Detroit Zoo

The Detroit Zoo is such a fun place to spend the day! It’s super clean, easy to walk around, and has so many amazing animals to see. The polar bears and penguins were the highlights for me—especially the penguin exhibit, which is just awesome. You can get really close and watch them swim right past you.There is also a short train ride (though expensive considering they charge for one way ride and double up if you want to return) which is fun for kids. There’s a nice mix of big animals like giraffes and lions, plus smaller areas for birds and reptiles. It’s great for kids, but adults will have a blast too. Recommend to purchase giraffe feeding tickets in advance as they are limited for the day. There is also the dragon forest and the carousel that adds to the fun activities to do. There are lots of shady spots and benches to take a break, which is nice on hot days. Food inside is fine but a bit pricey, so maybe bring a few snacks. Staff were friendly and helpful, and parking was easy. Recommend parking near the water tower as that is closest to the entry gates. Overall, it’s a great day out for the whole family!

Loved the zoo. Very well maintained trails and paths with all amenities well situated. Very kid friendly atmosphere with allmost all the places suitable for stroller and Kids. All animal viewings are designed to suit for kids viewing. Center of attraction was penguin and polar bear. They have many food optionsw with vegetarian options. Food wasnt great but good enough for zoo trip. couple of stores around zoo offering draft beer, ice cream and cold drinks. Recommend to go in morning or evening as during noon time get hot and sunny, also all animals move to shed and hard to see. Few of the buildings were under construction nd closed during peak summer season.

The Detroit Zoo is a world-class attraction that offers an unforgettable experience for visitors of all ages. Spanning 125 acres, the zoo is home to over 2,000 animals from more than 200 species, making it a must-visit destination for animal lovers and families. *Highlights of the Detroit Zoo:* - *Awards and Accolades*: The Detroit Zoo has received numerous awards, including the Association of Zoos & Aquariums' Exhibit Award for excellence in exhibit design for the Polk Penguin Conservation Center. - *Unique Exhibits*: - *Arctic Ring of Life*: One of North America's largest polar bear habitats, featuring a 300,000-gallon aquarium and an underwater viewing tunnel. - *Polk Penguin Conservation Center*: The world's largest penguin facility, housing five species of penguins, including King, Macaroni, Gentoo, Chinstrap, and Rockhopper penguins. - *Great Apes of Harambee*: A 4-acre indoor/outdoor habitat for chimpanzees and western lowland gorillas. - *Australian Outback Adventure*: An immersive exhibit where visitors can walk among red kangaroos and red-necked wallabies. - *Conservation Efforts*: The Detroit Zoological Society is committed to animal welfare, conservation, and sustainability, with programs like the Adopt-A-School initiative and animal rescues. - *Family-Friendly Activities*: - *Giraffe Encounter*: Get up close and personal with reticulated giraffes and feed them from an 18-foot-tall platform (additional fee applies). - *Tauber Family Railroad*: A fun ride for kids. - *Carousel*: A classic merry-go-round. *Visitor Information:* - *Hours*: The zoo is open year-round, with varying hours depending on the season (10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in winter, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in summer). - *Tickets*: General admission tickets range from $14 to $24 for adults, $12 to $21 for seniors and children (2-12 years old). - *Amenities*: The zoo offers picnic areas, dining options, and gift shops. *Overall Experience:* The Detroit Zoo offers an engaging and educational experience for visitors of all ages. With its commitment to animal welfare, conservation, and sustainability, the zoo is a great place to learn about wildlife while having fun. Whether you're interested in animals, nature, or family activities, the Detroit Zoo is a must-visit destination.

The Detroit Zoo has done so much work in recent years to improve the animal habitats, ensuring they have adequate space and enrichment opportunities, as well as creating new and exciting experiences for guests. The Zoo also does so much for the community, offering sensory friendly hours, hosting free admission days for certain populations, and community events (like the backpack donation day). All of the seasonal events (Bunnyville, Zoo Boo, and Wild Lights) have become family traditions and every year the zoo creates new gorgeous sceneries and adds more decorations which keeps us coming back. We are looking forward to the new discovery trails, estimated to open in 2026. We LOVE our zoo and can’t recommend a membership enough.

