and a fake duck. No fresh fish to be seen. There were some enclosures that were nice and appropriate for the animals. However, I was left with an overwhelmingly sad feeling for those animals already mentioned. read more

Niabi Zoo - Giraffe with trees in background just outside it's enclosure. - Zoos Near Me - Coal Valley, Illinois

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I stopped here on my way to Davenport IA because it seemed like a cool place to stop on a road trip and spend some time. I think it cost $16 with parking to get in and everything else is an up charge like some exhibits, train ride and carousel ride etc which seemed very petty sleazy. Yah you can get in but all the cool stuff will cost you extra, a family or 4 could easily spend an extra $60 just doing a few extras. The zoo was disappointing because half of the displays were empty. They didn't have very much exotic big animals except a couple giraffes and a zebra mostly. The train ride seemed to take you around most of the property. If you have been to a really good zoo than this one is a little disappointing. read more

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What a bizarre place. There wasn't much to do in the area, so I figured we would check this out. Being members at Brookfield and having paid for countless admissions to other zoos, I was still quite shocked at the nickel and dime efforts at the entrance. You pay admission that is steep enough, but then have to pay to park (?) and then every single attraction or activity is an upcharge. Want to ride the train? $4.50 a person, same for the carousel, food for the koi? $2 for about a quarter cup. Food for the goats (because that's really the only things eating at the petting zoo) another $3. We came at 1:30 on Saturday and there was no one there and it was over $60. The guinea pig area was closed due to cold, many of the animals had the typical zoo anxiety with pacing back and forth and you could walk through the whole place in 15-20 minutes. Not worth it at all - and add another money grab in the gift shop you go through to exit! read more

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As a principal, I am not opposed to zoos. But, this place is terrible. (If you think I'm being extreme, please browse my other reviews. I give very few 1 stars) If kept in captivity which is not ideal, animals deserve an excellent level of care and accommodation. This "zoo" does not provide it. The facility lacks sufficient sized enclosures, lacks updates to the ones that it does have (looks like a zoo from the 70s or early 80s that should have been shut down or completely remodeled) and there is a lack of proper socialization for the animals. I'm not a zoologist but it is easy to see that the isolation of each animal is bad for them. Made us sad to walk through and see the state in which these animals were maintained. This place is about only one thing - making money. It is clearly a money grad because while the zoo lacks top end amenities and equipment for the animals, there is an up charge for everything people can do. For a place that is as poorly kept and run as this zoo, they should be giving away perks not charging extra for them. A 2 min ride on the carousel is $4.50 a person, that is one third the price of overall admission, and only 50 cents less than parking. Ridiculous. There are many reasons not to go to this zoo. Whatever rationale you choose for passing on a trip there, simply please don't go and support this place. read more

Went up for the "guinea pig experience" that is on their webpage.. Only to find out it's closed for the foreseeable future. Maybe update your website? And paying for food for petting zoo at entrance to find out the animals are not hungry, and about half as many as used to be there.. I know your recovering from a storm, but your website is not honest/updated. read more

For someone who frequently works with animals, I found this zoo to be lacking in many ways. The enclosures were inappropriate for the species they were housing and the animals were all visibly stressed. The caiman lizard was very excited to interact but had visible marks on his snout from frequently rubbing against the glass; the water in his enclosure was also not being filtered properly and had a film covering the surface. The giraffe was showing obvious signs of stereotypical behavior with pacing back and forth on the small section of concrete (super back for giraffes to be on concrete) as well as licking the brick walls so much that his lips were red and raw. Given his height, the giraffe was at a level where they had paint on the walls and you could see all of the spots he frequented because the paint was faded/no longer visible in small patches along the wall at the same height. This zoo needs a lot of changes for the well-being of their animals. read more

With a growing love of all things animal at our house, we've been frequenting more zoos, aquariums and basically anywhere that has anything to do with animals. We enjoyed out time here and while it's not a gigantic zoo, it provided a nice little afternoon get away that was perfect for kiddos. The prices to get in were very reasonable - I think it was $8.25 per adult, $6.25 for 3-12 year olds and under 3 was free. The extras like riding the train, feeding animals and animal rides are all $1-4, but you can basically do everything you want for around $35. The place is not super large and takes about 1.5-2 hours to walk around with kiddos. The exhibits weren't overly large, but it meant we could all see the animals easily. The big cat exhibits were very nice, the lions were beautiful and the giraffes were fantastic. Similar to the exhibit in Des Moines, they've got lots of room to roam and are viewed easily from just about anywhere. The Zebra/Ostrich enclosure was also nice - I think they have an unspoken bond as this is the third or fourth place that these two have been together. The Coi pond and petting areas were also lovely - most of the animal food is 50 cents for a handful - or free if you pick it up from off the ground near the machines as our kids did! Bring a couple dollars in quarters and some hand sanitizer. Even if you forget the hand wash, they have plenty there. Interestingly, the food wasn't bad and it wasn't terribly priced. A burger was something like $4 and bottled water was $1. Certainly expensive, but not as bad as we'd thought. The walk was nice with limited hills and plenty of shade and well placed bathrooms for the little dudes. All in all, we enjoyed this zoo and found it to be a solid place to spend a few hours. While it's not the San Diego zoo, a family of 4 pays $200 to get in there. This is a nice little spot an hour from Iowa city and super close to the quad cities. Well worth checking out. read more

