Phoenix Zoo

The Phoenix Zoo is an amazing, educational, always changing, enjoyable place for everyone of all ages. They are in the top 5 zoos for kids in the enitre country (no small feat). There is so much do to and see, I could begin to write it all out. They are constantly expanding, evaluating, changing, and refurbishing for the greater good of the animals. The phoenix zoo is considered an animal sanctuary. In otherwords, when an animal outlives its "usefullness" to someone else (ie zoo, circus, et el) the zoo will take them in and care for them, in as natural enviornment as possible, until their deaths. If you go during the warmer days, be sure to take a bathing suit or some dry clothes, as they have a water splash play area which has water shooting up from the ground. The kids love to run though with squeal of delight! If you are going for the first time and do not have time for all of it-you must be sure to go to Monkey Village-it is an amazing experience and you are very likely to come face to face (literally) with the adorable spider monkey. If you go more than once a year, a membership is a definte. You can also buy a zoo plastic cup-that way everytime you refill it-it is only a dollar. Great deal. There is so much to do and see, with so many extra activities offered-you might want to check out their website as well. It is very user friendly. The Phoenix Zoo is a MUST SEE! more

Phoenix zoo can be a nice picnic outing for the whole family. Spread over 100 acres, this place has a wide variety of animal and bird exhibits including Giraffes, zebra, orangutan, monkeys, apes, seals, tortoise, elephants, tigers and ostrich. there is also a tram fun ride for kids that takes you around the zoo. The trails in the zoo are neat and well maintained. Several times a year, you can take child in free with a fee paying adult or can get 2 for 1 bargains from entertainment book more

The Phoenix Zoo has a great set of exhibits that show off the animals in as naturally looking environment as possible from a zoo. Although I wouldn't compare this zoo with the likes of the San Diego Zoo, but it makes a good try. The exhibits include information about the animals and provides educationally stimulating material. It is worth the look if you are in the Phoenix area. more

If you plan on taking the family more than once a year - definately get a membership. It will pay for it self in a couple of visits. They are currently doing construction, so there are some areas that are a little noisy. Our favorite part is the Arizona exhibit. Those animals seem to be out the most. And then of course the zebras and giraffes, they are always out and active. My only complaint is they don't have all the food stands open like they used to. more

This zoo is amazing. A good place to bring your family. There's a lot to be seen - all kinds of cool animals - giraffes, lions, monkeys, etc. They have a park inside where you can rest and also a big play area for kids. I'd probably get membership to this zoo as suggested by most folks. more

The Phoenix Zoo is a wonderful place to come to anyday of the year and is great for kids of all ages (even you!) The zoo has some of the greatest ways of exploring and learning about animals through their exhibits. There are the standard animals at a zoo, giraffes, lions, tigers, bears, rhinoceros, zebra's, cheetah's, monkeys, and elephants. There are also animals that are specific to the southwest and Arizona that are displayed, such as the coyote, wolf, and bald eagle. The zoo is voted one of the top 5 zoo's for kids and it doesn't get a vote like that for being bland. A few time throughout the year the zoo announces a new exhibit. These exhibits have ranged from having exotic animals/species visit the Phoenix Zoo, such as snake exhibit which featured the Anaconda snake, or the Beware exhibit which featured animals that we really should be scared of or animals that we don't have to be scared of, which had some sharks, and piranha's. Some of the newest exhibit additions to the zoo include a walk about area of Wallabee's and Squirrel Monkey walk around. The Wallabee Walk about is where you are actually in the Wallabee's habitat and can watch them upclose. The only thing seperating you from the Wallabee is low rope. The Squirrel Monkey walk around has to be our favorite part of the zoo. You actually walk into a large "cage" and get to watch the monkeys as they climb ropes, jump from tree to tree all just above your head and in front of your eyes!! The Zoo also has a children's play creek area which is complete with tree house, and creek. During the summer months there is even a water splash play area which has water shooting up from the ground. There is a kid friendly area at the zoo where the Wallabee walkabout is located, it's also where the petting zoo is located as well as a small playground and the butterfly sanctuary. The zoo's train is relaxing and gives a quick tour of what the zoo offers. It's a good idea, i think, to take the train tour if you've never been to the zoo so that you can pick which areas you want to see first or are more interesting to you. We are a family of 2 kids ages 5 and 3. We have renewed our membership to the zoo for 4 years now. We love it. Our daughters never are bored at the zoo, and learn so much about animals. They keep adding new and exciting things! We try to make it at least every other Saturday and focus on 1 or 2 animals in our visit, let the girls play in the creak play area and then we leave. The Phoenix Zoo offers much more throughout the year than just daytime zoo happenings. There are events, which sometimes cost extra, but are either free to members or cheaper. Such as the BOO ZOO which is held for halloween and has things for the kids to do such as face painting, clowns, etc. The ZOO BREW which is held for adults to come to the zoo in afterhours and have drinks which go towards charity contributions (if i remember correctly). And there are the Zoo Lights. Zoo lights are a fun, calm, relaxing evening to come out at look at the lights at the zoo. Great for kids who enjoy seeing the lights form images. Would be a great night out stroll for couples as well. more