Took my family here. First time we've been. The staff are awesome! Super nice, helpful, and friendly! We walked all over the place. The reason I gave 3 stars is that the maps dont have all picnic areas marked. The only ones are at the front of the zoo. Also, about half the exhibits and animals were inside, or they were closed. It kinda sucks that there are things in the zoo that cost even more money. We did end up having a good time. Thus was a once un a lifetime trip. It wasn't worth the 3h 48min drive there. It was chaos to get there.

Very good day. We lucked out with great weather, had no issues getting a wheelchair for one of our party recovering after surgery. We went for Dragon Forrest, but also as none of us had been there in a few years. The Penguin exhibit was great! Also the Polar bear area. The dragons were very neat. I bought a "bubble sword" a lion headed light up wand that shot bubbles and had fun shooting bubbles throughout the day. Even zoo employees had fun talking to me about it. Several children also enjoyed it. The only negative was that the lions are protected by plexiglass and either due to the sun or angles, nearly impossible to photograph and Several people and children had a hard time seeing them.

Loved the Detroit Zoo! The butterfly exhibit was cool to see and learned so much about these beautiful creatures. The 4-D Penguin Experience was fun. It was the day after Labor Day, so it was a great day to go, very few people but a lot of the food/water stands were closed. But fun was had. Recommend a visit.

I visited this zoo from out of state and I was thoroughly impressed! This is a huge zoo with lots of walking. The enclosures are all large and well maintained and the bigger ones have multiple vantage points which is neat! The signage is great, the volunteers were helpful and the entire zoo was clean with gorgeous horticulture. I was glad to see that the volunteers were stopping kids from doing things such as banging on the glass. The only thing I didn’t like was the AI signage at the Dragon Forest. I wish real artists had been used to illustrate the descriptions of the mythical creatures. I wish I had skilled that part and enjoyed the rest of the zoo more. Overall, I had a great time and would highly recommend this zoo!

The Detroit Zoo is a treasure for our family! We've been members for several years, and it's always a fantastic experience. The exhibits are well-maintained, and the animals appear healthy and well cared for, which is so important to us. There's something new to discover every time we visit, from the stunning Arctic Ring of Life to the immersive Butterfly Garden. The zoo is spacious and beautifully landscaped, making it a great place for a leisurely stroll. As members, we've loved the special events and perks, which add even more value to our visits. It's also a wonderful place for families, with plenty of areas for kids to play and learn. Highly recommend the Detroit Zoo--it's a gem for animal lovers of all ages!

We really like the zoo! We have a family pass- there's an option to give a pass as a gift, which is such a fun option. My daughter loves the penguins, and the new exhibit is great. And doesn't have the smell the old penguin exhibit had. Love the butterfly house. There's just so much to see and so much room to walk around and explore. Did eat at one of the restaurants last time we were there and I got a Mediterranean plate- it wasn't great and was overpriced but I feel like to be expected there. Fries/chicken tenders my daughter hot, and soup my husband got were pretty good though.

Wow-it's been well over 40 years since I've been here to the Detroit zoo. It's absolutely incredible. I wrote on the same train through the park that I wrote on when I was a kid. I was a frequent flyer when I was younger as my cousin and I would get on the bus and head down to Royal Oak and the zoo was right there at our fingertips. I had an experience today that I haven't had before and I young lady by the name of Heather really saved me. A gentleman noticed that I wasn't walking so well and probably wasn't feeling so well and offered to have a golf cart. Come get us and take us back to the entrance where we were headed . We were almost there, but it probably was a couple blocks more. We already walked somewhere between three and 5 miles and my feet were just gone in my knees out chow chow out anyway with the negativity. Heather was so kind and didn't make me feel ridiculous or anything, she brought all the way back to Exit! We will definitely come back. It was my nephews first visit and he is 35 years old so it's very evident to me that we need to continue trying some life experiences that he was not fortunate enough to have. About the animals there areas are so much larger and there are obvious enrichment objects around so that they aren't bored all the time. I would think that humans might entertain them, but you never know.

