Zoo Atlanta

I think the zoo is a bit overpriced for the size and attractions they have. Half the animals weren’t even in their enclosures and they definitely need help improving their way finding signage. It’s basically a small maze with very few animals that will cost you more than any other zoo I’ve ever been to. The food options inside were horrendous. Eat before you go.

I absolutely love zoos, and this zoo did not disappoint me. Being from the Midwest, I have never seen a real living panda. I was extremely excited and was amazed at how clam and peaceful they were. The pandas were definitely the highlight of the zoo. I also really appreciated the size of the exhibits and how many angles you could see each animal. At my hometown zoo you can only see from 1 viewing area, while at Zoo Atlanta I could view each animal from 2 – 3 different angles which was awesome, since it seems the animals never want to look at the camera. Also may I add that the reptile house was absolutely gorgeous, since I absolutely hate snakes I wasn’t entertained the entire time in there. The tablets that gave the information were well designed and kept my family busy and interested.
I only have 2 complaints.
1. The Cost… It is extremely expensive. It cost my family over $ 100 to spend a few hours looking at animals. I understand that pandas are cool and worth seeing, but it was a pricy trip. It was a better deal for my family to buy the year long pass rather than a single day. The zoo isn’t very large and shouldn’t cost that much in my opinion.
2. Strollers — Strollers were not easily moved around the entire zoo. The zoo has exhibits in every square inch it seems and leaves little room or flow for strollers and families with young. The petting zoo and children’s parks were perfect on the flip side of the situation.
Overall a great zoo, just a bit pricy… But if you haven’t seen a panda I highly recommend it! It is ¼ zoos in America to house a panda, and is well worth seeing.

Exhibits are pretty nice. If you are hungry, good luck! Everything closed! One food outlet open and the wait was over an hour. This is not ok!

I know that people are split over whether animals should be kept in zoos. I’m of the opinion that there is a lot to be said for the educational value of exposing people to animals and their habitats and I also appreciate the conservation and breeding work done by zoos.
But the Atlanta zoo was a mediocre experience. On the plus side, the new Reptile and Amphibian exhibit is stunning: well laid out, great habitats, and excellent educational information (although the new digital tablets with info were very slow to scroll: there something to be said for abundant, low tech signage). And the gorilla enclosure was also quite well done
However the contrast between the new reptile building and the rest of the zoo is quite stark. Much of the rest of the zoo harkens back to the outdated concrete-​style enclosures of old. And it was so sad to see many of the animals in the older enclosures (and cages) exhibit stereotypy either due to stress or boredom. I would think that the citizens of Atlanta would have the resources to transform the rest of the zoo into a more modern and more enjoyable educational experience.

My friend and I lucked out when we chose to spend our last few Atlanta-​based hours here at the Zoo. Close to the airport, with great weather, we figured we would kill some time. Ultimately, however, we were left impressed and surprised at all the Atlanta Zoo had to offer.
Very few lines, even on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, and a large well-​curated living collection. Did you know zoos are technically museums? Anyway. You CANNOT MISS the new (ish) snake/​reptile/​amphibian house. It’s beautiful and huge and full of delightful snakes in amazing enclosures. There is a small otter area that has only two otters – one river and one sea. They were apparently best bros and completely asleep and adorable in a pile for our entire. visit. (We passed them several times). They need to get jobs.
And of course, there were baby panda twins playing. Great Scott! I freaked out for a quite a while just watching them be so cute, fluffy, and baby.

Panda and Gorilla’s are cool. Beyond that, this zoo is a terrible disappointment and severely lacking in many features of much smaller cities. The place is like a concrete jungle — no grassy areas. Everything felt very tight and closed in. Complete lack of education information, for the most part and where is the focus on conservancy? Atlanta could do so much better. Why such a small zoo when the city sprawls for a hundred miles?

We had a good time. They have a nice amount of exhibits. The animals are healthy looking. The food and entrance fees are high. After the gift shop we probably doted $ 160 for a family of 3 to go to the zoo.

This zoo had some great animals. We enjoyed watching the lions and monkeys. I would recommend going earlier in the day because most of the animals were hanging around their inside door. It was towards the end of the day and I think they were ready to go inside. I was not happy that we couldn’t feed the giraffe because of construction.

This past weekend my granddaughter and I visited this location. For her it was an awesome experience she fed the giraffe she saw and identified several animals which was great. Unfortunately lots of the animals were either sleeping or hiding out which was sad as it was a beautiful day.
For my granddaughter who is only three I believe she enjoyed the train, carousel, in the playground the most. At some point I’m sure we will return when she’s a little older.

