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Columbus Zoo & Aquarium
Rating Details »
- Hours:
Mon-Sun. 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
15 reviews for Columbus Zoo & Aquarium
I can't think of anything to complain about from our trip to the zoo with friends last week. We were able to take advantage of a zoo member's discount card, and the toddler is still free, so it was quite an economical day out!
We made it just in time to see the baby elephant before she went in for the day (1:00 PM, I think?). I think the mom's were more impressed with the size of elephant newborns than our kids were...
Coco, the first gorilla (sorry, she may just be some type of gorilla, but I didn't pay good enough attention) was born at the Columbus Zoo and is still there. Looking into her eyes was a little creepy! She's beautiful!
The kids also appreciated the crawl on animals (with padded surrounding ground). They all had fun with the tigers and the manatees (not together, of course) and blew off some steam. I think we all had a good time!
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The good:
- red pandas
- bison
- flying foxes
- moose
- grizzly bears
- informative signs at each exhibit
- reasonable parking rate ($5) and plenty of parking
The bad
- Ohio tends to have, how should I say, less-educated people. Hearing them misinform their children about the animals and observing obscenely-loud crowds bang on windows and yell at the animals was troubling.
- The habitats seem very unimaginative, and many of the animals seem bored to death. Check out the orangutans, and you'll see what I mean.
- very few docents explaining the animals
- No giraffes
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Oh how I love zoos... they combine my love of imprisonment and my love of penguins!
But the Columbus Zoo really is a great zoo, but I have a hard time calling it the Columbus Zoo. It is probably a 40 minute drive from downtown, and 25 minute drive from suburbs outside of Columbus.
Still great though. BTW Zoo lights here are amazing!
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Columbus Zoo is the front runner of the Powell Z trio, Columbus Zoo, Zumbizi Bay, and the Golf Course.
I forget the name but know it has a 'Z" in it. :)
I think this is a pretty clever business plan for keeping this great place open.
Not an easy thing to do.
Despite the fact that the parking lot is 3 times the size of the actual zoo and waterpark you won't care after you experience the place.
This zoo is more like a park and has less of a cagey feel compared to the Bronx and Miami zoos.
My favorite is the kangaroo house, you actually get inside the habitat with them and I like that if you are not careful when following the directions to open and close the door you just might let one out!
Tempting, indeed.
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I've heard people complain about the price of the Columbus Zoo but in reality it's not that expensive. After a search of the prices of other zoos around Ohio, Columbus is about average in price. And don't forget, with 90 acres to its name, it's the largest zoo in Ohio (and it's expanding)!
The Columbus Zoo, in my opinion, is a great zoo. Despite its size, you can walk through it in about two hours. Navigation is fairly easy, especially when you look at the map that they hand you at the front entrance.
Everyone has their favorite exhibits. I love seeing the big cats. You can also get quite close to kangaroos and the lorikeets in the Australia section.
Oh, and the Wildlights from late November to early January are a must-see as well!
If money is an issue for you, I recommend carpooling. Parking is $5 per car, so if you fit everyone in a minivan, it works out to fairly cheap. There are also specials, such as group rates ($8 per person for a group of 15 or more), summer specials ($6 per person from 4pm until close), and if you are a Franklin County resident there are half price specials on Wednesdays (bring ID).
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Personally, you would think that with Jack Hannah as the spokesmen for the zoo and for him being world renown for his information and show casing of animals, that this place would be awesome. You will be disappointed. The set up is not visitor friendly as you can't just follow the path through all the visits. You have to double back sometimes, which adds to the walking that kills you at days end. The cost was pricey to me, and some of the animals displays seem to depress even me, if I had to live there! Want a better zoo in the area, go to the Cincinnati Zoo. Sorry Jack =-(
I thought the zoo may not be crowded on Saturday because of the OSU game, boy was I wrong, the place was packed. But it didn't take away from the enjoyment of pushing my girl around to the different continents.
In just two hours we enjoyed the penguins, gorrilas, monkeys, and lions. The Aquarium was a great place to sit and have a bottle.
The zoo can be expensive for a large family - for just me it cost $15. So consider buying an Annual Pass - For $69 two adults, one child, and parking is included. I plan to purchase one at the new year so I can enjoy all the seasons.
If you can I recommend visiting the zoo during the week. It will be much less chaotic.
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If Jack Hanna's behind it, count me in too.
The Columbus Zoo holds a lot of great memories for me. The zoo has so many different types of animals from so many regions of the world. In fact, the zoo is divided into regions (Asia, Africa, Australia - ever notice how all the continents start and end with the same letter?) Each display has information on the animal you're viewing. There are also a bunch of scheduled opportunities to get close to the animals. I touched an opossum once while I was there; it felt like a big rat. It curled its nasty tail around my hand. There are good animal experiences there too, like riding the ponies, watching the penguins interact with their keepers, or feeding the Lorikeets.
I have to admit that I don't like the idea of Jungle Jack's landing or the new addition of Zoombezi Bay. I want to keep the zoo a zoo, not an amusement park or playground. The zoo should be about animals and ice cream and nothing else. Well, maybe souvenir T-shirts and those keychain photo things, but that's it. Really.
The grounds are always clean. The food is typical amusement park fare. I don't think there are enough bathrooms, but are there ever really enough at a place like this?
