Virginia Zoo
Virginia Zoo
4.5
9:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Monday
9:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday
9:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday
9:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
9:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
9:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
9:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday
9:30 AM - 4:00 PM
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
897 reviews
Excellent
473
Very good
283
Average
103
Poor
22
Terrible
16
Joel R
Wilmington, NC148 contributions
Jul 2020 • Solo
So timed tickets ....train closed...eating places closed and one way and petting zoo closed due to covid. I understand all of that and am fine with it. So then it's still full price and find out the austrialain exhibit its closed wich is a good portion of the zoo and it's still full price. Now this is ridiculous because they dont have many animals or species in the first place. You can tell things are delapidating and starting to show disrepair.....definatley not worth the money or time to travel to. Been to so many zoo's and this had to be the worst so far
Written July 4, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
cheryl h
Durham, NC57,971 contributions
Dec 2019
This zoo is 53 acres (which is small compared to our over 500 acre zoo). It's open year round. We were charged the full price even though many of the animals were not on exhibit and the entire Australian Walkabout was closed. Since it was an unseasonably warm december day more animals should have been out. They have exhibits for Africa, Okavano Delta, Australia, Asia, North America, as well as a World of Reptiles, a farmyard, a native discovery zone and gardens.
The outside exhibits were a good size and the animals appeared to be very well taken of. However, they did not do a good job of keeping the glass clean in the reptile house. All the fingerprints and nose prints on the outside of the glass and smudges on the inside made it very difficult to get good pictures of most of the animals.
The outside exhibits were a good size and the animals appeared to be very well taken of. However, they did not do a good job of keeping the glass clean in the reptile house. All the fingerprints and nose prints on the outside of the glass and smudges on the inside made it very difficult to get good pictures of most of the animals.
Written June 22, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Krystal Z
1 contribution
Mar 2023
We've been to several zoos around the country and while this one is nearby, I still have trouble understanding how this keeps getting rated as one of the best. My reasoning is the exhibits aren't set up in a way that really allows people to see the animals. The lion habitat comes to mind. Huge space, small viewing areas. Unless the lions are up on the rocks, you're going to have trouble seeing them. The "canyon" walk is a whole lot of space that could be better utilized and set up to see the lions. The tiger habitat is decent but could use some work as well.
The reptile house is solid. Some exhibits don't have information plaques so you might be lost on what some of the animals are or where they're from but you can see most of them easily. The biggest issue I and others upon leaving the building had was it was very warm inside despite the exhibits being temp controlled for their inhabitants. If you go in the summer, it's incredibly uncomfortable and makes you want to leave immediately.
I understand the need for safety with the exhibits but the cost to get in and then not having decent visibility for a good chunk of exhibits is incredibly frustrating for guests.
Food options are limited. On weekdays there's usually less of a crowd (minus the summer season when you can't turn around without tripping over someone) but even on weekends, meal options are severely limited.
If you go during the week when the guest count is lower, it's a great place to spend time walking around and enjoying some of the scenery. For the price and lack of visibility for exhibits, especially the big ticket exhibits, it's not the best zoo to visit. Take the day and go to the National Zoo or up to Richmond Metro Zoo.
The reptile house is solid. Some exhibits don't have information plaques so you might be lost on what some of the animals are or where they're from but you can see most of them easily. The biggest issue I and others upon leaving the building had was it was very warm inside despite the exhibits being temp controlled for their inhabitants. If you go in the summer, it's incredibly uncomfortable and makes you want to leave immediately.
I understand the need for safety with the exhibits but the cost to get in and then not having decent visibility for a good chunk of exhibits is incredibly frustrating for guests.
Food options are limited. On weekdays there's usually less of a crowd (minus the summer season when you can't turn around without tripping over someone) but even on weekends, meal options are severely limited.
If you go during the week when the guest count is lower, it's a great place to spend time walking around and enjoying some of the scenery. For the price and lack of visibility for exhibits, especially the big ticket exhibits, it's not the best zoo to visit. Take the day and go to the National Zoo or up to Richmond Metro Zoo.
Written March 27, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Cait04
Marlton, NJ167 contributions
Oct 2022 • Friends
A wonderful morning walking around the Virginia Zoo and it wasn’t crowded at all. We had the best time watching the new baby giraffe having the zoomies.
I loved that we received 50% off admission price since we have a zoo membership for the Philadelphia Zoo.
I loved that we received 50% off admission price since we have a zoo membership for the Philadelphia Zoo.
Written October 22, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Julie C
3 contributions
May 2021 • Family
My teenagers & I spent about 2+ hours and pretty much saw everything you can see during the pandemic. There are a few sections that are still closed. Timed tickets kept the crowds manageable and people respected the social distancing guidelines. The zoo was clean & well maintained. We had a good time.
Written May 13, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Shavonn98
Fairfax, Virginia34 contributions
Sep 2020 • Family
Two thumbs up👍🏾👍🏾! The Virginia Zoo in Norfolk was amazing despite some exhibits being closed due to COVID-19. The staff has an impressive knowledge base of the animals and they asked if we had questions while passing through each exhibit which made the Virginia Zoo much better than most zoo's. It's was nicely laid out and very easy to navigate. The train ride was the highlight of my daughter's day. The Virginia Zoo is definitely worth a visit.
