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San Antonio Zoo
Rating Details »
- Hours:
Mon-Sun. 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
19 reviews for San Antonio Zoo
Yay! I love the zoo. I've been here several times. It's always so dang hot, though. WHY oh WHY do they not have mist stations set in place?
Anyhow, I love the aniimals, however, i see the same things over and over. This year I took my daughter to visit the butterfly exhibit. You play a buck and you walk into a room with loose butterflies flitting all over. They can land on you and they really are beautiful.
I'd go back again.
Just less birds and more big stuff!
Since I've grown up in San Antonio I feel I know the zoo rather well. Now that I have a niece I go there far too often for a 25 year old. It's so much fun. I've always had a problem with the amount of space provided for the animals. It's not crazy small enclosures but it would be great if they, at some point, expanded the zoo.
The year passes are a great deal if you go to the zoo a lot. If not there are student discounts and military discounts. If you're neither of those it's a bit costly but, you get the whole day to enjoy yourself. I personally can spend hours hanging out with the elephants. What's the greatest thing about this place is the fact that it's right off the highway and yet so quiet.
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Meh. For being located in a city the size of San Antonio, I was really looking forward to visiting the zoo with some friends and their little girl. I was underwhelmed. Sure, there were a good variety of animals you normally wouldn't find in your neighborhood (or, at least, shouldn't find in your neighborhood), but the zoo was smaller than I anticipated.
It also was a little sad to see the size of the animal enclosures. I didn't expect huge areas, but I would love for them to be a little larger. Also, I left depressed over a grizzly bear. There was a sign outside his area that said he had recently had surgery, so maybe he was still on some painkillers, but the poor guy just didn't look like he was with it anymore. He had a huge scar on his head and very vacant eyes. While this probably isn't the zoo's fault and, in reality, they might be preserving an animal that wouldn't make it in the wild, I couldn't help but feeling sorry for poor Grizzly.
Parking also was horrendous and it was ridiculously hot the day we went, which is our fault, I know. But you would think they would provide more shade! I was dy-y-ying.
Overall, this zoo is fine to visit once, but I really expected more from the grand city of San Antonio. And I'll always remember that poor bear. Sniff, sniff.
This is a pretty well-kept zoo. The enclosures aren't as big as I'd like them to be, and I believe the Indian Elephant should really have a companion, but other than that...
The animals looked healthy and I spent most of the day yesterday just enjoying their presence.
A few people complained about the animals not being out when they were there, but they need patience.
The animals that weren't out in the morning, were out in mid-day. It's best to take at least 2 laps around the zoo to get the best opportunity of seeing majority of the animals.
I was a little bummed that there were no Grizzly Bears in the exhibit set up for them, as they are a favorite of mine, but I saw the capybara which is another favorite, so it was OK. :P
I uploaded a few pictures I took.
I didn't get to see the hippos (well, anything other than their behinds) but I forgot to make a 2nd trip to their area, so maybe they repositioned themselves and I just missed out.
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This is a very good zoo. Went in early September and it was very hot.
I have been to zoos all over the country and this one is not lacking.
If you like birds there are dozens of exibits along with 3-4 aviaries.
Great zoo for kids. Just remember to drink a lot of water!
When I come back to San Antonio to visit this zoo it will definately be in the winter...I was here in the middle of June and Oh My God it was so freaking H-O-T! The reason I say this is because alot of the animals that I was hoping that I would get a good look at were tucked away in the shade, or under a rock, or off in a mini cave to escape the heat so it was hard to get a good look at them. (Kind of made me wish I had a rock to hide under for shade it was so hot).
Overall I would say that this zoo has a nice collection of different animals, although I think they have entirely too many birds. The animals are well taken care of and it shows.
Dont expect to see any arctic animals here like seals or polar bears, because of the climate (which makes sense).
THEY ACTUALLY HAVE A ANACONDA AT THIS ZOO!? I was so not interested in seeing it because I dont like snakes, especially snakes that can consume a whole human, but nevertheless I thought it was amazing that they even had one of these.
Also, at the time I was there they were in the progress of working on a second Africa exibit, but we were still able to see various animals that reside in Africa.
The petting zoo was lacking. There was only goats. Meh...I kept walking....
It is $10 for admission which I think is a pretty good deal, and it is a very pretty zoo. I am not giving it 5 stars, because I was hoping that there would be a bit more variety of animals instead of tipping the scales in the favor of birds they have. I think they need to throw a monkey or two in there.
