A decent zoo with a great variety of animals and well-designed exhibits. The Journey to Churchill section, featuring polar bears and other Arctic wildlife, is definitely the highlight -- beautifully done and unique to this zoo. Unfortunately, the polar bears weren't out when I came here, but that's OK. The overall experience of being at this zoo was still great. The grounds are clean, spacious, and easy to navigate, and there's plenty for both kids and adults to enjoy. Staff are friendly, and the overall experience feels well-organized and educational. Only reason for not giving 5 stars is that some areas could use a bit more shade and seating during warmer months, but overall it's an attraction worth checking out when in Winnipeg. read more

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The only reason that I'm giving the zoo a 4 star instead of a 5 is the price and not all animals were out to see, not many bathroom locations. First, I love the zoo especially my special needs sibling loves it even more and had been waiting months to go, but because it is literally so expensive we had to save up as we're both low income and can't afford that. Now that brings me to another point and question, why is it that low income and people with disabilities have to pay for their ticket but their support get into the zoo free? that doesn't make any sense, why isn't it the other way around? you would think that the support person should have to pay and the person with the disability should get in for free. Now onto the zoo second, this trip was fun we actually went on a perfect day where it wasn't super hot just right and just missed the rain when we left. Felt bad for the people just getting there as it started raining. There's so many amazing animals but I felt so bad for those ones who were all alone: the red panda, birds, tiger, etc. They need companions, the red panda just looked so sad and it made me so sad. I like that the Loo was there just as you walk out of the doors when just getting to the zoo, but I wish there were more bathroom locations. Especially for kids or special needs people who can't hold it, like my sibling. There was one other location we found. The restaurant; the big one by the polar bears was nice, like the restaurant itself. I didn't buy anything from it, maybe next time but one of the people i was with did. I did try some chips and they were good. This one group of people who came to sit near us literally pushed their bloody chair against our chairs to try and get us to move: it worked. They were so bloody rude that made the dining experience a bit of a disaster. We moved tables because clearly they really wanted ours and instead of going to sit at the already huge table they took 2 small tables and put them together? where's the logic or common decency? They were also letting their children jump and climb on tables, oh it was a big mess. Those people need to learn manners and teach their kids not to climb on tables and chairs at restaurants: it's not your property or playground. The gift shop was nice but expensive so I wouldn't actually purchase anything from it just because it isn't in our budget but if it were there were some nice things I'd maybe consider. For transportation I like that the 18 goes right to the Zoo on the weekends, not during the week though that is unfortunate. But other busses go there that make it easy to get to and from the zoo, there is a bus stop right across the street from the zoo that has a few bus options from what i remember. There's also the option of walking from the zoo to the park if you're feeling adventurous. If you drive there's parking available from what I saw there's a decent sized parking lot. The Zoo is for sure an all day experience, I'd recommend to start in the morning, bring water pack a lunch or bring food with you to eat there. read more

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It was a nice zoo. Perfect weather. Glad to see that they are educating people on the different species and focus on the polar bears. read more

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I came here on a whim while I had some time to kill on a vacation to visit family. It had probably been nearly 20 years since I had last visited the zoo. Overall I was pretty happy with my trip the variety of animals to visit was neat. The tunnel under the polar bears was particularly cool. Also the dinosaur trail was really neat. I was kind of disappointed to hear that that wasn't a permanent exhibit like in Calgary. The price of entry was reasonable, there were several snack options although I found myself wishing I had brought my water bottle. Overall I was happy with my trip. read more

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Decent midsize zoo. Pretty typical collection of animals for northern zoo. Animals seem well tended to. Free parking. Reasonable admission. Really well done polar bear enclosure. Not a destination but not bad if in area. read more

We visited just for the day while staying with faculty in Northern Minnesota. We loved visiting this zoo. It's a very open facility in comparison to other zoos. What we really enjoyed is seeing all the different winter animals. Down in Texas our focus are animals living in dry heat conditions. The polar exhibit is very cool! I do wish they had a staircase 'overlook' of the whole area they live in. This exhibit was the #1 reason why we wanted to visit. Churchill, CA is one of our vacation points we would like to do one day. They also have a very awesome indoor playground that Jack loved running around in. The cafeteria was awesome, with the glass looking into the polar bears area. read more

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It is an amazing zoo with several animals we have not seen before to include their polar bears. Also like the snow leopards. Excellent choice even for us adults. read more

This zoo was great. Lots to see and do! We went on a weekday and barely any other people were there. It was clam and lovely. The polar bears and seals are an awesome addition. Compared to many larger zoos this one had a great layout, lots of activities, and many animals to see. If you visit Winnipeg, I would suggest you visit the zoo! read more