Written September 20, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jemlnlx
Bronx, NY5,648 contributions
Jun 2022
Lovely zoo. $18 ages 12+, $15 ages 2-11. Lots of parking spaces in the lot.
Exhibits are clean and well-kept. Particularly the open giraffe and rhino exhibits were great. We also really enjoyed the reptile area which is near the exit…a lot of interesting things in there that you can get pretty close to.
Café (the one opened at the time) was about average, both in food and prices, for what you’d expect for a zoo. ($5 hot dog, $7 chicken tenders, $5 fries, $8 hamburger, $3-5 drinks)
All staff members were very nice.
Exhibits are clean and well-kept. Particularly the open giraffe and rhino exhibits were great. We also really enjoyed the reptile area which is near the exit…a lot of interesting things in there that you can get pretty close to.
Café (the one opened at the time) was about average, both in food and prices, for what you’d expect for a zoo. ($5 hot dog, $7 chicken tenders, $5 fries, $8 hamburger, $3-5 drinks)
All staff members were very nice.
Written June 13, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Heidi C
2 contributions
Oct 2023 • Family
For the cost of admission, there were far too many exhibits (at least a dozen) that were closed/no animals. Several exhibits were just plain depressing: overgrown and or barren. The rhinos stuck indoors were sad. If there’s a reason they’re kept inside, why not post some information about it? The bright spot was the giraffe exhibit -4 adults and a little one who followed her mom around. We could have watched them all afternoon. The cheetah was beautiful as well.
The Tiger Trail section has nice, well-constructed decks and viewing areas but it’s a shame the rest of the sections in the zoo are not as nicely cared for.
The Tiger Trail section has nice, well-constructed decks and viewing areas but it’s a shame the rest of the sections in the zoo are not as nicely cared for.
Written October 10, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
jln1992
Pennsylvania40 contributions
Aug 2021
We thoroughly enjoyed the zoo. When you first walkup it is very nicely landscaped and then as you enter you are greeted with a neat fountain that you can have a hands on experience with.
There are all kinds of animals there. When I went there were 5-7 giraffes (younger ones included) which was a beautiful sight to see. The monkeys were on their island gliding along from tree to tree, another awesome sight. They had zebras among many many other animals. Only a few animals were not on exihibit, but yet a great day and a wonderful family day.
They have a gift shop for buying souvenirs and penny souvenir machines along with colectible gold coin dispenser machines.
I suggest you order your tickets online before you go and set aside a whole day for this experience. Would recommend to others.
There are all kinds of animals there. When I went there were 5-7 giraffes (younger ones included) which was a beautiful sight to see. The monkeys were on their island gliding along from tree to tree, another awesome sight. They had zebras among many many other animals. Only a few animals were not on exihibit, but yet a great day and a wonderful family day.
They have a gift shop for buying souvenirs and penny souvenir machines along with colectible gold coin dispenser machines.
I suggest you order your tickets online before you go and set aside a whole day for this experience. Would recommend to others.
Written September 9, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Diane J
Sand Springs, OK9 contributions
Oct 2022
This is a beautifully designed zoo with lots of landscaping along the trails--trees, bushes, flowers, bamboo. Unfortunately, we visited around midday, when apparently a lot of the animals were inside their enclosures resting. There were still a lot of animals to see. We were on vacation just passing through, but if you live nearby it would be worth buying an annual pass in order to visit at different times of day and in different seasons.
Written October 21, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I love those stroller/wagons for rent. They ran out of them. Where can I buy one? I've never seen those anywhere else.
Written March 2, 2020
Maryann S
Grandy, North Carolina
Do you have to reserve a wheelchair proir to going there
Written September 17, 2020
norfolk zoo web says admission is 17.95 but trip advisorsor says admission is 14.95. how much to enter zoo?
Written February 3, 2020
I would def go with the info on their website. They do offer certain discounts like ‘Military’
Written February 3, 2020
Would you recommend this zoo as an outing for a one year old? I want to take my daughter somewhere special for her birthday and she loves animals. However, some people have told me that the animals may be hard for her to see in their exhibits. My other idea was an aquarium where the fish are easier to see behind the glass. Thoughts? Ideas?
Written August 16, 2019
Hello, if it's too hot or humid outside, I would recommend the Aquarium. Both are nice and great for children.
Written September 8, 2019
Sorry I just saw this. I don’t see any wagons
Written August 15, 2018
When we where there we did not see any most of the animals were inside way to hot but we did enjoy our day
Written July 22, 2018
How long does it take to see the entire zoo? (Hours)
Written May 9, 2018
You can do it in a relaxed 2 hours. If not with kids, likely 1 hr and 1/2 is fine
Written May 11, 2018
As others have said, the zoo is level for the most part. Themed areas have gentle ramps that lead up to view points. It should be totally negotiable. Not sure if the view points are accessed via wheelchair as well, but I would check the zoo website which has tons of good information.
Written April 3, 2018
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