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Toledo, OH

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The Toledo Zoo

4.1 (339 reviews)
Open • 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

The Toledo Zoo Photos

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Greg B.

This Zoo is remarkable. I grew up in Michigan and live in the Metro Detroit area, recently I came down to visit the Toledo Zoo and found it amazingly easy to navigate as well as enjoyable to see the animals. Animals. Most zoos the enclosures are so far back that the animals are really kind of hard to see or find in the enclosure. Toledo Zoo is designed that any place that the animals May hide would be very close to a viewing area. Very well done.

So many gorgeous little gems in the zoo
Gina M.

Been going here since I was a kid! Employees were friendly and helpful. The zoo itself is gorgeous and well maintained. The architecture of the buildings is a big eye catcher and something I hope they always keep. The aquarium is amazing, probably my favorite place in the whole zoo. I loved that we got to witness a one on one at the Arctic Encounter. There are so many animals but it's a little disappointing that they aren't always out. I understand there's reasons for that but I would have loved to see more! I cannot wait for the reptile exhibit to open back up. That used to be one of my favorites as well. They have a lot to see for everyone like the green house and amphitheater for concerts. It's not too pricey which is a plus but I'd definitely recommend investing in a membership so you can go for all of their seasonal events.

Aviary
Amanda M.

Awesome zoo! We spent about 4 hours but you can easily spend a whole day. This zoo has several parking lots so it is easy to find a spot. Upon entering there are two sections to the zoo. You have to either walk underground over a bridge to cross the highway to reach each section. I loved how kid friendly the zoo was with interactive areas with the animal exhibits. They had a great aviary, splash pad, aquarium with touch tank, sand pit by the bears and other near features. There is also a great play area for the kids that is indoors and out allowing them to do adult things in a safe environment with a play kitchen, stream and other fun areas. I loved some of the historical aspects of the zoo with the outdoor amphitheater and original zoo cages you can now eat inside. There was also staff in some of the exhibits that filled you in one unique information about the animals. If you are going to do any of the additional cost attractions I recommend the train since it travels through areas of the zoo you can't walk in.

Liz P.

This was my first time at the Toledo Zoo today. We literally just renewed our Detroit Zoo membership because we knew they had reciprocal pricing here; It's normally $29 per adult plus $11 parking but our parking was free, not sure if they're supposed to do that for reciprocal memberships or not, and each person gets a half-price membership. There's definitely a lot of stuff to recommend here. My favorite thing was probably feeding the giraffes and getting up close with them, although that is a paid experience - we paid $11 for a family size basket of lettuce to feed them aka a head of lettuce but you can also choose the $5 option for four pieces of lettuce. Other favorites were definitely the red panda and the gorillas and chimpanzees. I do recommend getting there around opening time because we got there around 12:00 p.m., 2 hours late, and the parking lot was pretty jammed. They do 10% off food and gifts there for members as well and a few of the places honored our Detroit Zoo membership and gave us that which was nice of them. Overall I was really impressed with this zoo and I hope to return sometime soon. The only negative thing I can say about it is that the penguin area is very small (I'm spoiled though, Detroit Zoo has the largest penguinarium in the U.S. I believe), and I was hoping to get a souvenir pressed penny for myself - they have six or seven machines all over the zoo - but the zoo is cashless so there was no way to get change for them. They should make the machines accept credit cards if they're going to be completely cashless. Also: please add more water fountains. We spotted only two of them and neither worked. Next time I would bring a reusable bottle; the park says no outside food or drink but I did see a lot of people with their own food and drink. The cafe in the natural history building did have a self-serve water station, and we also asked for some water when we bought a soft pretzel. Other than that I didn't see much around.

Aquarium
Sarah C.

We went to the zoo lights later in the evening around 6:30 and the animals were not active at all when we were there which was a bummer but the aquarium was incredible! The lights were also incredibly beautiful. There were Carolers and music throughout the zoo which was so festive. The light displays were worth the entire trip. I would however, recommend going a bit earlier than dusk to see some animals being active and see ALL the lights as well as daylight disappears, to get the most out of your trip. Lots of hot cocoa stations or even spiked cocoa or beer tents with a great selection of local brews!

Kerry M.

