Calgary Zoo Botanical Garden & Prehistoric Park

Great exhibits and the playground is fun for the kids who don’t feel like looking at animals all day long!

We have two kids and coming to the Caglary Zoo is a highlight — a great way to spend time with each other and learn about animals they wouldn’t normally see except in books or on YouTube.
We purchase the annual a pass. The best value for your dollar if you’re going come her three times a year or more.

Great zoo but pricy for a family outing. If you are likely to go twO or more times in the year then get the family pass cause that is where the value is as it also includes the $ 10 parking. So for me and my daughter it was $ 50 to park and get in the gate. I do not know if you still can but last year I ordered zoo passes from Airmiles. Also look on line as you can sometimes find coupons to take some of the sting off. Like the new Penguin exhibit but miss some of what was lost in flood. Need something new though cause this trip was a bit boring as same old. If from out of town or you have not been for awhile go for it cause it is aN above average zoo that is clean and staff are usually friendly.

There’s nothing not to love about the Calgary Zoo (well except maybe the food variety and cost)
The zoo is always a great place to take the kids even in lousy weather as there are a few indoor exhibits. The annual membership is a really good deal.
The best part of the zoo will have to be their special events like for Christmas and Easter seasons. I’ve always enjoyed taking my kids to zoo lights, Easter eggstravaganza and noon year’s eve.

Bruh.
You got to see this zoo.
In California, I’ve never seen the zoo in the snow. Not only was it this magical spot, but since Canadians aren’t as litigious as Americans … the exhibits were so much better! The penguins are about 6″ away from you out in the open and the hippos were about 6′ away!!! It was amazing!
We became kids again.

The zoo has had many improvements over the years and continues to get better constantly. Sure its unfortunate that some exhibits haven’t been able to stay but the long term plan seems good.
Construction for the pandas coming from Toronto in a couple of years started in September so part of the area right across the bridge as you come in from the main entrance is closed off.
When getting to the zoo via the main entrance there are ticket windows before you go into the tunnel. This is where everyone lines up. Skip past the line and go inside where there are automated machines or even further down the hall are more ticket windows for people coming off the LRT.
During the warm weather months there’s more than enough do do at the zoo that you can spend the better part of the day here. In Novmber/​December there’s Zoo Lights which can take a couple hours of an evening but note that many of the animal exhibits are closed at night.

Nice and relaxing place to visit, nothing wrong with it except to say it’s smaller than I’d like and that it would be nicer if some extra effort were made in for seating and interesting features for the eyes.

t was quite a long time since my last visit to the Zoo, sometime in 2003, so I was pleasantly surprised by the new look and atmosphere. My sister from Toronto was with me and she actually said she liked it better than the Toronto Zoo as it seemed more intimate with the animals.
I highly recommend it!

One of the best attractions in Calgary.
Season passes worth it especially for families as 6 visits in a year pays off membership. Plus parking is free when you purchase zoo pass Inspire.
Penguins exhibit is very cold and smelly but one of my fav.
Dinosaurs exhibition is outside with lots of trails and dinosaurs on display.
Many animals exhibits have a mix of indoor and outdoor.
There is a café with lots of tables, high chairs and outside sitting.
Can’t give this place 5 star as been here for the last few years and lots of the little concessions never seem to be open even during peak summer months.
Great place to spend with family and friends.

The Calgary Zoo is by far the best zoo in Alberta. I took a weekend trip down to Calgary for Thanksgiving and planned a trip to take my kids to the zoo on the sunday afternoon. It was the day after their night time luminary party, so lots of the lanterns were still setup and gorgeous. unfortunately what they don’t tell you when you’re paying your admission is that because of the cool fall weather a lot of the exhibits have moved inside and most of the restaurants and what not are closed. They still charge full price, but most of the flair is gone. The signage is very sparse… ie. we went to the giraffe pen and looked around for 5 minutes to see if they were hiding in a corner, but no, they were not… we found the giraffe’s 20 minutes later inside their enclosure (I assume to stay warm)…it’s not a big deal, but would it be the end of the world to put up a sign that says «we’ve moved indoors, come see us this way! (with a giant long necked arrow)»?
Overall the zoo was a fine experience, but when you’re carting around an eager 4 year old and 2 year old it’s a lot of miles to cover in order to find a bunch of empty enclosures

Not worth the $ 24.95 admission price. It’s my first time going since the 2013 flood and I wasn’t impressed. They got rid of some of the coolest animals (understandable due to the flood), it still flows nicely and there’s still a bunch to see if you’ve never been. Probably still fun for children but if you’re paying GA and have been pre-​flood, don’t waste your money.

