Phoenix Zoo

Horrible class field trip, DO NOT DO THE NIGHT CAMP!!! We saw maybe 1 animal, it was super cold, the zoo staff provided us with COLD pizza that was sitting out for maybe 2 hours in 50 degree weather. Limited drinks, we could only have ½ cup of beverages, and that was our dinner. Talk about sending kids hungry to bed. We had a cold hard breakfast, and restroom use was hardly allowed. Poor quality, it seems run down and not very welcoming. Would not recommend!!!

It was a much better experience this year as we went during the «tourist» months. More of the animals were outside and I even spotted my favorite wild spotted african dogs, although they were sleeping. Several areas of the zoo seem like they were forgotten including the strange fake Mexican village. There were also a ton of school kid groups as well clogging the streets, but still plenty of room to roam. Seems like the perfect time to visit zoo would be weekend in spring, but it is big enough park. Most crowds hang out near the giraffe area. Nothing seemed new, except for a return of the cheetah and Monkey Village was experiencing some issues with lines and a new monkey, so we never made in there. Even tried a pretzel with cheese for about 5 bucks, but still best to eat your meal outside the zoo.

I’ll skip the traditional lions and tigers and bears oh my! And get right down to it. We are a family of 2 adults and 3 kiddos. 9.12.and 14. Finding something reasonable to do all day isn’t easy to do. Animals are something we can all agree on. I got something in the mail for a membership for the zoo, probably because I am one for Az Science Center and Botanical Gardens too. Anyway this was $ 179 for 4 kids and 2 adults… For the year! That’s a great day. One of those pay a day and get the year for free. We packed lunch and brought water bottles and what a great day for it. No junk food, tons of exercise, family time, learning… the petting zoo was awesome. Fantastic job Phx Zoo bravo. The lions and flamingos were hilarious… the zebras were impeccable. Oh, but the elephant??? Not ok. They need to do something with Ruby!!! I’m serious! Outside of her nothing was depressing but she was… and I’m an elephant fan. Oh and no pandas no tigers??? Come on now… Everything else suburb. 4 stars.

It’s been awhile, maybe couple years, since I last came here. They moved some of the animals around and there seems to be more animals to see. Miss the jaguar though. I would give this place a 5 star, but the prices of things are really a lot, I mean a lot. The only thing I paid for that was somewhat reasonable was the camel ride, which lasted really maybe 3 – 4 minutes for $ 6. We are not members, otherwise it’s $ 5.
I guess the high food and other prices are probably on par with other zoos. Glad we were able to bring our own lunch in, so that is good.
There really is a lot to see and it took us, my 12-​year old son and I, about 5 hrs to go through with the whole place. After seeing some of the animals we saw in the zoo in the wild, like the Big Horn Sheep, we now realize even the enclosure they were in is really, really small.
But, overall, the zoo looked great. I got many good pictures. Just wish there was more space for each of the animals. The enclosures are so small for birds of prey like the Eagles.

I love this zoo! We were in AZ over Thanksgiving weekend visiting my parents and decided to take my kids to the zoo. This is a very good sized zoo, and my favorite part is that the animals are not in tiny little cages. They have habitats. The safari habitat was awesome, it was so big that you had to search for the large animals, and once you spotted them they were peacefully eating or relaxing. My 4 year old got to ride a camel with her dad for $ 5. It’s a short camel ride, but definitely did the trick for her.
Snacks and beverages are pretty pricey ($ 4 for a small bottle of Dasani water), and they don’t check bags so I would assume you are welcome to bring in your own. Definitely do that unless you want to spend a quick $ 20 at the snack counter.
We must have shown up during the universal animal nap time lol because quite a few of them were sleeping. Of course that doesn’t affect any kind of rating because animals have to sleep too! The male and female lions were snuggled up next to each other for their nap, which was super adorable.
Admission isn’t bad, it was about $ 75 for 3 adults, one child, and my son was free. We got the general admission tickets because by the time we got there they were 3 hours from closing. They do have more options which include a sting ray exhibit, a 4D theatre experience, and the camel ride.
I would definitely come back to this zoo, and hope that it isn’t nap time again so we can observe the animals doing something other than snuggling the day away.

I really enjoyed this zoo with my little ones on a visit from LA.
The zoo was not very crowded on the day of our visit and the layout of the park was lovely. There was so much to see an overall a great spot to visit while in the Phoenix area!

My family and I love this zoo. Not only did we see the zoo during daylight hours, we came to Halloween and the zoo which was Awesome! Looking forward to Zoo Lights this Holliday!

This was our 1^st trip to AZ and the Phoenix Zoo. By far it’s one of the best Zoo’s we’ve ever seen! The zoo was extremely clean. The animals are very clean and well cared for. The employees were very friendly and helpful. We are sad that the zoolights won’t start till next week, we’d would have loved to see them.
We ended up buying a membership for our Kids and grandkids who live in Arizona but who could not attend today. That’s you for being such an amazing park!
SB from Northern California

The zoo was difficult to find and the entrance not as clearly marked as you would think. Totally worth it. The have tons of customizable experiences to fit your interests. I opted for the Safari ride and feeding giraffes. You can also get your 10k steps in a day easily without even trying. I went with the 28 dollar tix which included some extras like a 4D movie.

I’m a native to Phoenix, and been coming to the zoo since my elementary school days and now finally experiencing it with my little one. We enjoyed roaming around this past Sunday with some friends from out of town. They also recently added a cool 4-​D attraction. We saw the Ice Age one and the kids thoroughly enjoyed it. Also you’re allowed to bring in your own food and the zoo has ample amount of picnic tables scattered through out. We’re definitely coming back for more visits as the weather is cooling down.

