What an amazing adventure! Purchase tickets in advance online or at the small drive thru hut upon…read moreyour arrival. We saved $3 per ticket by purchasing online! Kids under 3 are free-- also have additional prices for active duty military and seniors. Feed bags are very generous and an additional $4 per bag. Animal information brochures are provided with ticket purchase and show interesting facts and information about many- but not nearly all- of what you will see. The drive through park is a bit shorter than some when comparing to others around Texas and you are encouraged to throw feed and not hand feed. But the boardwalk and activities in the middle section (called Explorers Retreat) more than make up for it. The boardwalk has an additional walk through area where you can feed and view more animals and you can grab another animal brochure in your way in. This area is stroller and wheelchair friendly. The explorers area also has other fun activities like food trucks, gemstone mining for $10, feed Puzzles the giraffe for $4 or $8 depending on the feed you choose, a bar, porta potties, a gift shop, and free petting zoo. Though many of the additional activities cost $$, the boardwalk walk through and petting zoo is free and included with your ticket purchase and it's definitely worth getting out to explore. Gemstone mining was $10 and included a gem card and a large bag of dirt and gems to clean in the moving water table. Marilyn, the woman in charge of this area, made it more than worth our money by drawing out the activity and engaging the kids. She really added to the experience. Feeding the giraffe was fun but quick and could have used some more positive interactions, facts and information about giraffes from employees to enhance the experience for the kids. You are able to drive through as many times as you want after buying the day pass and we took advantage, driving through 3 times with our two bags of food. Pro tips- change drivers and seat positions during each new drive through for different perspectives, bring cups to separate food and give each person their own cup full, bring cameras and binoculars. We absolutely loved our experience and would have purchased season passes if they were a little more affordable. We can't wait to go back!

We went here for a vacation get away outside the city. The animals were so pretty and the staff was…read moreall so kind!

Excellent tour. Great place to take your kids!!! Awesome customer service!! They take care of their…read moreanimals!

We arrived at the advertised opening time of 9 only to be told they now open at 10 for winter hours…read moredespite being summer...ok. The zoo is very small. There is a small indoor section with a few rats, rabbits, a snake, a turtle and not much else. Outside there were more exhibits but either the exhibits were closed or the animals were already hiding from the heat. I did like the hawk and the whistling duck. The small walkways near the emu were closed and all in all there wasn't much there to see. You won't spend more that 35 minutes here. The parking was a small lot and was near the Pumphouse which was nice

A decent small town zoo. Not a fan of the quarters for the animals at my last visit. Small children…read moreare fascinated, but, not really a great zoo for older children, teens or adults. Zoo floods whenever the river rises and I'm sure it takes a lot to keep it in any kind of shape.

Happy 713 Day!…read more Getting out of the house was easy when a ticket to the zoo is $7.13. 10 o'clock was not early enough to arrive because all of the lots were already full, and latecomers were circling like vultures. Parking at the Centennial Gardens is a lifesaver, just a brisk walk, 15 or so minutes. The zoo itself is so engaging and currently expanding: there's going to be a rhino viewing area that's set to be finished by 2027. The only real villain of the day was the weather. When it wasn't intensely humid, it was raining like God was trying to power wash away our sins.

This zoo I quite enjoy with its shady trees when the weather can change from humid to rain storm…read more The exhibits look well taken care of with happy animals. The new sealion exhibit is very nice as you can get a great view of them glide over you. The giant river otters with their crazy antics sliding on the small creek inside their river display. The food is ok, but I rather eat before or after since there many fantastic options around this part of Houston. I recommend at least checking it out for a quick journey into the wild in the middle of Houston.

Horrible service!! As I was walking around with my grandchildren I saw several workers on their…read morephones, so unprofessional. I've heard rumors they treat the animals poorly and when I saw the animals I'm starting to believe them. I've also heard about what they do to the animals dead bodies and I'm DISGUSTED. I saw serval cages empty, really makes you think why is that? What are they doing to these poor animals because from my own knowledge you're not supposed to put an animal that been held CAPTIVE back into the wild. Even with that one of the workers told me that evil place is their forever home more like forever prison or death sentence. I also saw rust in the water the animals were drinking and this is what they claim is an animal sanctuary?? On top of all of this I saw a worker with no bra on and nearly got flashed, MY GRANDKIDS were with me. On top of all of this I met a woman Kim and she was SO RUDE and made my grandkids uncomfortable. That woman immediately gave me predatory vibes and I felt like I needed to get them out of there as soon as possible. I will NEVER return.