A wonderful zoo, hands down one of the best I have ever been to anywhere in North America. It was so nice to see the new penguin exhibit and we were amazed at how close the penguins actually got to us as we walked through.
The price was very reasonable and I strongly recommend spending the day here.

I was so pleasantly surprised with this zoo. Coming from California, we are pretty spoiled with our Zoos (San Diego and LA Zoo are fantastic). But this place was great.
Our favorite exhibit was the Dinosaurs ALIVE! I loved it! It was great! The dinosaurs moved… some with control buttons some with sensors. It surprised the kids and was great!
The butterfly exhibit was wonderful too. The staff was so informative. So many different species, you could easily spends hours in there.
I would definitely go back and visit again. We didn’t get to spend enough time there.
(Parking is pricy $ 1.75 for 30mins, might as well just pay the $ 8 for all day)

4 stars because the lack of a good restaurant and taking away Australia. (Even though it’s understandable after the flood).
Amazing zoo. My mom especially enjoyed the butterfly garden and the conservatory. Sadly, they got rid of the elephants but replaced them with rhinos. The lions are usually lying around napping, but catch them around 3−4pm and they’re significantly more active!
Honestly, if you aren’t new to Canada, Calgary, or have been to Banff a couple of times, just skip the Canadian wilds. It’s just like a hike through the Rockies. If you want to see the Bears & Pumas, there’s a short cut! (thankfully… lol, I find the other animals like mountain sheep pretty boring) Just go to the bridge over the river & there should be an eagle, and take that way in & follow the path to save time. Don’t go through the sign across prehistoric park, the shortcut is further up!
I would also suggest seeing only a bit of prehistoric park, because it’s nothing special if you’ve been to Drumheller.
The Komodo dragons are really neat, and the last time I went (July 2015) there was a baby! The Tigers are really cool, and so is the leopard. The playground near what used to be Australia (they closed Australia after the flood which made me kind of sad) is really good for kids and there’s picnic tables to eat lunch.
Overall, it was a good experience, but the admission prices are really expensive. I mean, the general is like $ 24 and seniors is like $ 23… Again, understandable because of the flood. However, it’s worth it, especially for kids!

Wow!
I’ve been to a lot of zoo’s in my days, but this one jumps to the top of my favorite list.
Huge exhibits, remind me of San Diego Zoo Safari Park.
A really cool Dinosaur exhibit that’s massive and really fun.
Some really good aquatic, safari and indigenous zones really show off each climates animals.
The Canada section was really cool to see each of the regions broken up and shown with its respective geography, flora and animals. Some good explanations and designs as well as some really big exhibits again!
The Penguin zone is really fun, both the outdoor and indoor sections.
The Rainforest section is hot and humid! As it should be. Gorillas, birds, and some really well cared for exhibits again.
The park sis split up nicely and flows quite well most of the time, I would have been happy to see a few more signs along the way helping me to stay on the right path, but all in all, very easy to walk around.
The food selection is staggered and there is a really nice food court area across the bridge on the island.
I had a fun time by myself, but it was plain to see that this is a great place for familes and friends of all kinds!

Great place for family. Kids talked to staff and they were friendly and responsive. This is easily a full day excursion.

Always a great place to hang out. Well maintained and lots to see. My kids and I could hang out here for hours on end. I even find the cafeteria to be reasonable-​far better then Spark’s offerings!

ZOO LIGHTS. HORRIBLE
Some less beautiful lights that people can install in their homes, walk without any interest, ticket extensive more 15 dollars, a shame but we’re in Calgary … Come see the Christmas lights in Vancouver is sumptuous and moving beauty, Petit train Stanley Park, the garden lights Van Dusen much cheaper and with all the legendary smile of people in Vancouver, Calgary always really any need and think only business
Quelques lumières moins belles que les habitants peuvent installer dans leurs maisons, promenade sans aucun intérêt, billets chers plus de 15 dollars, une honte mais non sommes à Calgary… Venez voir les lumières de Noël à Vancouver c’est somptueux et émouvant de beauté, le Petit train de Stanley Park, les lumières du jardin Van Dusen beaucoup moins cher et avec partout le sourire légendaire des habitants de Vancouver, vraiment Calgary à toujours tout faut et né pense qu’au business