Really a lovely zoo. I’ve never understood the «controversy» about well-​run zoos (even As a nearly-​lifelong vegetarian and proponent of animal rights). These animals serve a very real purpose both for people and their own individual species. Education, awareness, breeding, study, etc. This zoo has such a great family atmosphere and the animals are well cared for. I’ve been going to this zoo for almost thirty years and it has gotten exceptionally better over the years in terms of animal care and research.
Bonus on the last trip, the tiger was very active and jumped into the tree twice.

The Phoenix zoo is a nice medium sized zoo. It has good diversity of animals, it is pleasant to walk around, and has good signage making it easy to find the attractions you may want to see. There are early opening and closing hours for the summer. The Phoenix zoo is rivaled by the Albuquerque zoo which is about the same size, buy has several different types of animals. The Phoenix zoo has a nice «Desert Lives» trail that swings back into Papago Park with the rock formations, and the incorporated two animal groups into the area around the tall. The native Big Horned sheep got to be in this area as well as an ibyx. The native animal section was well done, and there was a lot of shade in that area. There was an area that was closed off for construction of the habitat for the Sumatran tiger. I’d like to see it when it’s here.
I used the Phoenix libraries’ culture pass to get in. Unfortunately, the zoo has stopped participating in the culture pass (allowed for two admissions). Hopefully, they’ll start participating again!

The journal, ScienceAdvances, reports that planet earth is in the middle of a sixth mass extinction. The rate of extinction has been greater during the past 100 years than at any time in the past 65 million years.
Well, I guess that’s a sobering reason to visit the zoo even though the temperature is over 110 degrees. I’m always conflicted when visiting a zoo. Sure, I want to see animals and I’m glad zoos try to protect endangered species. Of course, if we took better care of the planet, these species wouldn’t be endangered in the first place and we wouldn’t lock them up for our pleasure.
For me, the siamangs were thrilling to see and hear. For a 30-​minute period, they practically danced on ropes suspended between trees while also swinging around in the treetops. The decibel level of their howls may have been heard by passengers in the planes flying in the skies above. This was truly spectacular.
As I watched the tortoises enjoy their meal of green grass, I kept hearing the repetitive sound of a screen door and a rattling cage nearby. I followed the sound and discovered it was coming from the small green oropendola bird. This bird was no mediocre Las Vegas impressionist. I’m not exaggerating to say it could mimic the exact sound of the cage’s screen door and the mesh as the door is slammed. It moved its head and neck about to find the right position to emit the correct notes. The oropendola was like a jazz singer. I was blown away.
I felt bad for the little oropendola as I walked out of the zoo. A most talented animal reduced to emitting the sounds of its prison over and over. I remain conflicted but I know I’ll return.

I have a membership and plan to go often.
Based on my experience thus far, the kids amenities like the water pad make the visit sweet during a hot summer.
Bring your own everything as the trip can get costly.
The staff and people are nice and make returning a pleasure!

Super Enjoyable for Family Time
Phoenix only has a few great places for a family day with kids. Luckily, Phoenix Zoo is rocking it. The recent and continuing renovations make the place more enjoyable all the time. It’s simple to navigate, hands-​on areas allow you to feed giraffes and rays and captivate little ones, and special events keep things fresh. They also have occasional deals on Groupon and LivingSocial, which can get you a good deal.
Compliments on the enclosures. They look like great spaces for the animals while giving visitors great views.
Hint: Bring a wagon for carting things around. There are a good number of play areas and activities that the kiddos want to do. A wagon lets someone manage the stuff while the other is with the young ones.

Animals, animals everywhere and they’re all there for your entertainment.
This is my third visit to this zoo and I have never been disappointed.
I have been able to watch the evolution of the orangutan exhibit and the tireless work that has been given to help humans understand this fascinating species.
I remember visiting about 13 years ago, just before the gorilla here was sent to the Seattle zoo, and then seeing the newly transplanted gorilla at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle less than a year later.
This zoo is a really great place to visit. Go and experience all the animals here. You won’t regret it.

Please don’t make me go to the zoo! Unless there are some really cute fluffy, cuddly animals. I did see the «awww» animals, like the mountain lion, better known by its real name, the cougar (at least in my part of the country). The kissing prairie dogs were deciding on valentine sweethearts, or perhaps it was mating season. And, the giraffes were pretty spectacular. I could have skipped the reptiles, but we saw every exhibit (except the children’s petting zoo) and boy are my feet tired.
There is so much to offer here. We caught part of a talk on the Galapagos tortoise, which was very educational; the zoologist lovingly stroked the tortoise’s neck while she talked.
There is a tram available if you have difficulty walking. My group didn’t use it, so I can’t comment on its merits or lack thereof.
If I lived in Phoenix full time and had young kids, I’d have a membership and have this on my regular family outing list!
4 stars due to their different level admission costs

Coming from the midwest, it was nice to see a zoo where the inhabitants can be outside year round! I love how the native rock formations were incorporated into the Bighorn Sheep exhibit and I appreciated the separate area for the native wildlife enclosures.
There are plenty of places to grab a drink, snack, or rest on a bench if need be.
I recommend bringing an umbrella and sunscreen because, even though there are trees along the paths, this is Arizona and the sun is HOT!
If you have a zoo membership at your home zoo, you can get 50% off your admission here with your card.
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