Happy Hollow Park & Zoo

I love the remodeling of this place. Its gotten pretty huge.
The place is really beautiful. Its great for families.
The price is very very reasonable.
My favorite thing about this place is guinea pig island.
Man I could just stay there and watch those guinea pigs all day.
The petting zoo is really cool too.
They have a huge area for kids too with rides, puppet shows, and a fun house.
Ha I was just thinking wouldn’t it be funny if I brought a midget sometime and they went to one of those fun house mirrors.
There’s a Japanese tea garden next door which is really cool.

Came here for the first time over the weekend and it was so much fun! This was a spontaneous trip as we had just finished breakfast and my wife said lets head down to San Jose to check this place out. I actually wanted to go to Flea Market instead but this was so much fun!
Parking was $ 10 but I doubt they enforce it. Everything was so clean and colorful and it reminded me a little bit of Lego Land. My kids (4 years old and 2 years old) absolutely loved the playground and the rides. There are plenty of small play structures through out the park that will captivate them for about 10 – 15 minutes.
The cafeteria or known as the «Picnic Basket» was decent and the prices were not outrageous. We spent the last 1.5 hour in the park walking through the Zoo. There are lots of small exhibits that are not that exciting but over all I thought this was a great family friendly environment.
The price was right also. Aside from the $ 10 parking fee it will cost you $ 11.25 per person to enter (if yo have a AAA membership). Considering all the rides are included. this is a great deal (compared to the Oakland Zoo).
We enjoyed Happy Hollow so much that we’re considering having our kids birthday here!

My 3 year old loves running around the garden. Lots of green. Rides are age appropriate. I had to get an annual pass.

Fun family fun where you can see some animals rides some rides and relax in a few play grounds. Bring a picnic for the whole family to enjoy. They also have AAA discount on admission A fun place to check out when in San Jose

Had an amazing time during the weekdays. Not super crowded. Great for all ages. Great place for a fun time for the kids especially for a day out for them to just run around. They have story time at certain hours and a cafeteria for folks that want a quick bite. Face painting is also available. And some cool amusement park rides for 3+ enjoy the beautiful day around Kelley park. Such a great way to soak up the sun :)

Perfect for my 6 and 3 year olds. The 3 year old can ride all the rides. There is enough here to keep both entertained for a few hours. We like to hit the rides first since they space out what is opened at different times on slow days. There is also a big tree house looking play structure that we love. They have outgrown Curiodyssey but HH is still age appropriate for a membership. We’ll be members for a few more years I hope.
P. S. We were on the fence about getting a parking pass but we have definitely come more than 8 times to justify the cost and there are special spots for permit holders.

This is my 2^nd time coming to Happy Hollow and overall great experience!
Fast, friendly check-​In, saved $ 3.00 off each ticket, by using AAA.
The staff was personable, kept the lines moving (even with LOTS of folks)
The kids had a great time and that’s what we went for!

Wild tails and vertiginous tree houses that’s perfect for 5-​years but very suitable for 3-​years young. A little younger is just fine, there’s several rides that 18-​month children can’t make it on. But the petting zoo and exhibits are a good start to widening the eyes of any curious youngster. Plus, you have the crooked house, Danny the Dragon Train that goes around at a blustery pace (at least to the young), playgrounds, a labyrinth that’s just big enough to pep some giggles, and bridges and foamy walkways.
It’s all very affordable, especially if you use your AAA card it’s $ 11 and change for adults, except for this hitch: the parking lot is $ 10 for the day. I would go every week if not for that. There isn’t a way around it not unless your really want to make a long hauling walk from the main boulevard — you’d likely sweat buckets most days if you did. At my age, I find the taste of my own sweat disgusting, as opposed to a badge of courage it was to taste my upper lip when I was younger. So pity poop and poppycock. However, for that surcharge I do get to walk across the big arch bridge.
Besides the big walk in (you want to bring in your stroller, trust me, forget carrying the tykes in), the park is spacious yet limited enough that you won’t finish your day in exhaustion. The little ones might be worn out — which should be your ultimate objective. A happy evening parent is a tired kid. Yet there’s enrichment here for adults, too, for there’s enough exotic animals here to populate an Australian film set. There is the wallaby, the meerkat, the squirrel monkey, the ant-​eater, the jaguar, the fossa (mongoose type of thing), and let’s not forget the world’s largest rodent the Capybara which surprisingly is less repellent than expected and pettable enough to be a cat. #godswitness

AMAZING place for toddlers! Fairly priced, admission includes all rides so no purchasing tickets.
The zoo part is a little small, the perfect size for a toddlers interest.
The rides are cute and the lines are not too long.
I brought my 2 yr old and my 11 yr old. Both had fun, but my 11 yr old is not big on rides so keep that in mind. If your older kids love big rides this place will be too kiddie for them.
I’ll definitely be coming back!

