Audubon Zoo

This is by far not the best zoo I have ever been to and I have never been to any of the Top 10 US Zoos. I really liked how they had little buildings along the zoo route that were air conditioned and had small exhibits in them because the heat can really get to you. It is a bit ridiculous to charge an additional $ 12 for anyone to go to the Cool Zoo even if they don’t plan on swimming and are only 3 years old. That really irritated my husband. If you have already paid to get into the zoo you should get a cheaper price to the water park area or include this into your Audubon Experience Package. The animals seen a lot slower/​lazier than any zoo I have been to and I wasn’t impressed by so many of the animals have bands and tags on/​in them. The animal enclosures also had WAY too much room for people/​kids to make their way into the exhibit.

Enjoyed the Zoo. Well planned, the animals seem comfortable and not a lot of walking between exhibits. Particularly enjoyed the Louisiana swamp and aviary exhibits.

Zoo was small and didn’t have many vendors… no Dip-​n-​Dots?! Thankfully it’s cheap to get into (about $ 25 per person), but it’s missing essential animals like koalas, lions, pandas, and polar bears! The elephants are even on a time schedule where u can’t view them after 12 noon, wth? They should NOT be charging an extra $ 5 for the tram, especially since it isn’t worth taking since you can walk the park easily in 2 hours.

I have always been fascinated by Noah’s Ark. However it seems that many many years ago, there was another boat that was traveling on the Mississippi River with animals, then the river flooded leaving an animal kingdom to settle on the landscape on a bend upriver in the City of New Orleans. In all seriousness, I started the review with this introduction to emphasize that the Audubon Zoo is a first-​rate zoological park showcasing a magnificent diversity of animals. It is up there as one of my favorite zoos in the world. Throughout the beautifully landscaped zoo, over 2,000 animals from a white alligator to a giraffe call the zoo home. I greatly enjoyed both my visits to the Audubon Zoo.
If you are staying near the Central Business District getting to the zoo is part of the fun. On our first New Orleans vacation, we did the combination ticket that included a paddle boat along the Mississippi River. Getting back we took the streetcar. On the second visit, we hopped on the St. Charles Street car at Canal Street which took us through the Garden District to Audubon Park.
The Audubon Zoo is so special and upbeat. The landscape architects deserve to be in the Landscape Architecture Hall of Fame. The walking paths pass under mature canopys of trees that include native trees, a rainforest, Africa, and a world of landscaping within 38 acres. The walking paths pass through historic landmarks including the Odenheimer Sea Lion Pool built in 1928, sculptures, and buildings. The walking paths also touch the legendary highest spot in New Orleans: Monkey Hill. The landscaping contributes to happy guests and residents. The glorious Elephant fountain is the first impression.
Wherever I was in the zoo, the animals seemed to be living a Happy life. The majority of the exhibits were spacious natural habitats. The zoo is laid out into different sections that display the native animals and landscaping. The African Savanah is the zoological landscape to view zebras, giraffes, and other animals. Nearby the Bambu Village Asian Discovery Trail was a scenic walk close to the Jaguar Jungle, and into a Mayan rainforest. South America was also nearby. Here tapirs, rheas, and other furry creatures entertained zoo goers. The walking paths carried me by the flamingo exhibit and into the Asian Domain where elephants, sun bears, and rare white tigers live. In the world of the zoological lands are attractions that include the World of Primates and Reptile Encounters. I will never forget watching the komado dragons in the Reptile house.
My favorite land in the zoo isn’t Africa, South America, or an Asian rainforest; it is the Swamp Exhibit. Just incredible. In a Louisiana swamp, the walkways transition into elevated boardwalks that overlook alligators and crocodiles. By the way, Audubon Zoo is home to a rare white alligator with blue eyes. The Swamp Exhibit is also home to raccoons, nutria, cottonmouth, black bears, and otters. The Louisiana Swamp is also home to the Cypress Knee Café. This is the appropriate spot to relax and absorb all the sights of the Audubon Zoo.
The Audubon Zoo is up there with the best zoos that I have had the privilege of spending time in. Because there are so many animals to see and I can’t touch upon all the animals in this review; I have posted a picture of the zoo map and 12 photos of zoo residents below. In conclusion, I highly recommend the Audubon Zoo.

I love the landscaping and themes around the park. I feel like I’m travelling from one country to another without the cost.
If you really want adventure try taking the ropes course with your kid. You’ll find out how scary it is to be dangling by a harness and maneuvering around some little rope.
Taking a ride on the zoo train and having a snow cone was a really great way to cool off and relax at the end of the day.

As an Adult, I have to say this is the first time I have been to a Zoo. At home in California, I have never been to the San Diego zoo or the Los Angeles Zoo. This Zoo is quite amazing and does have the essence of southern swampage in some viewing areas that I know CA zoos would not have and it is amazing.
There are multiple areas for different type of animals like the Elephants, Monkeys, Giraffes, Rhinos and plentiful amount of birds. They place is a great place for children to learns and adults to see a zoo for the first time like me!