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Reasons I love the zoo:
1. It's always improving.
2. Dude... reptiles.
3. Listening to kids talk about animals is priceless. Last time I was sitting next to the Komodo dragons drawing them when a kid walked in front of me with his family and I caught a bit of the conversation. "MOMmmmmm! I thought that dragons were extinct..."
4. People watching is just as much fun as animal watching.
5. Chatting with the people working there.
I think they desperately need to improve the reptile house, though. Although they have some gorgeous ones, the majority is snakes. Snakes are wonderful and I love 'em, but they mostly sit. Lizards are usually much more entertaining. I honestly think they should get a large Uromastyx macfadyeni cage. They're bright and they spend all their time running around and being amazing. Snakes are great, but they're rarely a good observational animal.
Being from Ohio, we are certainly proud of our zoos and aquariums. That being said, I have visited Zoos far and wide (Japan, California, Florida, etc..). The Columbus Zoo rates in my top 5 of all time, I'm just going to make a list of why:
-Up to date and mostly modern facilities
-Loads of parking, and if you get there early, loads of it close to the gate.
-Smart park layout, very easy to tour the entire place.
-Continual funding provides new exhibits on a regular basis.
-Easy highway access to 270/sawmill
-Not overpriced, you feel like you get your money's worth.
-Plenty of photographic opportunities.
-Culvers restaurant adjacent to the north end of the park (gotta love the cheese curds).
For the record, my other top four wildlife hangouts are:
-Cleveland Metroparks Zoo/Rainforest (gotta stick up for my home town)
-Ueno Park / Zoo in Tokyo
-National Aquarium in Baltimore
-Osaka Aquarium
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I love the Columbus Zoo! My wife and I go there almost weekly just to get exercise and enjoy the animals. We also don't care much for the amusement park/water park/ new entrance, and we can't wait for the polar bears to return!
The place is always clean, the exhibits are mostly top notch (North America needs a lot of help), and the overall ambiance is very nice. If you're going more than once, get an annual pass.
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I came across some cheap tickets to the zoo, and decided to take a wee little four year old with me. So guess what, it was fun. But if you can't have fun at a zoo with a four year old, you probably suck.
The two things that stand out to me the most were the manatee tank and the kangaroo area. And the monkeys. The manatees were ugly and graceful as they chomped down on a couple heads of lettuce tied together. My little midget friend was blown away by the whole experience. The kangaroo exhibit was sweet because it was almost dangerous. You open one door, wait for it to shut, then open the next door so the kangaroos can't get out. They just hang out in the grass, and the only thing between you and them is a rickety wooden fence. So I guess people are way less likely to screw with the kangaroos with all that lack of safety.
And monkeys are always cool.
The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium lives up to all the hype it garners. It is obviously a local institution, but thanks in part to Jungle Jack Hanna, the zoo is a nationally known facility. Tourists from all over the country come to see our zoo! I'm not one to say that C-bus doesn't have anything to offer, but that is big freakin' deal. This is one of the best zoos in the country.
The goods:
Located on 90 acres, the zoo divides its hefty exhibits by continent. New animals are being added constantly.
There are lots of rotating seasonal events like summer jazz concerts and winter light displays.
The zoo seems extra kid friendly. Special events and attractions are aimed directly at children, as if the zoo weren't already appealing enough!
The newly refurbished Zoombezi Bay water park is adjacent to the zoo.
Though it's pretty far out on the edge of the metro area, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is a must-visit in Columbus.
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Reviewing Zoombezi Bay right. I took my 2 kids (13 & 11). They enjoyed the wave pool but claimed it was too crowded. They compared it to Bethany Beach where we went 2 weeks ago. We found some shaded chairs -- very hard to do. They need more shaded areas for those moms like me that stay with the chairs and read. We got the $12.99 ticket with our zoo pass so that was much better than paying the $29.99 per person regular fee. Definitely not worth paying full price. After lunch, the kids wanted to go to Barracuda Bay and the 11 year old son liked that but the 13-year old daughter didn't. My BIGGEST complaint is that there is a designated smoking area to the left of the wave pool. It was NOT marked very well. We didn't find out until after about 1/2 hour there and someone lit up a cig. I have asthma and the smoke sets it off. I did put in a complaint with the Z.Bay's website that this area needs to be better identified -- at beginning of area instead of 3 feet before the area ends close to the wave machine. By the time we found out it was smoking, all the shaded chairs were taken and I was sort of stuck -- either full sun or smoke. So, beware you non-smokers, stay away from the left of the wave pool. My kids enjoyed the day but decided that one time a summer was enough for them.
This is such a pretty zoo. We had a great experience here and I feel like you need to visit at least twice when you have little kids in order to take in everything. The cost is low and the carousel is only a dollar to ride. My oldest boy had his face painted like a Lochness Monster and he got to pet a snake. One thing we were so excited to see (because of my son's excitedness) was the Komodo Dragon. His new love for reptiles and beyond brought a new obsession for the Komodo Dragon. After finally finding the highly dangerous and stinky breathed lizard, we found that the Komodo Dragon was resting peacefully and not very dangerous looking at all (although, we know they are). Too many documentaries of seeing these endangered Komodos attacking and eating unsuspecting animals made my son a little disappointed at seeing the bored Komodo. I think he would've been more happy to see it take down a Water Buffalo or something.
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