Philadelphia Zoo

3400 W Girard Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA

Address:	3400 W Girard Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
Phone:	+1 215-243-1100
Site:	philadelphiazoo.org
Rating:	4.5
Working:	9:30AM–5PM 9:30AM–5PM 9:30AM–5PM 9:30AM–5PM 9:30AM–5PM 9:30AM–5PM 9:30AM–5PM

Location

Photos 1

Reviews 6

Theophilus I

Im sure that when the zoo was first opened it was probably an excellent location but now with the city overtaking it and no room to grow as well as the nightmare it is just to park Im afraid that unless you have no other choice but to go here it will suffice as a place to let your kids see some of Gods creation and learn a little about it. I think that the animals are pretty well taken care of and it was good to catch up with what is going on with the turtles that I made friends with 50 years ago. With the 90 degree days we are experiencing now a lot of the animals are in cooler spots so may not be able to be seen but every once in a while some will come out. Now for some added review since I was back there today, 7 months after my original. My reasons for coming to the zoo for the past 5 years have been due to the fact that I was driving a school bus of kids here and went inside several times. Because of the crowds and aforementioned excessive heat I limited my visit to not much further in than the area that had at one time been inhabited by the elephants. Since the zoo was empty today when I brought a group I was able to walk what I think was the entire zoo where I was able to see area I had not seen since my children were young and our family came to visit. With that being at least 15 years ago a lot has changed and might I say for the better. Because of that I have upgraded my 3 star rating to 4 but wont go any higher than that as that was even pushing it since today was an exceptionally uncrowded day in early March. Im sure that when the weather gets warmer the crowds will return and then a lot of the other problems will as well.

Angel of Vengeance

To expensive for what you get. You have to pay extra to do anything extra like feed the birds or ride a small train that goes in a small maybe 15 round track. You pay dearly for everything and get to look perhaps behind the tree over that rock you might see the fur of a mountain lion. My daughter got hurt while there and there is no earthly way to find a bathroom, or a first aid station. You can go all over following the directions on the signs and never reach your destination. After I got my daughters injury attended to in the bathroom her only wish was to go to ride the big balloon. So we ran to the balloon only to find out they stopped accepting people for the ride at 4:30. It was 4:34. I asked them if there was any possible way to squeeze her in I told them she had hurt herself and waited all day for this ride....nope sorry when the line gets out of control like this we close early, she told me. The line had maybe 15 people in it! To top things off as I stood there exposing to my daughter she couldnt go, 3 more people got in line and were allowed to ride. Argh! After spending $55 to go there I got absolutely nothing that was worth that, and neither did my daughter she is 5 and she was completely bored out of her mind the entire day! I feel exhausted and bummed out I wont be back!

Sapphira Manzo

Im not certain why there are so many positive reviews here about this zoo because it really is terrible. First of all, parking is horrendous. Get prepared to park in a very unsafe part of Philly and walk past filthy streets and tons of homeless people to get to the front gate. No police in sight I may add! They are building a parking garage but judging by the size of the tiny construction site its going to be filled pretty quickly. Once youre inside get prepared to walk blocks to get to POSSIBLY see an animal. They are almost never out (ie the big cats/bears) and if they are they look drugged or sick. You may see some bunnies and horses and even get to ride one! Give me a break, I can do that at any local farm. They dont even have elephants, as they were moved for inhumane conditions. Everything at the zoo is filthy inside as well. The food is terrible, the staff is rude and inattentive to questions. The last time we were there we actually walked right into the gate without anyone even checking our pass. The "rides" are expensive so if you are getting the pass, get the one with free rides. It may be the highlight of your kids day, because you wont be seeing animals.

Daniel Flesher

My wife and I purchased the Family Deluxe Pass last summer, which included a free ride on the Zoo Balloon with every visit. This spring, when they re-opened the balloon, they said that they would no longer honor the free rides on the balloon because it was "a new balloon" and that we would have to pay to ride. I really wish they would have honored the pass as it was sold to us (and to many others who are in the same situation). Honoring it would have been the right thing to do. A bait-and-switch to not honor it on a technicality makes the Philly Zoo administration look like a bunch of scumbag used-car salesmen. The right thing to do would have been to honor anyone who had purchased a Family Deluxe Membership until it expired, and then let them renew their pass under the new conditions. The passes are heavily discounted right now and the line for the zoo balloon has been non-existent since this change. I think a lot of people are really angry with the zoo for this and not renewing their passes. My familys pass just expired and we have no plans of renewing. You never know when a new paint job on the parking garage will mean members now have to pay.

Nicole Caporino

Disappointing!! First, the parking is a mess and it costs $15.00. Nobody from the zoo or the Philadelphia traffic department directs traffic around the zoo for visitors. The ticket cost $20.00 for adults and $18.00 for children is very EXPENSIVE for what the zoo offers. No elephants or chimpanzees!! Two separated low-land gorillas (gorillas are social animals) and one orangutan who looked bored. The Zoo 360 is cool for watching the tigers and monkeys. Thats why I gave the zoo two stars. The pengiun exhibit was very disappointing. Most of the animal exhibits are ok; however, the River Otter exhibit is cool (otters are very playful & active). If you really want to have a true zoo experience, go to the Bronx Zoo or The National Zoo in Washington, D.C. You will definitely have a great time at either zoo; but, unfortunately, not at the Philadelphia Zoo. You can go around the whole Philadelphia Zoo (seeing every exhibit) in three hours; and for a family of four, the cost for parking and entry to the zoo will be close to $100 (excluding food & zoo souvenirs).

Goldie Da best cat

The area around the zoo traffic wise is a nightmare anytime the weather is nice so beware and plan accordingly especially if you have little ones in the car. Today was far worst then I could imagine. Today the park seemed very under prepared to handle the crowds, all areas had low staffing and it was made clear by the long lines. The animals were out and some of the exhibits were updated which was a nice improvement. The red panda, rhino, and big cat falls some highlights. All the "extra" activities were closed pony rides, camel rides, train, snack huts which was a disappointment to all especially a little girl who wanted to ride a horse. Due to the traffic, crowds, hunger we cut the trip a little short so we missed out on seeing the gorilla and polar bears On way out we stopped at the gift shop for sourvenors which was a mistake more chaos, more lines. Despite the chaos all employees that were present all had smiles and friendly. The crowd was also pleasant.