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What's open 365 days a year and is fun for the whole family? The San Antonio Zoo, of course! I have been coming here since I was a small child and while it has changed a lot, it is still super fun. The best time to visit the zoo is later in the day and definitely NOT during the middle of summer. It is just way too hot. My favorite exhibit is the Lory exhibit where you can feed the birds the little cups of nectar. The recently opened Africa Live! exhibit is really neat, too; you can see the hippos swimming under water. Great educational experience for the whole family at just $10 for adults and $8 for kids.
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Zoos are always bittersweet for me....caged animals that most likely couldn't survive in the wild, yet caged in really small places.
On this very warm day, the animals looked absolutely miserable. It was too hot for most of them that were outside and the others that could go inside were inside.
Of course, if you are a bird freak, this is the zoo for you. Never, ever, ever have I been to a zoo that has had sooooo many birds. They should rename it the San Antonio Bird Sanctuary.
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My gf and I went here to enjoy a day with some animals. We probably went at a bad time because a part of the zoo was still under construction, and it had been raining earlier that day. The zoo had an array of animals, several amount of exhibits, very fun petting zoo with the farm animals, interesting butterfly exhibit [although had to pay extra]. My first impression of the aquarium was, "That's it?"...
There were soooooooo many birds out. During a part of our walk, we were dodging bird poop. Some almost landed on me.
It's fun for kids, but probably not the greatest for adults who are looking for an extravaganza.
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Well the new section of the zoo is FINALLY open and all I can say is WOW! Africa Alive is how all exhibits should be!
I give it a -1 start simply because ALL the exhibit needs a make over and parking still SUCKS. But I'm sure that will be redone in time.
Price of admitance has gone up:
Adults: $9.00
Military Discount $1 Off
Senior Citizens 62 and over: $7.00
Children 3 - 11 yrs: $7.00
Children ages 2 and under: FREE
Handicapped 3 -14 yrs: $4.50
Handicapped 15 yrs and up: $6.00
Food and drinks are still outragious. About what you would pay at a theme park. UGH! But it's still a wonderful day trip for the entire family!
For more of what's going on check out their updated website at http://www.sazoo-aq.or...
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Ever summer my folks and I would go to San Antonio to visit the extended family, and the highlight for me was the zoo. And I still love this zoo.
It's a really big place, and it takes some time to wander through all of it. I'd avoid it in the summer due to the brutal heat, but in the fall it's great.
Being close to halloween, the zoo staff put a bunch of pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns in the tiger enclosure and the tiger drew a large crowd as it played with the pumpkins before settling down and chewing one up. (I uploaded a photo of said tiger.)
They are doing construction on an Africa II exhibit or something, so it's a long one-way hike to get to the elephants, but one can't go to the zoo and not see the elephants, right?
I'd give this zoo five stars save one thing:
No penguins.
I love me some penguins.
Had a blast at the zoo today! It's been about a year or so since I last went and I remember when they were working on a new addition/change to the place, which was the "Africa Live" exhibition. Well today, I got to see the first completed phase of it and it was actually pretty neat. Instead of seeing all of the animals in that particular area out in the open you can enjoy a piece of it from indoors (instead of out in the blazing heat!). The three hippos we saw were resting and we got to see what it looked like both under and above the water (viewing windows, if you will). It was really cute!
I remember going here as a child and thinking this place was huge, and granted after years have passed and more trips were made, it didn't seem as big as it used to. But there is still enough to keep me satisfied and not make me feel like I have to force myself to see it all the way through in order to get my money's worth.
I enjoyed the Lori's Landing exhibit where our group got to interact with the birds and feed them nectar. Watch out for the screeches though! (And here I thought MY parakeet was bad!! Lol)
Last thing we did was hit the train and go on the two mile trip around Brackenridge Park and the golf course. It was neat for the ride although the construction in the area around us wasn't. Yeah, so I suppose I could've just driven my car around the block cause that's what we basically did. But hey, we still had fun!
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I went to this zoo in November and it was fun. We went later in the day, when all the animals actually came out and we had a pleasant experience. I went as a part of Lackland's "Operation Adopt-A-Trainee" and it was exciting just to be out, but the Zoo was nice as well. The elephants came out and were very cute, along with the rhinoceros. Fun time at a quiet moment.
