Saint Louis Zoo

This is one of my all time favorite places — who doesn’t like The Zoo — the main I love this place is that it’s FREE admission. The attractions are GREAT — I always have fun when I go there

This is an awesome zoo. The habitats are well maintained and provide a natural setting for the animals. The cafeteria, like most, is overpriced and mediocre at best but since the zoo itself is free this isn’t a big deal.

One of the best zoos that I have ever been to. I try to go about 2 – 3 times a year. They are constantly making improvements and it’s free to get in. The gift shops and food on the inside are a bit expensive (BUT it’s FREE to get in). Usually, I find parking by the museum and walk to the zoo, but if I am feeling lazy then I will pay for parking at the main entrance.
It’s very well kept and they hold events through out the year (like Christmas lights and Halloween shows). It’s a great place to spend a day and view the wide variety of animals.

I don’t do zoo’s. I have issues with keeping large intelligent animals who by design are made to roam the earth kept locked up. BUT… STL ZOO seems to keep it ethical. I’m not an expert and if it were exposed that STL were acting in self interest over the interest of the animals I would cease my participation. I have to assume that because the zoo is NOT for PROFIT its genuine in its campaign to educate and its net effect is positive.
But with the disclaimer out of the way… HOLY COW the zoo is awesome! Add to it, its FREE. Not free after you sign up, or free after you get free tickets. FREE like walk in there’s no stopping you. Just walk right up to one of the coolest Penguin exhibits around. Walk right under the sea lion exhibit where you can watch the most graceful sea creatures around cruising right above you.
This review could go on and on for pages, but I’ll save it. Get in the car don’t bring any money is you don’t want to and see one of the nations best zoos.
OH and if you’ve got a kid, the TRAIN is amazing. NOT free, but cheap enough. Same with the kids zoo.

I always loved going to the zoo when I was little I mean seeing where animals live is amazing they got a lot of animals here if I had to choose my favorite animal it would be a tiger I would definitely go back to the zoo if I had the chance

Again I hate everyone who lives here with these free, awesome things to do if they aren’t doing them. I think Zoo Atlanta is a comparable size… now imagine having to pay $ 22. Of course, they get you on parking but I enjoyed walking from metrolink. Then again I kind of didn’t know if I was gonna do the zoo or some other museum. And you probably can’t do that with kids.
I didn’t even check out the entire zoo (which can be blamed on me walking 11 miles the day before on top of going to City Museum) but I hit up all the obvious animals of importance.
PENGUINS. I had never seen king penguins before so this was exciting. Those are some magnificent penguins. Beware coming too close to the glass with them because they like to make a splash and I got wet, which was at first like YAY PENGUINS but then I was wet. So yeah.
PUFFINS. Also so cute. Not penguin cute, not as crazy as the penguins, but still something to see that I hadn’t seen before.
POLAR BEAR. What a dude. It was pretty warm when I was there so the glass was so fogged up, but he even played with his red ball right in front of everyone so that was marvelous.
BIRDS BIRDS BIRDS. As a bird lady, and lover of owls, I about died seeing the burrowing owl in the bird house. It was everything I ever hoped for, cause owl was just sitting there chilling on one foot. Others of important note were: a toucan who was being incredibly goofy, a bald eagle.
SEA LIONS AND SEALS. oh man this one sea lion was just the chillest dude, relaxing underwater. It was quite entertaining in that tunnel to just watch him and see if he was ever going to move. He had the perfect «feels good, man» look.
I was all about the snakes and turtles too. Normally not a huge fan but wow, there were so many, and I saw a massive snake and was like, well, maybe I sould find the birds now, but ended up wandering the whole exhibit.
Kinda skipped out on the usuals (gorillas are a huge thing at home, been to a kangaroo conservation center that’s since closed but still lives on in my heart), but man what a zoo. Definitely one of the best I’ve ever been to.
It was a damn nice day and I expected tons of strollers but I didn’t get annoyed at any point about children like I have at Zoo ATL. I’m insanely jealous of this place.