This place is the best part about living in Royal Oak. The Penguinarium is a blast (don't miss the Shackleton exhibit!), the Arctic Ring of Life unique, and the Butterfly house is iconic. Don't forget to feed the peacocks a chili cheese fry. IMAX movies for the philistines. A wonderful experience in all four seasons - don't miss the Wild Lights at Christmas.

We met up with some friends and their kids for a morning visit to the Detroit Zoo recently. You can save money by buying timed entry tickets online ahead of time, but Nate and I have a membership at the John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids so we got a reciprocal discount of 50%. We just had to show our zoo pass at the ticket gate. You also have to pay $8 for parking, which was included in the admission price. It was a super hot day and there isn't a ton of shade at the zoo. We really didn't see many animals, and honestly I'm glad we didn't have to pay full price ($27 per person at the gate). Of course it's never a guarantee that you'll see animals when you visit the zoo, but it was a bit of a bummer. The zoo is pretty large - I clocked 2 miles walking and we covered most of the area. They have lots of food and beverage options, but you can bring in your own food and (non-alcoholic) drinks. The giraffes were the most exciting animals we saw. I'm glad we got to check out the zoo, and if I lived in the area, I'd probably have a membership. For a one-off visit, it was just okay.

The zoo is under renovation right now which is good. More is coming. Food options are limited right now. Finally saw the river otter, whatttttt! The wolves are always out. Beer is pricey, but they have beer.

Service is absolutely terrible, I am a membership holder and was charged again to get into the zoo for the wild lights plus entrance to the zoo, which they shut down and leaved only a section open for the lights, all for the price as a full membership, I feel robbed and will never comeback

The wild lights at the Detroit Zoo never disappoint. It was cold however they had amazing warming stations

We love the Detroit Zoo! If you plan on visit three or more times, look into getting a membership. We purchased it and have visited the zoo more times than we normally would. It's good exercise and it's fun to see the animals. I suggest going to the zoo on cold days - sometimes you will have the zoo to yourself, or pretty close to it. There were water filling stations throughout the zoo, but they can be a little harder to find in the Winter as the outdoors stations are winterized. We usually fill it up in the penguin exhibit and at Table 28 (the restaurant near the Arctic Ring of Life entrance) - both are indoors and open during the Winter months.

Had a unprofessional, uneducated and very disrespectful experience at the gate. I brought my certified service dog with me on his birthday. The young girl that scanned my QRCode tells me I have to wait for someone to bring a tag for my dog. He arrives 15 minutes later and did NOT know the Federal Service Dog required questions to ask me; I had to reiterate or inform him of the two questions legally allowed. The issue escalates as a Supervisor reaches in the back of her for a Green bandana-- and says this should be displayed while inside. Then she rudely ask for my driver's license; please inform me of your proper procedures and NOT just rudely take my Drivers License as this is NOT on the website. The QRCode was Scanned once then when asked to come back into the window the Rude Supervisor says I can't scan that code again-- I said I was asked by the young lady to step aside to wait for big foot in the cart to unintelligently ask me questions about my service dog. The entire process shouldn't have been so unprofessionally enforced. I had a discussion of my situation to one of the volunteers inside as I was trying to cool off from the entry point situation. The volunteer even knew that they have had issues of entry for service dog processing.

Went to the zoo for the first time in 25 years on Memorial Day. Thought it might be free as it was added to my property taxes a few years back. Was shocked at the $42 admission charge. Checked the Cleveland and Toledo Zoos, which are rated higher than Detroit's, and the prices were substantially lower. Didn't seem to be as many animals as I remember and a lot of the attractions were closed or under construction.

Truly an awesome zoo. The penguin enclosure is awesome. Animals were very active today. Weird that so many restaurants were closed (+ carousel and train) when the weather has been so nice. Definitely worth a visit!

The zoo has done a great job of updating animal enclosures over the years--the penguin house is so nice now, and was a big hit w the kiddos we were with! We also loved being able to see all under the polar bears, although they were swimming out of view. Favorites were the bird sanctuary, penguins, polar beans, and red pandas! It was a hot day, and we wished there were more water fountains throughout the park, so we didn't need to buy anything.

