Dallas Zoo

Not impressed. Overpriced for what we saw. It must have been some sort of zoo fix day, because in half of the exhibits were just people fixing them. Chainsaws cutting wood, sod being installed.
They never said a word about this at the front, just took our money with a smile.
Honestly, they should have just closed the zoo for 1 day instead of giving us a bad experience.
Won’t be back.

Lots of good memories here! Expect to walk of course. Wear comfortable shoes. The drinks are overpriced so you may want to bring water bottles. I’ve been here during the summer and the heat is unbearable. I came with my sister and her kids in March and we really enjoyed it. One negative is the parking! We parked so far because everything was full and I swear we walked like a mile.

This is my favorite zoo and I’ve been to a handful of them! My first experience here was great. It was summer, blazing hot, but the highlight during my first time was that I got to ride a camel ($ 5)!! His name was Solomon and he was so sweet. Obviously Solomon was guided by a man who took walked him around. He posed for pictures and videos were allowed. Such a great experience! I also was glad they had snow cones and other refreshments around the zoo.
My second experience was also great, it was in November, so a little chilly and it was raining earlier. But still, that didn’t take away from the experience. The animals are always so fascinating to see. During this trip, my friends and I took pictures in the photo booth and those came out great!
The staff is was wonderful and helpful. Great zoo and definitely family friendly. Enjoyed both experiences and I will definitely be back :)

Visited today May 1^st. We had a great time. I had expectation that Dallas Zoo would be huge but it wasn’t. We did a complete tour in about 2 hours.
Only comment is I wish there were a few fixed paths to follow. I found myself check the map often.
The Zoo staff were very nice and added to the very pleasant Zoo experience.

While the day we went was packed with kids on field trips, we had a good time. The layout of the zoo is perfect– the walkways are wide and you don’t miss any exhibits along the way. The animals were all out (minus a bird exhibit here and there being closed but that’s no big deal).
There was a good amount of animal attractions, including the reptile house, and even the larger animals such as elephants, giraffes and gorillas.
This is definitely a fun time. My only
Complaint was that it’s $ 8 to park, however the $ 15 adult admission is a bit cheaper than other zoos I have gone to that have free parking, so overall I guess it’s about the same.

For the price you pay, the Dallas Zoo is definitely worthwhile. It’s great for every occasion: family outings, day-​trips, dates, educational field trips, you name it. Even though most of the animals were taking a siesta, I was forgiving because just like us, animals need a good snooze too!
My favorite area of the zoo was most definitely the Wild Africa/​Savanna section. This is where you’ll be able to feed giraffes (+ $ 5), and spot the elephants and zebras. They’re also in the middle of constructing a Hippo Outpost which is coming soon.
I would recommend paying the extra $ 5 per person (for adults and children over the age of 3) to ride the monorail. You’ll be able to get a view of the zoo and the Dallas skyline that you can’t get on foot. Have your cameras ready and hold on tight to your kids! (There’s no safety belts on the rail and a little boy almost dropped his hat.)

A full day can easily be spent at the Dallas Zoo.
Located right at the DART (you cross the street and you’re there) is a HUGE zoo with so much to see. We thought we had seen it all until we flipped over the map and saw there’s a whole other section.
Some things worth mentioning: feed the giraffes. Lettuce is $ 5 but they’ll come right up to you and gently take it from your hands, also makes for great photo ops. Watch the monkeys. They put on a show without you even saying anything! There is currently a Lego exhibit which is pretty cool to check out. The tigers will pace as they wait for their food, kind of funny to watch. There is a hurricane chamber inside the reptile room but I went through Sandy so I stayed far away from that. There are a few food options. Membership gets you a boatload of discounts and if I lived in Dallas, I would definitely sign up.
Also…Monorails seem cheesy. But for a few bucks, it’s worth it. A quick trip around the zoo that shows you parts you wouldn’t see just by walking around. The children’s zoo is also awesome because there are goats and pigs and horses that you can actually interact with and no you do not need to have a child with you to visit.

Here is a surprising update. This past awesome weekend, I took my daughter to the zoo. After riding the very long anticipated reopened monorail, we good something to eat. Well, I seldom eat at the zoo due to sub-​par quality and superfluously overpriced food. Back to my «Well» I order guacamole, queso and chips. I was not about to pay $ 4.50 for (1) taco. In any event. the guac. was some of the best guacamole I have tasted. Not only was it daaaaamn good, but made fresh [there were a few chucks on avocado that missed the stir]. The queso was also very very very good. Portion and price was about what you would expect at a restaurant.
Oh! by the way the monorail was fun to.
GOOD JOB DALLAS ZOO!
From a Passport Member

