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Fort Worth Zoo
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19 reviews for Fort Worth Zoo
I prefer the Ft. Worth Zoo to the Dallas Zoo anyday. The facility is larger, nicer, and seems to have larger exhibits.
This Zoo also hs a train that runs around the perimeter of the zoo.
It has been a few years since I last went to the FTW Zoo but as I recall they have everything you'd expect to see at a zoo.
Okay so I made a mistake coming here on a Saturday when it feels like it's a 100 degrees BUT it was fun.
I was pretty amazed on how the animals were not caged up but were able to move freely.
Saw almost EVERYTHING b/c my mom-in-law is like that :P
Reptiles, amphibians, cool birds, zebras, elephants, etc
It was $12 for adults, no student discounts.
They have blue bell ice cream inside which was much needed.
Growing up near the Ft. Worth Zoo meant every year our school took the field trip to the zoo, and every spring or summer break my Grandma took us kids to the zoo, that was back when they had amusement rides inside the zoo and we always go to take a ride on the train that runs around Trinity Park!!! Many of the photos in my childhood photo album were taken on our yearly trips to the zoo! I've taken my children to this zoo trying to reclaim the same magic, and they loved it also!
I've seen this zoo go from a handful of exhibits and cages, to the amazing facility its become today. This is truly a wonderful place not just for the visitor but also for the animals who live here. They have a beautiful place to live, in a surreal, natural setting, as close as they can make it to their natural habitats.
I could and have spent hours in the primate center, and just LOVE the underground viewing in the fish aquariums!
The Ft. Worth Zoo offers a lot of volunteer opportunities for animal lovers, and educational programs for kids and adults. Admission is still very reasonable. They always have some kind of special exhibit, or fun new thing!
Aside from the zoo attractions, there are great little fast food type places to grab a bite to eat, and what would a day at the zoo be without a balloon, and a visit to the petting zoo, or getting to ride a camel!
I havent been to this zoo in a few years because I moved away, but my next trip back to Texas this will be a stop!
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You would think that as you get further in your college career that the field trips would decline. This is not the case with the education department at UNT. My senior college class took a field trip to the Fort Worth Zoo last Wednesday in order to get an idea on what it would be like to take a real class of children to the zoo.
It was the perfect day to go because Wednesdays are "Happy Hour" at the zoo, so tickets are 1/2 price. There were a million elementary classes visiting the zoo to take advantage of the cheaper prices.
There's a lot of chances to learn about the animals if you take advantage of them. Most of the kids I saw did not. It was mostly running around and screaming, "I WANT TO SEE A GIRAFFE. I WANT TO SEE A GIRAFFE. I WANT TO SEE A GIRAFFE... HEY LOOK! A GIRAFFE!"
My favorite exhibits where you can get close enough to touch the animals. I don't think you're SUPPOSED to touch the flamingos... but I poked one of the flamingos a few years ago and it tried to bite me. The flamingos weren't close enough to harass this time. They also have an awesome exhibit where you can touch horseshoe crabs and giant snails and other sea creatures.
The monkey exhibit is cool too. We saw one of the orangutans stand on its head and pee into it's mouth... gross. They also have these big plexi glass windows that see into one of the primates cages. One of the girls in my class was banging on it and the money got mad and started beating on the glass. I wasn't there but her video was pretty scary!
The rest of the exhibits are cool, but most of them are kind of small. I feel bad for the animals. Every time I go to the zoo they're all lethargic or sleeping. In my mind they are just really depressed from being screamed at by children all day. A few of the exhibits were FULL of trash. It was sad times.
Besides the smallish exhibits and depressed looking animals it's a cool zoo. I had a really good time running around and pretending like a kindergartner. They have some really killer fudge in the Texas-ish part of the zoo, too.
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Definitely a good deal for $12 or less... a must-visit!