As many others have said — Most certainly one of the finest zoos in America. While the food available is typical concessions like fare just eat before you visit.
To begin with it’s FREE! Yeah!
Transportation inside the zoo with the Zooline Railroad makes it easy to skip around and see the parts you want to when you want to.
Particularly enjoyed the Jungle of the Apes as the Sumatran orangutans were quite friendly and I have never been just a few feet away from one of our human relatives like that. You can almost tell what they are thinking when they look you in the eyes. Pretty amazing.
Friendly staff and a job well done by everyone whom makes this possible. AAA+++

A zoo… that’s free? I was really confused when I walked in and the friendly face at the information desk asked me if I needed help with anything as opposed to a credit card. I mean come on! St. Louis just does so many things right. You want sea lions?! They have them. You want elephants?! They have them too. Well I could keep going, but my only point is, this isn’t the largest zoo, but they have a wealth of animals and plants with origins all over the world.
My favorite part of this zoo is definitely the penguin and puffin exhibit. When you enter the cove of the penguins, you’ll experience the heartwarming surprise that can only be experienced when you’ve had a penguin shake water onto your face. The bird house is also spectacular.
The zoo is divided into different zones, and maps are plentiful to guide you on your trek. I’ve been a few times, and appreciate the warmth of the staff, and the chance to see the animals. Okay so I’ve been to a few exhibits, where theres a little sign that reminds me of the computer with the thermometer indicating an unhealthy animal, but what does that show, but a zoo that values the health and well being of their animals.
Parking on our visit was $ 10, and affords you footbridge access in, or you can street park for free as other’s have mentioned. I was wearing a pedometer, and from the spot we got, we walked about ¹⁄₃ mile from our spot to the entrance. Not too shabby.
Gift shop is chock full of swag. If you need a penguin shot glass with my name on it, they’ve got it, but hey they probably have yours too :)
A must see Forest Park treasure.

I love this zoo! And, because it’s free, it makes for easy visits when I’m in the St. Louis area. The zoo is located in Forest Park, so you can walk there if you’re already in the park, or you can just drive there. There’s plenty to do here! The zoo is expansive, and has lots of different sections and animals to see. Their penguin exhibit which just opened for the winter is a really great exhibit. I am also a big fan of their seals viewing area, and the big cats! You will see kids and adults here just enjoying the zoo; there is definitely something for everyone.

This year, we got to do something very special at the Saint Louis Zoo.
Don’t get me wrong, we’ve never brought kids and we’ve been 4 – 6 times since I moved to Saint Louis a year and a half ago. It is that much fun and a good walk in the park. Why not stop by the zoo when its free? We always park anywhere but the official parking lot in forest park and walk to avoid paying for parking.
My friend bought us tickets for a zoo tour accompanied with an animal experience. We got to feed breakfast to the giraffes!!! I can’t recommend these experiences enough. They have all sorts of animals you can meet up close and personal. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable so we were learning the entire way to the giraffe house! Lion busts etc cover the original buildings but since then many animals have moved outside or stopped performing tricks and received better or more modern treatment. The package included a big zoo reusable shopping bag and a cup with free soda refills for the season.
We lucked out as our tour ended right as they were coming out to feed the sea lions. The trainers were working with the new ones not ready for the big shows. So many cute tricks all for free!
There is so much value at the Saint Louis Zoo all for free. Enjoy it and if like me you keep going back, support them with a meet and greet! We were a bit scared of big cats but those giraffes or elephants won’t bite. Promise!

Listed among top ten Zoos in the US, its definitely worth it! As most have already said free admission although street parking can be hard to find at times. Lots to do, new polar bear exhibit & you can pet small sharks and stingrays which is fun for kids as well as adults. Good place to make a day of & have a picnic!

Der Saint Louis Zoo liegt im Forest Park, also sollte man beim Besuch des Parks direkt Zeit für den Zoo mit einplanen oder andersherum. Der Eintritt in den Zoo ist kostenlos (!!!), bietet aber noch genug Möglichkeiten um sein Geld loszuwerden: Auf der Bimmelbahn, in Restaurants, für Eis, Kinderschminken, Karussell, etc. oder im Souvenir-​Shop. Der Zoo beherbergt nicht nur Eisbären, Pinguine, Zebras, Giraffen, Flamingos und alle anderen «typischen» Zoo-​Tiere, sondern auch eine große Vielfalt an Insekten im Insekten-​Haus. Letzteres empfehle ich sehr — nicht nur, weil es faszinierend ist, den Blattschneiderameisen dabei zuzuschauen, wie sie riesige Blätterstücke transportieren, sondern auch, weil es hier den «Butterfly Dome» gibt. Eine kurze Weile zwischen den unterschiedlichsten Schmetterlingen, und man ist total verzaubert! Deshalb: Empfehlung vom Zoo-​Muffel persönlich.