Detroit Zoo What can I say? Look at all the pictures and reviews. Wow. This is the largest zoo in the state of Michigan. Indeed. It's huge. Food. Animals. Rides. Benches. Water. Many women use this place to waste time with their kids while their man are at work. Good way to waste 3-4 hrs. Avoid hot days. There is not much shade here. Plenty of animals to keep you and your kids busy. Highly Recommended

I'm convinced the money just goes to the park ownership. The prices have become astronomical and the animal habitats are constantly 'closed due to maintenance' but then nothing is changed/fixed. The movies in the theaters rarely change. More than half the food establishments are closed at any given time. There's really no point in going to the zoo anymore except to walk around and play at the playground. Also, the first time I ever tried to use the 'members only' entrance - they told me my 'family of 4' package couldn't include my niece because they 'just changed the policy' - that day. How in the world??? This includes myself, two toddlers and an infant (who is free obviously) and what should have been my 2nd adult, and because they just changed their 'named person' policy in the contract, the 2nd adult had to pay! Two adults and four children. That's what I paid for. I'm also not entirely sure why 1 ride for either the carousel or the train isn't included in any of the members packages? So many parents have suggested this and since the money for the drinks and food is insane, but clearly not going back into the park - offering a ticket doesn't seem like such a big deal.

Took my 4 year old to zoo boo and we saw 8 animals although we paid $85 for 3 of 2 adults 1 child plus parking. 6 total treat stations if you want to include a station for apples. State Farm bobble heads cost you a license so your child can get a bobble head. With most exhibits closed and it being super crowded I highly recommend going to another zoo.

We were just there and it was rather disappointing. The habitats looked unkept and neglected, not a lot of animals to see; and the ones we did see seemed to be in a bit of distress; polar bear seemed stressed, the huge flock of flamingos had barely any pink color to them, and the pelicans water (and many other bodies of water) was disgusting- just as a few examples. There was LOTS of construction throughout the park, so bathrooms were scarce and port-a-potties are just gross in a place that's full of children. The construction signs all said coming spring 2024. So maybe when we go back later on in the season, I'm hoping things will look different.

I have so much fun at the Detroit Zoo! The large park homes a huge amount of animals, from reptile rooms to a walk-through kangaroo exhibit. They do a lot of rehabilitation here and take great care in studying and nurturing the animals--most of the critters seem happy with their habitats and fellow habitat-mates. They interact a fair amount with human visitors too. The staff are incredibly knowledgeable, ranging from general trivia down to a critter's 'human' name and personal habits. Our favorite exhibits are the monkeys and the meerkats. On our first visit, an enormous gorilla was clomping around an indoor play area when he suddenly barreled over to us and pressed himself up into the glass! The guide said he had only seen him do it once before, it was truly incredible! I also HIGHLY recommend the Wild Lights event in the winter season. Though most of the zoo is asleep, the park shines bright with enormous lit-up animals. They serve a variety of hot beverages to walk around with too. And let me just say that a hot chocolate with peppermint schnapps kept me very warm when it was in the single digits! The Zoo is a great staple to the community with festive park exhibits like this, as well as local events such as fundraiser fun-runs. They offer education courses too. Admission and food prices were standard, I'd recommend bringing your own water bottle to fill up in the park through the day. I give this four stars though because we went on one of the hottest days during the summer and some of the larger animals seemed completely miserable. It's wonderful the Detroit-area is fortunate enough to have a zoo--it's well-funded and well-kept. Most people would probably never see a tiger or a camel in-person if it weren't for zoos like this--it's a great place for all to learn and appreciate. But I wonder if they would be better off at a wildlife park that was much more like their original habitat and climate.

Okay, so perhaps I was a little dramatic in my 2019 Detroit Zoo review when I said "I won't be back for 5-10 years," haha. Came here today with three other adults and two children, and we all had a good time. My boyfriend and I actually bought a membership, so we'll be back later in the year, too. My favorite exhibit is still the penguins. Apparently it's the largest penguin aquarium in the world - Google says it's about 33,000 square feet. Last time I was there, the penguins were not in a good mood, but this time they were frolicking and very happy. The kangaroo exhibit is also pretty cool as you literally walk through the middle of it. Only disappointment is that there was only one red panda out and about. If you are just buying a daily ticket, buy it online - originally, in April, we did that, and it was $15 per adult plus $8 parking. Because we didn't use it in April, we were allowed to use it today, but had to pay the upcharge for the gate price ($23pp usually, aka another $16 to get in). We parlayed that into a membership, which worked out - the membership for tri-county residents is $103, and so minus $54 for today's visit, it was only $49. Members are able to park in the surface lot, too, but non-members have to park in the garage. We had lunch at Table 28, which overall was tasty - it was a bit overpriced but the zoo essentially has a captive audience so that makes sense. Looking forward to coming back here soon to use our membership!