So we visited the Ft. Worth Zoo this past weekend... The admission line was pretty long and with 100+ degree weather we were already pretty bad-tempered before even entering the zoo, so my review may be somewhat effected by that. Price of admission is fairly cheap as zoos go (I saved even more with a $2 off coupon on http://zoocoupons.org/... ) so I was a little concerned that the zoo may not be up to par. All said and done there were both things I really enjoyed and major let downs. Firstly their primate exhibit is AMAZING! Seriously, indoors, air-conditioned (that helped with the weather) and really really well done. This was one of the first stops after entering the zoo and set the tone for us. (perhaps for the worse)
After exiting the primate exhibit we saw the elephants (huddled up against the rear of the exhibit and quite a ways away... Their 'area' was quite large and seemed well kept. We moved on to the bird exhibits and that's when disappointment set in. Their parakeet cage felt extremely underwhelming, to us it felt like 'filler' given the price of parakeets and what they charged for what amounted to a drop of seeds on a stick -- we opted out. Most of the remaining exhibits -- ESPECIALLY the aquarium and lizard displays were EXTREMELY underwhelming. The lizard area being the better of the two. I would completely skip the aquarium area as it felt very low-end, maybe a hold-over... Honestly it needs to be completely re-done. The 'touch tank' felt like a joke. (we moved here from Washington state and even the smaller point defiance zoo had an amazing touch tank)
Finally the petting zoo and childrens areas were equally run down and in disrepair. The petting zoo was almost a joke with all of 4-5 animals and two employees talking amongst themselves, ignoring any guests. The children's play area was in major disrepair. Quite honestly I don't know how they can't afford to fix some of the more minor stuff as it would be far from expensive and with such a wonderful primate exhibit you'd think they would afford to patch up stuff like this that gives guests a bad taste for the zoo. With minor fixes, I would have walked away underwhelmed but not disgusted. Overall the zoo is worth visiting, (if only for the primates as it's the best primate exhibit i've ever seen) but unlike others, I felt the Dallas zoo was VASTLY superior.
This is probably my favorite place in the DFW metroplex. That includes my home, my college, etc.
They have fast food for when you get munchies, as well as ice cream.
The animals are great! Of course they are zoo animals, but even so they seem happy and content in their environments. They appear to be well taken care of. They can also be very entertaining! I have spent all day here before and always bring visitors to the DFW area.
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Animal lover, right here. Apparently I'm a big fan of zoos too because I've been to at least five. The Fort Worth Zoo is located in a lovely old part of town with gorgeous houses in the surrounding area.
I almost got a job there once. But that's another story. Back to the zoo.
The monkey enclosure is swank. You get to stand inside an air conditioned room and watch them swing around, or you can go outside and watch other monkey's do the same thing.
We walked through some bird thing too. That was neat because they have some mesh stuff overhead and there was this hawk eating some poor dead thing. All I remember was this cute Mexican kid saying to his mom, 'That bird is eating a bunny!' in his cute Spanish accent. It's guts were falling down all over the place. It was freaking cool.
Now the Texas part is kind of lame because honestly, I can see all of those animals driving back home after having visited the zoo, and the layout takes you in a straight line. So once you've covered everything, you walk back the way you came and cover it all again. Wait a minute, I guess that is kind of cool!
For like $10... it's worth a sweet afternoon with your hunny or your family. A great place to relax and have a nice time. I recommend it as a first date guys, seriously. Girls like that kind of thing. You can share an ice-cream or something and watch the monkey's do it.
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This zoo rules. If you want to see the animals walking around and doing stuff come when it first opens, but if you want to miss the crowds go around 2pm. Wednesdays are half price.
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The Fort Worth Zoo is probably one of the top zoos in the U.S. Being an animal lover, you couldn't ask for a better way to spend a spring afternoon than interacting with these animals. Two unique characteristics of this zoo include their devotion to their state through the Texas Wild! exhibit, as well as having the ability to handle such large crowds. Be prepared with your walking shoes and picnic lunch. Animals are most active early in the morning so prepare for an early start if you're into photography. If you prefer to buy your lunch there, consider the Bluebonnet Cafe in Texas Wild! They offer several fast food options: BBQ, pizza, hamburgers, etc. and the eating area inside and out are both very nice.
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Okay, if humans were smart we wouldn't put animals behind bars and stare at them. Case in point the gorrilla at the entrance of the food had the patience of Job since sitting quietly as he waited for his afternoon lunch while his cousins stood around and took pictures.
Did I mention it was hot on Sunday so, I can appreciate the little to no activity by the animals but I worried how do they survive in this heat as I was at a complete loss for no visible water source.
I reccomend on a cool weekday to go, but weekend there is just too much heat and people
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We visited for the first time yesterday and had a wonderful time!
