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Hogle Zoo
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
6 reviews for Hogle Zoo
My family loved this zoo. We felt it was the perfect size to see everything with a small child in tow. The exhibits seemed well maintained and the animals looked happy and active. We visited on a cold morning in December and were the first in the park. Saw maybe two other families while there for a few hours, which made for a very intimate feel. My son was thrilled to watch a mountain lion perk up at the sight of him and stalk him along the length of the cage like he was a tasty morsel. Can't get that kind of excitement at a huge zoo!
The monkeys in particular were enjoyable to watch and very active for a cold day. Turkeys and peacocks hanging out were tame enough to let my son burn some energy chasing them around for a while.
Free hot cocoa is a perk and all of the staff seemed very friendly. Decent variety of animals for a smaller sized zoo. The Christmas lights were also nice. We will be visiting again.
I've been to a lot of zoos in my life and Hogle Zoo does a pretty good job. Prices are fair to enter and my kids love the animals. I also like that it's not so huge that it takes 8 hours to visit. I would say it's great for 2-4 hours of fun. Only downside...cost of food and drinks is high so bring your own.
Zoos are tough for me. I am excited when we have animals that could otherwise not survive, I guess. Anyway, this one wasn't too depressing. A cheetah, tiger, bear, elephants, giraffes, and all kinds of monkeys, this is a fun one.
Besides the wide assortment of animals, I was pleased with the amount of places to sit and eat.
Tip:
Go early; we went close to opening on a Saturday with plenty of parking and short lines. When we left around 10:30a it was a lot busier. Also, in the summer I imagine it is probably pretty hot. There is a lot of shade in some parts, but others are totally open.
We were out of towners in February, with my little 14-month old. It's really great because it is outdoors and open year round. We got to enjoy a beautiful day outside. There are not so many toddler activities outdoors in Salt Lake City at that time of the year.
They are building in a carousel which should be a great addition.
Kudos for the free hot cocoas for everybody!
Finally, with my San Francisco Zoo membership I got a 50% discount on the entrance ticket.
It's OK for a rocky mountain zoo. You got your normal African safari animals, and the Bird of Prey show is pretty cool. It's no San Diego, but it's got animals that probably wouldn't survive well in the natural Utah habitat so it's cool. I am always amazed by the huge stone orb, that floats on a gushing water fountain, with millions of tiny kids pushing it in many different directions at the same time. I Utah must see! They also give good discounts for canned foods or recycling schemes. You just have to call ahead to see what's going on.
Probably not a place for out-of-towners used to bigger zoos, but a fun place for the family. You can smell it a mile away.

