Happy Hollow Park & Zoo

Address:	748 Story Rd, San Jose, CA 95112, USA
Phone:	+1 408-794-6400
Site:	hhpz.org
Rating:	4.4
Working:	10AM–4PM 10AM–4PM 10AM–4PM 10AM–4PM 10AM–4PM 10AM–5PM 10AM–5PM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 6

A Private User

I spent the day at Happy Hollow today with my two grandsons (5 and 1) and with friends and their children (10, 5, 4, 2, 1). We had the best day and I would like to heartily recommend Happy Hollow. I read the reviews before we went so that I could plan, and I would like to say to the naysayers that I found Happy Hollow to be a great deal dollar-wise, clean, well run, non-commercial for the most part, and staffed by cordial young people who kept their respective "cools" all day long in the 88 degree heat. There was not a single episode of: sarcasm, vulgarity or unhelpfulness. I sensed a true team effort and fondness for little children and their families. Staff thanked us repeatedly for coming, asked if we enjoyed ourselves, did not act "put upon" when we lingered 15 minutes beyond closing time for those necessary "pit stops" before loading young ones into the car for the trip home. Smiles were the rule of the day. As this was my first visit, I found parking to be more than adequate and there was no long hike to the entrance. Parking was $10 cash for the entire day, so what? I only paid $24 total admission for myself and the 5 year old, and the 1 year old was free. We never made it to the zoo as we enjoyed the midway and climbing area. Casa de Fruta charges @ $13 for 2 rides, Happy Hollow has 6 to 8 rides with unlimited ridership. Lines on this Thursday were very short, the shade trees made for pleasant bench sitting when we needed to sit. Bathrooms were clean. We plan on attending again in a couple of weeks to take in the zoo and a few rides. I want to send a little shout-out of thanks to the young male employee running the Granny Bugs as he would "mist" the children with a spray bottle and those that welcomed the misting thought it was great fun! PS: Another shout-out to a male employee running the swing ride. My 1 year old grandson dropped my little digital camera and I noticed belatedly that the mode selector dial had fallen off. I approached the ride operator about this and he helped me examine the premises AND he found the missing mode dial. Very nice, thanks again.

Ashir Bhalla-Levine

The Park / Facility: As (amusement) parks go, Happy Hollow may not be the most modern, but has a very different atmosphere in the most positive sense. Unlike all of the other amusement parks found in the world today, Happy Hollow is more centered around being part of nature rather than destroying nature to make an amusement park. In general, the rides at this park may not be the best quality, but it is nice that the city of San Jose created this park in order to provide amusement as well as protect a sector of land in their city. Staff: From my experiences at Happy Hollow, the staff is overall very helpful and friendly. I noticed that much of the staff consists of younger employees that have been hired by the city as part time or full time employees. In general, from my experiences, the staff at Happy Hollow is friendly and is happy to assist you at any time. Who Is This Place For? This section is PRETTY IMPORTANT. I want to make it clear that this park is NOT meant for customers of parks like Great America. This park, rather, has been created by the city of San Jose in order to provide a place for families, with primarily younger children, to have a good time. I have also noticed that Happy Hollow is used a lot by members to take their younger children after school for play dates and other activities. Overall Experience: Overall, Happy Hollow is definitely a less traditional amusement park which is more focused on being a park rather than a roller coaster filled place. I would recommend this park to anyone who has younger children as this park allows them to go on more rides than many other parks would allow.

Kasey Rice

I have been a member of Happy Hollow for 5 years. If you had asked me a few months ago, I would have written a beautiful review. However, after the way I was treats by Julio and Rebekah at my daughters birthday party, I cannot say one kind thing about this place. I was given bad information by a member of their staff regarding cupcakes. When I arrived for a birthday picnic, I was told by a very rude Rebekah that I could not come in. Julio joined in the conversations a few minutes later and told me, point blank, that he "didnt care that he was ruining her party." At that point, I was very angry, but not screaming or threatening, just really angry. He then told me I had to leave the park, and if I didnt. he would call the park rangers to escort me out. I was obviously furious by that point. We will not be renewing our memberships. I wrote a letter and finally got a response. Nicole Burnham, General Manager, stated "that staff acted in accordance with our park policies and procedures and did their best to respond to the situation." She did not in any way address the issue of staff behavior. Her response substantiates my statement that we will not go back to Happy Hollow.

Kyle Hayden

While clearly marketed towards familys and their younglings this is also a great place to go for the day. At just under $15 a person the pricing is pretty competitive, especially if youre a AAA member (only $11). While parking is expensive ($10 for the day with no hourly so bring some $1s, $5s, or a $10) someone who was leaving gave me their parking pass, so I got free parking! Some people might say that the park doesnt have much to do for adults, but if you enjoy relaxing and watching the animals the 150 creatures spread across two zoos will be plenty for an hour or two. For children and even adults the rides and climbing structures/slides/maze can be a lot of fun. Overall an excellent experience and Id definitely bring any younger ones Im entertaining for a day of fun!

Daniel Jackowitz

Happy Hollow is a neat place to take kids years 1-8 for rides, animals, food, and fun on a sunny day! It has several rides, and two zoos with animals to see and even pet [Double H Ranch Exhibit]! They have rides like a carousel, Danny the Dragon, Dragon Flyers, and even a kiddie roller coaster. They have several different play centers for kids which are all well build. Theres a place to get food [The Picnic Basket] too. Winter hours are limited, but in the Spring, Summer, and into the Autumn the park is usually open during the week until at least 4 pm. My family gets the season pass, which pays for itself if you go three times. We only live 10 minutes away, so it works great for us. We even find street parking, and avoid paying the parking fees!

A Private User

Lots of kids at Happy Hollow during the Spring Break. Very understaffed. Long waits at the carousel because one attendant had to belt everyone on. It was idle more than it ran. The crooked house slide wasnt open .. even after the park just re-opened. Long waits for food .. and if one just wanted ice cream it was necessary to wait in the long line. Should have ice cream and cold drinks available outside the food area. Long wait for the roller coaster ... riders had to stand in the sun. No shaded area provided for the long wait . Not enough trash cans. No map was given with admission so schedule of puppet show wasnt easily obtained. Long walk to the ticket booths from the parking lot. All in all ....not a good experience for the money charged.