Binder Park Zoo

A nice walk through a forested area, somewhat Africa-​like. A long walk, hoping you’re going in the right direction. We finished, to find the people behind us gave up and were waiting in line for the tram to take everyone back to the front of the zoo.
Much walking, and not much to see. There are only a few large animals, giraffes (the major attraction, you can feed them), zebras and ostriches. No big cats (except a puma), no rhinos or hippos or gators or elephants. Black bear, no larger bear. The reptile building had mostly empty windows, only a few small reptiles. Windows on many exhibits throughout were very dirty, often hard to see through.
Again, a nice walk. A long one. Forget the kids, they’ll want to leave.

I’ve been visiting Binder Park Zoo since I was a child. I even worked here for a summer in high school, so I’m quite fond of it. The animals seemed to be well cared for and happy. The senior zoo staff is very friendly and knowledgeable. The teenagers are sullen and emotionless (basically your average teenager), but they get the job done. Make sure to visit the goat because they are adorable and love to be brushed.
Wild Africa is by far the best place in the zoo, so be sure you spend most of your time there. The zebras, giraffes, and antelopes run free together in a wide open space. There is an overlook where for $ 5 you can get a bucket of lettuce and feed the very hungry giraffes. Don’t get your bucket too close, because they’ll steal your lettuce with their long tongues. They giraffes will even let your pet them in you keep the lettuce coming.
The downside to this zoo is the fact that things are not up to date. They still have the dinky train that they had when I was a kid. I’m 5’2″ and I struggle to climb into the thing and sit with my toddler. Things haven’t been kept up all that well, I will assume due to lack of funding. The playgrounds in the children’s petting zoo area are terrible. There’s a slide that the kids seem to like, but the steps to the slide and the bottom of the slide are in two different areas, so a parent can’t just sit back and relax. If you can see the steps, you can’t see the bottom of the slide. It’s also not uncommon to see things broken and out of order. While on the trail in Africa, we were hot and dying of thirst. We were thrilled when we came across a soda machine, but were devastated to see that it wasn’t working. That seemed to be pretty typical.
Luckily they are currently adding some exhibits and making some upgrades. I’m really looking forward to the changes they have planned in the coming years.

For an area the size of Battle Creek/​Kalamazoo, Binder Park is a real treasure for the community, and an amazing value to boot. While Binder Park is certainly perfect for families with young’uns, this review is coming from the perspective of a young guy who’s probably even younger at heart and married to a woman that can’t get enough animals. Was it the most exciting trip I’ve ever taken? No, but I don’t think it needs to be for anyone to have a really enjoyable day there. While not every animal will blow you away, I think you’ll still probably find some surprises that will make you smile. Plus, it’s a great way to be outdoors.
Since the last time I’d been there (at least 5 years, I believe?) the park has added a bear exhibit which was really awesome. I know animals are unpredictable and you can’t guarantee anything, but the three or four bears that were out were super active and it was a lot of fun to watch them play, explore, and enjoy the sunshine. Maybe they were particularly active because this trip was during opening week, and they were getting used to their surroundings? I’m inclined to think so, so maybe think about going early in the season.
Did we go to the petting zoo? Obvi. Was it smelly? of course! Was it worth it? Absolutely! Feed ALL THE THINGS!
Everyone probably has their own favorite animals, so I’ll spare you the rest of my recommendations other than to say this: GIRAFFES. Feed the giraffes! What a cool experience! Wild Africa in general is a pretty great area, so make sure you budget ample time to spend there. We ate before we went in, and were able to save money on food and drink. I know zoos need to make money, but for the budget conscious among us you may want to consider grabbing a bite on the way.