We visited the Atlanta Zoo this past weekend and mostly enjoyed our trip.
We arrived about 20 minutes after the zoo opened and found plenty of parking. However by the time we left around 3:30, the lots were totally full and cars were parked up and down the street.
When other reviewers comment about bringing your own food they aren’t kidding. Food choices were very slim, the lines were incredibly long at the few options available, and the prices were outrageous. If you manage to find a food option, or bring in your own, you will have a hard time finding a place to sit and eat.
The pandas were neat. I don’t remember ever seeing any before at any other zoo. We made sure to see them first because we heard they would be most active in the morning and they were. The keeper was there answering questions and we learned so much just by talking to her!
The zebra exhibit was pathetic. They are kept with giraffes in a clay paddock without grass so they were sort of stained an orange — red color. It was difficult to maneuver through the crowd to get a place to see them. There is a nice observation deck that let’s you look down on them which is great, but if you go on a weekend or other busy time don’t expect to make it up there. We went to hear the Zebra Keeper’s talk but all we heard about were giraffes. (Our youngest daughter’s favorite animal is the zebra, so we had high hopes for this exhibit.)
There is an extra (heavy) fee for everything. Riding the train, a play area with a climbing wall, carousel, and even a wild animal «show». We have 4 children. My husband paid a small fortune for us all to ride the train for 5 minutes.
Bathrooms were really poorly maintained, needed paint and a good cleaning. However, they have perfect toddler sized potties and sinks in the play area.
The petting zoo area was free and that was my favorite part! They have brushes that you can groom the animals with and the staff there were laid back and nice. The animals looked happy and well cared for. Goats and sheep were the only animals and some of the goats were very tall. If your children are afraid of large animals, you may want to skip this. They have short, little sinks nearby with actual soap and water, not hand sanitizer! Yay!
Never before have we been to a zoo where we saw so many knowledgable staff walking around and who would stop to talk to you about a particular animal you are admiring. This made the experience so much better! I don’t know if that is normal for the Atlanta Zoo or if we just happened to get lucky.
The reptile area was very large with an incredible amount of animals! It was very, very warm and humid inside. We went on a very mild day (Temperature was in the upper 60’s) and we were so warm in there it was uncomfortable. It would be nice if there had been some benches to sit on inside.
Checking out in the gift shop took LONG time. We collect Christmas ornaments from places we visit on vacation and they did not have one that said Atlanta Zoo. Bummer!
We have a membership at a reciprocal zoo and received a discount. For 3 children and 2 adults we paid a little over $ 50.

Look, it’s not like there are a whole lot of other options out there if you want to take your kid to the zoo in Atlanta, right? You get what you get. So that said, we hit Zoo Atlanta two times this summer now that our oldest is able to identify animals with glee, and that was pretty awesome.
Seriously, I loved taking my sons to the same zoo I remember visiting with my grandfather back in the 80s, and it was amazing to watch my oldest light up as he saw elephants, pandas, the giraffes, goats, various reptiles, gorillas — he loved it all. There’s a great variety of animals, and the new reptile building is utterly fantastic (especially when you are dying from the heat). We will definitely go back… but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for improvement, especially after also visiting the impressive zoo in Cleveland, Ohio.
Things that need improvement:
(1) Parking. Realistically there isn’t much to be done about this because they are maxed out on space, but arrive early or be prepared to hike with the kids.
(2) Food options. We made the mistake of eating at the zoo on our first visit. The food was overpriced, there weren’t many options, the line was crazy long, seating was super limited, they ran out of toddler choices (yes, really), I saw some rude interactions between customers and staff when informed about the lack of toddler options, and the food itself was kind of disgusting.
(3) There is no nursing room. Contrary to what they say on the zoo map, there is no nursing room. A single non-​air conditioned, non-​locking room next to a bathroom is not a nursing room, Zoo Atlanta. And there aren’t a lot of semi private areas for nursing either if you don’t offer a legit nursing room.

This was one of the other 5 attractions included in our Atlanta City Pass! They have lots of animals on display and some were unfortunately not there when we visited last Oct 1^st like the tigers. I like the free parking and the multiple gift shops! Besides the variety of animals at the zoo, it’s too bad there were no polar bears and food options were lacking so it’s good we ate before coming here…

It was a ton of fun… honestly the only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars was because the staff didn’t know much about the animals in some cases… I guess that’s just me being a stickler, but whatever.
Totally clean, and lots of cool animals! I’ll go back next time I’m in town!

Zoo is always my favorite.
It’s a small and well organized zoo, so you don’t need to walk a lot.
There are several children’s play ground for kids to spend time.
You can feed giraffe or even panda if you would like to pay $ 150.

I grew up near the Detroit Zoo, and recently lived in St. Louis for 7 years. For Atlanta being a huge city, the zoo is very small compared to Detroit and STL. I thought the admission ($ 64 for an adult and 2 kids) was really steep considering how small the zoo is, but at least parking is free. Food is outrageously overpriced, but that’s pretty typical of all zoos. I would suggest bringing a picnic lunch and lots of water.
Now for the zoo itself, it is pretty compact which is really nice when walking with 2 kids. Not much «empty» space between exhibits which is great. Large and nice reptile house. We didn’t see penguins, not sure if we missed them or they don’t have them. Most of the animals were pretty close up (pandas, giraffes, elephants, gorillas), but their enclosures seemed pretty small compared to other zoos I have visited.
We skipped the petting zoo, carousel, train, etc. I like the larger zoos because the trains take you to different stops throughout the zoos– but at Atlanta, it is a train that only goes around the kids area.
Overall it’s a nice half-​day thing, but not the biggest or best zoo I’ve ever been to. With 2 boys (5 and 9), we spent 3 hours.