Having a zoo membership is the best gift for parents of little ones. This is a pretty big zoo, so having a membership allows people to come as often as they'd like without feeling obligated to see every single thing each time! I wish there was even more hands on/climbing opportunities for little ones that need more than just walking throughout the zoo The rope bridge over the red panda trees is a great addition! We were there for 3.5 hours and when asked what their favorite part was, one of my kids said playing on the playground LOL There's a train that runs from the front of the park to the back of the park and you can get one way or round trip. I like that the bathrooms have built in step stools for kids Bringing in your own food/drinks is a really nice perk. There are lots of places to sit and eat. I love how there are so many things the Detroit Zoo offers, and their special events It can be a peaceful place, especially when it's not as busy

Went to the Zoo with my family as I am visiting for the Holidays. We arrived at 2pm and the park closed at 4pm. We brought our little 7 year old and didn't plan for a full day since she cant walk around for that long without complaining too much. The new penguin area was amazing! We definitely spend a good amount of time there since it was so big and had its amazing water tunnel views. Their reptile area was also very amazing! Not much can be said about the rest of the park the entire two hours we were there, practically all the other animals were away due the light snow that had started after we arrived. All the bathrooms and food stands were closed early as well. For the two hours we'd walked around in the cold, the kids couldn't use any restrooms nor could they get a hot cocoa or a warm drink. Kind of disappointing.

Update: I am happy to say customer service does still actually matter at the Detroit Zoo. Maurice Anderson personally contacted me about our experience and renewed my faith that members still matter there. We look forward to our next visit! The penguin exhibit would've definitely been missed as it is more than worth the trip!!!

The Detroit Zoo is one of the best experiences you can have in the metro Detroit area. It's a super huge place with lots of amazing animals to see.

Our visit to the Detroit Zoo Lights was spectacular ! The artistry of this event was amazing. The underwater section with the whales , crabs and seaweed was awesome . The African section was beautiful with the large lit up native animals . Several exhibits had an appearance of blown glass . A meteor / lightning flashing across the sky was exhilarating. Friday was a mild evening and it was perfect way to share time with three generations. Thank you Detroit for a masterpiece. The environmental art show inside the Ford education center gut wrenchingly honest . As must see as well.

In the past the park was great with a ton of animals to view and exhibits were clean and accessible. Today was a sad different story, MANY exhibitions were closed...I'm talking at least 7! The blacktop paths that you walk on weren't in good condition in areas so be careful if you are handicapped or are pushing a stroller or wagon. But the handful of animals that we did see were beautiful, but do I think it was worth the money we paid NO not at this time. I feel like the zoo could've done a better job at spreading out the updates that they may be doing to different areas, so that there weren't SO many spots missing animals. I will gladly take my family back after I hear that the multiple exhibits are back open and their animals are back on them.

We went to the Zoo Boo - Halloween event last weekend. This is more "merry not scary" fun event that featured family-friendly Halloween-themed entertainment throughout the zoo, suitable for all ages. It was the last weekend to enjoy the ZooBoo activities which included Spooky Animal facts, festive pumpkin displays, a flash-mob performance, a Juggler, photo opportunities and much more. The entire Zoo was open, allowing guests to visit all their favorite animals, learn spooky animal facts and enjoy festive pumpkin displays. It was fun to visit the animals with some added Halloween flair. Seeing the animals out and active was the best part. Weather was little cold so we didn't wanna walk the whole zoo with little one. We didnt get to explore the whole zoo but to what we got to see it was good. We were handed a goody bag at the entrance and walked into various activities throughout the Zoo. We had a fun time walking around to view all the Halloween activities and blow up decorations. Masks were compulsory to attend the event and other indoor spaces. Advance tickets were recommended and no walk-up tickets were available. Overall we had a nice evening !

