Houston Zoo — Attraction in Houston

OK, this will be quite an extensive review. Before starting the review a few things to know going in (This will help understand the review a little better)

We have annual memberships (The family membership) Trip was planned out a week in advance (After talking to a few of the staff on feeding schedules, displaying of animals, shows, etc.) Weather played a part of the day at the zoo (It was overcast and around 70 with a feel of high 60's)

Ok, knowing those few things let's get into the review.

PARKING: We all know parking is NEVER easy, however, the parking this Saturday morning was insane!! We waited in traffic for 30 min to get to the parking lot, once there we drove in circles for an hour waiting to find a spot or see someone leaving. People were cutting other cars off, blocking spots, you name it!! Safety of the family's pulling wagons and children is not at all taken into consideration. There is no place designated for pedestrians to walk safely without the high chance of being hit by one or more of the impatient drivers fighting for a spot. This would be a simple fix, you know how many spots you have so spend a little money and put a person or ticket puller at the entrance and issue a driver a numbered spot. When it's full YOU WILL KNOW and then you can update your system to use overflow lots. (Honestly waiting in a line to get a spot would be safer and take less than the hour and a half spent looking for one)

THE ZOO ITSELF Once we made it in (we were a family of 4 adults, 2 kids and a child under 3) it was pretty nice. We were able to see most of the animals we wanted to. They said because of the cooler weather alot of the animals were in their beds (behind the exhibits). Many did have signs telling the public why they were not out. So that is not on the zoo, that's mother nature. The fact that the staff put many signs up was nice so you didn't stand there waiting. Where we ran into a few minor issues was with the crowds. Many parents just let their children run and do whatever they wanted. Twice my wife and 7 month pregnant daughter were pushed by a kid ( these kids were plenty old enough to know manners and know pushing people is wrong) out of the way so they could see. We never spent more than 2 min at any place so others could see as well. After all that's what we all go for isn't it? The amount of foreigners there was jaw dropping. Most were Asian. I am happy to see the interest in what we have to offer. Thay said don't be the typical tourist and be loud and obnoxious. Don't push your way around.

Feeding schedule was all messed up doe to the weather. That again isn't on the staff. Most shoos were closed and the petting zoo was as well!!! That one sucked!!! They gave no notice it would be!!

Ad the park closed and everyone was leaving we headed back out to the parking lot for another round of the morning activities..... it was even worse!!! People were literally trying to block others just to move up 2 feet!!! People were cussing and honking and making threats to other drivers just trying to leave just like they were. It was insane!!! What made it even better is they had 3 houston police officers sitting outside in their units not doing a damn thing about it!!!

All and all the zoo needs to utilize an app for parking, shows, feeding times, and other things to make the zoo a little safer and more enjoyable. It's a great place to go.... and we would never tell anyone don't do it. We highly recommend you do. We just believe with the money made from the zoo they could spend some of that on simple safety and security instead of building a 2 story bar in the zoo.

Just my thoughts and my opinions.... please go and enjoy the zoo. I'm certain every tine we go the review would be...

I visited the Houston Zoo on December 30, but somehow, there wasn't too much crowding despite it being almost a new year. I entered almost immediately by scanning my tickets that I purchased from the CityPass. Here's the main points I took away from my visit:

there was a perfect amount of people. There was not any insane crowding whatsoever, and the people were evenly distributed among the large exhibits in the zoo.

The lions were a bit disappointing. The staircase to the Lion Viewing Tunnel appeared to be very promising, but to my surprise, when I entered, the lions were nowhere to be seen. The tunnel was like a ghost town, with every person who entered leaving almost immediately at the appearance of no lions. however, when we saw lions through another exhibit, they looked miserable and exhausted. Both were sleeping in front of the glass with small insects crawling on them.

Lots of animals were hiding. My experience in the lion exhibit matched with my experience with some others, too. I understand that the zoo isn't at fault for the location of the animals in their exhibits, but many monkeys, birds, and small animals were nowhere to be seen. This partially took away from the experience, as it was not possible to see them in person.

The elephants appeared to be unhappy. When entering the elephant exhibit, the body language of the elephants made it seem as if they were not properly taken care of. They showed signs of boredom by swaying or bumping their heads, along with digging their heads into the walls of their habitat. These are common signs of elephant boredom. I was upset to see that the elephants weren't being treated well from what I saw.

The gorillas caused a huge scene. The crowd at the gorilla exhibit was fairly normal until the gorillas began aggressively playing with each other. Minutes later, the exhibit was fully packed with children who assumed that there was a gorilla "fight" going on. The room burst with noise as everybody crowded their way to keep up with the playful "fight." There was barely any room in the exhibit, but it was amusing to see how engaged kids and adults were in the exhibit. This was, by far, the most entertaining part of the zoo.

The giraffe area was pretty costly. Using the interactive map, I discovered that there was a carousal and a feeding exhibit. Since I visited with two children, I figured that it was a good opportunity for some amusement. Unfortunately, the carousal costed $5 a ticket and the feeding exhibit costed $9. However, this is respectable in my opinion as I understand that there can only be so many people who want to do all of these activities for free, which could cause overcrowding. So, I didn't mind this expense too much.

I definitely recommend using the interactive map. The interactive map was SUPER useful during my visit to the zoo. Not only does it work offline, but it can track your location in the zoo and guide you through each exhibit, labeling small areas you can visit along the way. Since the zoo is fairly large, the interactive map is a lifesaver for a...

Went back for the first time in like 10 years. Surprise visit for my birthday.

**Note: we went at 9am on a sunday which was a gloomy, humid February day with rain and still saw most animals.

Location: easy to find by gps. Private parking lot (free). Parking lot was filling up quick as soon as they opened.

Atmosphere: clean, well kept enclosures. Some typical zoo odors to be expected but not bad. Animals looked cared for. The orangutan was the only one who looked sad but that could just be its features. There are maps throughout or you can use a paper one (recommend grabbing one). There are keeper talks throughout the day but requires some planning and a possible full day to see them all.

Service: friendly and happy to talk about the animals. There were a few in the reptile building that went above and beyond to educate guests on specific animals. Approachable staff who answered questions.

Animals: gorillas, lions, tigers, bears, alligators, red panda, insects, snakes, fish, seals, sharks, elephants, giraffes, rhinos, penguins, meerkat, mole rats, monkeys, etc. Our favorites were the gorilla enclosure (if they aren't outside, you can view them inside) and the aquatics area where seals were swimming overhead. There are various keeper talks and activities that go on throughout the day (i.e. elephant baths) which are free to watch.

Price: tickets must be bought online. We didn't know and were directed to use our phones to scan a QR code to purchase before allowed to enter. Approx. $37/adult, kids $30. Ticket prices actually depend on the day/time you go, some days/times are slightly cheaper. There are extra experiences that cost extra (i.e., feeding giraffes, rhino encounters, etc.) If you want to participate. There is also some food throughout available but prices are high.

Hours: 9a-5p every day.

Overall, a good zoo to visit. It is large, so expect it to take awhile to go through, especially when crowded. There are a few places to sit and some animals have indoor enclosures (so not everything is 100% outside).

Only reason for 4 out 5 stars is the price. I can't imagine a family trying to pay for a zoo day. Also don't think online only payment is fair as not everyone will have the ability to...