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Still stuck in 2020, have to wear masks going inside. Workers wearing masks outside. Half the animals were gone. read more

Very nice little zoo! Very well kept. Easy walking path. A nice added touch was the notes by animals enclosure of where the zookeepers typically "find" the animals within their habitat so you could easily spot the ones who were resting etc. read more

It would have been nice if somewhere on their website they would have said that the zoo in many areas is under construction. There was not much to see for $50. read more

They had food which was a little expensive but it was okay. ( I personally didn't like paying 10 dollars for a small bag of Doritos and one hot dog). The zoo didn't have any zookeepers at all I think. Walking around you couldn't see any of the animals that much but I did see protein bar boxes in some of the cages at the discovery center. They need to work on getting the animals out more or getting them interacting items. The gift shop was good though. The train can leave, nobody is really riding it read more

Took grandkids to their Breakfast with the Giraffes event and it was wonderful. Lucked out with beautiful weather! All staff here work hard and have a passion for the animals. Learned a lot about the care of the giraffes. Grandkids enjoyed from start to finish... would recommend an event or a day visit. Property is not too big to wear granny out! read more

Niabi Zoo - Giraffe feeding! - Zoos Near Me - Coal Valley, Illinois

Niabi zoo is a good small zoo with a lot of things to do with toddlers. The train ride, giraffe feeding, parakeet feeding, lots of animals to see. read more

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This Zoo is always improving. There is always something new to see. Their animal enrichment program is well done. I like their commitment to conservation. read more

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It was fun the only thing that was disappointing was the fact that they don't have lions read more

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A very cute little Zoo. It is however by no means ADA compliant. The main public restroom at the front of the Zoo is the worst. the entrance door is not wide enough allow a wheel chair to enter even if there wasn't a threshold too high to maneuver over. In fact there are thresholds everywhere. There are roadblocks everywhere such as steep paths, uneven concrete. And sunken concrete at places where they sometime ago made an attempt at compliance. Good zoo for kids but not handicapped kids. read more

I really love this zoo. Growing up in the Quad Cities, it is always a treat to go here. I went there as a kid and I bring my kids there now. They've done a lot of re-vamping, improving and re-modeling. It looks great. I also love that we have giraffes now! Can't wait to see what other improvements they will come up with. We love the train! read more

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Was alittle disappointed this trip. We could not feed the fish or the animals in the petting zoo. A couple of the exhibits were closed. Mask were not required out side but if you wanted to go to one of the inside one you needed to wear one. Not a problem. But make sure you bring your. We forgot our and had to by them at $4 a pice. read more

This is a favorite stop of mine when I am in the area. This is a smaller zoo, however, it always appears to be well maintained with plenty to do. There are the normal attractions like carousel rides, animal encounters (feed the parakeets or giraffes), train rides, petting zoo etc. The enclosures and grounds are always well kept. There is a beautiful koi pond that makes this zoo stand out from others. Be sure to bring some quarters for the kids...and yourself! Feeding the koi is a must do experience here! read more

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Family fun but not as family friendly as I expected. Tickets had to be bought at entrance so when we passed the carrousel I couldn't purchase tickets to ride unless I walked way back which was disappointing. Same thing happened with bird feeding. While we enjoyed walking and seeing all the animals I was disappointed to be offered the restroom when I asked for a mother's room. I was directed to the family restroom when I asked. I asked twice because at first I thought it was a mistake. But no. Even when I pointed out that was unsanitary I wasn't offered a different location. Not friendly for nursing moms. read more

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This was a nice small zoo but not anything spectacular. The prices were reasonable and it is a good place for small children to begin their zoo life experience. read more

Niabi Zoo - Zoos Near Me - Coal Valley, Illinois

Very disappointed in this zoo. We registered online for our tickets. It said nothing about closing at 3. It said nothing about some of the exhibits being closed. Nothing about the carousel and the train being closed. The snow leopards had no water at all. They looked miserable. I paid for my grandkids to look at basically nothing for an hour. The website is very hard to understand. It said I bought tickets at 2 pm to go to the zoo at 9 am. That doesn't make much sense does it??The hours say they are open till 4. They made us leave at 3. I've been going to this zoo since I was a child. This is the worst I've ever seen it. The upkeep is horrible. I will not be going back to this zoo. I had to tell my grandkids that I will take them to a real zoo soon. Sad. Just sad. read more

For a small zoo it was ok, nothing too spectacular. Even tho it was small I enjoyed it and the kids did too. There were a few exhibits still awaiting more animals that were malty at the moment. Petting zoo was ok. Food was typical hot dog and fountain drinks nothing too extreme. read more

