I would give this zoo 4.5 stars.

To preface, I LOVE zoos. I plan trips around zoos with animals I haven’t seen yet so I can go and learn about them.

I grew up going to the Tulsa zoo with my aunt every summer (early 2000s) and I remember it being a magical place. I loved the penguins and I think they had sharks at the time before the separate aquarium was built.

I moved off and hadn’t been in a while (10+ years), when I decided to go when visiting my grandparents in 2021. I dragged my 88 year old grandfather through the heat to see the animals, and honestly that was a magical experience. He was a cattle farmer most of his life, so he was fascinated by all the different animals and we spent several hours walking through the park talking about all the different animals. He especially loved the elephants. This is one of the last things I got to do with him before he passed so the Tulsa Zoo will always be a special place.

My husband and I moved back to the area this year (2024) and when our friends came to visit with their toddler, I knew I wanted to take them here. It was July, and hot, but we still had a good time. We all especially loved the interconnected buildings “life in” different habitats because it was a great break from the elements with cool animals like arctic foxes and southern screamers.

I will say, if you go frequently, it may feel a little bit small after a while. When I was there in 2021, I felt like we were there a while, and I still missed exhibits. But the most recent trip, we had budgeted 3 hours before our dinner reservation and it felt like we saw most habitats within 90 minutes. Want to preface again, I’ve been to a lot of expansive zoos (Columbus / San Diego) since the last time I was at the Tulsa zoo this may have impacted perception.

All-in-all. The ticket prices feel really affordable (to a dual income, no kids couple). They have lots of water stations, so I did not have to spend a lot of money at concessions and stayed hydrated. The zoo has practices seem ethical and to further species research and populations. They have some really cool animals that you wouldn’t get to see other places like snow leopards and bearcats.

I am planning to get a membership next spring.