A nice zoo to take toddlers to. Has a petting farm where you can feed goats. Also rides are free such as the carousel and a small roller coaster. Don’t expect a huge zoo with tons of animals such as the San Francisco or Oakland Zoo, but for small kids this is like a perfect zoo to take them to

Yesterday was well in the 80s and very busy for presidents day weekend but the service was still superb and the lines for rides weren’t bad. Even the lines in the café were pretty good although it was PACKED. My daughter had a wonderful time. Everything is designed for children with short patience so even for a 2 year old on a hot crowded day, I think she would give 5 stars.

This place is a lot of fun for toddlers and it’s not incredibly expensive either. There’s so much for them to do: a petting zoo with farm animals; other, more «wild» animals to watch; rides; tree houses to climb… My son really loves it here! …& I really love how easily he falls asleep in the car on the way home.
Don’t forget the sunscreen and hand sanitizer!

I love this park/​zoo/​petting zoo/​amusement park. The only thing I hate about this place is it’s unsafe areas for children and the dark gloomy restrooms. The crooked house is so dangerous for young children and the slide there is very dangerous. My child is 30 pounds and 36 inches tall. She was tossed out so quickly and banged up all along the way down and slammed her back into the hard dirt ground. I went down the slide with her the second time for safety but We were both tossed in there and I got my elbow banged up. My daughter has bruises on her back from it. I am 100 pounds and 5′. I noticed the other children getting hurt on the slide too. The spongy flooring is worn out and needs to be replaced. Just sitting at the bench I watched over 5 children fall and trip on the ground there. I will be coming back but I won’t go near that house.

Fun place for kids. They can feed goat, have fun at the fancy playground. Also have carousel and other large electric toys. Parking is $ 10. Too expensive.

I am giving this a 5 star based on the fact that I have a child under the age of 5.
For older children, this place will definitely be boring for them.
They have a little zoo with some monkeys and a jaguar and few other little animals.
They have a petting zoo, which my daughter would never leave. They have some goats, sheep, ponies, a zebu, some chickens and an anteater.
There are some small rides a couple of them are even good for under 1 year old. My daughter was about 10 months old the first time she went one. As long as they have good neck and head control, they will allow them on the ride.
I usually bring lunch, but if I forget, it’s not a big deal because the café is decent and not as pricey as the SF zoo or Oakland zoo.
My daughter loves the park they have here too. Lots of slides and rocks to climb on. A couple of the slides are really tall and she especially loves those ones.
It is fairly inexpensive and if you have a membership to Oakland or SF zoo, you get half off admission. Memberships are $ 35 per person, but since under 3 is free.

This is a 4 star experience but it’s so affordable that it gets bumped up to 5 star status.
There isn’t all that much to do here with a toddler aside from the bumper car ride, danny the dragon ride, and people watching, animal watching, and maybe a picnic outside if the weather permits. I think it’s still worth it for a nice break in your day. maybe 1 hour with a toddler.
TODDLERS FIRST RIDE! I love the bumper car merry go round ride for little ones. They sit in a car, buckle up, go around in circles while pulling a rope which rings a bell. Sounds simple but it’s pure joy to see your toddler on a ride for the very first time! She went on the ride for the first time around 12 months old.
There are 2 animal areas. The first area is near the front entrance and is newer. There are several different types of farm animals (goats, chickens, sheep) and I saw a giant ant eater! I didn’t take toddler out but I saw several children petting the goats and overheard one kid say «I just wiped some brown stuff off the goats foot with my hand, is that OK mommy?» and then the mom sighed «nooo, lets walk over to the sink together, ok?». Yikes.
The downstairs animal area seemed to be under reno over the winter. I didn’t really see any animals there except for a beaver but it seemed like they had monkeys and other more exotic animals. not sure.
There’s also a mini roller coaster, merry go round, and large playground. all of this is more tailored to children, not toddlers of course!
Parking is $ 10 and they take credit cards.
ONE MAJOR CON: DO NOT LOSE OR LEAVE YOUR MEMBERSHIP CARD AT HOME! I love how at the Discovery Museum, you can just enter using your drivers license. Not here! If you lose your membership card, you have to wait in line to get a temporary card (this is a 1 time favor, if you forget your card again, you’ll have to pay $ 5 for a new card).

Came for my baby niece’s birthday. Adorable little place. The rides are for kids so I didn’t fit in that well with my other teen and 20 year old cousins. But OH WELL.
They have some cool animals like an anteater! And you can pet goats and little horses.
The dragon ride is super slow and the line is long and it’s not very exciting. Even if I had a small child I would probably skip it.

Giant jungle gyms, roller coasters, and rides, oh my. Amazing experience.