A good amount of fun for a small zoo. My sister and I were there for a little over 2 hours today and we saw all the exhibits, including participating in the parakeet feeding and the giraffe feeding. The giraffe feeding was only $5 which is totally worth it. The only thing I wish is that the zoo had paid more attention to education. The exhibit signs did not offer a ton of information and there weren't docents around to answer questions. It also did not seem like the animals were offered much enrichment. Overall the grounds were beautiful, clean, and the animals seemed well cared for. Would go again! read more

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Needed to write an updated review of the zoo My girlfriend and I went to the zoo last weekend and we had a great time! Some of the problems that I had with the zoo are being addressed, and they have totally remodeled their driveway and entrance, and parts of the petting zoo have been remodeled. Plus their Giraffe and Elephant enclosures are being upgraded and renovated as well, so when it is all finished it should look pretty awesome. Plus they have added a new event you can buy tickets for; pay $4 and you can hand-feed a Giraffe!! My g/f and I couldn't resist that and we shared a very cool experience being next to a full grown Giraffe eating a couple of leaves of Romaine lettuce out of our hands! Plus the proceeds go towards renovations, so it is a win/win!! So with all the new remodeling and cool attractions, this zoo got it's rating bumped up by a star! read more

We were in town for a family reunion and this zoo was highly recommended. The entry fee was rather pricey, so I assumed that the zoo would be pretty high end. While I can say that the buildings and exhibits seemed fairly new and were kept neatly, there was a serious lack of animals. There were less than a dozen large animals, and only four or so at the petting zoo. There were also extra charges for things like pony rides that you'd assume to be free due to the higher entry fee. We went on a sponsor day, so the place was crowded and there were things to do every 20 feet like bag tosses and bouncy houses. Otherwise, I probably would have taken one spin around the place in under 20 minutes and asked for my money back. There really just isn't anything to see. My kids were more impressed with the bouncy house (which isn't always there) than with any of the animal displays. I also have to say that we were less than impressed by the employees at the concession stand. It was a very hot day, and they only had one window open despite long lines and several people inside who appeared to be doing inventory! Not recommended unless you can get free passes or something. read more

This was a cute little zoo. Don't expect to see bears or elephants, but they did have giraffes, lions, monkeys... It did have a train that took you around the park. There is also a small concession stand at the beginning, but don't bother. The gift shop is small. On Tuesdays it's free to enter. read more

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Definitely understand the precautions due to covid, but to open up and use covid as a reason to limit tickets aka "sold out" to giraffe feeding, train, carousel etc and knowingly allow that many people in at full price, with nearly all the exhibits closed PLUS still charge for parking so disappointed. Beware of all of this if you go anytime summer 2021 read more

Close to home, small, but clean. Affordable and has some nice interactive exhibits and really a great place for the whole family to enjoy! Come back time and time again with no complaints read more

The last 7 years this place has gotten worse every year . It looks like they are going out of business. The cages are all over grown. They lose 3 things like every year and charge the same . Now parking it seems crazy to me even if its only $3 . Just couldn't be more disappointed in this Zoo really to bad. I really hope they save this place and add some cool stuff to make it worth the trip. read more

We purchased a family membership and it is totally worth it since we live close. There are many animals to see. You can feed them for an extra cost. Animals you an feed are fish, giraffes, goats, Lorikeet birds. I could go on and on, we love it! read more

First visit to the Niabi Zoo. Was definitely worth the time and money. It took us about two hours to walk through the zoo including train ride, petting zoo, parakeet feeding, and giraffe feeding. It's a smaller zoo but the interactions make it very nice. Cost can be about $15 per person for all activities. read more

I have been to zoos all over the world and this one of the worst. It's small and everything is very very expensive. I paid 5 dollars to feed the giraffes and there were only 2 of them. So there was a line all the way to the bottom of their enclosure. Oh and the 5 dollars only bought you two pieces of lettuce. We were very disappointed with what we paid versus what we got. I will not be going back again. read more

Well done Quad Cities for maintaining a clean, fun and educational zoo! Really love the layout, the landscaping and the offerings. Super impressed by the giraffe habitat, the snow leopards and the petting zoo. The little choo-choo train still makes a lazy circle through the property, and the carousel ride is such a hit. In the day we went, one restaurant was closed at lunchtime and the ticket counter staff person was exceptionally confusing to each person she served - seemed like no one could get a straight answer from her on what was owed for admission, despite a sign clearly explaining pricing at her desk. I think the staff could use some training and it would be nice to see all of the facility open, but otherwise quite impressive. Good for an hour or two with kids. read more

I have been to this zoo many times but will not go again for two reasons; they chose to remove memorial plaques and failed to notify donors. After this, they chose to attempt to minimize the bad publicity they earned through their own actions. The ability to leave a review for Niabi on Facebook appears to have been disabled and they are only responding to the few positive comments on their page. Remember that old saying "the customer is always right?" Well, that may not always be the case but we are becoming a community of consumers who bow down to the places we spend our money and that's wrong. read more

Nice zoo. I enjoy the train and giraffes and feeding the koi fish. You can spend two to three hours easily meandering around and grabbing a bite to eat. They charge you at the ticket booth for $3/car parking. read more