Philadelphia Zoo
Philadelphia Zoo
4.5
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Animals are on the move like never before at Philadelphia Zoo with Zoo360, a first-in-the-world system of trails passing through treetops, crossing over pathways & connecting habitats, giving animals like amazing big cats, majestic primates & marvelous meerkats the opportunities to travel & explore. Visit our baby western lowland gorillas, giraffes, hippos, polar bear, white rhino, zebras, red pandas, Amur tigers & more at America’s first Zoo. Explore a 42 acre Victorian garden & enjoy award-winning exhibits like KeyBank Big Cat Falls, PECO Primate Reserve, McNeil Avian Center & KidZooU, a wildlife academy that offers dynamic displays, rare breeds & hands-on experiences. The Zoo is one of the region's foremost conservation organizations & home to nearly 1,300 animals, many rare & endangered. By connecting people with wildlife, Philadelphia Zoo creates joyful discovery & inspires action for animals & habitats. Philadelphia Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums.
Duration: 2-3 hours
Meets animal welfare guidelines
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  • Estelle Bret
    4 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    An absolute blast for all ages!
    A wild adventure in the heart of the city that's an absolute blast for families and animal lovers! From the majestic big cats to the playful primates, there's an incredible variety of animals to see. The zoo's dedication to conservation and education is evident at every turn, and the chance to get up close to some animals is a real treat, especially for kids. But what really makes this place special is the lush landscaping and the historic architecture that adds a touch of nostalgia to the visit. It's not just a zoo; it's a day of excitement, learning, and appreciating the beauty of the animal kingdom.
    Visited December 2022
    Traveled with family
    Written November 6, 2023
  • James
    New York City, New York29 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    An enjoyable experience for all ages
    This visit was great, and I would recommend it if you're looking for something to do when you're in Philadelphia and have run out of ideas. We saw everything and lasted from when we arrived at 11:00 am until 3:30 pm. So obviously be prepared to do a lot of walking and wear comfortable shoes.
    Visited May 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written May 26, 2024
  • Bridget B
    Whitby, Canada10 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Impressed!
    This zoo has a lot to offer for a 2-3 hour visit. We visited with friends, no kids, and enjoyed ourselves. The zoo is compact so you see a lot of animals without walking far. Exhibits looked well looked after. The animals seemed content and had appropriate enrichment. Staff could easily be found and were happy to share their knowledge. We didn’t eat there so can’t comment on that.
    Visited August 2024
    Traveled with friends
    Written August 25, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

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.

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Vlad
California11 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2020
The zoo is normally a wonderful place. However during these covid times they might as well not be open or they need to adjust prices accordingly. You must wear a mask even though you are outdoors. Almost NONE of the exhibits are open. They manage to fill the exit with their overpriced souvenirs but cannot figure out a system to allow people to enter and exit safely through indoor exhibits. Even the outdoor walk ways around the big cats and childrens zoo are closed. Not even the open air bird walk throughs are open. You can traverse the actual open parts in less than an hour and will see about a dozen animals. They're closed on weekdays as of labor day and I felt very taken advantage of paying full price for less than half of the zoo accessible. Tickets and entry are regulated and timed. They can do better than this. Wait until this insanity is over to visit.
Written August 28, 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.

G00dtimes55
Whitehall, PA2 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2020 • Family
We took our 7 year old granddaughter to the zoo today. What a disappointment! Not only because the indoor exhibits were closed, but there was nothing extraordinary about the outdoor exhibits. Our granddaughter, who loves animals and has been to and enjoyed many other zoo's, was bored. It wasn't at all what we were expecting and I wouldn't recommend it, especially after paying $20 per ticket and $17 to park.
Written August 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.

Susan P
4 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2020
I visited the Philadelphia Zoo on Sunday September 27,2020. It was myself,my girlfriend and another couple. It was a fantastic trip! It was a great place for a trip because who doesn't like to see a variety of animals in their natural habitats? My favorites were the cheetah and the little penguins (eudyptula). The cheetah had awesome looking spots and the penguins were adorable!
I recommend the zoo during Covid 19 because it's outdoor, you can social distance, and it's a good way to keep yourself entertained. The zoo was very well maintained, the animals were happy, and my whole group enjoyed the visit. I will return someday in the future.
Written September 29, 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.

smyles58
Hartsdale, NY39 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2020 • Family
Ok, so this is probably compounded by them dealing with the Covid19 rules and regs but this had to be worst and saddest zoo experiencewe've ever had.

We bought timed tickets online, easy. We were there and entered on time, easy. We bought lunch at Wawa and had a picnic there, wonderful. That's pretty much where the good experience ended.

You should know that more than half of the zoo is closed. All indoor exhibits are barricaded off for no entry. Even some outdoor exhibits are closed as they are to small to be able to social distance properly. So you are literally left with maybe 7 exhibits to view and that's if the animals are outside, which on the day we visited they were not.

Also, once we walked through the main gates we did not see one zoo employee near any of the exhibits for questions or educational talks.

For Americas so called "First Zoo" they have not done a good job of reopening. I say this with experience as we've been to one or two other animal parks during this time and they were far better. We feel we did not get the experience we paid for. A expensive day for just a walk in the park.
Written August 29, 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.

