Micke Grove Zoo

It’s been a few years since I’ve been to Micke Grove Zoo but I’ve also been coming here my entire life. It’s a plus that it’s so close to home and you can see so many gorgeous and adorable animals.

I’ve always treasured this place and it has only gotten over the years. Their Madagascar focused supply of animals is very nice. Some of my favorites are the Pudus, and the spider monkeys. It’s a small zoo… but they do a lot while at the same time not letting the animals feel overcrowded or stressed.

They actually have quite a number of animals for a small zoo, many which I have never seen at other local zoos like SF, Oakland and Sac. For $ 10 ($ 60 for annual family member) and $ 6 parking, this is a pretty good zoo.

My son is 3 and loves this place. The best zoo in the valley is Fresno zoo but this place is closer and still fun. This zoo has improved over the years in landscaping and providing areas to sit in the shade. We go about every 4 – 5 months and each time they have improved the walkways and in giving shade to the animals. There are not a lot of animals and they have introduced some new ones recently (snow leopard, bobcat, and a porcupine soon) you can go through the zoo in an hour, but with a little one he can run around for a little more then go the park afterwards. The little orange monkeys are our favorite! My tip: look on the website for events. Sometimes they have farm animals or birds to feed during certain times which is fun. My only wish is that the zoo focused on local area animals in the foothills/​Sierra as a theme like squirrels/​raccoons etc. Its fun for my son.

I took my little guy here today, he enjoyed looking around at everything, he liked the spider monkeys because they were the most active, he watched them for a while. It’s pretty small but it was a good trip for my little guy he’s only 5 months old, he just enjoys to look at things. Walked through the garden too. If your kids are like over 6 you might want to go to a bigger zoo but it’s perfect for younger children.

If you are expecting the San Francisco zoo then you will be disappointed. To enjoy this place you need a little perspective. The zoo was a gift from Mr. William G. Micke (a local philanthropist) to the people of San Joaquin area. Specifically the zoo was created by Will Micke in memory of his wife who loved animals. So, while this zoo is small, it’s comes with a great story about a man who loved his wife so much that he made her a zoo to share with the people of the San Joaquin Valley. The is a bronze statue commemorating Will and his wife telling the story. As far as animals go, they were all active, The family of Tamerans was pretty fun to watch as they ate there late afternoon snack of grapes. Most impressive was the snow leopard Who is out and about running around his enclosure. You can probably make it with the zoo and 90 minutes or less. So if you’re short on time and short on cash this might be the place to go.

I encourage everyone with kids to buy a Membership! I took my daughter to The Zoo after Dark event last week and she had tons of fun and learned a lot about animals. The staff and volunteers are top notch!!! The Zoo Director made the whole experience informative and fun and my daughter Sofie loved the smore’s and treats by the fire at the end!
Phil & Sofie Greeley

Super small! No lions, tigers or bears. It’s really sad that had a lot of monkeys. It was 5 $ for parking and 8 dollars for me and my son. But truly not worth it T all. Save your money and go to the san fransco zoo.

The only reason I’d give 3 stars is bc the price to get in was so cheap. Adults were $ 5 and children were $ 3. Having said that, we were in and out of this zoo in an hour. The zoo is very small and quite a few animals were «missing» from their exhibits. They did have 1 snow leopard but other than that they mainly had a bunch of different species of lemurs, tamarins and birds.
Was not very impressed and won’t be back, one time through was plenty.

This was a real disappointment, even for $ 5.
Granted, it was a cold and foggy morning, but there weren’t alot of the big animals out, the snack place was closed as was the gift shop. They are working on some new exhibits.
I’m sure it’s better and more active closer to summer.

Super small, but it’s a good activity to do if you don’t want to drive far. And it’s very inexpensive. We had a good time.
–take cash for parking.

It was nice to visit a smaller, cheap, and local zoo (other than driving an 1+ hours). It’s clean, different types of animals so it’s interesting, and the staff is pretty nice.
The only reason I’m giving this place 3-​stars is because it was a little sad :(The area where each animal was kept had cardboard boxes for shelter or plastic water jugs for I don’t know what or plants that weren’t planted in the ground yet (they just left potted plants in the cage). It definitely would be a better experience if the animals looked happier and had well-​kept enclosures.

The smallest Zoo I ever been to. You can be done in 15 minutes it is cheap, five dollars for adults three for kids a cheap 15 minute part of your day looks likes there doing construction you go to once and you never go again

Last time I was at this zoo was about 29 years ago with my 2 year old daughter. Today I brought my two grandkids and we had a blast… Even tho the zoo is small it is full of animals… Mostly small ones but the kids had fun trying to find their hiding spots in the cages. We spent about 1.5 hours walking thru and checking everything out. Then we went to the amusement park. Yes it is small but for kids under 10 it is just perfect. And we were there on a Friday around noon just before the crowds arrived… Not many kids on the rides yet and the workers were right there to run them and help… On the way out of the park stopped at the playground. Had the whole place to ourselves… I even got on the swings with the grandkids, And I haven’t done that for many years… Overall it was a very fun time and will be going back again soon…