Nice and fun zoo for the kids. Went with my husband, son, father in law and step mother in law on Monday. It wasn’t too crowded, parking was a bit weird because there were spots open in the front but they make you park in the back. $ 8 to park.
When you enter you have to choose which side you want to go to first. We went to the side that was not Giants of the Savannah (forgot the name). They have a map but it isn’t that detailed but it was good enough to navigate thru the zoo. They make it so you can go around and then go to the other side of the tunnel which is the Giants of the Savannah side.
Our son loved the tiger and giraffes the most. It was pretty cool because the animals were actually visible or they come close to you (the cheetah came up right to the glass) whereas some zoos they are hiding and you don’t see anything at all lol. Other stuff my son loved was the dinosaur train ride, carousel and the monorail. You have to pay around $ 2-​$ 5 depending on what you ride. I enjoyed the monorail ($ 5) because it is educational and you get to enjoy the views of different animals you won’t get to see just by walking. They are also under construction for some new animals to join the zoo so that will be exciting.
Food: we decided to eat at the Serengeti grill in Giants of Savannah section. See my review for that :) also got the ice cream next door which was simple but pretty good.
Our son knocked out at the end of the monorail because it was a good 4.5 hrs spent at the zoo. Definitely enjoyed this more than the Dallas World Aquarium.

Three of us, all adults, visited the zoo this past Saturday and spent just over an hour there. We went on a day with gorgeous whether so the zoo was naturally packed, meaning that lingering too long at the front row at any exhibit was frowned upon by all the parents with youngsters.
Some key notes:
— Parking was $ 8 per car, and when we arrived we paid $ 8 for a spot nearly half a mile away from the entrance. Suggest carpooling, taking DART (the stop was actually closer than our parking spot), or actually Über from the Bishop Arts District only about a mile away.
— You are allowed to bring in your own food & drink — just no alcohol. We saw lots of people with very large coolers, but didn’t see anyone actively inspecting the coolers (or any bags, for that matter) upon entrance. Bottles of water are $ 3 inside the zoo and you want to stay hydrated — so bring your own water! There are also zero healthy options for food, so some fruit would be a good idea too.
— If you’re going without kids, going in the late afternoon is a good bet. The tradeoff is that the kids that are there are more whiny and the animals are pretty much done too. If you want to go earlier, try visiting exhibits in the opposite schedule of the trainer events.
The animal exhibits that were the most memorable in a positive way were giraffes (because of how close you actually are to them), tigers, monkeys, and otters. There were some exhibits we felt sad at, including the koalas, elephants, and zebras. Most of these animals appeared to be hating their lives and it was difficult to watch. I’ll agree with another reviewer in that the park layout is nice, and we only once had to double-​back to see something we missed (our fault) — but if you walk the park naturally you’ll see everything the first time around.
We missed doing the monorail, largely due to the extra-​long line (assuming it’s the defacto afternoon activity for families with waning children) but also because we weren’t sure exactly what you got to do or see for an extra $ 3 /​person.
There was plenty of shade throughout the park which was a refreshing change from some amusement parks I’ve been to. Still — hydrate, and wear sunscreen!
I’m glad I went, and it seems like a good activity for families. I probably won’t go back unless it’s for a special event or if a friend insists!

We had a great time here yesterday. Lots to see and do and the kids had a great time. Prices were higher than the ft worth zoo which shocked me but overall worth it.

Our visit to zoo with family happened to be a more than expected experience. Being a Sunday we were expecting it to be crowded. Luckily it was a decent crowd with lovely weather.
Zoo is very clean and staff very friendly. We had change of plans couple of times but staff was very patient to get our tickets to counter.
For someone like me coming from sanfranciso this zoo has a varied variety of animals, amphibians and lot of child play area. Kids thoroughly enjoyed the visit.
Multiple food courts and properly planned themes, every family would
booth, tornado simulator, live painting this place is really nice.
Jan and feb are penguin days. You just pay 5 $. Yes only 5 $.cant beat it.
Njy your full day here family size.

$ 5 penguin days for the win! Fair warning, parking is $ 8 but hey it’s not terrible. The zoo is kind of fantastic. We visited last summer and it was absolutely busy and miserably impossible to walk around but last weekend was perfect!
This zoo even serves Starbucks for us patents who may be exhausted from chasing excited toddlers endlessly through the entire zoo.
What’s not to love? You can feed giraffes, walk eerily close to an elephant, and stare face to face at a gorilla.
Whether you’re a grown adult, child, or parent, you’re bound to love this zoo. Promise.

For $ 5 penguin days and $ 8 parking it was totally worth it. The best exhibit was the elephants and giraffes. They had keepers out there to answer plenty of questions and they get relatively close to the rail to get a good look at them.
But beware, if it is one of those «perfect days» like last weekend’s 70 °F in January, be prepared for a long line to even get into the parking lot for the first half of the day. Go way early, or later.

Love this zoo, especially for the winter price of $ 5!
We went on New Year’s Eve. In the winter the price is cheaper, and while I’m not happy about rising temperatures, they worked to our advantage in this case as we were able to see all of the animals despite the season.
This zoo seemed quite large, separated into two main areas, divided by an underground tunnel. It wasn’t crowded at this time. Not all concessions were open, but that’s expected in this off season.
I thought the exhibits were good and most of the habitats were fitting (animal friendly). The elephants had it the best! We even got some education about them. Lots of monkeys here; my favorite. Everything was active except the Galapagos turtle.
We would love to go again during the regular season.