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We wanted to see polar bears and the dinosaurs. And that is pretty much all we saw. The exhibits/pens/whatever they are called were either empty (we really looked from lots of angles) or had 1 animal, who was trying to hide from people. Very disappointing. There looked to be a cement pond in each pen, but NO water. We lucked out that 2 polar bears were playing in the water so we did get to see them, and that was fun, but the docent assigned to the area didn't know anything, not even how tall they are. read more

I have been going to this Zoo since I was a wee lass. It was amazing how long free admission lasted in an urban centre! I don't mind paying now, as the site has been greatly changed and it makes for an entertaining experience. I enjoyed the different habitats and how they are not cramped, and attempt to replicate natural creature dwellings. The Polar Bears and Penguins are a particular treat. The volunteers in the Penguin area were very helpful and knowledgable. The butterfly enclosure is well thought out and contains a wealth of species. I was disappointed to see parents letting their children chase the butterflies attempting to touch them (I feared for the butterfly when one boy succeeded), and picking flowers and plants from the display. The children in my group fed the very tame groundhogs but we were later told that they carry diseases communicable to humans and should not be fed. I loved the 360 degree theatre. The show was informative and enjoyable. It is at this Zoo that I first saw Kangaroo's walking. I was shocked, having thought they always hopped for transportation. These kind of experiences make the Zoo a privilege to attend; learning more about the Animal Kingdom. I'll be back. read more

Assiniboine Park Zoo - A wealth of beautiful butterflies. - Zoos Near Me - Winnipeg, Manitoba

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This is a great zoo! The polar bear and seal underwater walkway is amazing!!! Lots of other animals to see also. Easily walked in 2-4 hours depending on how much time you spend reading the displays. Super fun dinosaur area with animatronic creatures! Easy (and free) parking. We had a very enjoyable time. read more

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Although Winnipeg is only warm enough for outdoor activities for a fraction of the year Assiniboine Park seems to consume many for locals and tourists alike, the sculpture gardens and zoo expectedly popular but the grounds themselves also a great place for relaxation or exercise. read more

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Cute, definitely will visit again. If you want to take some good pictures, you need to bring your camera. read more

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I love the zoo. Animals were very active for a warm August day! Polar bear exhibit is Seinfeld a highlight but watching the wolves running all over their enclosure was a close second. Not overly crowded really nice day and very affordable. read more

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I'm 53 years old. I've been coming to Assiniboine Park since the 1960s since I was a baby. Back then the Zoo was FREE. Since 1993 you have to pay an increasingly higher Entrance Fee to get in. Also, the 18 Corydon bus does not go to the *new* Zoo entrance daily, only on weekends and holidays. What's up with that? Transit schedules need fixing here. I have chosen not to go to the newly designed Zoo because I find that $20+ is too much for my budget. read more

I have a soft spot for this zoo because I've been coming here since I was a kid. I have an even softer spot now because the last time I was here, I was with my dad and we had a great time. They are really trying to make this place more entertaining. It has looked relatively the same for the last 20 years. Now that they added the Churchill and currently the dinosaur exhibits, this makes the old look like new again. I loved Journey to Churchill. I've always wanted to go and this gives a small insight as to what I can expect there. I am happy that they built a huge area for the polar bears compared to their rock area they had before. This gives them so much more room to roam around in. The underground water tank is cool to walk through and if you're lucky, a polar bear will be swimming on top of you. We loved the dinosaur exhibit, even though it's temporary. I felt like I was in Jurassic Park for a second. Ok, yes they're animatronic and more for the kids, but it felt like I was back in school learning about different dinosaurs again. The downfall is, with the new exhibits, comes an increase in park admission price. I may be a little biased because I remember when admission was $10. I am just hoping they use the admission money for the animals...! read more

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Had a great chilly visit. The Journey to Churchill is not to be missed. Very lovely to eat lunch with polar bears. We had so much fun!

Ive been to a lot of Zoos and while the Winnipeg Zoo is lacking in some aspects the newly added Journey to Churchill section is awesome! We visited the day after the new section of the zoo opened so much of the zoo was still under renovations which is why this review is 4 stars instead of 5. The Polar Bear Exhibit is one of the best I have ever seen in a zoo and the walk through tunnel allowing you to sea the polar bears playing under water is great. The animals all seem healthy and happy! Lots of animals running around are free roam which is also a nice addition to the zoo. read more

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Fantastic! We really had a great time. It's our first time going here and it didn't disappoint. The park is very clean and very educational, it teaches you about conservation and taking care of the planet, there are maps posted so you know where you are going next. The volunteers are very knowledgeable and very accommodating. It's my first time to see a wolf and polar bear up close and I was like Wow!. Next time we visit Winnipeg we will definitely be back here. read more