This zoo was very pleasant,
The animals do seem a little depressed, but that is kind of expected.
I also believe the spaces the animals were enclosed in were a bit too small. It was kind of sad to see them like that.
Also, most of the animals were sleeping so I would recommend going a little later in the afternoon.
Overall, I wouldn’t say it is the best attraction to go to in ATL if you have no children, but it was a fun nonetheless.
Everything was clean, including the bathrooms.
I went on a Monday morning so there was parking and there wasn’t too many people.
I would definitely recommend going on a weekday.
Nice and clean zoo for a family outing!

Honestly, if you’re on a city pass, select another venue. For a top American city this zoo is below average!
Parking is a pain!
Animal enclosures are small!
Viewing angles are poor at best!
Way over priced for the experience!
I went 10 years ago… And reaffirmed this zoo sucks again this week!
Yea, they got panda’s, and that’s cool but overrated!
Coming soon seems to be the #1 attraction! As pointed out by my 12 year old son!
Disappointing!

Muy lindos habitas, y bien cuidados. Amplia variedad de animales para ver (pandas, leones, gorilas, elefantes, orangutanes y mucho mas). El único punto negativo es que la comida es cara y mala. Coman antes. El precio de la entrada es accesible (u$$ 23 por adulto).

This was to be my last day of a staycation in Atlanta and decided to visit the Atlanta Zoo it had been a few years. Going on a Thursday afternoon after lunch was a wise decision there were no crowds.
I was able to visit everything and spend extra time in the gorilla area and panda pens and still be out in about two hours, strange I remember it being bigger.
Grab a map and decide what animals or reptiles you are interested in. Most are going to start to the left and work their way around in a circle if you are looking to avoid some of the rushes make a plan and mix it up.
Atlanta zoo has a handful of animals that you can feed for a fee, times and prices will vary so you may want to call in advance if something interests you.
I showed up and found that you could feed the giraffes between 2 – 3:00 p.m. It is first come first serve and I was in line with only a handful in front. The giraffes will come over when interested it was funny to watch it’s tongue stick out waiting to be fed.
The Gorillas were active today. The weather was cool, the babies wanted to play and found the hammock a source of amusement. Any questions a volunteer is available.
Pandas couldn’t wait to see them one was going to town on a bamboo snack the other seemed restless. Mommy was in her own pen next door doing her thing
The reptiles now have a new home in an area that is not yet completed some are there others not. (yet). Was surprised at how humid it was in here.
Train rides a carousel and a rock climbing area are just a few things for those of younger ages and don’t forget to stop by the petting zoo.
Have fun.

This is a fun zoo, definitely worth a visit if you are in the Atlanta area.
I have been to a private corporate event and have come with a family. Both experiences were great. The staff are friendly.
Parking is easy and free in their private lot.
Would highly recommend a visit to Zoo Atlanta.

I have been living in Atlanta for several years but have never been to the Zoo! I’m not big on watching caged animals, but did want to check out what’s going on. So my partner and I decided to give it a go.
We checked online for the ticket prices. If you are a non-​member, adult ticket price is $ 21.99, for child it’s $ 16.99, there are special rates for senior citiens, military and college students — $ 17.99 each. And the parking is free, but it the lot can get filled very fast on busy days.
On the day we went (saturday) we felt like Stroller was requirement to get into the Zoo! It was full of babies, baby mammas, baby daddies and an occasional baby grannies! I’m not saying this as complaint (not as long as they don’t scream their throat out) but more in the way that this could be a good place to take your babies and kids for a stroll.
First thing we saw when we entered were Pink flamingoes. They were gorgeous from distant (smelly and noisy when you get closer). They also have other birds like Milky eagle Owl, Parakeet, King vultures (it was amazing to see vultures with colors), Kori Bustard, Kookaburra.
Among mammals, they have Lions — they was laying on their back and napping, Two horned Rhinoceros, Kangaroo, African elephant, Lemurs, Giant panda (they have only panda twins born in USA, here), Otter, Orangutan, red Panda, Meerkat, Zebra, Gorilla (You should see silverback). We couldn’t see tiger, sloth, leopards and Giraffe was not there too.
And then there were reptiles and amphibians, mostly inside glass enclosures. Different kinds of snakes, lizards, turtles and Frogs.
It took us about 2 hours to look around and it was better maintained than I expected. There were also guides explaining certain animal behaviours and activities. I saw lot of volunteers on that day, keeping an eye on everyone.
Definitely worth a visit if you are into Zoos.

Schöner gemütlicher Zoo. Man kommt sehr nah an die Tiere heran.