Located in Houston’s beautiful Museum District, a trip to The Houston Zoo makes a fun day for the whole family! Here are some tips to make the most of your day at the zoo!
Tickets
Online reservations are required for purchasing tickets as tickets are not sold on-site. Per their website, entry is only allowed on the selected date of your ticket purchase. Ticket holders can enter any time after your ticket’s listed arrival time. The Zoo is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with last entry at 4:00 p.m.!
General Admission tickets can be purchased here.
The Houston Zoo membership has some nice perks! Members can visit anytime without needing a reservation using the member portal. Membership prices vary from $299 per year up to $1200+ depending on what you are looking for.
Parking
Alright, so at this point, you’ve reserved your tickets. Now it’s time to head over to the zoo and find some parking! The Zoo does not have it’s own, dedicated parking lot. While you may get lucky and find some street parking, there are plenty of parking lots in the Museum district. You might have to walk a little bit to the zoo entrance, but it’s a lot less frustrating to do that then spend 30 minutes trying to find parking!
Events
The Houston Zoo offers a wide array of events year round. Member Mornings get you in an hour before the zoo opens. There are also daily events where you can watch the elephants get baths, feed giraffes, Meet the Keeper at various habitats, and so much more!
The Zoo Ball will be held on October 21, 2023. This year’s theme is, “A Starry Night in the Galapagos.”
Exhibits
The Houston Zoo offers 13 exhibits – African Forest, Bird Habitats, Bug House, Carruth Natural Encounters, Explore the Wild! Nature Play Area, Galapagos Island, Giraffe Feeding Platform, John P. McGovern Children’s Zoo, McNair Elephant Habitat Area, Reptile and Amphibian House, South America’s Pantanal, Katherine G. McGovern Texas Wetlands, and Wortham World of Primates.
I’ll highlight some of my favorites below!
McNair Asian Elephant Habitat
The Houston Zoo provides equipment, training, salaries and support for Malaysian conservationists protecting elephants. They also provide support for wild elephants to be fitted with satellite collars, which allows the Malaysian teams to follow wild elephants and find solutions to challenge they face to protect the species.
Ankole Cattle
The large horns of the Ankole cattle are believed to assist them in lowering body temperature – and their horns can grow to be over SIX FEET LONG!
Gorillas
The Houston Zoo’s annual cell phone recycling challenge recycled 1,544 device, reducing the need to mine for materials in gorilla habitat. The Zoo also provides veterinary and education training, equipment, and support for their African gorilla conservation partners.
Masai Giraffes
The Zoo provides support for a giraffe protection program in Kenya that creates a healthy and safe habitat for giraffes and other wildlife. The Zoo also provides salaries and training for Kenyan rangers conducting daily patrols – which includes support to remove wire traps illegally set and to provide medical support to treat wild giraffes caught in the traps.
Jaguar
The Zoo provides support and training for their Brazilian conservation partner, Projecto Ariranhas – who lead jaguar-safe tours so that locals and wildlife can safely and successfully benefit from ecotourism.
Bald Eagles
The symbol of America, bald eagles are the second largest bird of prey in North America (second to the California condor). Females can have up to a 7-foot wingspan while the males can have a 6-foot wingspan.
Have fun planning your trip to The Houston Zoo!
