John Ball Zoo

John Ball Park Zoo http://www.johnballzoosociety.org/ a great place to take your children anytime of the year. My most favorite display that they have is their wonderful penguin display. The Zoo Society runs events all year long for groups and even families to enjoy. They are open everyday except christmas, and their admission price is very resonable. The even run special days when it only costs a dollar or two to enjoy all the animals. Last time I was there we saw the apes and chimps and monkeys. My children enjoyed watching the groups of them play together and eat. Although my children do not like snakes, they were not resiliant in going through the reptiles to see the animals there that they do enjoy. more

This zoo has a lot of animals, and many unique exhibits. The zoo is located near Down town Grand Rapids, and is easy to find. The zoo is in John Ball Park, which features two parks, duck ponds, picnic areas, and much more. The zoo opens up with flamingo's, a family favorite. Kids love trying to figure out why there is only one leg, and it's fun explaining just how flamingo's get pink. Throughout the zoo, you find new and exciting animals. I think this zoo could stand to expand quite a bit, and they have the space to do it. It would be nice and conveinent if they were to make more of a circular path out of some of the out reaching paths, though, so that people are not back tracking. They have two main food stands, with several small carts along the path as well. There is 1 main gift shop, plus 1 large gift shop cart at the front of the zoo, and several small carts through out the zoo. Overall, this is a great place to take the kids for an afternoon. I recommend week days, as they are less crowded. Avoid free days- it's packed to the gills with people, and hard to manuever. Though, an upside, there are more activities set up through the zoo on free days. Parking can be hard to find on free days, too. more

John Ball Zoo is in Grand Rapids. This zoo was a couple hours drive from our house but it was worth it. I took the kids here a few years ago. It was a really nice, fun, and clean place to visit. The waterfalls made for some great picture taking opportunities. The price was fair. The animal exhibits were very interesting. My kids especially remember the pink poisonous frogs. Everyone had a very fun day here. more

John Ball Zoo is great experience. The animals are in clean cages, and the zoo itself is clean for the kids. We like to make several trips here a year. My daughter loves the petting zoo. For an extra fee you can ride a camel. The best part is the monkeys. They have really done this exhibit well; we like to spend a long time on this part! more

Not the greatest zoo but I guess it is all we've got. Free days are always good but then the place is JAM PACKED. Parking is free which is nice. The zoo setup is not the best at all. You have to climb a HUGE hill just to get into the main part. The zoo does not make a circle of sorts so you do a lot of back tracking. There aren't always a lot of animals out either but for little kids it's ok. The petting zoo (when open) is a neat place. Over all it is just an ok place. more

We have been to John Ball Zoo many times and my children never tire of going! The zoo is well-maintained with a good variety of animals. The prices are VERY reasonable with children 4 and under getting in free! This past summer, the zoo had an Australia exhibit which was small, but neat. You were able to feed budgies off of a stick you would hold in your hand. My son also loves the camel rides. more

Every year I take my daycare children to the John Ball Zoo! It's very inexpensive as the daycare kids are usually free and it only cost me $4.00 to get it. We bring our own lunches and are allowed to leave, eat lunch by the pond and then re-enter the park. They don't have a ton on animals, but the zoo is kept clean, the staff are very friendly and it makes a PERFECT day field trip. We have enjoyed going every summer and will continue to do so. I more

Not the greatest zoo but I guess it is all we've got. Free days are always good but then the place is JAM PACKED. Parking is free which is nice. The zoo setup is not the best at all. You have to climb a HUGE hill just to get into the main part. The zoo does not make a circle of sorts so you do a lot of back tracking. There aren't always a lot of animals out either but for little kids it's ok. The petting zoo (when open) is a neat place. Over all it is just an ok place. more

I think everyone in the greater Grand Rapids area will agree that the zoo needs a little work. With that said, and for the area they currently have available they are doing quite well. The place is always clean, the staff is always friendly and the animals always appear quite comfortable. more

Our family LOVES the John Ball Zoo, so much in fact that we get an annual membership each year. It is a perfect place for an inexpensive family outing any day of the week. Ticket admission is $4.00 for adult and less for kids. The zoo has a lot of neat exhibits and they are currently adding on so it will get better and better. The seasonal / traveling exhibits are always very cool for kids of all ages (and the parents who drive them there!!) The only downside to the John Ball Zoo is that it is small for a city the size of Grand Rapids. But if you are looking for a quick afternoon getaway this is an ideal place. It normally takes our family about 1 1/2 - 2 hours to go thru the entire zoo. Parking is free, plus there is a pavilion / tables outside the zoo entrance to eat a picnic lunch and watch the ducks / geese in the pond. The food stations are good and the gift shop is pretty good size for the size of the zoo! more

My kids love to go to the John Ball Zoo. The especially like the monkey house. The zoo is suprisingly large for a city the size of Grand Rapids. They have a great selection of animals to see, from the lions the fish in the aquarium, to the snake and lizards in the reptile house. There is also a great park for picnic and such. more

The John Ball zoo is a pretty decent zoo for such a small city. Since being renovated several years ago, many of the exhibits and animal habitats have been improved and updated. The monkey habitat in particular is very intelligently designed and gives you a great vantage point to seeing them. One of the great advantages to this zoo is that it is pretty inexpensive. Adult tickets are only $4, which is a great value for the number of animals you get the see. The zoo itself is very well designed and the adjoining city park is a nice, shady place to have a picnic lunch. more