Santa Ana Zoo
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. - Good for Kids: Yes
12 Reviews for Santa Ana Zoo
I went here once in '04 and not again since. Such a sad and depressing, empty place, smack next to the smoggy, noisy 5 freeway.
Survival of the fittest. I'd rather see animals living free in the demanding wild than miserably confined, or in photographs in wildlife books from the library. :(
Take the kids and the feeble to the park for a walk instead.
This place sucks, but I give it 5 stars for the nostalgic memories of my childhood. This was the first and only place I got to ride an Elephant.
A familia and all got a nice treat one weekend. WE'RE GOING TO THE ZOO!!! "What the hell is a Zoo,"I asked. "A place where they keep animals." "Keep them, 'till when?" "Well, forever," my mom explained with a scratch of the head.
"Look, that monkey sucks his thumb just like you, Madai." My younger sister didn't stop sucking her thumb until she started kindergarden, and now she won't let her baby suck her thumb...selfish bitch.
The memories... *sigh*
I recently came here, and this dump sucks monkey balls. The elephant died and the monkeys are so depressed they won't even touch themselves. A sad site. AND what the hell is a zoo doing in Santa Ana, anyway???
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As others have said, you can't really come here and expect a world class zoo with lions and tigers and bears, but for $6 who the hell are you to complain? The hamburger you got on the way over here probably cost more than that!
I just went here this past weekend (march 31st, 2008 or something like that) and they had a SIX DAY OLD CAPUCHIN MONKEY! clinging on to it's mother for dear life! So if you go sometime soon, you'll get to see the tiny tiny capuchin as well. Just tell your kids to shut up around it, it needs its peace and quiet!
And they have huge pigs! Each pig weighed 530 pounds. Biggest pigs I've ever seen! And as others have said, they're required to keep 50 monkeys here at all times, and who doesn't love monkeys? I can watch monkeys for hours. They're the funniest animals to me by far.
Only 4 stars because it's a zoo. As David K. said, "those animals looked bored and miserable", well guess what, David - they ARE bored and miserable. I think zoos are kinda shitty in theory but so much fun in practice. And hey, it's $6. Man I'd love to be a zookeeper someday.
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Those animals looked bored and miserable. I understand its a place for kids. Not a problem. Its just such a sad place. The pacing back and forth of the wild animals. Large birds in cages all day long. Even inmates at Pelican Bay have exercise time. It makes money so what can anyone do?
I have to give this place 5 stars. For what it is, it's a GREAT little zoo. It's perfect for little kids. They don't have a lot of animals, but they have a great collection of all different types of monkeys. The man who donated the land in the 1950's had one condition: there must be at least 50 monkeys at all times.. it seems like they're still keeping with that promise!
I went with my summer camp group today and we had a great time. Admission is cheap.. our kids got in for $3 each group rate. I think regular adult admission is $6. There's LOTS of shade and nice vegetation that keeps everything cool. They have a small wild cat, a porcupine, 2 horse/llama looking things, a huge eagle nest (sadly, their eagle passed away in May, it was 25 years old!), some small marsupial looking animals, parrots, a gorgeous bird "rainforest" that is so peaceful and lush, and a complete farm with bunnies, ducks, pigs, sheep, goats, horses, and owls.
There's also a nice gift shop, surprisingly clean restrooms, a good snack bar that has Mexican food and burgers, a large playground, and train rides. There's also a huge lawn out front and they will let you take your lunch outside and then come back in when you're done.
The staff was really nice and friendly. It wasn't busy at all. I would defintely bring my kids here if I had some :) Don't go expecting a bunch of different kinds of animals a la LA/SD zoo. Go here to look at some funny monkeys, have lunch, let the kids play, and do it all for cheap and close to home.
PS.. you might want to keep the kids away from the horses because both were male and they both got um.. visibly excited. Freakiest thing I've ever seen :(
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Being from Columbus, Ohio originally (the home of Jack Hanna), I can't say this was my favorite zoo. Plus, I've been to the Bronx Zoo and the Central Park Zoo (which are both pretty cool zoos). So, I wouldn't call this a world class zoo, by any means.
However, if you love monkeys (and I do), this is the zoo for you. And if you are visiting with friends under the age of 5, this is a great place for those with short attention spans. We moved from cage to cage like lightening, but got to experience monkeys, cows, horses, a wild boar, llamas, etc.
I was glad the elephant wasn't there. I saw the round path it had worn where anyone could ride it. It just made me depressed.
This was a great., short afternoon excursion. I recommend a visit to the Old Town Tustin Rutabegorz directly afterwards. Ask for crayons.
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Sure, it's not the LA or San Diego Zoo, but this a great educational outing for kids and adults alike. We went here on a field trip when I was a kid, and I worked here after college in the Friends of the Santa Ana Zoo gift store for a few months. There were moms who bought memberships and brought their kids here in the summer or after school every day. Talk about cheap entertainment!
If you think goats are not really zoo-appropriate animals or if you're uncomfortable around preschoolers or 'special needs' kids, DO NOT COME TO THE SANTA ANA ZOO. You won't enjoy it. This is NOT your San Diego Zoo or National Zoo experience.
Having said that, I love this place! More than 10 years ago, when I was working as a pediatrics home health nurse, I came here with two of my wheelchair-bound kids, and we had a great time. The staff members were, and still are, patient and friendly and helpful.
We have a membership, so David P takes Ella here in the mornings -- and as the working mama, I'm always jealous that I miss out on these adventures. Although, David P told me he and Ella once had the rare opportunity to be right in front of the sloth habitat just in time for the animal's weekly crap.
This zoo is only 12 acres, so it's the perfect size for toddlers and preschoolers to explore without getting worn out. It really is like visiting someone's big backyard, but with animals. We love the train and the farm.
And here's the best thing about SAZOO: MONKEYS!! The land donation for the zoo site came with a stipulation that the city keep at least 50 monkeys at all times. http://www.santaanazoo...
If you've read any of my family's reviews, you'll know we're all monkey-crazy.
Plus, I really enjoy the hilarious blue and yellow macaw on Monkey Row who's learned to scream like all his monkey buddies.
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A crow, a lizard and a chimpanzee. Oh, and the elephant that all of Orange County had ridden on at least once.
HARDLY a zoo.
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No crowds, dirt-cheap admission, clean grounds, a playground, and a collection of 150 animals or so (including the 50 mandatory monkeys). No, it's not the San Diego Zoo, but it's a great value for running the kids around.
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i don't know why they call it a zoo. it's not. drive the extra miles to go to at least the LA zoo. come on! if i could give negative stars, i would.
I had expected more from Santa Ana Zoo but was disappointed to find that the exhibits were pretty limited. There were signs displayed saying they were in the middle of renovations so maybe in a few months things will be different, however, for today, it was pretty dismal.
First of all there were only a selection of smaller primates, birds, reptiles and some farm animals. The one cool thing was that you can go on an elephant ride, but then it costs $5 on top of your entrance fee. The entrance fee of $6/adult and $3/child isn't much and with our Waikiki Aquarium membership we got a 50% discount. I wasn't complaining about the entrance fee, I felt we got a good deal. This was precisely why I didn't hesitate when lil guy wanted to ride on the elephant.
After walking around the zoo (and it took less than an hour) there was a train ride, and once again, there was a charge of $3/person. Compared to Happy Hollow in San Jose, this place had more animals but charged for every single ride. Happy Hollow didn't charge for rides. However, if it's a zoo environment you're looking for, then there just isn't enough displays to give it credibility.
Still, I'm hoping that after the renovations, things will be different, but for now, they kinda suck.
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