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At first when I got there I was not to impressed with the bison part ok the zoo because they were quite far away and they didn't do much as we went on the animas were more active and interesting. The best part for sure was the water tank with the polar bear and the seals. I don't have many pictures because I mostly took videos. When we got to the cafe by the polar bears we were tired out and wanted to move around fast to get to the exit but then we went into the centre with the and side lops the mood changed even tho the xtreme bug activity was more for children I had a blast completing it and getting the bug buddy badge. The butterfly garden was just breathtaking and beautiful. And the car train ride was also fun but I wish it went all around the park not just one side. read more

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Oh geez. I was expecting much more than this. My friends and I still had a really good time, but mostly because we were being complete jackasses. It was pretty empty because we went on a Tuesday afternoon. I don't just mean people. There were almost zero animals in any of the habitats. We saw a variety of big cats, deer and birds. That was pretty much it, and there were a minimal amount of those to begin with. On a bizarre note, they seemed to have started decorating for Halloween. So half the park had really random shitty Halloween decorations placed along the walking paths. That, and a lot of those face-in-a-hole things that you take lame photos of your friends in... and we sure did! Because there were more of those in the park than any actual animals! I liked the peacocks that were roaming the park, the fake alligator (no real ones?) and the hilarious male lion that tried to attack an offensively ugly baby stroller through the glass barrier. I wouldn't say NEVER come here, but.. don't expect too much. read more

We visited the zoo for Memorial Day weekend and at first was wary. After entering, we found that there was construction for the polar bear gigantic exhibit. To the left, there was a open range kangaroo and emu sanctuary. Afterwards, we took a look at the other exhibits and found several empty areas with Canadian geese taking home. The polar bear exhibit at least opened part of it to the public. We finished the zoo by noonish so it was about 2-3 hours tops. There are alot of renovations so better to come back after zoo has finished at least the polar bear exhibit in July. read more

I've been twice with the daycamp I'm working with. Finally, the construction on the zoo is done and it's a pretty great way to spend a day. My favorites are the butterfly garden which has way more butterflies than ever- and the journey to Churchill where polar bears swim over your head in an impressively large tank that's only part of their very nice habitat. There is a schedule available for a lot of interactive exhibits where zookeepers feed/talk about the animals. They are all very knowledgeable and friendly. I'd honestly say it isn't worth cheaper admission on a Tuesday. The place gets way too packed and I didn't really see anything. It's expensive, but worth a visit. Take your own drinks and snacks to save money- and don't feed the Prairie dogs!!! read more

I visited this zoo and I can tell you there is still a lot to see. Sometimes you need a little patience to wait for the polar bears (they aren't diving in their pool all the time) but it's worth it to see them wrestling from the nice viewing areas. There are also great indoor areas like a tropical rainforest biosphere and meerkats in another area. They are fun to watch. Overall a pleasant walk on a nice day and a highlight of visiting Winnipeg. read more

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Some of the animals seemed to not be cared for properly. I addressed this issue with the ticket booth staff. The price has sky rocketed. The polar bear exhibit is on the opposite end from the entrance now. I have yet to see the polar bear in the water. There are other things to see. Some exhibits like this one are probably best visited in winter. There are seals and wolves at one point. There is a room where they show a video about aboriginal land and values or something like that. There is a skeleton of a bowhead whale inside the polar bear exhibit building. It's a large area with lot's of different things to explore. The conservation building next to the polar bear exhibit, I thought, was boring and squished. I thought they could have made it more interactive and interesting. The Australian exhibit lost it's charm. It used to be interesting and a larger area where they had all sorts of Australian animals, even koala bears. Now it's a large pen you walk into with wallabies and emus together. At first, when they opened, you could go up the animals and pet them. But now they have the lesser tame ones and you have to keep your distance. The butterfly exhibit is neat. At first I thought it was a greenhouse. There are 2 butterfly areas with a souvenir store in the middle. They have a glass case that holds cocoons and chrysalises. Some of the butterflies are pretty big. Not for those who have a fear of butterflies. They land on you and fly very close past you. The other exhibits were the same as usual. Elks, bison, gazelles. mountain goats, big cats. There's hardly any monkeys, anymore. Some areas seem desolate. The Kinsman Discovery Centre used to be a very popular, fun attraction. It's falling apart and some things are not working, like the light buttons in the swampy area. There used to be a geode crystal and a huge amethyst but it was stolen or something happened to it in the '90s and it was never replaced. There are no meerkats anymore. There used to be a small tunnel with peepdomes for kids to crawl in. But a kid broke one of the domes and that made the tunnel permanently closed off. There's still the snake put area. The eggs that kids would crawl into are gone. The petting zoo area is closed off so all you can do is look into the barn. At least the tower is still open. The Tropical House is still open. I think they did some renos, but kept it rather the same. They have increased the animals for that exhibit. Unfortunately, the smoking area is right next to the Tropical house the smoke is blowing right into the cages. I feel bad for those animals. There is no more corn kernel dispenser to feed the ducks. The zoo layout is rather odd and confusing to navigate to ensure you see all the sights in a nice flow. You always need a map to track your course and there is some back tracking that you need to do. The fresh lemonade is delicious. The restaurant is neat. There is a window wall that looks into the polar bear exhibit and bears walk right up to the glass. There is sometimes a long line. The food is as good as always. There is some premade food that you find at most grocers but they still have their old fashioned fresh made stuff. Some stuff is affordable. Other stuff id pricey. They still have peacocks and gophers wandering around freely. read more