First, I just wanted to address the recurring complaint in many reviews regarding the zoo not being…read morestroller-friendly. We left our wagon in the car due to those reviews and later regretted it. You can get by with a sturdy stroller here (with robust wheels). A flimsy one might struggle in some areas. Most of the walking areas are flat (not paved though) but there are a few gnarly areas that are pretty rocky and situated on an incline. I'm posting photos for reference although it might be a bit tough to see. The zoo could really smooth these areas out to make things easier and safer for visitors. Ultimately, the zoo is fairly small -- I had my youngest in a front-facing carrier while my 3YO walked. Second, I wanted to note that the Austin Zoo is not affiliated with the city of Austin. They are a private non-profit organization that does not receive city funding or have any management by the city. They are a rescue-based zoo wherein their animals come from seizures and surrenders, etc. They really should change their name -- I think many visitors expect this to be a city zoo (setting their standards high, only to be inevitably disappointed). I am having a hard time rating this zoo. It is a non-profit that seeks to help animals and it seems like they don't receive funding to do so. At the same time, this place generally seemed a bit run down/dirty. Some of the animals seemed sad/stressed (saw a monkey and an ostrich with missing fur/feathers). Now, I know these are rescues so I can't confidently attribute that stress to conditions at the zoo -- possible that it's related to their past experiences or just general adjustment to a new place. Last but certainly not least, many of the enclosures are way too small for the animals they're housing. This is alarming. I know they're being rescued but perhaps there's a better home for them. The tickets are not exactly cheap. Although children under 2 are free, 2+ tickets are 16.95. That's only $3 less than adult pricing. I get that they don't get city funding but at those prices, I'd at least expect the grounds to look less run down than they did. Also, they don't give you a map nor did I see one posted anywhere (you have to rely on an online map on their website). Once again, they really could invest some revenue toward enhancing the visitor experience. Don't miss the train ride since there are some animals (like the porcupine) that can only be viewed from the train. The conductor (also ticket salesman) was super nice. He also very politely asked my husband to switch spots with my toddler (so she wouldn't be on the open side of the train car). I appreciated that greatly. The gift shop was surprisingly cute and had a bunch of great souvenir options. Beautiful peacocks roaming the grounds is a nice touch. Ultimately, a bit of an uncomfortable visit given the sad animals, inadequate enclosure size, lack of general upkeep, and relatively expensive tickets.

Such a fun place and the person doing the tour was nice and passionate about reptiles. My kid…read moreloves snakes and this was a nice close place to check out all sorts of snakes and reptiles and it was a super Fun tour and was great to check out the town of Bastrop afterwards. Close to Austin and very interesting tour. Enjoyable and a must see and will be back! Highly recommended!

This place was so much fun! My bf took me here because he knows I love animals of all sorts. And I…read moregotta say it was such a pleasant surprise I'm drawing a blank on the owners name, I believe it was Tim, but he was so helpful! And clearly very knowledgeable about all the animals in his zoo. You could just tell how much he loves those animals and you can see all the work he puts into caring for them. Very awesome dude! There were lizards of all kinds, snakes, tortoises, and even some crocodiles which I did not expect! There are so many animals comfortably hidden away in this cute little zoo. You wouldn't think it bc the outside looks so small, but once you get inside you see that the place is filled with exotic looking creatures of all walks of life! We were the only ones there at the time, probably because we got there as soon as they opened lol But the owner made sure to show us all the animals and point out the ones we couldn't find ourselves. He took us on a sort of guided tour of the place while he fed the animals and cleaned the exhibits We later learned that most of the animals were either pets of his or were rescues which I thought was pretty amazing I recommend this place if you love animals like I do, have kids or are looking for a fun little place to spend an hour or two! And they even have a gift shop :)

Absolutely amazing experience! Very knowledgeable staff variety of animals! Holly recommendedread more

I can't say enough good things about TGR Exotics! We had our 3 year old's birthday party there and…read moreeveryone had a fantastic time! Gwen and Rachael were incredible hosts throughout, the kids and the adults all had fun, and we all learned some fun facts about animals. This was the easiest and stress free party I have had for my children. Gwen and her staff did the majority of the setup before we arrived, they helped us unload our car and set up what we brought the day of, and played with our boys while we did final preparations. We got so many compliments from all the parents about how great the party was! Thank you Gwen and staff at TGR Exotics Wildlife Park!