We were in town for a wedding and didn’t have too many things on our list for the long weekend (and my first time in St. Louis). We heard the zoo was free, so we figured why not check it out?
All the employees are really nice and seem to love their jobs. The exhibits are incredible and very well maintained, especially for being a free zoo! Apparently their polar bear exhibit is pretty new. It’s nice and laid out so you can get a good view. This is also the first zoo I’ve been to that had a special exhibit for penguins found in colder climates. It’s literally like a fridge inside, but awesome nonetheless. We may have had good timing because we went in the morning, but all the animals were very active and we got closeups of most of them!
In the area? Check it out!

Hey, have you heard admission to our zoo is free? Only 374 other people have reviewed the zoo before I could get around to it, so I wanted to mention it in case no one else had.
However, you will encounter some expenses during your visit. You’ll want to budget for parking, admission (free, btw), attractions, refreshments, and souvenirs.
Note: All prices given as examples in the following paragraphs are current as of September 2015.
–Parking–
Parking can be either paid or free. Paid lots are located at both the north and south entrances. The current price is $ 15 per car. They only accept cash or charge, and they do not accept bills over $ 20. Alternatively, you can park for free on the street in designated areas. The choice is yours.
However, free parking might not be the best option for everyone. After a day of walking around the zoo, will you want to make a long trek down the street to your car? Know your limits. Will you be taking a stroller? Some of the sidewalks aren’t in the best condition (e.g., the sidewalk along the southern side of Wells Drive). In some situations, you might find it is simply more convenient to park in a paid lot.
–Admission–
Besides, paying to park isn’t such a big deal when admission is free. (I don’t know if you’ve heard yet, but admission is free.) Well, it’s sort of free. If you live in St. Louis city or county, part of your property taxes goes toward the zoo. So, locals, if you aren’t going to the zoo, you really ought to.
–Attractions–
Once inside, certain activities and exhibits will set you back a few bucks. For example, you can ride the train for $ 5 or watch the seasonal sea lion show for $ 4. If there are several things you’d like to do, you might want to consider a $ 10 Safari Pass that will give you access to several attractions while saving you some money. If you intend to go to the zoo regularly, you also might want to consider purchasing a Zoo Friend membership. (See their website for benefits associated with each membership level.)
However, it is important to realize that some attractions are offered seasonally or only on certain days. If you are interested in a particular attraction, check with the zoo to see if it will be available when you plan to visit.
–Refreshments–
You probably can make a pretty good guess about the type of food you’ll find at the zoo. Think ice cream, hot dogs, and other snacks. In the center of the zoo, you’ll find the Lakeside Café. It’s huge, and I always thought it was a restaurant. Nope. It’s just a large building with indoor seating and counters selling the same types of food you’ll find at the stands outside.
Personally, I would recommend bringing your own snacks to the zoo or arriving as soon as they open and then leaving in the afternoon to have a late lunch elsewhere.
–Souvenirs–
Lastly, if you want to purchase something to commemorate your visit, there will be plenty of opportunities for that. Gift shops and kiosks are located throughout the zoo.
–Summary–
As you can see, your zoo visit will cost as much or as little as you want it to. I think you’ll find whatever you end up paying to be a good value, especially if you take advantage of a Safari Pass or Zoo Friend membership.
PS Don’t forget your sunscreen.
PPS Admission is free.

When I first moved to St. Louis to go to college and heard that there was a free Zoo I thought, «That will be fun! It’s probably not as awesome as the Zoo back in Cincinnati, but it’s free! Yay!» But I quickly learned that the St. Louis Zoo is amazing!!! Don’t let the price tag fool you!
Whenever we have family or friends from out of town, I bring them to the Zoo and they’re amazed! I took my friend Mr. Y yesterday. We probably spent about three hours leisurely walking and stopping to see just about everything. That only got us through three fifths of the park! This place is HUGE and there is SO MUCH to see! I particularly enjoy the lemurs, the sea lions and the elephants. The penguin house is new and the amount of space dedicated to large cats is pretty impressive.
The only thing that Cincinnati Zoo does better is Christmas lights. The St. Louis Zoo extends their hours into the evening and charges I don’t know how much to get in and see their lights. Not worth it! You could see more lights simply by driving down a neighborhood street. Go to Cincinnati if you want to see impressive lights at an awesome Zoo.

