San Antonio Zoo — Attraction in San Antonio

A nice little zoo to visit once. Parking is free. Pretty easy to walk around. I had been really looking forward to visiting for months to see Timothy and Gunter and Gates. Unfortunately...

The Facebook page had my expectations up for what I was going to see and it didn't happen. Many of the creatures featured on FB are not actually on habitat anywhere. They did have a tamandua talk but I missed that because there were no schedules handed out and no posting of daily events that I saw at the entry. Plus, they need to post a disclaimer on the FB videos shot overhead showing Timothy's antics because...you can't go there. No overhead vantage point accessible to us regular members at all. Only viewing is through the marred and scuffed glass in murky water. I got a decent face shot of him but nothing compared to the hundreds I've gotten of Fiona and Fritz and Bibi and Tucker. I only found Gunter because another photographer saw my camera and told me the one spot you could stand to see him and Sula. Also, you gotta be lucky to see Rosie, the yellow-backed duiker, because her habitat has the same small viewing spot. I was just fortunate enough to walk past the warthogs and spot her. There is a section of walkway blocked off for some reason (and it's been blocked off for some time) that is the only viewing opportunity for 4 different habitats, two of which are the yellow-backed duiker, one is the babirusa. Don't know what the fourth is. I did get to see Gates running around in the morning during his outdoor time.

There are a TON of birds here so you better like birds. Many are 'visitors'. Some have decent habitats but most are small concrete enclosures or cages with poor lighting (they need a second bird building). Also, the place was overrun by black vultures. Guess it's that time of year. Ironically, the only habitats they weren't invading were the carnivores which I would think would be the only place they might find a tasty morsel. Literally at least 2 dozen in the anteater and capybara enclosure alone.

Additionally, there are a lot of habitats/attractions that are an additional charge. I mean, most zoos with giraffe have the opportunity to pay to feed them but to have to pay extra to see the butterflies or walk with the kangaroos or...a little much. As far as I could find there or on line, there is no option for an 'all-inclusive' zoo pass to cover all these extras without the $4 here and $4 there.

And my pet peeve...I collect lapel pins and there's not a single one here. Literally over a dozen different zoo key chains and magnets but not one SA Zoo pin. Not one. I mean, how many key rings can someone possibly use and just how many magnets fit on a refrigerator? Whereas, I have 10 cases displaying pins from my travels.

The great points: Finding Gunter...to the tune of about 200+ pictures..., seeing Gates play, painted dogs when they knew the person near you, lemurs overhead, jaguar crossing, black bears finding their enrichment, watching the Aldabra tortoise when their dude starts brushing them and the cool crocodilians.

Overall, not cool enough to maintain...

Some of the staff here are so rude. Bought a pair of sunglasses, they took the tags off themselves and I didn't get my receipt. Ten minutes later, I noticed they were actually broken. I went into their second gift shop to ask if I could swap them out. The only member of staff there was texting on her phone when I walked up to her, acted annoyed that I'd interrupted her, and told me that I wouldn't be able to swap them because I didn't have the tags and didn't buy them from that specific shop. I said I'd go to the other shop and she said they wouldn't let me swap them out either. She had such a miserable cadence (like an eye-rolling valley girl). I went to the other location and found the EXACT same sunglasses. Asked if they'd swap them and they said yes! However, these IDENTICAL sunglasses were $7 more than what I'd originally paid so I still had to pay the difference. Whatever.

What irked me most was that we left the best for last. My sister had come from Europe and had been dying to see the hippos and I wanted to surprise her with them. She was SO excited when we walked into the hippo cave but, as we did, some security staff rushed in with folded tables, chairs, lanterns, and ordered us to leave. My sister asked if she could just get a picture and rushed over to the hippo enclosure's window to take a picture, and the guy was rushing her, impatiently saying "Have you got that picture yet??" and then quickly ushered us out of the building like we'd been caught somewhere off-bounds. This was at 3:30pm on a Tuesday.

It's such a shame that this was her first and only time visiting the zoo and the thing she was most excited about was ruined for her because of some private event. We had paid to be there too and should have been able to enjoy the attractions we were promised. You have to pay for so many things there that you didn't used to, but them accepting private events during public hours is honestly a terrible business move. They already allow for private events after hours, so why would they also allow them DURING regular hours, thus ruining it for the regular...

Best Zoo In Texas.

Lots of shade and a wide variety of animals. There are several air-conditioned places to cool off. While there is currently construction as they expand, most exhibits are available and enjoyable to visit.

Loving all the updates, especially with the kid areas. There's a beachy wading area and an interactive kid area with some play equipment. The new drawing area is now a favorite with the kids. They love to see their colored pictures turn into cartoons on the big screen. The panther walk is also amazing. Inside the bird exhibit, we were just a few feet from a panther in the walk; I've never been so close to this amazing animal. We also really love the hippo exhibit and the kids are excited for the new gorilla space.

Our favorite activity is feeding the lorries. You can also feed the flamingos, giraffes, and other animals during special exhibits (like kangaroos), go on a carousel, see a nature movie, and visit the butterfly house. The kids do the carousel every time we go. The carousel is a vintage piece that is truly magical. It's made up of all different kinds of animals and I'm so glad the zoo has preserved it all these years. These experiences do carry an additional fee but they're very reasonably priced.

Really could use better restaurants though. SA Zoo, if you see this, please staff more drink stations during the week and maybe add snow cones during the summer. Oh, and a great coffee place inside the zoo would be amazing for us tired moms. UPDATE 2025: Looks like we're getting some new staffed food spots which is really good for the kids and me! Can I suggest you add a Boba tea place or a more upscale Cafe somewhere. I'd love to go to a cozy sit down restaurant for lunch in the zoo.

For moms: It's a lot of walking. Bring a water bottle (single use drinks with straws are not allowed), some snacks, and something to carry kiddo if they don't like to walk a few miles. There are picnic tables outside the zoo area if you want to do a meal before or after visiting, and Breckenridge Park is minutes away for a full...