Zoolights is very nice. I went without children,and it was cute to walk around i the cold with my husband. Bringing children would be even better, as the displays are really well done and all kids would enjoy it! Definitely a fun time to get all bundled up to go see. Too bad you cannot see any of the animals at night though! Oh, and we bought our tickets from litttle children selling them for cheaper standing outside the entrance, and I recommend that! more

Even as an old person i still wouldn't mind going to this place. My very first field trip was at this zoo as i can remember it and i had a blast. The weather is beautiful and the animals are so friendly. If you go with a group of friends you can have fun for hours checking out all the animals while socializing. The cotton candy and churros there are the best and the best part about that Zoo is that you can feed the girraces|) more

We got a membership as a gift but renewed when it was time because we go so often. Yes it is hot in the Summer but hey we live in Arizona. There are always ways to beat the heat by playing in the stream by the clubhouse or playing in the splash pad. We have also attended a few special events at the zoo like zoovies (movies at the zoo) we came for snow day (trucked in tons of snow in June) and Boo at the Zoo (where mascots of all kinds parade down the walk) and of course Zoo lights. There are other events like Camp Zoo, Family Night camps, parent tot music time and more that I would love to explore. So don't forget to check and see if there are any special events coming soon. more

The Phoenix Zoo is the largest zoo in Arizona. It’s a great place to go, with or without kids. They have plenty of the “standard” animals – giraffes, elephants, and tigers. They also have a few exotic species, and their gorilla exhibit is wonderful. Again, it’s large, so plan to spend a full day exploring. more

I've always been very disappointed with the Phoenix Zoo. It is not arranged well, their exhibits are boring and small, and for such a large city as Phoenix I expect a little more. There are some fun things for the kids to do there, such as a tree house and splash pad, but overall I find it sadly lacking. There is no aquarium, no herpatarium (which would be perfect in the desert... I'd love to see some of those nasty snakes behind glass) and very few natural habitats. Don't go in the summer... none of the animals are out. If you plan to go for a special event such as the ZooLights, plan to go on a weeknight if you want to be able to see anything. The crowds are huge and pushy and it's enough to take the holiday spirit out of anyone. more

It's a good day hike to see all of the zoo. The exhibits are clean and well tended. The animals are easy to see. Some of the attractions are done in themes like a Jungle Safari or Bird Watch where you feel like you are entering another world. The gift shops are expanding and based on the different themes, like Disneyland. There is something for everyone at this zoo. Parking is a snap. more

The zoo is great, and we checked it out to see if we could hold our wedding reception there. They led us to this little cottage where we waited for the events person to arrive to talk to her. Apparently she was with some other people with the same request - to see the reception facility. She said she would be back. We were confused as to why we couldn't just tag along! All we wanted to do was see it and we didn't want to wait any longer - we'd already waited 20 minutes or so. So we followed them anyway. The event hall looked great. When we came back to get details, the events lady had taken off again so we just left. more

This is one of the nicest zoos my family has been to. It is very family friendly, with lots to do. There is a petting zoo and a farm for the little ones. They can dig for worms or play in the sand. There is also water spouts in the summer months that shoot water from the foam flooring. My kids' favorite part is a huge tree house that has a creek running under it. There is ample parking and prices are very reasonable. From lions and tigers to orangutans and bears, the Phoenix Zoo has it all. more

We got a membership as a baby gift and love it. We just renewed again. This is a great place for kids to run off some steam and learn about the animals. The special encounters cost extra when offered, but are worth it. Not fun in summer of course, but we go a few times a week during the winter. more

The phoenix zoo is a fun place for kids. If you go during the summer, make sure you get there when they open at 7:00 am or else or the animals will be hiding from the heat. The animal exhibits are great and allow for easy viewing most of the time. Our favorite is the Giraffe exhibit. They also have a hands on area for the kids with a petting zoo. The kids love the petting zoo and playground. For those really hot days, they also have a splash fountain. I would say that this is one of the better zoos that we have been to. During August, the also have summer nights - when you can visit the zoo in the evening. This is also a fun experience for the kids when the sun goes down. more