oakland zoo

What an awesome and fun way to spend a day! Great time for families. This manageable zoo in the hear of the East Bay Area is lovely. Great setting. Easy to navigate. It's not a huge zoo, but that is part of its charm. Great giraffe and elephant enclosures. Highly recommended.

This zoo is delightful. Its just the right size to enjoy thoroughly in 4-5 hours. We hopped on oversized lily pads, mingled with large goats and sheep, watched the monkeys monkey around, and took the train ride which is worth the $3 charge.

This little zoo doesn't get the same press as San Francisco Zoo, but it's a great place for families with young children who can't walk or do as much. Larger attractions may sometimes be a bit overwhelming in terms of the amount of walking necessary and stimulation overload. Oakland Zoo has nice exhibits including a petting zoo with goats and sheep, but watch your children carefully. The goats sometimes butt heads and you don't want a child to be in the way when something like that is happening. When we went, there was only one employee on duty trying to keep people from climbing on the rocks, cleaning up after the animals, answering questions and keeping general order. She was doing a great job, but definitely she can't be watching everyone at all times. There are small signs on the rocks telling the public that the rocks are for the animals only, but because they're small, a lot of people don't notice them and have their children stand on the rocks to take pictures with the animals. It's not that safe to be on the rocks if your child is young and loses his or her balance or gets startled by an animal. This last time when we went, we saw their bat exhibit. It's amazing to see these animals up close! Not every zoo has a bat exhibit!There's also a charming children's play area for the kids to run, jump and climb around in.Overall it's a very nice zoo and they've made efforts to keep their facilities up to date.

The zoo is very easy to get around. It is very accessible for old and young alike. The animals have nice habitats that allow the animals to have space, yet allow the visitor to feel like they can can get close. They have a play area for kids and rides outside that are silly and quaint, but great for younger kids. The train ride gives great views of the park, some animal enclosures and also shows some stunning vistas of the Bay.The Children's Zoo area is well laid out and nice for kids to have some more upclose exposure to animals.The food is not great in the cafeteria area, but parking is ample and the layout of the zoo itself is very well laid out.

We got membership when our grandson was born, but we find ourselves going to the zoo even without him - love the Tigers, there are 5 of them now. Always visible and fun to watch. Most animals have a substantial amount of room at this zoo - it has a 'the animals are happy here' feeling.

This is definitely a place where one could spend at least half a day. We were expecting an hour for the entire place, but ended up spending like 3-4 hours. I think this zoo is smaller compared to SF zoo but does have some animals (like elephants) which are not in SF zoo. There is a children's zoo near the lower parking area, which is really nice, with play area for the kids and all. I think the sky ride is a cool attraction and is inside the zoo premises, while you will have to exit the zoo to take the train ride which is in the adventure land right next to the zoo. The train ride passes through the zoo and you get to see the kangaroos and some other exclusive animals from Australia. I though enjoyed the train ride in SF zoo a bit more. While there are snack stations at many places, there is only one cafe, which is near the entrance, and could lead to long lines during weekends (especially at lunch time). Also seating is limited for the cafe. Overall I did find the place worth the drive.

Oakland Zoo is a modern, family friendly zoo. Besides the various animals on exhibit, there is a play area for young children, stepping stones over a pond, a snack bar, and plenty bathrooms. A most enjoyable feature is the sky tram (extra fee for ride) that gives a bird's eye view of the zoo. Best time to visit is in the morning when the zoo opens. It is very crowded on weekends and holidays.

A "smaller" and very walkable zoo, including an area with quaint amusement park rides for the smaller kids. Wonderful. The annual pass is worth it if you are a local.

This is another Oakland jewel. This zoo is very well maintained and the animals are well cared for. The giraffe exhibit is ourstanding. There is an area for small children to play and see animals at their level. The butterfly house is a big attaction. There is ample picnic area and is very family friendly. The only down side is that it is hilly, but there are carts that can be taken to get around with. There is also a small child amusement area with a little train, merry-go-round and other rides for the little ones. There is food available.

Great venue for anyone especially children as there is a train and seasonal displays. the animals are well treated and one can watch feeding and zoo keeper conversations

Zoo owned by city of Oakland- the residents- but city council allows it to be run with no transparency by a private group in violation of contract. Current zoo chief has approval to destroy and seize (our!) adjacent city park and kill threatened species building a sick monument to himself- in the name of "conservation"- a real wakadoo!

The Oakland Zoo has been a favorite day trip for our family for 25 years. We've held birthday parties there, seen the Holiday Zoo Lights, enjoyed the train ride, and simply walked about. It is a great urban destination for seeing a wide variety of wild animals. The size of the zoo is quite manageable, the animals can be easily seen, it is well kept, and the zoo staff are friendly. We are impressed with the emphasis given to providing a healthy environment for the animals and the educational experience for visitors. Take a walk on the wild side and visit the Oakland Zoo.

loved the zoo. about 17$ each to get in. I loved the petting zoo part. we missed the shows and feedings, but still lots to see. loved it!

Our last trip to the zoo was for the lights over the holidays. It has become somewhat a family tradition. If you're going to see the animals the train and tram rides are both nice. The staff is always friendly and they appear to do a great job caring for the animals and exhibit areas.

My visit to the Oakland Zoo was a good experience. All the animals were out and about, which is rare for many zoos. The scenery was full of pretty, green rolling hills. The zoo is not too small or too big, so it was easy to navigate. It wasn't too busy, so I could really see all the animals close up and watch them as long as I wanted. I really enjoyed the giraffe exhibit, bat exhibit, all the birds flying about in their enclosures, and the hilarious hanging from the tree.The zoo is a safe place for anyone visiting Oakland. I was concerned about this prior to my visit. There aren't any good places to eat in the zoo or around the zoo, so I brought my own lunch. The Oakland Zoo is better than the San Francisco Zoo.My only complaint: The aerial tram wasn't operating on weekdays, only weekends. I didn't know this and wish I did or I would've visited on the weekend instead of a weekday. The zoo should have this information posted on their website.