I was a bit nervous about spending a Texas July afternoon at the zoo, but my fears were unfounded. Ample shade and lots of places to rest, along with several air-conditioned exhibits and eateries offered nice relief from the heat. We bought a bottle of water for each of us and simply refilled it from the water fountains when empty.
For the most part, the exhibits were great. But as noted in a previous review, the penguin exhibit was a major disappointment. There are "Penguins!" banners along the roadways approaching the zoo, but this exhibit was hardly worthy of a large post-it note and a Marks-A-Lot. Several of the habitats appeared rather small and barren to me - but then again I have to admit I am no zoologist so how would I know??
The staff, except for the workers at the ice cream parlor in the Texas Wild area, were very friendly. The ice cream folks appeared to totally hate their jobs, and although many of us in line tried to elicit smiles there were none to be seen.
Parking is $5, admission is $10.50 for adults and $8.00 for children. Toddlers are free. One yelper recommended not paying the parking fee, but I don't see how - the toll booths were manned as we entered the lot. And, hey, it all goes to the zoo anyway, so why not pay?
We can't wait to see the new Museum of Living Art (MOLA) currently under construction and we look forward to many return visits.
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I visited the Ft. Worth Zoo for the first time last Sunday. I really think the springtime is the best time of year for the zoo. Come June, it's too hot for the animals and zoo patrons. But there are some air-conditioned exhibits along the way, and stores you can stop into to cool off. We got free tickets from Big Brothers Big Sisters, and I had always wanted to check it out. If you can stand carrying around a small cooler all day, I would suggest it because the food is overpriced (of course) and there aren't great options to choose from. I ended up spending about $40 by the end of the day, and I was on a budget! We had to ride the carousel (which I would not suggest), feed the birds, take a picture in the photo booth, eat, drink, and ride the train back to the front of the zoo. But I guess in the end it was worth it. We did have a good time.
I was disappointed by the penguin exhibit. There were advertisements throughout the whole zoo for the penguin exhibit, so I expected so much more. It was a small room where you could see into the penguin aquarium. And boy did it smell awful in there! I love the penguins, but I wasn't in there more than two minutes. I would agree with the review that mentioned a lot of the exhibits seemed outdated. Most of the little speakers weren't working, so much for a learning experience. There wasn't anything there that I hadn't ever seen before, but overall it was a good trip.
My complaints: There weren't any special presentations. I like when a zookeeper brings out an animal for an audience and puts on a little show or talks about the animal's behaviors and such. There was nothing like that here. In fact, I didn't see a zookeeper at all. The staff that I did see were not happy in the least bit to be working, they weren't at all friendly. Some were even talking on cell phones or to other staffers, merely pretending to be doing their job. Oh and everything seemed to be under construction.
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Meh. I guess a quick disclamer - zoos sometimes make me sad. Don't get me wrong; I love to wear fur coats (they're warm!) and eat steak, but sometimes you can't help but feel bad for something in a 10x12 cage that you've seen running 75mph to catch prey on the Discovery Channel.
I went to the Ft. Worth Zoo because I heard it was MUCH better than the Dallas zoo - and a lot less depressing. I actually had a pretty good time. Prices weren't bad ($10.50 for adults but DON'T pay for parking - they never check for it), and there weren't a lot of people so it was nice to walk around and see the animals.
All in all the animal selection was pretty typical, monkeys, elephants, giraffes, lions, tigers, etc. I was a little disappointed with the reptile house (yawn!), but we DID see condors tearing rat carcasses to shreds, so double points for that. I wanted to see the bats, but I'm afraid of bugs so we had to skip it.
Big lesson here: almost everything in this zoo is "under construction". Lots of things are closed, some cages are empty, and there is no aquarium. Not a bad way to spend a day - it will probably be SWEET when construction's over.
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Me and a close teacher pal took a small pack of teenagers to the zoo yesterday. Yep, 15 year olds who have a tendency to get bored. We were not bored once at the zoo.
First, to add on to another post, the Gorilla is no longer lonely and has a girlfriend. However his artfully displayed pen seemed barren. Lots of lush greenery all around the moat but the gorillas themselves had no plants to sit in. I loved the tigers. The Asian bears were being very cute and swam around and walked down to gaze at all the people. Lots of birds.
