Dallas Zoo, Dallas

Liked the signage all over. Very clean, workers very friendly & knowledgeable, animals healthy. Learned about many animals we knew nothing of and saw many reptiles we never knew of. Very interesting. Many places to rest. Thank you for your great work & upkeep.

I went to the Dallas Zoo this past Monday and purchased a membership! This zoo has gone through an epic transformation in recent years and there are many projects in the works! I like the fact that this zoo uses large immersion habitats that mimic the species' natural habitats as closely as possible. After all, a zoo is supposed to be educational. The animals are not there to do tricks for people. I like that the gorillas, chimpanzees, tigers, and elephants can go off and have some private time and are not forced to be front and center at all times. The gorilla exhibit is quite possibly one of the best in the nation, if not the world. It is 2 acres (most zoos only dedicate ~8,000sf to a little less than an acre) and has a bachelor troop and soon, a family troop. In the center of the two habitats is the Jake L. Hamon Gorilla Research Center where you can observe the gorillas and have your questions answered by on site gorilla guides. The couches are a nice and comfy spot to sit and chill. The lady told me that the silver back, Patrick, has been interacting with one of the new females and they are expected to mate and start a family in the near future. The chimpanzee habitat is 19,000sf and is situated on a hill with lots of trees. If you go, you can not miss the Giants of the Savanna exhibit! The zoo's six elephants have 5 acres!!! It is so incredible to see elephants, giraffes, zebras, ostriches, and impala roaming around together! I recommend spending a good 45 minutes just observing this exhibit so you can catch lots of interesting interactions and behaviors. The Giraffe Feeding Station allows you to get face to face with the giraffes where you can feed them lettuce and rye crackers for $5. Be sure to check out the Monorail Safari! The Australian Outback area is about to feature a new exhibit called Koala Walkabout! I can't wait to check that out next month! It opens on March 10th. The food here is much better than you would typically expect at a zoo and there were many healthy options in addition to the usual zoo food. Take DART Rail and get off at Dallas Zoo station. It is convenient and a great way to avoid the traffic, fuel costs, and if your not a member, the $7 parking fee. I hope you enjoy this underrated zoo and if you like it, then shout it from the rooftops and become a member! If you have not been to the Dallas Zoo since before 2010, then it is time to go back! Oh, and while we're talking about zoos in the DFW Metro, the Fort Worth Zoo is overrated and IS NOT bigger than the Dallas Zoo. People seem to be convinced of this but in reality, the FW Zoo is only 64 acres. The Dallas Zoo is 106 acres. There is absolutely no reason to drive to the FW Zoo now that the Dallas Zoo has upped its game with improvements and the Giants of the Savanna.

So i read a few reviews before going. Wasnt sure if I should go to the Arlington Zoo or the Dallas Zoo. There was more than a few negative reviews for the Dallas Zoo but at a $5 entrance I was like lets give it a chance. fyi only zoo ive visited before is the Houston Zoo. Point is it was great! I saw so many animals I had never seen before and saw some that I had super close! I loved the way the elephants, giraffes, ostriches etc are all together in this big open area you can actually imagine you are in africa looking over at them. We ate at the Serengeti Grill and it was great sitting in front of 4 lions just peacefully sleeping in front of us occasionally looking up and letting out a roar! We rode the monorail which was $3 extra for each and it was pretty nice nobody else seemed to be nervous about it but we were a little tense riding it. It goes super slow but you still feel like it moves back and forth sometimes and the warning signs werent too comforting lol Overall I loved it! The reptile house was also very cool and there was a person there with a snake you could touch and they have this louisiana little area where they have the crocs it was really cute. I dont know but I was extremely pleased and glad I decided on the Dallas Zoo

As Dallas Zoo members, we are there ALOT! We also are members of other local zoos (2), but Dallas is our favorite, and we visit at least twice a month. My children are ages 11, 9 and 3, so I need alot of activities to keep them all entertained. The newest part of the zoo, Giants of the Savannah, offers giraffe feedings, lion exhibitions, talks with the keepers, an informative monorail ride and you can dine next to the lions! My kids always ask to ride on Clarence the Camel, a real camel, in the hooved livestock exhibit!!! SOAR, a Festival of Flight, is a bird show the kids just love!! Their favorite is the Lacerte Children's Zoo. It includes a Nature Exchange, where they encourage kids to learn about nature. My daughter loves the Discovery House, with small animals you can pet and daily art projects. My 3 year old always ask to ride a pony, then wants to take the pony home. You can also feed birds in the aviary. They offer seed sticks and a cup of woms, and explain the difference in bird beaks and their diet as they eat from your hand. In the center is a wonderful filtered "creek", where children in shorts and swim suits splash and chase each other. In Texas, during the summer, I think a water feature is a must, and even my 11 year old has fun splashing and cooling off! I see so many visitors that quickly pass through the Children's Zoo, never allowing their children time to be interactive with any of the exhibits.

