Santa Ana Zoo

1801 E Chestnut Ave, Santa Ana, CA 92701, USA

Address:	1801 E Chestnut Ave, Santa Ana, CA 92701, USA
Phone:	+1 714-836-4000
Site:	santaanazoo.org
Rating:	3.9
Working:	10AM–4PM 10AM–4PM 10AM–4PM 10AM–4PM 10AM–4PM 10AM–4PM 10AM–4PM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 7

Mar Vy

This is one of my favorite zoo to visit. It is small, never crowded, there are a lot of activities that kids will enjoy, parking is easy, and the place is well kept. ~Experience~ We walked towards the entrance to pay for admission: Child - $7 and Adult - $10 then we entered the zoo. The first thing I noticed was the Face Painting ), my daughter loves it! After looking at all the designs, she choose the Flame Horse. When the artist was done we walked towards the Rain Forest Adventure. It looks like a maze, we got to discover plants, trees, and animals that live in the Rain Forest. Then we proceeded to see the animals. We saw Boa Constrictor, Giant Ant Eater, Wild Amazon Parrots, Binturong (smell like buttered popcorn to help mark their treetops territory), Ring Tail Lemur, Squirrel Monkeys, White Handed Gibbon, Bald Eagle, Bald Eagles Nest and Camels, etc. They also have a Conservation Education Theater where they have animal presentations; check the sign for show times. As we visited the animals, we noticed a device called Zoo Keys that are placed on the fence. I didnt purchase the keys (purchase it in the gift shop) but if you do, just insert the key and it will play a story about the animals. Our last stop would be the Colors of the Amazon. My daughter and I entered the doors carefully and we followed the pathway; it felt like we were in the forest. We were surrounded by plants, turtles, ponds and birds; I appreciated the sounds of the amazon birds and waterfall. Next was to go towards the other side of the zoo. First we went on the train ride, we got a tour of zoo. There is also a carousel but my daughter didnt want to go on it. Then we visited the farm animals, we saw pigs, rabbits, ducks, chickens, turkeys, sheeps, and horses, etc. We enjoyed feeding the animals, when we were done we washed our hands. Our little adventure got us hungry and tired. There is food at the Knowlwood Cafe, they serve burgers, salads, breakfast, tacos, kids meal, and sandwiches, etc. My daughter only wanted ice cream. After eating she played on the playground while I sat on the bench and watched her. Then we went to the gift shop. ~Highlight~ It was fun to go on the train ride and to feed the animals. ~Notes~ ~You can have a party at the zoo. There are private party areas throughout the zoo. ~Rent a single stroller or wagon for $5 ~Rent a double stroller for $8

Julie Healon

Its very small. Not a lot to see. We drove down from the Inland Empire. If you live in Orange County, its worth going. But not really worth the drive from anywhere else, to specifically go here. It was cute. Its geared more towards kids. We are a couple with no kids. There is a playground, snack bar, and very small gift shop. Mainly kids toys and stuffed animals. It was pretty warm. A lot of the animals were asleep, or in their caves and cubbys, trying to keep cool. A few had fans, and misters. Some looks hot and miserable. Poor guys. We saw camels, ostriches, giant ant eaters, monkeys, birds, and eagle, a few goats, pig, rabbit, and horses. Feeding for the goats was not open. They have a carousel and train you can ride. Looks like they have a ferris wheel, which is not open yet. Just a sign saying coming soon. It was 12.00 to get in, for adults. Not too bad. I was surprised they close so early. 4 PM. Still lots of daylight left. It was fun. We got a churro and soda, and sat for a bit. We saw everything, and had a snack. We were there about an hour.

Cameron Conkle

If you go expecting the San Diego zoo you are going to be disappointed. If you want to get your kids out of the house and salvage your sanity you cant beat it. Daily tickets for adults are $10 and kids are $7. I have been buying annual passes for years and for small Contributions (around $100) they will place your families names on permanent signs in the park which I feel is really neat especially for my kids. When they see the signs they run up all excited to see their names. The zoo has a ton of monkeys, some reptiles, an ocelot, an aviary, some camels, some other emu type birds and a bald eagle etc. No lions or bears etc. The zoo is a good for a couple hours of fun looking at animals and maybe another hour in their playground. They have a Knowlwoods walk up restaurant so the food is decent for a zoo. All in all it close, cheap, and easy.

A Private User

Yes, its small. Its also flat (unlike most zoos which seem to be on hillsides.) But I have two autistic grandsons, and they are very happy and comfortable at the zoo. The new South American exhibit is awesome, with great foliage as well as animals. The new anteater exhibit is pretty cool too. They are required to keep 50 monkeys at all times. There is an extensive farm area, with ducks, exotic chickens, pigs, horses, cows, owls and hawks, goats, bunnies. There is also an enclosed aviary that has birds and turtles. Seasonally, they have elephant rides. They have a train and a zoo-animal carousel. There is a funky maze, and a small eatery that cooks real food (eat outside). No, there are no large mammals, but I find this a very friendly, calm and pleasant place.

Andrew Nemetalla

I see all the good reviews, but for some reason I didnt have the same experience. I was there with more than 20 kids and 3 other chaperones, the petting zoo was closed so it was a huge bummer for all the kids, and we couldnt locate a worker to ask them to open up the petting zoo (even though we called them in advance and they knew we were coming). Maybe we didnt enjoy it as much because we had high expectations, but the selection of wild animals was very low, and in most cages the animals were not visible (probably sleeping inside). Maybe we just went on a bad day, but Ill never take a group of kids there again.

CynDee Zaubi

This is a GREAT little zoo to take kids under , say 7 years old. You can see the whole thing in under 2 hours, but theres plenty of reasons to stay longer. Theres a beautiful carousel, a farm area to walk around that the kids love and the train ride is a must. Its short(but just right for a 2 and 4 year old), and the conductor is terrific and has a great tour-talk. And so the kids can get out of the stroller and unwind, theres a playground with 2 areas, one for tots and one for 5 and up. Very enjoyable without walking miles and spending all day(of course I could spend hours watching the energetic little monkeys).

Mona James

Like most families, our family came from Canada to visit Disneyland and Universal Studios, yet the Santa Ana Zoo turned out to be one of our most memorable days! This zoo is a very nice escape from the crowds, lineups and noise of other attractions! Santa Ana Zoo is small, quaint and personable (the staff have a lot to do with this). A good indication of a great zoo is that the animals themselves seem happy. I have never experienced animal encounters like we did at Santa Ana Zoo. We will definitely be back on our next visit! Thank You!