Huge zoo. Has camels , lions, tigers and even a polar bear! Nice place to take your kids and allows you to bring your own food too.

I haven't been to the zoo in over 30 years. I won two free passes. Took a day off of work to go. The weather was nice that helped. Started out with the penguin exhibit. That was very cool. The penguins were mostly out and about eating, waddling about and swimming. Checked out the butterfly exhibit is was rather nice didn't know I was going to walk among them. Had to shake a couple off before I left. The rest of the zoo was hit and miss some animals were out and about. The grizzlies were out and were posing for pictures kinda of cool. Saw one Tiger sleeping. The giraffes were wandering around beautiful creatures. The lions were out sun bathing. Walked through the Australian exhibit the kangaroos were napping but it was nice walking among them. There was people out with ask me badges and they were very helpful. All in all a great day at the zoo.

The Zoo is limiting the amount of people by selling tickets for a certain time. FYI they do not pass out paper maps. You can see maps on boards throughout the zoo and the zoo has a QR code to scan so you can get the map on your phone.The zoo is clean as we saw several staff sweeping the grounds and cleaning tables. There are peacocks that walk around throughout the zoo. Some people feed them even though there are signs saying not to feed the animals. The penguin exhibit is closed for renovation/ repair. We really enjoyed seeing the Amur tigers as he/ she walk really close to the barrier. The zoo offers a variety of restaurants such as Buddy's pizza, Table 28, Mediterranean street food, desserts like dip and dots ice cream . We enjoyed lunch at Table 28 while sitting outside and watching the gorillas nearby. Overall, the Detroit Zoo is a good time for a family outing.

Usually love this zoo but it seems like every year there are less and less animals. Another year of several exhibits being closed due to construction/rebuilding. Felt like for the hours of walking, we only saw a handful of animals and then mainly a lot of empty exhibits, trees, and pictures. Barn was closed. Arctic shop closed. Just a lot of closed places. Will travel to Toledo zoo next time and try Detroit in a couple of years when things are more open.

This review is specific to the Spooky Spirits event which was 10/14/2022. It ran from 6pm - 10pm but most of the tents were out of product before last call at 9:30. That said it took us about 45 minutes to actually get through the line to enter. We had purchased a Designated Drive pass for an individual with the promise of unlimited fountain drinks for the entire night. However there were no fountain drinks to obtain unless you wanted to wait in one of three extremely long lines where food was being ordered. So the individual paid $30 for a small never used glow in the dark cup. No one up front informed people of the QR code with the map of the tents available. This was very poor. Besides the alcohol tents there was absolutely nothing to see. The zombie walk was extremely short and lame. There was nothing lit up or Halloween type displays of any size or quality to take in. For a smoke free / vape free environment there were people calling all over the place. There were idiots getting their photos taking on the fountain bears as the fountain was drained and there was no security in the area so people were acting very poorly. I left the zoo at 10pm with two punches still available due to the things I wanted to try already being out and that includes a double punch for a cocktail before I even knew cocktails were two punches.

I took my little guy here and it was amazing , they had face painting, good food like ginger food , but y'all $3 for a water is crazy ! We got a good parking space and y'all know that's hard

It had been many years since I visited the Detroit Zoo. I really enjoyed the exhibits and animal enclosures. There also was a small smoothie place called Marilyn's smoothies which was very good when taking a break. If you haven't been to the zoo in a while, go!!! You will enjoy it. You have to pay for parking and entrance into the zoo. I thought it was well worth it. Their souvenir shop is nice as well.

When you arrive at the zoo there are serval parking lots to park in. Our tickets and parking pass were brought online so when we got to the zoo the employee at the entrance gate just scanned the items on the phone. We were not given a hard copy map but there are maps displayed throughout the zoo. The zoo is large and has a variety of animals including polar bears, giraffes, giant anteaters, and horses. We came to the zoo on a hot afternoon so some of the animals were not out during our visit. There are also many food and snack stands located throughout the zoo. All of the employees that we came in contact with were extremely helpful and friendly. We enjoyed our time at the zoo.