When we moved to Calgary, one of the first day trips we did was a trip to the Calgary Zoo. I have been to a few zoos in my travels, but nothing compared to the Calgary Zoo!
C-​Train access is great! Come down off the platform and you are right in the ticket kiosk area. Tickets are affordable for one time visits, or if you plan to go a few times through the year (like we ended up doing), then get the annual pass.
The zoo is very well laid out, lots of bathrooms and rest areas, food and drink is easy to find (will touch on that again later!), staff is friendly and helpful, and it is a teriffic way to spend a half day to a full day depending how fast you go, and how many sections you see. That is the nice thing about an annual pass, you don’t HAVE to see everything in one day.
Some of the animal high points for me were the penguins, tigers and the rainforest building. Depending when you go, there may be a line up for the penguins. They have markers as you move up in line saying how long you can expect to wait, We always move a bit faster than the signs say. And the wait for the penguins is well worth it!
Our monthly zoo visits got thrown off track when the flood happened. It took zoo staff a lot of money and time to get the zoo back up and going, and I was very pleasantly suprised at the state of the zoo when we went back this summer, the first time since the flood. Minus a few animals that they had to move to other zoos, the place looks incredible! Some new additions as well was great to see. Kudos to the staff who made it happen!
One new addition that could still use some work though, is the new restaurant called Grazers. It is a much needed alternative to the hot dogs and fries that can be found at the food area, but the menu and food prep needs work. The menu is written very well, claiming the use of local, sustainable products. The descriptions made us very excited to get lunch. The service and food was a major let down. We had to chase down a waitress to place an order, get refills and even to pay the bill. The food was not quite as advertised. Nothing spectacular about anything with it. The sandwiches were disproportionate, huge amounts of bread, less filler. Mine advertised a corn, apple and fennel slaw on my pulled pork. I literally had 8 kernels of corn, 3 thick un-​edible pieces of fennel, and no apple to be seen. The side «caesar» salads were mixed greens, no romaine, barely any dressing, no croutons. A bit disappointing, but they were newly open so hopefully they get it together. Would be a very nice lunch spot to frequent if things improve.
We have been twice to Zoolights as well. Open every night for about 1 month around Christmas, they put on spectacular light displays, hot chocolate, fire pits and so on around the entire zoo. It is a great night! Highly recommended.
Whether you live in Calgary or visiting, a trip to the zoo is always a fantastic day out!

My husband and I are huge zoo fans and often try to visit local zoos when we travel. We really enjoy the Calgary Zoo and attend the Zoo Gala every year to lend our support and take part in a fantastic event.
The layout is good and surprising large considering its location. The variety of animals is also considerable when you again take the size in to consideration. My favorite is a toss up between the elephants and the penguins but as the elephants will soon be departing I suppose it will be the penguins. Although the giraffes, hippos, sea otters, gorillas… oh heck who can pick they are all awesome!
Tomorrow my hubby and I head over to renew our seasons’ pass and are really looking forward to another season of biking from our home along the beautiful river pathways to spend a nice day relaxing at the zoo.

We’re so lucky to have such a world-​class zoo here in Calgary!
I was a bit worried that the lines for the new penguin exhibit would be outrageous since I went during the opening week but it was actually pretty reasonable. We waited for 45 minutes which was pretty good considering there were signs warning the wait could be up to 2 hours. Right now they’re letting groups of about 70 in at a time for 15 minutes each.
The exhibit itself was super impressive. The glass separating you from the penguins is only about 5 feet high so they get extremely close to you. One of them even splashed me! I was envisioning they would be behind a wall of impenetrable glass. However, the closeness you can get to the animals made it feel really interactive even though you can’t touch them. Check out the photos I added. So cute.
I can’t wait to come back to see the penguins when it’s less busy and there isn’t a time limit. One of the zookeepers mentioned they were hoping to participate in a breeding program in the future which would be amazing.
The rest of the zoo was pretty quiet since we did go in the middle of February. I assume a lot of the people there were annual pass holders so they can justify going just for the penguins and saving the rest of the zoo for a warmer day. I’m seriously considering buying a pass for myself too!