What a delight is the St. Louis Zoo! We came over on a Sunday morning and had a wonderful time. Word to the wise — Get here early as it gets busy fast!
The parking situation is pretty straight forward, but is limited so again, get here early. It’s $ 15 to park, but totally worth it as you get in for free. Upon entering, you can spend the better part of the day here and not see everything. Seriously, the place is huge with some great exhibits and plenty of different animals. We loved the area with the zebras and camels as everything was very open and it gave the kids a great chance to see all the animals.
There are plenty of places to buy trinkets and other pleasantries — as long as you’re looking for stuffed animals and dippin dots.
For those of us that run hot, there were a good number of large misting fans placed throughout the zoo. Word to all warm blooded peeps — take advantage of the fans when you see them. There’s plenty of hiking throughout the park and you’re likely to get warm during the days of summer.
All in all, a great zoo and a wonderful place to keep visiting. Plenty to see and if you’re a frequent flyer, there are passes to a number of the additional exhibits that seem like they’d make purchasing a pass worthwhile.
Our experience here was awesome and it’s somewhere we’ll recommend to friends and visit again the next time we’re in town!

What to do for free on a beautiful day in St. Louis. Visit the zoo.
We went today to see the new exhibits that have recently opened at the zoo. The Bears, penguins and polar bear. The animals were out and about enjoying the day also. We watched the elephants for awhile because the baby was walking around. The polar bear is really neat. He was performing for everyone in his pool. The penguins are cool and that is because their enclosure that you walk in is 45 degrees.
A fun fact for visitors. The bird cage is the one from the 1904 World’s Fair. We decided to come back another day to see the rest of the zoo.

This is my favorite zoo. I can’t believe it’s free. This zoo is huge!!! I didn’t get to see everything I wanted but I highly recommend coming here. This is definitely a day trip.
They also host private events. The food was okay, I think the cuisine was Mexican; we had customized soft tacos.

If you are entertained by large animals in small pens, moms in yoga paints and sports bras pushing double strollers and prepubescent girls dressed and painted up like hookers, this is the place for you. You’ll also find gothic, frustrated teen lesbians cavorting in caves and dark corners, and heavily tattooed, sweaty women browbeating their husbands and screaming after chubby children who are desperate to be done with the animals and find the next food station.
I’ve never seen more able bodied, middle aged people riding small motorized vehicles since I was last at the go kart center with my teen sons. Black, white, fat, thin, they’re on scooters you’d normally see on late night TV for 90 year olds with broken hips.
If you’re into people watching, this is the place to go. If you’re into animal watching, don’t go in the middle of a hot summer day. All the animals are doing what the humans are not smart enough to do; sit in the shade and sleep. If you’re hoping to see a tiger chase down a gazelle and rip it apart, watch TV.
In defense of the zoo, I will say that their facilities were clean, employees were (mostly) awake and on the job, the «freemium» business model is perfect (free admission and you pay a la carte), and the grounds were well kept. There are even a few air conditioned places you can sit if your heat rash gets too bad.

A free zoo!!!
We went last weekend for my birthday. It got crowded on that Saturday as we left, but the crowd was not that bad when we arrived around 10. It was easy to get to the main exhibits with little waiting for the crowd to clear. I love the way they show the polar bear and hippo — with an underwater view!
Another surprising favorite was the reptile house. So many snakes! Although I’m still seeing them in my dreams, it was amazing to see them in such close range.
We paid for parking as Forest Park was filled but if you don’t mind walking, you can park further out or get there early to park for free outside the zoo.

Hands down the best zoo in America. I’ve been to the San Diego Zoo but St. Louis Zoo is much better. Not to mention, it is FREE!!! SD Zoo you gotta pay about 45 bucks for an adult to get it. The zoo is one of the best managed of the four institutions in the Zoo-​Museum District. It is also the most worthwhile of the attractions in Forest Park (fun fact — Forest Park is larger than Central Park). I love the boathouse located right next to it, always a good time there as well.
There are lots of indoor exhibits which is good since the area tends to get particularly hot and humid in the summer (I recommend the penguins). All exhibits are well-​maintained and humane. They try to keep the program fresh and up to date. The park has changed so much that I can barely recognize it from when I was a kid ten years ago. They also have a polar bear exhibition going in which I’m sure is going to be amazing.
They also do lots of civic outreach programs. They provided there facilities and I spent the night here camping to help earn a merit badge for scouts. Really fun, ideal for groups, friendly for tourists and the like.