We chose to visit the Toledo Zoo Lights Before Christmas on one of the warmest days in December, and it seems most of Lucas County had the same thought process. It took approx 45 minutes to drive 6/10 of a mile due to so many people making their way to check out the lights in the 50-something degree weather. It was crowded, but not so bad you couldn't move. Everything was done at a much slower pace. The Zoo does a fantastic job with the lights with only one exception, the train ride. Most of the ride was in the dark - no lights. We have an annual pass, so we will be going back on what we hope will be less crowded.

Cristina B.

Best zoo in the area and well worth the extra drive from Detroit! After numerous disappointed visits to the Detroit Zoo, my family and I drove to the Toledo Zoo for our most recent zoo day. It took us about an hour and a half to get there for our town. The parking lot was spacious and it was well maintained by parking lot attendants. Tickets were about $30 for adults, $26 for seniors and $26 for kids. The zoo has so much to offer that I believe the ticket price was fair. You will be walking a lot while at the zoo so make sure to pack sunscreen, good walking shoes and a wagon for kids. Within a minute of getting in the gates we stopped to visit the polar bears, seals and sea lions. They were all so active! We spent around a half hour just enjoying the polar bears! A large contrast from the Detroit Zoo where I haven't seen a polar bear in years. Next on the schedule was the Africa area, where you get the opportunity to feed giraffes. For $11 we bought enough lettuce so everyone in the family could enjoy the experience. I liked that the zoo staff made it so only a few people could enter the area at a time, making the experience special and less chaos. The giraffes were great! Giraffes are my favorite animal and while it wasn't my first time feeding a giraffe, this was probably the best experience I had. An hour in and we were all raving about the experience at the Toledo Zoo! If possible, I would walking across the bridge to get to the other side of the zoo. The tunnel brought a lot of anxiety out in me due to the claustrophobia. Other animal highlights include the multiple elephants, flamingos, hippo, and primates. I could easily spend an hour watching the gorillas and chimps! The aquarium and reptile area was also a nice treat for a hot day. I believe the aquarium was recently renovated. There is a sea turtle inside, octopus, in addition to many other fish. It felt so good being inside with the air conditioning! A highlight for kids is the splash area and playground -- which is included in the price of admission. I don't have kids myself but I did contemplate passing through to cool down! Food options are typical (hot dogs, ice cream, pretzels, Bomb Pops.) The Toledo Zoo also offers a cafe area that is air conditioned and a bakery in the gift shop. The only downfall was that a few vending machines didn't properly work and the penguin area is SMALL. That area needs a major overhaul. Can't wait to come back soon!

Michael T.

Probably the greatest zoo in Midwest. Right when you walk in there are animals to see with minimal walking. We were greeted by a sea lion show. The kid absolutely loved it. The people are friendly. You can feed giraffes. You can ride the train. You can see exotic snakes. Bears and inches away from your face, through the glass. The train is like an African Safari. They did a good job with this zoo. Only down side was we didn't plan enough time to explore the whole zoo.

Air S.

I loved it i got walk around and saw everything. Bunch of restaurants, and bathrooms, and a bunch of people having fun. You can bring food and a water bottle. And have fun with the family.

Dart Frog (No Touchy)
Clara S.

Had an absolute blast at the Toledo Zoo/Aquarium. We had three families in town for a reunion and kids varying from 10 to 16 years old and they all had a great time. The poison dart frog area was a huge hit for kids and adults. Everyone had fun in the aquarium, seeing the new baby elephant, checking out the aviary and the rhino! We stopped for lunch at the BBQ place and it was good - corn bread was cold LOL but it was sweet & good.

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Reviews are generally positive. People enjoy the animal variety and viewing, the aquarium and aviary, and the historic architecture.

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Ask the Community - The Toledo Zoo

How much is the food prices ranging here?

I was just there last Friday, June 2022 and the prices for food range from seven dollars up to $14 depending on what you get

Can you bring a cooler with water and juice to the zoo?

No. Nothing from outside allowed. I was just there, and they had signs posted stating that.

How much are adult tickets for the zoo?

$19. If you have a family and can make it even twice a yr a membership is the way to go.

Do they have bike or any cart . My wife pregnant and I don't want her walking all the time?

Per the official zoo website www.toledozoo.org wheelchairs and motorized scooters are available to rent on a first come first serve basis. Wheelchairs around $12, scooters around $35 but prices are subject to change. Link is on visit page, visitor… 

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Review Highlights - The Toledo Zoo

“They just built a new aquarium which is quite nice from what I've heard and I'm eager to see it, and you should too.”