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I love zoos. I've been to a lot of them. In Texas I've been to the Dallas Zoo, the Fort Worth Zoo, the Houston Zoo, the Cameron Park Zoo in Waco, and the San Antonio Zoo. I've been to the National Zoo in Washington, DC, and I've been to the Woodley Park Zoo in Seattle, Washington.
Now that you have my zoo resume, I can tell you that the San Antonio zoo does stack up. I've been going to this zoo since I was in diapers, and I guess I kind of took it for granted. I became bored with the same exhibits and animals, so when my fiance and I began exploring zoos (it's one of our things), I fully expected the zoos to all be better than San Antonio. This was not the case.
The Fort Worth Zoo is probably one of the best I've been to, with the Seattle Zoo next along with the National Zoo (we're planning on going to the San Diego zoo within the next year). But San Antonio comes right after that. It's nice, has great specimens, and takes good care of both the animals and the grounds. It's a bargain for a ticket that gets you in all day, and I think it's one of the cooler things to do in San Antonio.
I don't know what people are expecting when they go to zoos. I think they want the animals to dance a jig or be on display when they want them on display. But his isn't Disney World folks. The animals are left to move about as they see fit, and are provided with plenty of space for them to hide or retreat when they feel stressed. This is good for the animals.
The Verdict: If you want to see healthy animals, go to the San Antonio zoo, if you want animals that are completely manipulated and are always on display go to Animal Kingdom.
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I love all the animals here. Zoo's are always fun to me, there isn't too many negative things about the zoo, that is.....as long as they are treating the animals good, but most people who work at zoo's usually like animals so I think it should be ok. The prices are a bit steep but who needs souvenirs anyways? Anyways, I would check it out if you have time. I would have to say I can sit and watch the monkeys all day!
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My partner loves animals. So, I thought I'd treat him to the San Antonio Zoo. I had been bragging that it is one of the largest zoos in America. Well, when I got there, it didn't feel like it was that big. It was so different than what I remembered from previous years. In fact, I was disappointed in this zoo.
For me, a fabulous zoo is when all the animals are out for us to stare and take pictures. I love the reptile house. I was disappointed in the aquarium because there were very few fish to see. In fact, most of them were local. The butterfly house was new but you had to pay (a dollar) to get in. What?!?!? You just paid $9 bucks to get in and now you gotta pay more to additional displays. The bug house was cool...and free.
If anything, this zoo was more of a bird sanctuary than a zoo. Gawd! There was one part of the zoo that I so did not like. There's a pond area where all the cranes are. However, they are not caged. So, they have the freedom to fly around. They fly up to the tall trees and build their nests up. So, what happens? The ground is WHITE and it stinks! You have to pass by to look at other birds plus dodging bird shit from above. I mean, please! I don't care if they give you good luck, I don't want shit on me! Then, you walk over to another section and guess what? More birds. Then, in another section, there's a bird house. Ugh!
However, I do have to say that I was impressed by the inclusion of a little kiddie park. There's a petting zoo with farm animals. There's even a little wading pond for kids to relax and play. Just cute.
Another positive thing about this zoo is that it isn't hilly like the National Zoo.
Hey! What ever happened to the sky ride outside of the zoo!?!?
This zoo was actually better than I expected, although there weren't as many animals as I thought there might be. We went on a Saturday afternoon, and the zoo was surprisingly uncrowded. This turned out to be a bad time to go though because most of the animals were napping and we didn't get to see many of them.
There was a wide variety of animals from Africa, and they seemed to be working a lot on that portion of the zoo. However, many of the enclosures in the zoo were empty and there was a lot of ongoing construction. And I've never seen so many snack stands at a zoo - it's not that tiring!
It had been a long time since I had been to the zoo, but we had some family in town and took everyone. I have to say it is great. We especially loved the new tots area. Our 18month had a fantastic time in the play space and loved the new beach area. It sure is worlds better than when I was a kid. I do have to say that the prices have gone up with the quality. I'm thinking a family membership would make it worth it. Pack some snacks and spend the day, it was a great outing.
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I enjoyed my time at the San Antonio zoo. The collection of animals isn't too spectacular, and I too was less than thrilled about the extra $1 for the butterfly house, but overall it's a nice place to spend an afternoon. There are a decent number of animals to see, but there were a decent number of pens that didn't have any animals in them. I also felt that the pathways were too narrow so you always felt like you were bumping into people. Bottom line: a good time but nothing spectacular.
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