Jessica F
2 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2022
It was my daughter's 11th birthday present for a girls weekend with herself, grandma , and I to take a road trip from Syracuse NY to Philadelphia. (About a 5 hour trip for us). My mom called a few days ahead of time to make sure everything was up and running and left a voicemail. No one got back to her. So we assumed with the zoo being open and the website saying the only exhibit that wasn't open were the birds. Well when we got there, Saturday May 14th. There were at least 5-7 exhibits that were closed, not counting a variety of other little buildings. There was no place to sit and eat in the pouring rain, we had to go hide with all the people in the tiger area. Food places , in the "Urban Garden" closed early because of the rain, so it was difficult to find a warm meal, it was $54. for 2 small fries, 3 non-alcoholic drinks, and two cold sandwiches that were supposed to be hot. The animals all seemed lethargic, there was hardly any action going on and defiantly not in all the cool tunnels. We came for the Wild Cats, and my daughter was terribly disappointed. The habitats are extremely small and most of the animals are on concrete!!! Two full grown hippos share a pool size smaller than the one at my mothers home. It was a terrible experience, hundreds of dollars wasted and my daughters birthday trip was basically a waste. Never Again.
Written May 24, 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.

SEHRITZ
1 contribution
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2021
The timed tickets are a great idea for trying to manage the crowd. The parking $17 a car is outrageous. I saw other reviews they weren't charging for parking. But they did yesterday when we were there. The zoo is short staffed as expected like all other places anymore. The Tree House and Rope Course areas are closed. There were some exhibits closed. Mostly all food concessions are closed. We only saw two little places opened. One was selling fries and soda the other selling soda and cotton candy. Based on other previous reviews on Trip Advisor we packed our pull along cooler with drinks and sandwiches. We packed snacks in my backpack, paper plates, napkins, along with premade nuggets and mac n cheese in two little thermoses. I packed a plastic tablecloth from the $1 store and cut it in half to fit on two round tables. We had a great little picnic in the grove area by Dino Bites (which was also closed). There were many families there looking at us probably thinking what a great idea. The zoo is paved so pulling along the cooler was not an issue at all. We had a great day with our kids and grandkids. They enjoyed our little picnic lunch. The Big Time Dinosaur exhibit was nice. I expected more dinosaurs I guess but the kiddos love it. We went for 10 am time slot and they let us in at 9:30 am crowd. We did the zoo in 3 hours and had plenty of time to do another attraction in Philadelphia. Please note go earyl! Because the zoo did get quite packed around 12 pm when we were heading out. Also note..... they funnel you right to the exit at the end. Not sure if we would of been allowed to go back thru. We didn't ask and at that point the grandkids (one was sleeping) and the other ready for a nap.
Written August 16, 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.

Shekeeta
1 contribution
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2022 • Family
The Philadelphia Zoo has definitely changed since the last time I visited. On a nice spring day, there was barely any animals out to see. My family spent time walking around the zoo, looking and imagined what could have been in the enclosures. They also do not take cash for parking. The food area was not open. However, they had food cart on-site. The food carts sold over priced food. I was considering becoming a member. However, after my visit today. I have reconsidered membership with this zoo.

Adult admission $16x2= 32
Child admission $16
Parking $17
3 chicken fingers $10

Total: $75
Written March 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.

Rachel
39 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2022
The Philadelphia Zoo is a great zoo! The exhibits allow great views of the majority of animals. When visiting in the morning in late April, almost all of the animals were exploring their enclosures and visible as we walked through. We especially loved the bats, the giraffes, the gorillas, and the hippos. Be prepared to wait a while or come back to visit the hippos 2-3 times if you want to see them moving around the enclosure and being active. The spring flowers and blooming trees were also a very happy and beautiful surprise, and the zoo is full of flowers throughout.

Later in the morning and early afternoon, the zoo began to become more busy and the indoor enclosures were more crowded; however, the outdoor areas of the zoo are very large and provide more room to move around. However, this is something that can be expected at almost any large zoo you go to.

Based on our experience, I would never pay the $17 parking fee. Uber instead! We were also slightly disappointed by the gift shops as they were out of stock of several stuffed animal options and had no more "in the back". One improvement that could be made to this zoo is increased signs that point you in the right direction, and more maps throughout the zoo. We got pretty confused/lost while walking around and would have appreciated better directions.
Written April 27, 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.

James W
Philadelphia, PA119 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2020
I think that the Zoo has done a good job keeping everyone safe. I felt very secure during our visit. The negative side is that there is so much closed. And even the open ones appeared to be less inhabited. Not sure what regular prices are, but I paid $20 per person (3 of us) my 18 month old granddaugher was free. Add $17 for parking. The Urban Green was not open for lunch. No elephants, gorillas, polar bear. I will wait until pandemic is completely resolved to go back. We were completely done in less than 2 hours.
Written August 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.

Howard C
1 contribution
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2021
Went to the Philadelphia Zoo with my family first off the dinosaur exhibit was extra to visit you have pay extra most of the buildings are closed in the zoo. Cages are empty and the dinosaur exhibit didn’t work they were supposed to move when you stepped on the mats. They did nothing. 6 ABC News made it look like there was a lot to see only about 8 dinosaurs and they didn’t move! The pond that once had ducks and swans was empty and the water smelled. The vending machines didn’t work they took your money and I think $5 for a bottle of water is way too much money to spend it’s a wonder why the zoo was empty. Never again it’s a shame how once a beautiful zoo has gone down hill!
Written June 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.

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