United States
Maryland (MD)
Baltimore
Things to Do in Baltimore
The Maryland Zoo

The Maryland Zoo, Baltimore: Hours, Address, The Maryland Zoo Reviews: 4/5

See all things to do

The Maryland Zoo

See all things to do
See all things to do
The Maryland Zoo
4
699
#37 of 256 things to do in Baltimore
Zoos
Read more
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Write a review
About
Visitors meet more than 1,500 animals including chimpanzees, elephants, leopards and warthogs as they journey on an African safari, groom goats in the Farmyard, explore the winding trails through the Lyn P. Myerhoff Maryland Wilderness and watch the polar bears swim next to you at the underwater viewing window. Plus, don't miss the new, award winning Penguin Coast exhibit featuring the most successful breeding colony of endangered African penguins in North America.
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listing
Tours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
Full view

Top ways to experience The Maryland Zoo and nearby attractions

The area
Address
Best nearby
Restaurants
748 within 3 miles
La Cuchara
212
0.7 mi$$ - $$$ • Spanish • Basque • Vegetarian Friendly
Hip Hop Fish & Chicken
2
0.5 miSeafood
Mamma Lucia
5
0.5 miPizza
Birroteca
220
0.6 mi$$ - $$$ • Italian • American • Bar
Subway
1
0.5 miAmerican
TGI Fridays
7
0.4 mi$$ - $$$
Alfeo's
1
0.5 mi
Gypsy's Truckstaurant
21
0.6 mi$$ - $$$ • American • Bar • Seafood
Taharka Brothers
3
0.6 mi
Blue Pit Bbq & Whiskey Bar
58
0.8 mi$$ - $$$ • American • Bar • Barbecue
See all
Attractions
237 within 6 miles
Howard Peters Rawlings Conservatory and Botanic Gardens of Baltimore
68
0.3 miGardens
Horseshoe Casino
24,143
Casinos
Howard Peter Rawlings Conservatory
29
0.4 miPoints of Interest & Landmarks
Baltimore Museum of Art
820
1.6 miHistoric Sites • Points of Interest & Landmarks
The Johns Hopkins University
337
1.8 miEducational sites
Hampden
232
1.2 miNeighborhoods
The Walters Art Museum
1,464
2.5 miArt Museums
Peabody Library
253
2.6 miLibraries
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
468
2.6 miReligious Sites
Baltimore Society of Model Engineers
6
0.6 miSpeciality Museums • Educational sites
See all
Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
699 reviews
Excellent
267
Very good
234
Average
119
Poor
44
Terrible
35
Alexx Phoenix
33 contributions
I'm a local, so I remember better days
I've been hauling my kids to the MD/Baltimore zoo for 20 years now. Honestly, there used to be double the exhibits that are now available to see. I realize they are working hard to direct foot traffic during Covid restrictions, but it really is a disappointing visit now. It costs a pretty penny to get in, many areas are closed, and any refreshments available are crazy expensive.

Be VERY warned that the shuttle that connects the entrance to the rest of the zoo is closed, and most of your visit is spent hiking up and down a monster hill just to reach anything.

On a good note, they have updated some enclosure to be nicer for the animals, and there's a fun playground area for small people, but overall, it isn't that great an experience. Honestly, I am going to recommend a walk in a state park over a zoo trip. Try it in a couple of years!
Written April 24, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
mayaphototrips
Baltimore, MD203 contributions
Summertime at the zoo
Family
Perfect weather during Juneteenth weekend to visit the zoo. However due to avian flu, several of the bird areas were closed. Although the flamingos were out and pretty in their orange pinkish closing. They are found along the African wildness
The zoo visit is expensive. If you live in the area, you are financially better to buy membership and come as often as you like.

If you like to photograph animals. This is the place.
From May to November 2022, there is a Dino experience. Dinosaurs are very realistic and with sounds. Additional cost for dinos experience. However we'll worth it.
My family loves zoos. Would highly recommend. There was on ly one issue, an employee operating the shuttle from the front of the zoo was very rude, didn't assist a woman on a walker with using the lift to try and climb into the shuttle. Wish I had gotten his name as would have reported to management. Otherwise, the zoo was fantastic. Shootout to the employee that went beyond expectations to clean our table and chairs near the carousel. He was A+
Written June 19, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
John H
Hanahan, SC132 contributions
Good.
Nice zoo. Agreed with the longish walk to see the exhibits; not a problem for two mobile people on a beautiful day, but if you're not fit or it's a crummy weather day it might be unpleasant.

Animals were good; happy, active, good exhibits. Clean.

Food service was good; actually better than average for zoos.

The only issues aren't zoo specific but visitors need to be aware.

The surrounding neighborhoods require heightened situational awareness. You are not in Mayberry, so pay attention.