Nice little zoo tucked away into San Jose. Was a fun adventure for a few hours. In addition, there is a Japanese garden right next door. Overall was a fun day trip.
Oh, one of the rams in their barn doesn’t like to be touched on the head. Otherwise the goats and sheep are adorable.

I love happy hollow and have been coming since I was a kid. If you have a child under 5, getting a year pass is basically a must! Only a few visits pays for itself. The parking pass is worth it too since it can be used at other San Jose parks (like alum rock). They have a little bit of everything so everyone is happy. My son loves the goats, rides, maze, puppet shows zoo animals, crooked house… ok he loves it all. I don’t like that they only open certain rides at a time, I think they should have enough people on staff to open all the rides. Also, it is always PACKED with school kids on field trips or summer camp trips. Unfortunately they aren’t usually well behaved and no one says anything. The only other downside, and this is a big one: they’re currently closed during the week through December! Such a bummer!

Bout time I’ve made a review for this place. My son and I love HH. We went for his third birthday earlier this year and ended up getting the year pass. Way worth it! 3 visits and the passes paid for themselves. Also the passes are good at other zoos. We got half off adult at SF ZOO and FREE child admission. Parking is a different story, 8 visit to get your money’s worth but it is also good for other locations. Bring your paid daily parking pass and they will credit it towards your year pass.
The park is small on the zoo side but we stay very busy with rides and the awesome «tree house» and «crooked house». Pack a lunch for a picnic on the big grassy field or buy something at the café. We’ve never eaten there just used the water machine to fill up our bottles but I can say the garlic fries always smell delicious!
Downside– terrible off season hours and field trip days during the summer.

I’ve just discovered Happy Hollow after many years of living not far away, in Oakland. I really loved my experience there with two seven-​year-​old granddaughters!
It is small enough to see in one visit, but has a wonderful selection of animals, a playground and a restaurant. The entrance fee includes everything but lunch! The playground area includes wonderful slides that older children can enjoy, a carousel with beautiful animals to mount, three kinds of lemurs, some meercats, wallabies, capybaras and an impressive jaguar, along with other animals, including sheep which can be petted and brushed. There is lots of exercise for the young visitors, as there are long paths leading from one exhibit to the next. We loved this place! We recommend it for a happy family outing.
I had recently returned from a trip to Madagascar to see lemurs, little knowing that I could have had close views of three different kinds only an hour or so from home!

WARNING‼DANGERI took my grandkids there today. We paid $ 10 to park in their lot and when we got back to the car it had been broken in to and ransacked. There wasn’t even anything in the car worth stealing. There was broken glass everywhere, all over the children’s car seats. THERE IS NO SECURITY IN THE PARK‼Happy Hollow is across the street from a famously HUGE And DANGEROUS homeless encampment called The JungleI shudder to think what might have happened if we’d returned to the car while the thieves were still there. I called Happy Hollow and they didn’t even ask my name or come out to help with the damage.
Scary experience with two little kids. Beware!

So much fun! The huge park at the back was a big hit. It’s more like a giant tree house with netting and rock climbing wall. It’s very Swiss family Robinson.
Our almost 2 year old was a bit afraid of the goats at the petting zoo. She got the courage up to brush a goat while Dad fed him.
The zoo is separate from the petting zoo. There are a variety of «wild» animals to observe. The large birds were making lots of noise and got her attention from a distance.
There were only a few rides open, I think because today is a week day. We still enjoyed the park. I took of 1 star because of the lack of rides.
There was a car ride that she could do by herself, and it had a bell she could ring.

I took my daughter-​in-​law and granddaughter (17 months) to Happy Hollow this week. The park is ideal for very young children. It’s small so you can easily explore the whole park in a couple of hours. There is a mix of animals, rides and playground equipment so there is a good variety to entertain small children. My granddaughter really enjoyed herself. There are some empty areas in the zoo portion, and the rides look a little old (children won’t notice any of that), but for the price it was a very good value!
Tip: Check out the ‘Barn’ before 4:00. We did not now it closed earlier than the rest of the park so we didn’t get to see it.

I took the girls I nanny for (ages 8 yrs and 10 yrs) here last week, and we all enjoyed it! Though I would say that the 10 year old has kind of grown out of most of the rides, as they’re more aimed at younger children (I’d say great options for ages 3 – 6).
Since the SF and Oakland zoos are a little far, it was nice to be able to see a variety of animals without having to drive too far.
Prices are reasonable, plan on $ 10 for parking and about $ 13 per admission ticket. There is a AAA discount, which makes it $ 11 per ticket, so AAA members take advantage!
All rides and shows are included in admission price.
We didn’t purchase food at the park, instead we brought our own sandwiches — which is a great option! We were able to sit on a grassy field and enjoy a BMX show while eating our lunch.