I love this little zoo! I’ve been a volunteer there in the past and I’m thrilled to have seen and been a part of the evolution of this zoo. Though there may not be many large animals at this zoo there are multiple endangered animals including the snow leopard and the fossa which are even hard to come by in other zoos.
I noticed that some people have commented on the size of some of the exhibits… In most if not all cases the animals in small cages were previously involved in accidents in the wild that left them with disabling injuries. Birds of prey, as I’m sure you know, where not designed to spend a lot of time walking on their feet… Most of the birds of prey at this zoo cannot fly anymore due to their injuries so they need less space in order to explore their entire exhibit and be comfortable.
The staff truly love these animals and their jobs so please if you have questions or concerns, talk to one of the employees! They want to make sure you clearly understand more about each animal you encounter and why they are housed the way there are.
There are many great exhibits being designed and planned but they can only be completed with our financial support. I’m looking forward to seeing the continued development of our little zoo!

This zoo/​park was fun for the kids. It wasn’t too big or too busy– which with young children is always great. Right outside of the zoo are play areas & a beautiful Japanese garden, so there is plenty to do out there with the kids to make it an eventful day. It was affordable, clean & the staff was amazing. The café was ok, a little pricey in my opinion. But, you have the options of bringing in your own food and drinks. All in all– it’s a great little place.

We really like this zoo. Yes, it’s very small… But it’s very affordable and pretty clean. The staff is friendly and eager to interact with kids and answer questions about the animals. There’s a small snack bar with the usual items (hotdogs, pretzels, soda…), but you can also bring in your own snacks if you’d prefer.
The rest of the park is beautiful as well. There is Fun Town with carnival rides, a Japanese rose garden, a few different playgrounds with big structures, and plenty of BBQ areas. Definitely worth checking out.
*Cash only to get into the park.
$ 5 (weekday)/$ 6-​$ 10 (weekends-​holidays)
*Cash or Card to get into the Zoo
$ 5 per Adult

This is by far the smallest zoo I have ever been to. Despite the size, my son still loves it. And there really aren’t any big animals here. I would say the biggest attraction yet have is the lorikeets. If anyone is ever bored at home and has kids, this place would be a good and inexpensive way to entertain your children for awhile. Outside the zoo there are tons of playground and even a water pad. The grounds are well kept.
Oh, and there’s always a random chicken running around in the zoo. Weird.

3.5 Stars… I recently came here with my little guy to check out this zoo. It’s pretty sad that the city of Stockton is in such a situation it is in regards to bankruptcy. It definitely shows the lack of fundage the zoo has because the park needs a definite upgrade SOON! The have an interesting array of animals/​species in the park. They also have a great assortment of carnival rides next door but looks like they need a fresh coat of paint. I hope that they can upgrade thsi place soon because it has good potential to be a hot spot for kids…

My 2 year old loves animals. Hes crazy for them! Whether on tv or in person, he is all about animals. So what better thing to do than visit zoo’s. Big or small he is all in for a zoo trip.
We went during the week, which if I can recommend, is the perfect time to go. It was pretty much empty and I can count on a hand and a half how many other visitors I saw.
Another reason I came here was for the Snow Leopard. Unfortunately I didn’t find out until after my visit that the Snow Leopard died literally a month before our visit. What bad timing on our part? I should add that it died of old age and not from some other affliction an improperly cared for zoo might inflict.
So we started out at the Mountain Lion pen. It never came out and I was really bummed that I couldn’t see it. Since it was so quite and not crowded here we even made two trips around the zoo. Also letting you know how small it is. Even on our second trip there was no Mountain Lion for us to see.
The café was also closed. I really wanted a corn dog or hot dog. There was also none of those to been seen or eaten.
My personal favorite was the Golden Eagle. If I believed in such things as power animals I’m officially designating mine as the Golden Eagle. They are a sight to behold. Just beauty and power personified.
We were also able to witness a Spider Monkey farting in our general direction. He (or she?) was also begging for food. Have you ever heard a Spider Monkey fart? Well I have. Tee hee!
Maybe I was in a bird mood after finding my power animal because I saw the most magnificent color on a little bird. The Scarlet Ibis is by far the most beautifully colored bird I’ve seen in person. The crimson and oranges that its feathers show are mind boggling. I cant explain the vibrancy here. You must go see for yourself. I’ve seen other Scarlet Ibis at a different zoo and the color cant compare to these birds. Its a living breathing jewel.
I saw a keeper interact with an almost prehistoric looking bird. It called to her while she stood outside with us. I swear it sounded like a cartoon bomb dropping. You know that whistle that sounds like its dropping. Quite interesting and it looked like a half bird half dinosaur. Very cool!
They are doing construction so maybe there will be more animals soon. Giving that both the Bald Eagle and the Snow Leopard are not with us anymore. They’ve got some room.
I used to come here on field trips when I was in elementary school. I remember there was a Hippo and a Lion. Its not quite what I remember but honestly its better. Better in that is cleaner and the animals are very well taken care of.
For a week day thing to do with your kids this is a good idea. Not expensive and I wouldn’t even consider this a day trip to get here. Plus animal crazy toddlers kind of like it too.