Louisiana Purchase Gardens & Zoo — Attraction in Monroe

I’m not sure who works in the gift shop but i brought my kids to the boo at the zoo and because of this specific lady, we left. We stood in line to get in the boo at the zoo for 2 hours. We got there 10:15 and did not get in until almost 12:30. The cash line was moving and people who just pulled up were getting inside no problem meanwhile people who were waiting 2 hours with children just stood there, wanna skip the line? Pay $100 for the membership. Crazy! Anywho, i had a small sample of ice cream and the trash cans were over flowing with trash, i was going inside of the gift shop anyway to purchase a drink bc hello! 2 hour line with nothing, but as i was walking in she started screaming at me embarrassing me in front of the entire crowd i could not walk inside with the container and i explained i was looking for a empty trash can, others were full. She was still rude; im dying of thirst so i buy a drink behind the counter and i opened it slightly, not even was gonna sip it until i got outside just a habit to open it when i get it and she went off on me telling me again i couldn’t do that. Why would you sell drinks inside if we cannot have them inside? Because of how she was, i left and will not return. There are better zoos with friendlier staff...

This zoo is definitely on the rise, but for various reasons I still would not quite give it a five out of five. They have several interactive exhibits, but the animals did not seem up for it in this Louisiana summer heat. If you are going on a summer day, the splash pad is a must. We took our baby, and he absolutely enjoyed it. Only con was that he is not walking just yet, and the concrete lining can be a bit rough on the knees. As for getting dry, you can change in one of the two bathrooms, but they are not cooled down very well. I choose to walk and dry for that reason. Last on our list of cons would be the petting zoo. We were told that it is only open when they have birthday parties scheduled, so it was a little sad being that that exhibit is one of the closest our baby can see.

PROS - You can ride the boat or train for a small extra fee. There are many well shaded areas and even a small park area for those who want a break without getting in the water. Memberships are available for those who like to frequent the zoo and want to save a little money. The petting zoo does have the cutest animals when you do catch it open. Overall, it is...

My girlfriend as I have been trying too find time with our busy schedules to make time for going on a date. I work 6 days a week and she has twin toddler daughters that are a handfull; not to mention how the difficulty we have finding a good sitter for them. Nevertheless, we finally decide on the zoo because it was something we could do and have fun with the girls also. With there hours of operation on Saturday saying they close at 5 it should have worked well fitting into my schedule also. Well we show up and the lady at the admissions booth informs us that they do stay open until 5 but the animals get put up at 4 so we were welcome to pay for entry but we wouldn't be able to enjoy seeing any of the animals though. I just do not see the point of posting that you are open until 5 when u start closing at 4. If that's the case then say you close at 4 so you didn't have customers showing up to only be turned away like that. I'm sure it would have been a blast for the children if that were not the case but I definitely disapprove of the misrepresenration of theirs scheduled hours if operation for the...