In summary, I think this is absolutely an amazing place that everyone should try to go to at least…read moreonce. Location: this is near bryan, texas and is taken care of by Aggies. I think that this also has something to do with their veterinary program as well. Service: the only people that you really interact with are the people that are going to take your ticket or that you buy food from. I will tell you. It's a okay experience, not overly crazy welcoming, but there's nothing I can complain about. Views: so this is why it's so amazing. Is every time I thought we were gonna have no animals come to us alot of animals came to us or some animals would I ignore other cars but totally came to us. Sometimes we had to work to draw them in other times they chased it down. There were very few cars in the park at that time.I 'm not sure if sunday is just a low day to go, but I thought it was great for us. My favorite thing was feeding the giraffes.I will tell you, it is incredibly expensive and you should just buy one cup and continue to get a refilled. They make you spend nine dollars on a super crappy cup. The refills are six bucks. I think that's kind of crazy for the price, but other than that, that is my only complaint.

Such a fun and exciting adventure!!! Staff were super knowledgeable, friendly, and eager to help…read more The grounds are super clean and you can tell the animals are well taken care of.

Personally I think this zoo should be closed down and the animals should be rescued. There was…read moredebrie all over the place chemicals and bleach everywhere. Rotting wood on the animal enclosures. Turtles so dirty they had moss growing in them. The owners dog growled at my five year old myself and my mother. When I told her she said it was a nice dog just don'tapproachhim becausehe can ne naughty and he was laying very close to the exit gate. The bear enclosure was so overgrown it's hard to believe it was there. The deer pen was held shut by literally a screw. The monkey cage wasn't even locked. A breaker box was opened with wires exposed. Outlets at baby level also with exposed wires. Bathroom house had rotted floors and sinks. The entrance ramp to the park was rotted and falling apart. It honestly is lawsuit waiting to happen. Enter at your own risk.

I purchased tickets through Groupon and it was a good deal. Ticket included a food bag to feed…read moreanimals. I liked location a lot, it's out of way, off 290 and almost in country area. I love that fact and driving was nice part. They have kengaroos, including baby, talking parrot, beautiful wild cats, lion, rino, lemurs, alligators, turtles, wild pig, and lots of deers and other small creatures. The best part was a big old owl by the entrance. Before leaving the property we stopped to look at him, and he was making noises. He was interacting with us. They have small playground and restrooms on site. I would say for us an hour was enough to spent in there.

I didn't know what to expect from this place. Some science centers are kids-only affairs (despite…read morenot being billed as such) while others have more to offer visitors of all ages. Fortunately, the Austin Nature & Science Center ended up falling in the latter category. The main building houses an assortment of bones, shells, and rocks (as well as an axolotl tank) and another building is home to various reptiles. Outside areas include a dino pit (where kids can dig for fossils) and several animal enclosures. What makes the latter unique is that the animals are rehab/rescue cases. They include everything from a bobcat to a porcupine to a 34-year-old one-eyed owl (!!) and more. Granted, Austin Nature & Science Center does offer more for a younger crowd, and it isn't particularly easy to get to by bus, but it's hard to argue with a chance to take in flora and fauna for free.

Great FREE option in Austin for kids!…read more One of the best parts is you can see an axolotl (two, actually) in their visitor center building. Then you can head over to the birds of prey, the reptile/fish building, and the animal enclosures. There's also a little lake and a large sand pit (dino dig). There's a cool room in the visitor center that has all sorts of nature items (bones, dead bugs, shells, rocks, etc.). You can bring in your own stuff to trade! Is it a huge amount of things to do/see? No but for a free attraction, it's pretty great. Parking is across the street -- lot is shared with Zilker Park and all the nearby attractions so it can get busy.