When we moved to New Orleans we bought an Audubon pass. I have been hesitant to use it for the zoo. I honestly did not think that it would be all that great, but to my surprise I was wrong. The zoo is quite beautiful. There are trees everywhere and it is well laid out. We went on a busy Sunday afternoon, but the flow of traffic throughout the zoo made it tolerable. There were definitely some cool exhibits. I also love that the prices for food and candy were pretty cheap. My main complaints were that some of the exhibits were way too small for the animals, especially the cats. The other is that the glass wasn’t super clean in the cages.

The day was warm and we walked hand in hand along the paths. Gentle breeze, sounds of animals all around. She was there and I went back looking for her. No trace of where we are and what we see.
Such a fun time in the park! Although most of the concessions were closed (kinda wanted some ice cream) and there was construction, had a great time for ours looking at all the amazing exhibits. A plus!

It’s hard for me to write this review. I’ve had lots of fun at the zoo over the years. I think the reason I’ve so much is because of the people I went with. The zoo itself leave a little to be desired for me. Maybe I have an idea in my head that is unrealistic of zoos. I feel like there should be more animals with better views of the animals. Also, the petting zoo has gone way down hill. The petting zoo was always my favorite because of my extreme love of animals. The last visit had about 3 animals to be petted. I’m sure I’ll be back but not soon.

This is a cool zoo! Great to take the kids and spend an hour or so. It’s a bit pricy, and a lot of things are currently under construction. A lot of the animals weren’t out because of the construction. It’s a nice facility and I feel like during warmer temperatures it would be more fun for the family because they have a water park for he kids. It was overall enjoyable, but nothing special. The entrance is beautiful, and there’s a lot of ground to cover. They have a wide range of animals and a lot of educational information. Enjoyed it, but it lacked the luster.

This was a very good zoo. It is very large with a good selection of animals. Some of the enclosures were good sized, but there were some that were undersized. We spent about 4 hours there.

Audubon Zoo in the rain:
Audubon Zoo in warm, 76 degree rain is serene and peaceful. Aside from the staff and maybe 20 other visitors sprinkled here and there, I’ve got the entire zoo to myself 99.9% of the time in a most peaceful, serene, exploratory way. The best part is, I’m not tripping on acid or anything else, I’m just enjoying a rainy afternoon of «me» time.
The old drug jokes aside, I cannot recommend the zoo enough. It’s my favorite Audubon place, compared to the aquarium or insectarium. I am not a bug person, so for me the only area of the insectarium that was enjoyable was the butterfly room. Still, it’s very informative.
The aquarium is always crowded. It’s location is prime, and parking can get expensive. Those seeking a tranquil or relaxing moment: the best spot in the aquarium is the dark viewing area, set up with stage like benches, in front of the large tank holding the sea turtle, tuna and sharks. Here at the zoo, there are so many places to find peace. There is always seating along your trek and areas to relax, admire what is in front of you.
Other pros of visiting the zoo on rainy days: parking is free, there’s no wait, the birds take baths in the full blown rain, and you have the café all to yourself with a pretty lush view.
Cons of visiting on a rainy day: the African wild dogs (my personal favorite) were not playing outside, and the giraffes were also in their shelter. I visited all other domains and there was plenty of action. I got some great shots, too. My outfit and hair are wet, but it’s not going to deter me from having a good time.
Last con are the giant puddles from side to side, but a very friendly staffer drove me across a deep one in her golf cart like thing. Some puddles span from side to side, so be prepared and wear your rainboots.
So in a nutshell, this zoo does an amazing job, rain or shine. Go visit and make new friends, so you can re-​visit.

I do not remember the zoo being this fun.
I had a blast with my niece and nephew. I cannot believe how beautiful the zoo is. I hadn’t been since I was a kid and it is much more grand and exciting than I remembered. Its huge! And the exhibits are cool. A favorite was the Dinosaur exhibit. My sister really likes that you can bring snacks in the zoo, which I agreed was helpful as there were points when the kids wanted a bite, but we weren’t necessarily close to the snack areas. My only pet peeve is that there were a few places where there were huge gaps without restrooms. And because kids don’t always know when to speak up, this was a bit problematic. Other than that, I had a fun day and was probably worn out more than the kids were.

How do I always just ignore my favorite things about this city? It had been ages since I had «done» the zoo and had several hours to kill before dinner.
The Zoo has so many great memories for me — going back over 40 years. After this trip I can add to the mental file. The walks are meandering, wide and offer different routes to get to the exhibits. It is a really nice walking exercise!
The selection/​assortment of animals is awesome and the landscaping is great. There are food and beverage vendors everywhere and the park is very clean.
I would recommend doing the aquarium/​paddleboat/​zoo/​trolley car combo and call it a day’s adventure. This is a lovely way to see the New Orleans that too few of us tike time to revel.

