Oregon Zoo

4001 Southwest Canyon Road, Portland, OR 97221, USA

Address:	4001 Southwest Canyon Road, Portland, OR 97221, USA
Phone:	+1 503-226-1561
Site:	oregonzoo.org
Rating:	4.4
Working:	9:30AM–6PM 9:30AM–6PM 9:30AM–6PM 9:30AM–6PM 9:30AM–6PM 9:30AM–6PM 9:30AM–6PM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 4

AD Kikikrush

I havent been to the Oregon Zoo in years and was very pleasantly surprised today when I took my 3 and 5 year old for a half day adventure. I only had 4 unfulfilled wishes: 1) that they had not run out of double stroller/wagons with umbrella for the kiddos 2) that I had not forgotten our giant water bottle in the car 3) that we had arrived at opening not in the blistering burning hot as all get-out hour of 12pm, and 4) that we had not missed the last train at 5:30. I really love riding the train even as an adult, its such a beautiful relaxing treat. Moving on, we survived the insane heat only because the staff if awesome and at most food carts and restaurant areas you can get a decent sized iced water for free! We got adorable giraffe cups ($5.50 ea and totally worth it) for the kids and instead of doing $1 soda refills we just kept re-upping with ice water. The employees were so helpful kind and upbeat even in the heat ( so hot it tends to make me a grumpy bear after a few hours!). With two little ones drinking cup after cup of water I was very pleasantly surprised at the many easily accessible bathrooms some of which featured nursing area with couch, changing table, and seperate washing station, huge wheelchair/differently-abled stalls, some with their own washing station, and even small step stools for the kiddos at the sinks! We ate pretzels (meh) and elephant ears (so yummy). By the time we arrived they had already given free passes to the first 1,000 people but it was only a $4 admission after that. I do not recommend the zoo keys unless its just a cute novelty item for the kids. There are very few places to use them and the sound is so quiet that you can barely hear the info in most exhibits. Its a great idea, just needs a little reworking.... maybe shorter info sets, more strategically placed, and louder. The kids loved all the water misting stations you can cool off at and I loved it too! They were a very welcome relief from the heat. Pro-tips: if you are pulling a wagon with about 80 lbs of gear and children in it, DO NOT park in the overflow parking. Or at least get dropped off and picked up! That was a long climb and by the time we reached the gate to go in I was ready to take a break lol. Bring your water bottle full of ice, there are awesome water refilling stations all over the zoo. So yeah thats all I can think of for now. I am not sure of the regular admission but I would say if it is under $20 per person I think that would be worth it. It is a really fun experience. Get there early and bring snacks and lunch or dine at one of the restaurants or delish food carts. There are elephant ears, cotton candy, Ben&Jerrys ice cream, shave ice, and I am sure even more yummy treats available. Also if you want to enjoy a craft beer on tap they have a decent selection ($8/beer) and you can enjoy it as you peruse the outdoor exhibits. I want to go to a concert here with just the "big kids" and try it out :). Great trip! Next time definitely taking max no doubt!

Tim Gaston

The zoo is great but the parking is very very messed up. Early morning Saturday Aug 13th, I took my three children 4, 2, and 1years old to the zoo. My sister was having some complications with her breast cancer surgery and was at the Dr that day so I also took her 3 kids ages 12, 8, and 5 years old. My wife was unavailable for personal reasons and so I decided to take all six kids to the zoo by myself. After I parked, I went to the meter and paid for a 2.5 hour stay ending 12:31pm. Unfortunately, somehow we stayed later than expected and when I got back to my car at exactly 12:48pm and realized I was cited for expiration at 12:44pm. As a season pass/annual member to the zoo, I always pay the parking meter. Every single time before this instance I have purchased too much time usually in the form of an all-day fee (extra $1.40). The way the parking fees are setup, each person has to pay regardless of how much has been paid to that parking spot. For example, if I had spent $1.40 more, my stay would have been good for the entire day. Someone could have taken my spot at 12:50pm and paid for a full day, left two or three hours later, and a third person could pay for another full day for the exact same parking space. I think it is unjust to collect multiple monies for the same spot and in this case I was using my past experience at the zoo which I have never been able to sustain my three kids past noon by my own. Somehow, adding my nieces and nephew for a total of 6 kids messed up my calculation of time and I was late. Even though I was late, I don’t think my 15 minutes late has wronged the city of any monies for the parking space. I paid for a few hours and my spot was immediately filled as I left my parking spot. It’s likely that my parking spot received at least one or two other all day fees paid. The zoo was busy and the parking lot was full and I was late but everyone still gets their money and I have to pay more?

Ilona Golovneva

В этом году ну очень теплый октябрь Бог дал жителям западного побережья. Благодаря солнечным дням животные еще не впали в спячку. Посчастливилось увидеть семейку слоников, и маленькую Лили, она родилась в зоопарке, в 12 году. Почти 30 минут провели у вольера с большими кошками. Семейка львов была очень активной. Удалось сделать отличнейшее видео. Не возможно было оторваться, они конечно красавцы! Белый медведь и тигр сладко дремали, но всё же удалось ими полюбоваться. Солнечные мишки очень забавные, потешные. Зоопарк владеет богатой коллекцией животных: кролики, рептилии, земноводные, млекопитающие. Особенно впечатлили жирафы, львы, слоники,пингвины и выдры. Выдра очень активно плавала, веселила гостей зоопарка. Вход для взрослых 11,50 с носа. Не забудьте взять карту зоопарка у кассира, пригодиться! Elephants land сейчас расширяется, открытие планируется в декабре, 15 года. Не забудьте взять с собой камеру.

Margaret Hume

I enjoyed it for the most part. Its been a couple of years since I have been there. Some enclosures were improved upon. A lot of things were under construction from the elephant enclosure to the otter display. So there were whole areas covered up. This is not good when it is summer & a million children are hoping to see "all" the animals. I also noted a lack of lions, rhinos,buffalo (bison) wolves, foxes, elk, and other such common animals both here in the northwest & in Africa! I see improvements, but so many more are needed! We pay a lot through Metro to have our zoo, we need to take care off it and do our best to "show" all of our animals. Where are the ones listed? They were ALWAYS here before! They say you can tell how a zoo is run by seeing how the wolves are treated! They werent even there! You need to bring them and the rest listed back! Sincerely, Margaret Hume P.S. I did want to add that when we came to the zoo we came up the back way, through Washington Park. (They really need better signs for direction to get to the park from downtown.) Anyway, the drive up through Washington Park to the zoo was just beautiful! Tree lined, lots of foliage, flowers and very little traffic. It was like stepping back maybe 30-40 years. It was wonderfully maintained. When you came to the end of Washington Park they had parking and tennis courts with beautiful displays of flowers and greenery. It was breathtaking. Almost worth just driving through Washington Park. We arrived early, before 10 AM on Tuesday. Excellent parking. No one there yet! Walked many hours and saw most animals that were "available". Left, about 1:30PM when all the hundreds of day camps, zoo groups & kids clubs arrived! Go early! Best availability! But please return the wolves, foxes, etc. to the zoo where they belong!