On the day we went the children were so poorly behaved it was painful to watch or be around them. Distruptive, taunting some of the animals, all with parents who never looked up from their phones. We went as early as we could, and were glad we did.
Written September 24, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Ashley C
Philadelphia, PA2 contributions
Not with it. Save your money.
Family
Planned a Father’s Day trip for my husband to Baltimore and the Zoo. I was embarrassed that I decided to take him here. We saw less than 10 animals the whole time. We paid extra for the the Dino exhibit and saw more statues of dinosaurs than we did real animals. We were able to get through the zoo in less than an hour and a half because have the exhibits were empty (not closed, empty). We could have done it in 30 mins but everything is pretty spaced out. Felt more like a hike that we paid for than an enjoyable zoo visit. Would not recommend or return, much better options of things to do.
Written June 21, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Jessica Sisson
Mogadore, OH12 contributions
Waste of time! Will not return. Thankful for our wonderful Ohio Zoos!
Family
What an absolute waste of time and money! I would NEVER come back. The walk in to the zoo is long and bland. Exhibits did not seem properly cared for/maintained, which made us question how well the animals were being cared for. (Especially with how expensive our tickets were) The viewpoints and glass were so dirty, it ruined the view and I didn’t want the kids touching anything. No good photo opportunities - even the signs into the zoo seemed “makeshift.” Took only two hours to see the entire zoo, which is smaller than our little Akron Ohio zoo. The Cleveland and Toledo zoos offer so much that it’s difficult to see the entire zoo in a full day! We weren’t sure if we should visit the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, or the Smithsonian Zoo (which is FREE). We chose wrong.
Written October 3, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Joey R
1 contribution
Penguin “encounter”
Couples
They have completely changed the penguin encounter, but without making that clear in the description of the animal experience. They made it seem like you would just have to be socially distanced and such. In reality, it’s changed from an interactive experience where you can touch and really meet the penguins into watching a video for about 10 minutes, and then they let two penguins in the room and they can walk around. The grand finale is that they put the penguins on a table and you can get in a picture with them (still not touching). Considering each experience ticket is more than $60, and you need to purchase regular admission in addition to that, this feels like a complete scam. I would look very closely at the wording of any “interactive” animal experience they have there because there seems to be a very good chance that you’re paying a o of money for a chance to look at an animal slightly closer. Interactive is truly stretched to its limits as a definition as Maryland Zoo puts it.
Written May 6, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Tiyonda F
1 contribution
"Save your money. It was not worth it!"
Family from Pittsburgh, PA. Perfect weather and officer name Steve was very nice and helpful as we walked to the ticket gate. As a whole family, we was wondering why we did not see anyone at the zoo. There were no discounts at the zoo (AAA, Teachers, Military or Senior Discount). I called the Zoo before coming down and I was never informed about the Zoo being under construction. We had to pay $118.00 for our tickets and $78.87 for five hotdogs, five bags of chips, and four slushies. The staff was nice and shared information about the animals. The children was very disappointed because they did not see all the animals. A lot of walking but not enough to see. I was embarrassed that I decided to take my family here from out of town. It would be nice to receive free membership or tickets when the zoo is completed and not under construction.
Written July 15, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Passport32821283769
Jackson, MI2 contributions
Average. Nothing Exciting
We are out of towners that were looking for something to do. It was a beautiful day, so we decided to try the Maryland Zoo. We had never been to Baltimore so hey, why not? We tend to visit Zoos in different cities as we travel. Overall, the Maryland Zoo is at best, average. It's small, it lacks the depth (no aquarium, very little in the area of reptiles and birds). The exhibits that they do have a very nice and well done, they just don't have many of them. It was a good 1/2 day zoo. We traveled during the pandemic and they were very strict about how many people could be in the indoor exhibits, and how you traveled the paths through the zoo. Not a bad thing, just sharing as an FYI.
Written March 31, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Marci B
Missouri City, TX2 contributions
Where Have All the Animals Gone?
My husband and I visited the zoo while in Baltimore for a wedding. It was a very big disappointment. I think we saw all of eight to ten animals. As we walked through the zoo we heard many people say they frequently come for the dinosaur exhibit (extra charge) and usually see zero animals. It's a zoo for heavens sake. Where have all the animals gone?
Written June 1, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
rageisman
Saint Louis, MO373 contributions
Nice zoo
Zoos are a nice outdoor activity on vacation, and this one did not disappoint. Favorite displays were the polar bears and watching the penguins being fed. As others have said it is a strangely long walk from where you enter the zoo until you arrive at the first animals. Would recommend.
Written August 31, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
2
…
Showing results 1-10 of 683
Anything missing or inaccurate?
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listing
Frequently Asked Questions about The Maryland Zoo
The Maryland Zoo is open:
  • Sun - Sat 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Buy tickets in advance on Tripadvisor. If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel at least 24 hours before the start date of your tour for a full refund.
We recommend booking The Maryland Zoo tours ahead of time to secure your spot. If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel up to 24 hours before your tour starts for a full refund. See all 2 The Maryland Zoo tours on Tripadvisor