The Dallas Zoo is large and takes 2 – 4 hours to complete, it also has a lot of kid friendly options, an entire barn yard to pet small animals, a garden, and class rooms. It’s geared to children and young adults to teach about zoo’s, endangered animals, and growing and raising food.
This Zoo is pretty awesome and has a lot of interactive exhibits, 3 main sections, and lots of things to see. They have a few cats, a lot of birds, and a lot of animals you’ll never see anywhere! You might see super large turtles humping and making loud noises, or you might have a lion get real close to the window and try to scratch at the door trying to get out and eat you.
The Savannah part was my favorite with lots of space and animals to check out, elephants, giraffes, lions, cheetahs, and you can feed the giraffes and sit in a suite safari jeep and have your photo taken. The food options were limited the day we went since it was close to closing so I can’t comment on that, but they do have a monorail that takes you to each side of the zoo which is closed for the winter however.

I love zoos, and I hate zoos. I love being able to see so many animals that I would never be able to see, but I feel bad that they are in cages, even if they have «natural» cages. This zoo does a really great job of making the cages seem less like cages…
But hubby and I decided to come here after finding out that in the winter months it’s only $ 5 admission, although it is still $ 8 to park.
Unfortunately we came up right after a cold front, and it was freezing (37° and cloudy) and there weren’t a LOT of animals out, understandably. BUT, we still got to see a lot and it was so worth it as there were hardly any people there which was awesome!
I really, really wanted to see the Cheetah Encounter, but it was canceled due to weather. If I were that skinny, I wouldn’t run around in the cold either! So I was disappointed, but it’s understandable.
But the herpaterium was awesome, and I loved the bayou exhibit with the alligator and the albino alligator. Plus, it was warm in there… and I do adore snakes a lot (no, I’m not a Slytherin!) so it was really awesome. I did feel sorry for some of the snakes in the small exhibts, but maybe snakes don’t care?
We didn’t get to see the elephants or the giraffes, BUT we did get to see the cheetahs and the lions (and yes, I ran to the cheetah exhibit like a 5 year old; as a runner, I love cheetahs the mostest!)
All the bathrooms we visited were so clean (and heated!!), and seriously everyone was so friendly! From the lady at the parking booth, to the people cleaning the zoo, to other patrons. I know us Texans are awesomely friendly, but I have never seen so many people so happy to be working. This must be a GREAT place to work! I love that!
I thought the tunnel to the Wilds of Africa was awesome! I really liked going through that… it felt like you were going to a totally new place! Plus there is shade everywhere and the place is gorgeously landscaped. The statues dotted around were beautiful as well. There is a lot of walking, and stairs, so if you have limited mobility, or have physical issues, keep that in mind and reach out to the zoo beforehand for information.
Even though we missed a lot of animals, we still got to enjoy quite a few, and for $ 5 you just can’t beat it, plus although it was cold, it was still a lot of fun spending the day with my hubby! If I lived here, I would so go back the next day! This is a fantastic zoo and I can’t wait to come back when it’s a little warmer!

The 15% discount for membership was too much to resist on a quintessential autumn Sunday. So we bought it, site-​unseen (for over a decade). What a pleasant surprise it turned out to be! Gone is the notoriously dismal zoo Dallas had been known for for so long. Most zoos depress me after a few minutes, but that didn’t happen at all last weekend. I truly appreciate the massive renovation this zoo has undergone to ensure their animals have the space and comforts of their natural homes.
On a chilly morning, I was afraid we wouldn’t get to see many animals, but once again, my expectations were exceeded. A gorilla treated us to a close look as it ate «salad» (said my kiddo) right in front of the observatory’s glass window and the giraffe encounter was nothing «short» of magnificent!
We are so proud to be members of this new and improved Dallas Zoo!

I absolutely love the zoo! this was my first visit to the Dallas Zoo. Since moving to Dallas people have told me that the Ft Worth zoo is better. I decided to go for my birthday last week. The parking staff didn’t charge for parking since it was my birthday! Yay! The zoo has a special right now and admission is half off so that was great. The photographers are great when you walk in.
The animals were a bit on the small size. I’m used to much larger animals at other zoos but they were still exciting to watch. It’s really a nice zoo and is worth making a trip there. I didn’t know you could take coolers in. I thought that was pretty cool.

I live 15 minutes from the Fort Worth Zoo, but we have a membership at the Dallas Zoo. I prefer Dallas over Fort Worth’s zoo for some reason. Maybe because it’s more interactive and a lot less confusing to navigate through.
My favorite thing to do at the Dallas Zoo is feed the giraffes! My kids love it. They have a wall type thing separating the main wall now, so you pretty much have to stretch like inspector gadget to feed them. I guess a kid got attacked by a giraffe tongue and a parent didn’t like it.
The monorail is fun, although when we went a few weeks ago it was closed for renovation. Dallas Zoo also has a Children’s zoo where they get to feed the goats, ride on pony’s and see other barn animals.
We didn’t make it to the new addition– The Giants of the Jurassic! My son seen the animated T Rex and he was done. He was ready to go. lol