Mentioned in 17 reviews

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Indian Creek Zoo

Indian Creek Zoo

(43 reviews)

I was looking for a place for a sloth experience and we hit the jackpot here!!! Took a day off…read moreduring the week, a few weeks after they opened for the season hoping to avoid excess children. That didn't quite work as there were bus loads dropping them off in the morning, but it still ended up being a great time. The sloth experience was wonderful and Kristy that showed us the ropes was awesome. She really made the experience so much more delightful and informative. I would definitely recommend this place to others if they are looking for a smaller zoo with all of the big offerings. Worth the drive to visit a new spot and support more of the local places

WOW! This place is SO AWESOME. I took my gf here for her birthday to do the sloth encounter and…read morewander the zoo, it was both our first time here and it was FANTASTIC. Since we were there on a Thursday and in winter we literally were the only guests in the zoo which was pretty special. First the zoo overall is smaller then places like the Detroit or Toledo zoo but they make up for that with all the awesome and more personal things you can do. When we arrived the lady at the desk was extremely friendly, and explained everything to us we needed to know about our booked sloth encounter. I also purchased a bucket of carrots to feed the animals throughout the zoo itself - it was CHEAP $7 and $5 refills but the amount of carrots were spilling out so we only needed 1. The employee explained you could feed Carrots to the animals that had a smiley face sign on their enclosure which was extremely helpful. The animals you can feed in the zoo itself are camels, deer, goats and alpaca which were SO adorable. Since it is winter they do not have all of their animals out like the giraffes and monkeys but honestly it still overall felt worth the money of admission despite this. Secondly- the Sloth encounter was literally one of the best experiences I've ever had with an animal encounter. Our "guide" I think his name was Alan...was extremely friendly, knowledgeable and fun. He knew A LOT about each sloth there, told us funny stories about them and knew a lot of extremely interesting sloth facts. On the booking for the encounter it stated that the experience lasts 30 minutes but because Alan was so awesome we were with the sloths for almost an hour. We were able to feed 3 different sloths (they gave you a cup with apples/cucumbers/strawberries/grapes). We were able to go inside one of the sloths enclosures and pet one that was sleeping as well (THEY'RE SO SOFT!) Overall our experience was wonderful. Despite what some reviews say, I personally could see all animals are very well cared for and they have very spacious enclosures. Some of the smaller enclosures also have holes so the animal can choose to come outside or go back inside which I really loved seeing that they have a choice. We will definitely be back and I highly recommend the zoo overall AND if you can swing it the sloth encounter.

Duke Farm

Duke Farm

(4 reviews)

Sharing my experience with Duke Petting Farm to save you from having to go through the same thing…read more I was having a big cowboy themed party for my boys joint birthday party. So I thought how fun would it be to have a cowboy horse & a petting farm. I Talked with Deb before even booking the party to make sure all the kids would be able to ride the pony. At first I asked for a horse because most of the kids would be around 10-11 years old. I was told a horse would be too hard for the little kids but she would send me a large pony that would be perfect for my age range. I told her no one would be over 120 pounds. She even asked me to put it in an email and I did. I am sharing that email in the photo section. I confirmed this with the owner several times before the party. Fast forward to party day when the problems all began. She sent 2 girls to work my one hour party. The one girl that ran the petting bunny area was EXTREMELY rude to all the little kids. Even rolling her eyes at them when they asked what kind of balloons she could make. She yelled at them multiple times when kids 3 years old were petting the baby bunnies. To a point of me and several parents going in the bunny pen to help. It was so embarrassing that people at my party were being treated this way. Several of the bunnies kept escaping. She yelled at the 3 year old birthday boy when he went to get a second handful of food from the food bucket they bring. She said "you already fed the animals." We tried to talk to her to help change her bad mood but it was the entire time and super disappointing as this was a kids party. The other thing I would like to warn you about is that TONS of the kids were turned away from riding the pony. The girl working said they were too tall. One of the girls was a tiny 10 year old weighing no more that 65 pounds. If height was a requirement I should have been told that before the party. Like I said I discussed this with her multiple times. So only a few little kids got to ride over and over. When you pay over $500 for someone to bring animals to your party you expect at least kind service. I contacted the owner before coming to social media. She said the girl working the party was only 14 years old. While she did say she would talk to her she made all kinds of excuses. I think it would be better to have an adult working something like this. She told me the bigger pony they had used at a different party that day and had problems with so they switched to this one. I understand things happen in life but those are not a customers problem. While I couldn't come to an agreement with the owner I thought I could at least warn all my friends or anyone thinking to book for a party! Stay far away. I wished I would have booked somewhere else. After having the party I had several people recommend Tyler's exotic animals. They said he is much more kid friendly. Just super disappointed that so few kids got to ride the pony & that the other worker that ran the balloons/petting area treated everyone so rotten. It was an awful experience and I have booked lots of big things for events. Never have I had to deal with this kind of unprofessionalism. Truly disappointed.