Taking part on the «Zookeeper For A Day» is a waste of money. I wanted an experience for my birthday so my boyfriend bought me a day with the animals. Instead of the interaction I was looking forward to, I was handed a shovel and a garden hose and told to clean out the stalls. The zookeepers acted like it was a bother to have me there, even though I was nice to them. They didn’t offer me any information on the animals, I had to ask every question. I finally did get a little interaction; about a half hour, and then it was back to cleaning stalls. The Zookeeper package did include lunch, but it was nothing special, just burgers and fries. Then it was back to mucking out stalls again. My boyfriend was so mad, he basically paid $ 100.00 for them to use me to do their job. Do not waste your time and hard earned money on the Zookeeper For A Day, you won’t get much time with the animals, they work you to death and treat you rudely.

Food is worst ever and pricey. Pay extra for dinky train. Feeding giraffes priceless and awesome and they had room to roam at least. Africa walk is nice. Get bigger space for monkeys and animals.

Great zoo. The entry fee is a little high, but the experiences inside are much cheaper than other zoos to compensate. For instance, you can feed the giraffes for as long as you want, not just a couple minutes before quickly being shuffled off. Also, Binder lets you get a lot closer to the animals than most other zoos.
When we went it was ~85 and sunny, but the zoo has done such a wonderful job keeping most of the pathways shaded that the whole day only felt like it was mid 70’s.

Love this place! We’ve had a Family membership for years, well worth it! If you plan to go more than twice a year, get the membership :) I really love this zoo because it’s so open and spread out. Animals are seen in their natural environment not metal cages side by side. In wild Africa you can feed a giraffe for. $ 1!!! At Busch Gardens a similar experience costs $ 29. Food is average, high priced, pack your own lunch or snacks. Well worth spending a day!

Beautiful zoo! I thought the price was fair for the animals that they had. The park was kept clean, but the day I went they had issues with the plumbing and there were limited restrooms and drinking fountains. There were also some exhibits that were missing that I wish to have seen. You can feed the giraffes for 1 leaf of lettuce for $ 1 or 6 leaves for $ 5. Overall I would come back!

This zoo is spread out. The bonus of this is the fact that the animals get a little bit more space. The downfall is that it is a little more walking. I feel as though I could see much more that what I did with the space that was available.
The grounds need to be maintained a little bit better. Paths were quite uneven and shrubbery and plants seemed overgrown in many parts of the zoo.
Restroom facilities were out of order during our visit as well as a number of exhibits. This added to the lower rating.
I’d come back for another visit at some point and time, but would hope to find some updates and additions to the existing facilities.

Incredible zoo in Battle Creek. When you go, do not leave until you feed the giraffes!
If you are in town in the fall, be sure to attend Bonteboktoberfest when they open the zoo for an evening of beers from around Michigan. Not many animals out at the time, but a great event!

This zoo is pretty awesome! Yes we didn’t get to see all of the animals but we saw 95% of them. The other 5% were MIA because they had plenty of room to roam and hide in their «natural habitats» which is exactly why I chose Binder Park Zoo over my hometown zoo. I’d rather drive an hour and a half with my 2 children under 2 to see happy, lively, well cared for animals who are in habitats similar to where they came from. Rather than driving 20 minutes to my home town zoo to see sad, poorly cared for unhappy animals. The only thing I can think of that could be improved upon was the long line to get into the zoo. We had to wait about 25 minutes and we arrived in the middle of the day so who knows how long the line is when they first open in the morning! Another plus is that most of the zoo is shaded so even though it was hot it wasn’t uncomfortable because the sun wasn’t directly on you.

One of my favorite places to go during the warmer seasons in Michigan is the Binder Park Zoo. If you live in the area, buy the season pass-​it is totally worth it and you can save money on trips to other reciprocal zoos and aquariums.
One of the best things about this zoo is the way the animals are kept in a larger area rather than cages. The animals look happier, and although you sometimes have trouble finding them in their enclosure, I think it is better for the animals.
There are several opportunities for nature walks, we always enjoy walking back from Wild Africa instead of taking the tram. Very few people do this so it gives you a nice break from the crowds, and a chance to see deer or chipmunks.

Binder Park visit
Lots to do, but few beasties
Snack bar is awesome