The Reptile house is outdated and small and cramped. At this point is when the amount of screaming children started to get to me. If your child is screaming or throwing a temper tantrum it is time to take said child home. That child is hot and tired and needs a nap. Not more "Look at the snake!" while you drive the rest of us crazy.
A new Reptile House is being constructed and should be done sometime next year. The people that funded Bass Hall, the Amon Carter Foundation and the Sid Richardson Foundation are all chipping in and supposedly it will be the nicest Reptile house in the nation once it opens.
The much touted Penguin exhibit was ok but Pittsburgh Zoo beats Fort Worth Zoo by a mile on Penguins and aquarium. Fort Worth zoo is better for everything else.
Texas Town was pretty cool. We went in the new Texas Nature Center thingie and watched the film. Cheesy film. But then we went to see the Texas Wild show. It was great! It was like a mini Disney World presentation with animatronic animals while Swifty the fox explains it all to you. The fifteen year olds said WE WANT TO DO IT AGAIN which really surprised us but ok. So we did it again.
I loved all the Texan animal stuff too especially the swimming bear. That bear was the cutest thing ever. and the cougars!! Oh they were so lovely and big. The jaguars were kinda scary and looked really mad like they'd eat you in a second. By far my favorite animal was the Texas bear.
So overall, a good day at the zoo.
Suggestions for zoo personnel:
1. Have more places that sell water. We tried three machines and they were all sold out at 2 pm. We got dehydrated and were starting to feel sick by the end of the day. You need to hire a couple kids to sell water from carts.
2. Have you must be over 12 zoo nights on Fridays or Saturdays. Teens need more to do and the adults would like it too. And there would be no screaming kids in strollers. You could even have sign ups that for ten more bucks you can feed an animal with the zookeeper perhaps and make even more cash for the zoo. Or hire a jazz band or something.
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I've been to quite a few zoo's and this one is very nice compared to most. The animals, for the most part, seemed to have a good bit of room to run around and plenty of shade to stay out of the hot texas sun. If you're clausterphobic, stay out of the herpaterium; very humid and massive amounts of people and with their powers combined, it's even a bit much for someone who isn't clausterphobic. Which hoovers since I practically had to run through it and the snakes are my favorite party *sighs*
Anywho, definite spiffy points. Was a nice way to spend about 3-4 hours or more if you have kids to take to the north end into the younger folks area. Some place I'd love to visit again on a bit cooler day, but the place ROCKS with having LOTS OF SHADE and places to sit along with lots of little spots selling cold drinks/ice cream.
Overall, definitely recommend checking out next time you're in town. Great for a lone tour on up to a family I'm sure. :-)
I've never been disappointed at The Fort Worth Zoo. I've been there twice in the last year, and I went again the other day for my boyfriend's birthday. $10 is well worth it (even in the super hot, sweaty summer). They even have half price day on Wednesdays.
The layout makes it easy to see everything without backtracking or going out of your way. You take one long route all the way through. Each exhibit is easily accessible. There are places to eat inside the zoo, but none really worth stopping at. It's only about a two hour excursion, so you shouldn't have any need for the overpriced Grandy's anyway. I was, however, tempted by the ice cream shop in Texas Town.
The animals always seem to be out and about. I even saw a Zebra masturbate. No, seriously. Our friend who was with us told us how horses and other horse-type animals do the deed. Teehee.
They have different exhibits throughout the year...this time was an Arachnid exhibit with all different types of crazy spiders. Imagine seeing a gigantic brown spider bigger than a grown man's hand that eats small vertebrates....freaking awesome.
I'll definitely be going back at least once a year.
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I love zoo's. I have always enjoyed going to zoo's, taking photos of animals, and people watching. This is a great zoo, said by many to be one of the top 5-10 zoo's in the country. While the Dallas Zoo has apparently gotten much better in the past 5 years, the FW Zoo is still typically regarded as the best zoo in the Metroplex.
I'm giving it only 4 stars because of the herpetarium. I loved that place as a kid, but the last time I was there, it was starting to feel very outdated. Various animal enclosures have "trivia" buttons (typically, is this animal venemous, yes or no), but most of the buttons were broken last time. Let's spruce that sucker up!
I love, love, love zoos! Have been to a ton, and my favorite is always the Ft. Worth Zoo. I love the atmosphere, and love all the animals. They have discount days (check out their website).
