Couldn’t believe it when a St. Louis local told us this zoo was free as well as awesome, so we had to check it out. The park is gorgeous and well-kept. Tons of incredible animals with large enclosures, yet still allowed us to easily see all the animals! Our favorites were the penguins, grizzly bears, polar bear, elephants, apes, and red panda! Bring a lunch and make a day of it! (Note, parking was not free. We paid $15 cash)

Free attraction that makes for a great half-day trip. Parking is $15, but much better than paying an admission fee for 6 people. Well maintained landscaping on the pathways makes for an enjoyable walk. I would not recommend showing up right at.or shortly after opening. We went in Oct and the mornings were a bit chilly. There were a lot of empty enclosures, and I'm guessing the cold was keeping the animals hunkered down a bit more into the afternoon range. Several other a la carte activities that are available for around $3 to $8. If you avoid those, makes for a very cheap outing. They have lot of elephants and the set up gives you plenty of options for good viewing. The sea lion exhibit is awesome. Had several come right up to the glass and interact with us. A definite stop if you're looking for something to do.

For just $15 for parking this was a great experience. We only had a little less than two hours since we got there at 2:15 and they closed at 4. We got to see the grizzly bears very active, one jumping in the water. The reptiles were active too. The big cats were all asleep other than the jaguar. Some of the monkeys were entertaining but not all. Penguins were adorable as expected.

Even though it was really cold, we still had a great time at the zoo. Beautiful grounds to walk around and it's all free! Would definitely come again on a warmer day so we can see more animals. The zoo staff are very knowledgeable, friendly and willing to answer all questions and talk with you as long as you would like.

The Saint Louis Zoo is the best place on earth. It's home to Kali, the splooting polar bear! I adopt Kali every year as part of the zoo's adoptive parents program! Raja, an Asian elephant, is pretty cool too. Our zoo has a ton of events...Zootoberfest, Boo at the Zoo, Holiday lights, Jammin' at the Zoo! Make sure you sign up for their newsletter so you can attend the fantastic events!

This zoo was absolutely fantastic! The enclosures are large, and the animals are well cared for. The penguin area, though, is amazing!! There were several places to dine, and between them all, they had a nice selection. Ask for extra crispy fries or they will floppy and not crispy.

Went early and only planned on spending a couple hours, but we opened and closed the place! Although free, we chose to purchase a wrist band for some of the attractions, which was a good move. The zoo was clean, staff friendly and did I mention, free?? Food was reasonable and good. It's a great place to visit!

Not the best zoo I have been to but it does have parts that are world class and considering it is free, definitely leaves a positive impression in my mind. The parts of the zoo we enjoyed the most were the puffin and penguins exhibit, the bird house, and the sea lion and seal exhibit. The red rocks area is outdated and could use better enclosures. The river wild area was nice but a lot of the animals were not on display, even though this was a 77 degree day. Took us about 6 hours to see everything. The zoo space itself is not enormous but packs a large amount of animals in the space it has. Since the zoo is free, if coming on a hot day, may want to consider coming here first thing in the morning and spread your visit over two days. Parking at this zoo is limited and costs $20, which is another reason to get here early before the lot fills up. You can park for free on the streets surrounding the park or across the freeway and walk in. If staying in St. Louis city, another option may be to take an Uber. The South lot is the much bigger of the two lots and has the main zoo entrance. Food here was above average for a zoo and reasonably priced. Only expensive thing was bottled water at $4.50 but you can bring in your own food and drinks. Thank you to the citizens of St. Louis and St. Louis county for supporting this zoo with their tax dollars and making it free to everyone.

I absolutely love going to St. Louis Zoo. The design and layout is beautifully done. Animal shows and of course the zoo train with it beautiful scenic route. My favorite zoo of all time and free to get in.

My wife and I always make it a point to see the city zoo everywhere we travel. From Europe to coast to coast in the US, we have enjoyed the best zoo's around the world. St. Louis' zoo is in my top 3 list! And you can not beat the price of admission for such a world class zoo...FREE.