Very pleasantly surprised with our first visit to happy hollow. Wish it wasn’t so far away or we would be frequent visitors as it is a great place for toddler and kids. Everything you want combined into one place! Amusement park, playground, zoo, and entertainment! It’s spacious, extremely clean, plenty of picnic tables and benches scattered throughout the park with shade. They also offer summer camp here for kids. I especially loved that they offer toddler rides. Our LO had a blast and we can’t wait to take her back! We were greatly impressed.

I would of given this place 5 stars if the zoo part wasn’t as small and if the animals were visible.
This place is awesome for children 2 and up. I have to admit my daughter was 2 inches too short for the roller coaster and the swing ride. But she still got to the the car, bug, danny the dragon and carousel. She had so much fun. That I would bring her back.
The petting zoo looks great as well but we didn’t go in to feed or pet the animals.
The play area was a little too overwhelming for her height but she had a lot of fun in the play area. Maybe next year she’ll enjoy the play area a lot more.
I loved how there are umbrellas in the lines so your not in the sun during your whole wait!
I also like the fact that there are plenty of picnic areas. You can even reserve them for parties. You can also bring your own food with out any problems. If I knew I would of brought some food and drinks with us.
I like how the place is just right of a size for toddlers to enjoy and not so huge that you can get lost.
There is a little face painting booth as well but l thought of it as overpriced so we skipped it.
The gift shop was also overpriced. So as the Icee that we got. 5 dollars for a their «small sized» large Icee was such as rip-​off!

Great place for young kids. It was a little zoo and a little amusement park.
Rides
Puppet show
Crooked house
Animals
Petting zoo

Kids love it here and it doesnt break the bank with an annual membership. I like that this place has free carnival-​type rides (carousel, mini roller coaster, etc) when u get in and its not just about animals. There’s also a three story play structure with slides that kids love.
Parking is steep at $ 10 but if u show up halfway or a little later through the day, u can score a pass from a departing visitor for free or negotiate discounted price

We took our 18mo there. She seemed to have fun but was too small to go on the roller coaster and one more ride. The carousel, granny bugs and cars ride were pretty cool and she seemed to enjoy those. We sat with her on the danny the dragon ride which was reallyyy slow but good for kids.
Theg have a big free play structure and another smaller one near the petting zoo.
There was a petting zoo. You can feed animals with quarters (they also have a change machine). There were horses, donkeys, cows, sheep and goats. in the zoo in the hollow they had lemurs, jaguar, and others I can’t remember. There was a chicken coop too.
Entrance is $ 12.95/adult and $ 10 parking. Children under 2 are free.
The food here sucks! It’s extremely pathetic and just disgustingly bad for the price you pay, atleast ours was. Their veggie burger is black bean ($ 6) which is so bad and garlic breath fries ($ 6) are just soggy fries with garlic and parsley on them. Seriously, i could make better at home.
I would return for the rides and the zoo but definitely bringing our own food. They do allow you to take in food.

Awesome! I hadn’t been here in years until going this past weekend. The renovations they have done are great. It’s much more clean and attractive now.
My toddler loves it. There’s two sides, the amusement park side with about half a dozen rides and the zoo side with small animals. The lines to the rides aren’t too bad and they move quickly. The zoo won’t be confused with something like the Oakland, SF, or SD zoos, but it’s fun. Again, it’s really geared for young kids.
The prices at the onsite cafeteria aren’t too bad. We fed our family of 3 for $ 25. The kids meals are a good deal. Probably enough food for an adult too.
There’s also a large playground for kids to play on.
So to sum up our first trip to Happy Hallow with our little girl? She had such a good time that we went and upgraded our day passes to season passes. It’s a very reasonable price, $ 35 per person.
We will definitely be coming again!

Super endroit dans lequel nous sommes abonnés.
Ma fille de 2 ans et demi s’éclate dans ce parc qui a un mini zoo.
Elle peut faire plusieurs manèges et nourrir les animaux
Seul bémol: le restaurant junk food pas très healty pour les petits.
Le parking est aussi très cher (10 $)

Single day 2 yrs and older $ 12.95
Annual per person $ 35
Under 2 free
Parking is $ 10
Annual parking $ 80
Annual parking can be purchased at happy hollow or at the parking lot. (If purchased at the parking lot, you need the bring the receipt to happy hollow office to redeem it for a card to put it on your car dashboard)
Overall is pretty cool, petting zoo. Brings quarters, no dollar bills. Animals, rides, slides, climbing playing structure and puppets show usually time 12 pm, 2 pm and 4 pm
Weekends are crowded, but weekdays are pretty mellow, but rides will only operate during certain times. (During winter or slow season) don’t think summer effects it.