What an absolutely amazing place for long walks and sightseeing. All the variety and nature wonders and exotic animals to see. Except for the beaver . I have never seen the beaver. It's supposed to be there, but never been seen. One time i saw a couple of visitors passing by and one way saying to another: "I don't think there is a beaver in there. They just have a sign but no beaver in there" Hopefully one day I'll get to see that shy one in there. Zoo is well taken care of , very clean , spacious, animals are well treated and look healthy and nicely taken care of. It's not an easy work. But staff is doing a really great job. This is a historic place and I'm happy to be a member and enjoy it as often as possible. Highly recommend to get a membership as it's totally worth it! And hopefully I'll get to see that beaver one day

Highly recommend this zoo for everyone! I've been to a bunch in the US and this one is definitely top 3! So many different activities for kids and the animals are out and about which I love.

This is a review of the Zoo Lights. I will tell you that I was spoiled by many years of going to the Toledo Zoo Lights which are one of the best in country and have been doing zoo lights much longer and much better funded. You follow a path walking from large animal lights thru tree and foliage covered in lights. Intermixed between are places that the lights dance to music or places you can take photos. I will admit that I never have seen insects done as lights. There are plenty of places to get either food or drink. A few places that you can have your picture taken in front of a green screen so you can spend some hard earned money. The gift shop is open at the end. If you haven't been to the Toledo Zoo Lights, I know you would have a much higher rating since this is one of the best holiday traditions in Metro Detroit for families. I might be back in a few years to see what they added, or if they added anything.

I have been coming here for over 40 years and it just gets better with time! I came with a friend of mine during their winter hours. It was a relatively nice day so we wanted to see the animals. Did we get a treat! So many animals were moving around and acting silly as animals can do. But there is also this ama,ING photo exhibition going on right now at the zoo that was extremely powerful to witness. The volunteers, of course, are always so helpful. The park was just as clean and kept up as in the summer months. They do an awesome job there these days.

Nice to go here when they first open on a weekday less crowded. There were quite a few exhibits though closed and it's such a big zoo so I feel like they could utilize their space a little better but overall it is clean and the animals that are available look happy. I just think this zoo has more potential and they could do more with the space they have especially since it represents the metro detroit area. The penguin exhibit and the bird area were my favorite. My daughter and family overall had fun. It does make for an enjoyable day trip and you can get lots of steps in over 10k covering the whole zoo.

Buddy's Pizza in the Detroit Zoo is disgraceful. Although the Buddy's Pizza is run independently by the Detroit Zoo the quality and conditions reflect the name and reputation of Buddy's . We had lunch at this location on June 6th around 2:00pm. There were no clean tables and food and spilled drinks were all over the tables and floor. The staff seemed to be oblivious to the conditions surrounding them as texting was more important. Upon clearing our own table we ordered 2 4x3 slices of pizza @$5.69 per slice and one 8 ounce drink for a total of $17.88. There is no reason 2 small slices of pizza and a small drink should cost that much. Needless to say we will not be going back there any time soon. We contacted Buddy's who in turn forwarded complaint to the Zoo. If I were Buddy's I would be very concerned about how their name is being represented.

Went to the wild lights display Thursday night with two of my sisters and their husbands and my wife, we couldn't have been happier. What a great job the zoo does with this event. It is family friendly with adult beverages that can be purchased. Everyone we talked too at the zoo was in the holiday spirit and loving the light show. Merry Christmas and Peace.

This zoo is a joke. They charge $8 for parking. Beyond that, they have 3 different tiers of pricing, with the more expensive tiers to get you into a ride that doesn't work and a "4D movie" that looks like horrible 90s CGI (think the movie "Lawnmower Man" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I33u7P-XokE) judging from the poster. Half the exhibits had the animals sleeping somewhere out of sight or were under construction, and the other half had 1 animal if you could find it. Food prices were astronomical, so be warned. The best part had to be the penguins. There were plenty of them and they were easily visible. The entire time I was there, the line from Jurassic Park kept repeating in my head, "You do expect to have dinosaurs on your dinosaur tour?" except in this case it was, "You do expect to have animals in your zoo?" Other than plenty of penguins, I saw far more random birds, squirrels, and chipmunks that weren't part of the zoo at the zoo. Save yourself the money and just watch the live cams - https://detroitzoo.org/live-cam/

