Dickerson Park Zoo — Attraction in Springfield

UPDATED REVIEW IN RESPONSE TO THE ZOO

It’s certainly admirable that Springfield—a city with a national airport and the distinction of being the metropolitan hub of the Four-State Area—has a zoo. That said, a facility of this scale would be far more impressive in a city the size of Joplin or Webb City, where it would be a better fit.

While the compact layout does make for an easy stroll, the lack of interactive and educational stations along the path leaves much to be desired. For those of us making the nearly two-hour trip from out of town, a more engaging experience would make the visit feel truly worthwhile.

Also, I’ve always found that when businesses feel the need to ‘clap back’ at feedback, it tends to reveal a less-than-attractive side of their approach to customer relations. It certainly doesn’t make me eager to return in the future. A touch of professionalism and grace goes a long way.

Original Review:

Dickerson Park Zoo is a nice little spot for an afternoon visit, but it’s definitely on the smaller side. The cost for two adults was just under $40, which felt a bit steep for the size of the zoo. Parking was relatively simple—I managed to get a close spot, but I think I got lucky.

The animal collection leans heavily toward birds and monkeys, with a few standout moments along the way. The highlight was definitely the Asian Elephant, who came right up to the enclosure and waved at us with his trunk. The giraffes were also fun to watch as they crowded the feeding station, eagerly poking their heads through the slots for snacks.

Other than that, most of the animals were just lounging in the sun, and we had made our way through the entire zoo in under two hours. There isn’t much interactive content, so it’s better suited for younger kids. While it wasn’t a bad experience, it didn’t quite have the variety or excitement to make it feel like a...

The staff was very helpful and friendly. This was a pre planed trip so to show up and have to start it out sitting out a storm sucked. It remained gloomy most of the time there that I feel made the animals depressed. None the less, with rain and sun, it was a great trip. Part of the Zoo was closed due to renovations which was a bummer. There wasn't a whole lot of people so it wasn't over crowded and made for a nice day. Out side of the main food area by the restrooms it was a bummer that the food stands were closed. They have all kinds of vending machines spread throughout it, ice cream vending machines and drinks where the ones I seen the most. It's $4 for a soda from the vending machines and the food court wasn't much better. They have a nice deck with table and chairs for customers to sit and eat right next to a playground for the kids to enjoy while the parents take a break, it's a nice little playground too, so cute. The bathrooms by the food court are decent for the amount of use they get, from the looks of it staff keeps up with the bathrooms pretty well. All kinds of cute animal statues all over the place along with giant paintings of butterfly wings and Peacock feathers that you can stand in front of, definitely fun for the kids as well, my 7 yr old stopped at every single one for pictures. Over all, it was great fun, the animals look in great shape, the petting zoo was a blast, staff was awesome and I couldn't of asked for a better day thanks to how friendly and fun this Zoo is. I'll definitely be going back on a day that it's not storming so the animals don't...

Impromptu visit to the zoo on a gloomy Friday morning. The entry fee was reasonable and the park was much larger than I had expected. Even with the arrow signs and colored paw prints i got lost lol The grounds are well maintained with loads of surrounding shrubbery contrasting the black fences. Lots of restrooms placed around the park; which I appreciate the ease to go wash my hands. TBH was hoping not too many kiddos would be screaming throughout the park but idk what I was thinking. If there were 21+ only days (or few hours) at the zoo honestly would be more enjoyable (I have auditory sensory struggles; kids randomly 'screaming' or 'shouting' highten my flight or fight and end up in panic attack mode. really makes it hard to enjoy family friendly places 😪) Did not check out the cafe or the gift shop. I did not try the train. Parking was easy, although, I had arrived 30min after opening. I really enjoyed the lemur, vultures, zebras, blue macaw, and petting the goats. The area to feed giraffes was a decent size but can fill up fast with strollers and wagons. If you plan on feeding the goats take a few dollar bills incase the kiosk is closed. Overall I really enjoyed my trip but amenities are catered for family visits i.e. playground by the cafe, stroller rental although they allow outside strollers, splash pad for kids. the gazebo by the waterfall on the way to the flamingos was the most peaceful spot. i had my ear plugs in but was able to take the out for a bit as i found more monkeys and how to enter the flamingo...