There wasn't much about this zoo that we liked. We expected to pay for parking so that wasn't a big deal, but the admission was pretty high. We are very familiar with the St. Louis Zoo, which is completely free and immensely better. Where the St. Louis Zoo is clean and bright, the Dallas Zoo felt dirty and dark. There were a lot of vacant exhibits. The worst part was that the only way to access almost half of the zoo was via monorail, which, when you have a young child in a stroller, is not the ideal mode of transportation. Where the St. Louis Zoo is laid out with sloped sidewalks and ramps everywhere, the Dallas Zoo has lots of stairs which makes navigating with a stroller a bit unwieldy. All in all, I cannot say that I would recommend this zoo, especially when there are so many options in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

I like feeding the giraffes. I also love the predators encounters show where they give a demonstation on different commands they've taught the lions.

The Dallas Zoo has added so many nice exhibits over the last few years...namely, The Giants of the Savanna, which opened in May of this year. It's an 11 acre savanna with 6 elephants, 12 giraffes, 5 lions, 3 cheetahs, and several others including ostriches, zebras, and impalas. Hand feeding a giraffe is wicked fun...so is eating in the new restaurant with the lions or cheetahs pressed up against the glass, only inches from your table! The whole family will love this great new addition. The entire Wilds of Africa side is excellent, so don't miss the gorillas, chimps, penguins (actual show birds from Vegas!), mandrills, and crocs, too. You MUST take the monorail, also, as many animals can only be seen via the monorail ride. Don't ignore Zoo North, as many of the newer exhibits are there, including the great children's zoo, the otters, tigers, tamarins, kangaroos, wallabies, and row of various primates. This is a GREAT zoo and very well worth your time and money!!

I hope Mitch had the opportunity to visit the Wilds of Africa at the Dallas Zoo. This newer part of the Zoo features naturalistic habitats for all of its inhabitats. The gorilla and chimpanzee exhibits are landscaped with plants the animals can enjoy -- whether they are exploring or snacking. I work for the Zoo and know that all exhibit areas meet or exceed recommendations by the Association for Zoos & Aquariums. Also, Claire4somethingnew should note that the Zoo has not had lions since spring 2008 and we only feature very small cats, like endangered ocelots, bobcats, and fishing cats in a space that was originally designed for lions and tigers. The Sumatran tigers have a habitat that is more than an acre and it is landscaped to look like a forest that has regrown after logging. It features a pool for swimming and heated rocks for lounging in the winter. Also, the Dallas Zoo has been nationally recognized for the quality of its bird program. We expanded the exhibit areas for birds of prey and scavengers -- raising their nesting boxes, adding water features, building new perches and increasing the height and width of exhibits. The Dallas Zoo also has accomplished many "firsts" in breeding birds and we make significant contributions to the body of scientific knowledge about birds. Finally, the Galapagos tortoises have a yard that allows them plenty of space to roam and several sources of water -- and they eat like crazy. They can cross the path to their climate-controlled holding area when weather is chilly, and where they also have plenty of food and water. Although sea turtles and some species swim for many miles, Galapagos tortoises do very well on land and within a controlled area. I hope Clair and Mitch come see the Giants of the Savanna, which opens Memorial Day weekend. This 11-acre habitat will be home to elephants and giraffes -- who will move out of a home that was state-of-the art when it was built in the 1950s. We agree it was outdated and we are very proud of the new habitat that the citizens of Dallas have created for them. It also will feature new lions (which have yet to arrive in Dallas as of late January) and cheetahs in the Predator exhibit, too. The lush landscaping will have a mix of "tasty" and "not-so-tasty" grasses so that the animals do not graze it bare. There also will be pools and "mudholes" for the elephants to enjoy and close-to-native plants for shade and browse. We're using a special soil that will withstand compacting by elephants and the other heavy residents. Giants of the Savanna will be one of the finest savanna habitats in any zoo in the world. The mixed species habitats also will feature impala, ostriches, warthogs, red river hogs, vulturine guineafowl and so much more. I sincerely hope Mitch and Claire will visit us again and take a new look at the new Dallas Zoo.

This zoo need a major overhall, cages are to small for alot of animals. The cage have no grass just a bunch of dirt,some have alot weeds. Just piss pour....They need to closed move somewhere else with new building/cages everything....this place is sad....Fort worth is ten times better!!!

We enjoyed the zoo. It was 85F when we arrived there. Unlike some other zoos i've been in, the Dallas zoo has several air conditioned building that you can look at the animals yet escape the heat. It is a large zoo, and is spread out. My two kids, 4 and 1, enjoyed what they saw, but were wiped out by the heat after about 3 hours.