It's a bit out of the way for folks living in town but it's a farm after all!!!! Debbie and her…read moreteam of volunteers are absolutely amazing!!!!! I took my 10 year old out here for some riding for her birthday, the offer lessons for a fair price and they also do this thing called "Mini-Mondays" where younger kids get to do fun activities and dive into the agricultural world. They get up close and personal with the animals while learning valuable life lessons such as showing respect to all creatures, kindness, forgiveness and other things we all want instilled in our kids! My girls just wrapped up softball and we're so excited to sign up for volunteering at the farm!!

The Petting Farm at Domino's Farms

The Petting Farm at Domino's Farms

(55 reviews)

First time visit at the Petting Farm at Domino's. We took a Grandbaby for an outing today. It was a…read morebit chilly (just above 40 degrees and the wind didn't help matters much). As many times as I had driven past Domino's along Route 23, I never knew there was a petting farm nestled back in there! Very well kept, animals' pens were clean, animals all looked very healthy and well cared for. The grounds were also well maintained. Sheep, horses, goats, rabbits, chickens, peacock, donkey, alpaca, geese, etc. In various pens inside and outside of the barns. Animals outside of the buildings also had coverage areas built for them. An aged stationary tractor is on display for children to climb up onto the seat and play "Farmer John" for a while. There was also a playground area as well as an oversized doll house for children to experience. A poll barn is used as a gathering center for birthday parties, etc. Great idea for children to go and experience farm animals up close and personal. Fun afternoon.

I came here with my 1-year-old daughter for a birthday party a few weeks ago. This was my first…read moretime here - I believe generally there may be an admission fee, though I'm not entirely sure about that, but because we were there for a party, it was free. My friends had rented out their pavilion and were supposed to have it from 10a-12p, but they got overbooked so had to be out by 1130a. They had pizza delivered and there were plenty of tables for kids and adults to sit. We got to walk through the petting zoo, and carrots were provided to feed the animals, and also did a tractor ride. I was surprised there was only one barn with animals, although there are cows, pigs, and more on-property that you can also see. The animals were all cute and happy to gulp down the carrot sticks. I don't live in Ann Arbor anymore (I'm a UM grad) and it's a bit out of the way, so I don't anticipate coming here that much - it's a cute place for kids but I guess I was expecting it to be a bit larger or something.

Detroit Zoo - Fred and Barbara Erb Discovery Trails

Detroit Zoo

(483 reviews)

What a beautiful day for the annual St. Jude Walk at the Detroit Zoo. It's a perfect leisurely walk…read morewhile taking in all the sights and animal habitats. The Kidney Foundation uses the Detroit Zoo also for their annual walk. This was a great time seeing all the animals. There have been times that the animals have been hiding or sleep in the past. Today was the day that they were all up and at them for all to see. "Lions & tigers & bears, oh my!" We got to see the African tiger, lions, rhinos, grizzly bears, peacocks, buffalo, ostriches, monkeys, etc. Everyone was out for a photo op! If you haven't gone in awhile, you owe it to yourself to treat you and your family to a wonderful outing. The holiday visits in December is another great time for families.

We recently attended Zoo Boo at the Detroit Zoo, and unfortunately, the experience was just okay…read more We were looking forward to a fun Halloween outing, but it definitely fell short of our expectations. One of the biggest disappointments was not being able to see many of the animals like you normally would during a daytime visit. The candy and small gifts being handed out were mediocre at best, and some were downright disappointing. Nothing really stood out or made the experience feel special. The food prices were absolutely outrageous, especially considering the poor quality of what was being served. To make matters worse, there were long lines everywhere! The entire event could have been much better organized and managed to make things run more smoothly. For the price of admission, food, and everything else, I expected a much better experience. Unfortunately, Zoo Boo just didn't deliver. It's a shame because this event has so much potential. Overall, it was underwhelming, overpriced, and poorly organized. We definitely won't be rushing back anytime soon.

The Toledo Zoo - zoos - Updated October 2026

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