Love this place. It just gets better and better over the three years that I have been a member. When it’s not too hot out, I usually bring my 3– year old there. The petting zoo is our favorite!

My girlfriend and I loved this zoo experience, especially coming from Chicago where we have one of the best zoo’s in the world (Brookfield). This zoo was very large, ranging from orangutans to albino alligators. I’ve never seen an albino gator before, so this was definitely one of the highlights for me. Being in New Orleans, we definitely got the whole gator experience, even completing one of the alligator encounter tours in the swamp with Cajun Encounters, also very cool. Was a great trip and we’ll return again someday —
Best,
Charlie

This zoo has a reputation for being one of the best in the world for a reason.
After my 35 years of life on this planet living and growing up in and around New Orleans, I still come back for that visit back to my childhood AND never cease to be entertained, amazed and comforted.
My favorite part of the zoo is and has always been the swamp part, where there is a boardwalk, a houseboat and several ponds filled with gators, gars, turtles and ducks.
Sure, it’s a little different after Katrina, but I think it’s better! A whole family could EASILY spend an entire day in this zoo, especially if they take their time to actually enjoy the sights, look at the animals and enjoy each others’ company.
There are a few places where you can get some grub and the prices aren’t too bad. The food isn’t that bad either! I ALWAYS eat in the swamp café and get either some étouffée, or a crawfish pie and some fries. It’s decent. Not the greatest, but not bad either.
The animals are all well kept. The environments are usually kept free and clear of debris and litter (even though asshole patrons try their damnedest to clutter it up). The reptile house is kept nice and cool and the enclosures in there are very well done. Information about the animals are all very well displayed.
Most of the enclosures are pretty much unchanged from when I was a kid. The newer attractions appear modern, but they still have that old nostalgic feel.
You have to go to the zoo if you visit New Orleans. You won’t be disappointed. Oh! And don’t forget the plant life in this zoo. Most people are so concerned with the animals that they forget the plants all over the place, both exotic and indigenous!
Some of the most beautiful Live Oaks in the entire state are located in Audubon park.

First time I visited, it was post Katrina, so if you have heard of New Orleans and Hurricane Katrina, then you know it was the most devastating and tragic Act of God to hit this place.
The tragedy left many of the animals dead or airlifted out to new homes. Though the zoo was officially opened with regular operating hours in ’06, it was still stumbling on its feet. There were maybe two handful of animals, many showing signs of animals coming soon. It was a complete waste of time, and then another Act of God happend. He opened up the sky as we were in the backend of the park, drenching us with rain.
Quickly, my boyfriend at the time, and I hauled ass to the car. My last trip to the zoo until ’14; when I returned as a mother of two.
By now they had completely gotten it together. The sun was shining, the Flamingos were dancing, the Elephants were putting on a show of bathing each other… it was great. There were still a few renovations happening, so thats whats why they get only 3 stars.
But in another year or two, we will go back and hopefully I can update this review with 5 stars. Good luck!

Best zoo i’ve been to in all my years. This place is so huge I felt like I was a child again. Except this time, I can read. After the 4 hours of dazzle, I felt a lot more cultivated when stepping out the exit.
It also had good music playing in dining areas which really makes you feel like a tourist down South xD
The weather, the plants, and the animals (of course) fit perfectly together and is a massive contrast to the scenery up in Canada.
What an experience!

Compared to many other zoos I’ve been too– this is by far the best. All the cages were clean and most were getting fed. The animals looked healthy and happy for the most part. And they added a ropes coarse and a lazy river ! Like what?!? How awesome ! They have so many different food areas and snacks to pass on the way so you never have to worry about going hungry or Thirsty. My Saturday was great thanks to this zoo

Ein wunderschöner Zoo, der riesig ist. Wir waren mehr als 4 Std. drinnen und schafften doch nicht alles.
Er ist sehr liebevoll und schön gestaltet mit den Einteilungen in verschiedene Bereiche und auch von der Tiervielfalt waren wir begeistert. Dich Flamingo-​Stinker am Eingang müssten nicht unbedingt bei einem Imbiss sein aber man muss sich ja dort nichts kaufen. Für die Verpflegung ist gesorgt und auch ein Zug der einen Teil des Zoo’s abfährt ist vorhanden. Was mir sehr gut gefallen hat war der Swamp-​Bereich, dieser ist sehr schön gestaltet mit den Hütten und den Schaukelstühlen. Leider wurde uns die Zeit zu kurz, aber dieser Zoo ist extrem schön, auf jeden Fall einen Besuch wert. Doch lieber einen ganzen Tag einplanen ;o))