Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Gardens

We couldn't believe how horrible this zoo was. Those poor animals. The areas they are housed in are way too small! As others have said, these animals are so stressed looking that we couldn't even stand to look at them & the smell! We have been to other zoos & in hot weather but have never smelled one so rank. Between the animals & the bathrooms there were spots that you didn't care what was suppose to be there you just had to leave the area. We drove 4 hours to see this place because of it's rating among zoos & were shocked at the condition. With the ratings this place has received it makes us wonder just how usless people view animals. Totally pathetic!. The enclosures were filthy as was the park. The animals were pacing & ill looking. We will never be back & will never recommend this place to anyone! This zoo needs to get rid of 3/4ths it's animals & redo all the exhibits to make them bigger for any animal left. We were there for about 3 1/2 hours & only stayed that long because we paid for one of the 4-D movies. The price of the food is outragous too. 2 pieces of pizza, one small pop & 2oz of fries was $17.00. The fries alone were $3.00 & we counted 25 potato string fries. Sandwiches were $7.49 before tax. The signs used for directions were terrible. If you don't have a map you would have a hard time finding stuff. They claim to be into conservation yet the only effort you see towards it are some plastic bottle recycle cans around. With all the limited space they have because they are "city locked" and can't just expand land wise, what are they making bigger and new...the front entrance gift shop. That shows you right there where the zoo's interest lies. These animals are in horrible conditions and all the zoo can do is expand their gift shop. The "rides" are not worth the money. They have a merry go round, train and tram. These are nothing. The train rides is 6 minutes! As a zoo they have failed. Those poor animals.

Buying a zoo pass is such a great thing, because the first time you go, youll want to keep going back. The animals have very fair sized cages and always seem happy to see people. The workers and volunteers are so nice, the food is great -- try the Rhino Cafe! Tons of animals, tons of space. The special events like the cheetah run and bird show are great. The animal encounters are perfect for our kids to be up close to their favorite animals -- They got to pet penguins, hold snakes, learn about gorillas, and pet owls. Very cool. Overall, a kid-friendly, affordable, fun place to go on weekends or in the summer.

A great little zoo with a nice botanical garden to boot. The second oldest zoo in America is still going strong. Be sure and visit the insects and creatures of the night buildings. The rhinos rock, very cool that the sumatran rhinos had the first baby born in captivity in over a 100 years at the cincinnati zoo.

A terrible way to introduce children to the "wonders of the wild." A DVD at home would be better than seeing large animals like tigers and polar bears pacing and looking miserable. If you can't devote enough space for these animals to live reasonably comfortable lives, rather than simply to nervously pace like prison inmates, you should close the place down.

The animals are housed in cages and enclosures that are far too small. They are clearly miserable. Some are emaciated and all either pace endlessly or sleep in what is probably a tranquilized state. This is a terribly depressing place unless you enjoy seeing sad creatures.

They have closed off paths and made it difficult to get around. They hyped the wolf exibit which was nothing impressive. They hyped the new giraffe exibit. Only one giraffe came over to be fed and it ran away when they blared music to announce feeding time! The historic Elephant house is closed off only having an exhbit at both ends. They turned the bird house into a maze! The collection of animals is not as good as it was 20 years ago either. They always did go for the more exotic animals (white tigers, white lions, king cheetahs etc) and would have one or two specimens of animals rather than herds like larger zoos. But the collection does not appear as impressive as it was. They sold most of their fish collection to the Newport Aquarium and turned the Aquarium into a manatee exhbit with a display of Florida's wildlife. It is the best new exhibit but it is a shame to have given up the sharks and other fish that they had.

I purchased tickets online when planning our trip. When we got there you had to park over a mile away. Apparently it was free admission day and the website did not tell us that. Call before buying tickets online. Also, as of June 2008 the zoo is showing the same Sponge Bob movie as Kings Island. We paid for the show to find out our kids had seen it the day before. So far I am still waiting on a phone call to see if I will be refunded my money.

This is not a huge zoo, but you can see everything in 4-5 hours. I enjoyed the many labeled plants, as well as the animals. They also have several indoor displays. Including: The reptile house, the cat house, the world of insects.

I'm a big fan of zoos. My wife and I have been to many zoos, including the Atlanta Zoo, Cleveland Zoo, Smithsonian Zoo in D.C., Memphis Zoo, Tampa Zoo, Disney's Animal Kingdom, and others. The Cincinnati Zoo is simply awesome. I love this place and it's definitely worth a trip. It's much nicer than the Atlanta or Memphis Zoos, just to give you some comparison. The manatee exhibit is very nice (but not as nice as Tampa Zoo's). Overall, this is one of the best zoos in the country. You have to check this place out!

The Cincinnati Zoo is a great place to be if you enjoy seeing emaciated animals in pens that are way too small. Not only are the pens too small but there is also no grass to be seen in the areas of many of the animals. It is possibly the most depressing zoo I have ever been too as all of the animals look malnourished to the point where they are skin and bones. I'm not sure who oversees the zoo and the health of the animals but they are doing an incredibly poor job.