This is my 4th time visiting this zoo, and it has become one of my favorite places to take friends/guests! I finally got to see the brand new penguin exhibit that opened a month ago! It is wonderful with an underwater tunnel you can walk through. If you plan on going, it's cheaper to order tickets online ahead of time than at the gate. You will also have to pay for parking at the same time you purchase your tickets (either method online or at gate). They sell snacks and drinks throughout the zoo and have Buddy's pizza (very limited menu) at one end of the zoo. Masks are requested inside the buildings. It's a small zoo but great for the price and convenient location.

It's been years since I've been here and it's still just as big as I remember. This was a last minute decision to visit and I was glad I did. I was VERY disappointed that the penguin exhibit was closed for the foreseeable future due to a leak within the exhibit. The same went for the polar bear and giraffe exhibit. Due to the cold weather many animals were not so active and were quite content to stay where they were. However some animals enjoyed the cold very much! I love the conservation efforts by the zoo and overall had a great time. Bathrooms were okay, and were also socially distanced. One of the bathrooms we went to had a child's toilet. Hand driers were not working purposely and you were made to use paper towel to dry hands off. The gift store is kinda small, but they have an awesome selection clearance items. Definitely recommend a visit! Remember our visits help animal conservations!

I was going to go to two stars, but it ended up being a pretty good day. Let's get straight to the bad NO PENGUINS, the big new penguin house was closed on the day we came :-[ and this was the attraction that my 10 year old wife wanted to see, sorry honey it's closed , She was not happy, so the beginning of our visit didn't start good. They should have a update on attractions that are closed on their website. The penguins where one of the main reasons we visited. Also no polar bears, another bummer. These things are really the reason only 3 stars! It's not a bad zoo and l do enjoy coming, but please get the penguin exhibit open.

We attended the Polar Beers event at the Detroit Zoo. This allowed us to experience Wild Lights, too - the lighted holiday display that the zoo does every year. The beer & wine event is well organized and fun to walk around, trying different breweries while admiring the awesome lighted displays. All the volunteers (God bless them!) were so friendly and helpful, really getting into the holiday spirit. This was so much fun, we will definitely make it an annual tradition

Awesome grizzly bear it was absolutely huge! And you cant forget about the polar bear absolutely stunning.

I would love to say nice things about the Detroit Zoo as I've been coming here for years but besides the new penguin exhibit, I have nothing nice to say. Parking and admission are pretty standard but tickets to come here should be buy one get one free. I shouldn't compare it to the Toledo or San Diego Zoo but yikes it's really starting to look run down. It's almost as if there is only one of each animal and then in some sections, there are no animals. We walked all around the arctic path to see the polar bears( my favorite animal) and Arctic foxes and guess what? Both animals were MIA (Maybe they were on break). After that fiasco it begged the question as to why was this part of the zoo even open? Did they just want us to walk around and stare at the scenery. It seems like they're spending money making the parking lot bigger, adding more restaurants, but not filing it with any actual animals, just more space. You will still see plenty of animals, don't get me wrong but as I said before it seems as though they have just about 1 of each animal, and then sometimes those animals aren't even visible as they are way in a corner..... which defeats the purpose of coming to see animals. As humans I don't know where we get off complaining about Zoo's been lackluster as if animals in cages are anything to brag about anyway, but here I am complaining lol. I think I've given the Detroit Zoo enough money over the years so it's about time to hang it up, but still don't beside to go as you and your family might enjoy yourselves.

Well we went when only the main food areas were open and it was a bit chilly, but we loved it. It has literally been decades since we have been to the zoo. It was cool to be able to experience some of the re-done exhibits. I liked the Australian one where you could actually walk a path with the kangaroos. It was their naptime so they were not up and around, but just to k ow you could be in their spot was cool. Some animals were starting to hibernate so we were not able to see some of them, but we knew that going in. Things were neat and clean despite not having full hours for season. We didnt go thru everything but it was still fun.