The gift shop is great and the walk was nice. We got there around 3:30 pm and weren't able to walk the whole park so we missed a couple sections before they closed. It wouldn't have been such a let down but for the most part we didn't see a very many animals. We at least got to see an emu, kangaroos, reindeer, some tropical birds, a lynx, cougar and our favorite.. the red panda! read more

So beautiful! Love seeing the beautiful flowers, all the animals and the polar bears. Played with butterflies it's heaven.

We were visiting from out of town thought why not check out the zoo. Overall we enjoyed our experience here. We walked around to all the different areas and took a few breaks it took us about 3 hours. There was a few areas that were empty which was a little disappointing but overall we enjoyed our experience. read more

Visited in September right at open. Animals were very active and being fed. The polar bear exhibit may be the best exhibit I've seen and we've been to a lot of zoos. read more

Assiniboine Park Zoo - Zoos Near Me - Winnipeg, Manitoba

Okay, I know it's not the best zoo in Canada, but... it is decent, and they are doing a reno to make it better. My kids love it and have a blast and don't care that it is not top in Canada. There is open space for them to run, places to picnic, the new playgrounds are pretty good, the kids do love the new indoor play area and have tons of fun there! We have a yearly family pass which is perfect so we can drop in anytime and aren't committed to a whole day. Great place to go for some quick dropin summertime fun. read more

Two weeks ago I took the great grandchildren to the zoo. I was very disappointed. I remember the zoo when people could look at the animals and laugh at some of the antics - especially the monkey enclosure. Now we hardly seen any animals at all. The children being 5 and 8 years old are not tall enough to see over the over-growth of bush to the very very large enclosures. Many of the animals were sleeping so the children couldn't actually look at them and the zoo closes at 5pm. The polar bears, one of the main reasons we went, were hidden behind very large rocks and so we didn't really get to view them. There is far too many and the rocks too large. The dinosaurs looked very rubbery and the children were not impressed at all. The children did get to see the gophers and whatever little creatures that run around the grassy areas. This is the one aspect of the zoo that they enjoyed as we really didn't get to see anything else. All in all I have to say that for the prices they are asking from visitors to enter the zoo I think the museum or planetarium is a far better outing. We will not visit the zoo again and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone else. Being fair though I do want to state that the fencing around the bears was very impressive and perhaps worth the price to see. I realize that the care for the animals is the top priority for the zoo but with this in mind there should be little to no fee entrance. read more

I was quite disappointed. The prices are ridiculous for the few animals you see! Half the cages are empty or the animals are to far away! The zoo was better 10-15 years ago then it is now! read more

Young kids may enjoy this zoo, but adults may find it boring. Many of the enclosures were empty and I didn't see any polar bears - just bad timing I suppose. The underwater polar bear viewing was closed for repairs and none were visible from the outdoor viewing area. As a Winniper, I don't like to be negative, but this zoo needs improvement. read more

Went to the zoo for fathers day - really disappointed with the grounds keeping. Many of the new areas that look like they would have been nicely landscaped with perennial shrubs etc were overgrown with weeds (and the garbage that was tangled in them).. We had to lift our 3.5 year old grand daughter up at many of the exhibits to see the animals because she couldn't see over the weeds growing in front of it. I don't expect full flower beds of annual flowers- but the perennial beds that I'm sure they spent a lot on creating looked awful. I heard several other people comment on the weeds as well. Not what I expect when I pay 20.00. We just came through St Louis and spent the day at their zoo - lovely landscaping - well kept, well trimmed... oh and by the way - it's free.... (I know we can't compare a state funded zoo with ours but really people....pull the weeds. read more