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.

Our visit here was wonderful! Farmer Preston was kind and had a lot of information to share. The…read morekids had the opportunity to feed the animals and were thrilled to see such a variety and learn more about them at the farm and then when we got home. We will be back again. Highly recommend!!

Very pleased with the presentation given by the folks at Crowes Nest Farm to educate the folks in…read moreour area about wildlife and helping the children ace their state mandated tests! All the animals are rescued and kept their for their own health and safety that run off of donations, sponsors, and special events to keep afloat. My favorites are the birds of prey! Definitely recommend for the experience, knowledge to be gained!

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!

OMG! I loved this place! If you are debating on the Franklin Safari or the Auggieland Safari…read moreFranklin wins hands down. Its about half the price and you can feed the animals out of the buckets! So many variety of animal's! The Zebras and the Camels were my favorite! Bring romain lettuce to feed the Giraffe's they were so tame and amazing! I am for sure going back! Aggieland Safari you can only put the food on the ground you cant feed the animal's out of the buckets!

Absolute best experience of my entire life…read more I pet a Zebra, a camel, and a kangaroo. This would've been worth any amount of money to me. You get a bucket of buckets of food. We only used one. I think one or two is fine. $5 a bucket. If you have kids they would be blown away. It was $40 for two of us. You take your own car. You must do this.

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.

Linda at check in is a superstar Tanya in the field super…read morepolite and a true Gem with his tidy treat people. Not yelling or barking at customers. Kathy at checkout was awesome. I shall return. Super fun picking strawberries myself. Kenny G

We have been visiting this place for years, and our kids love it. It was great during COVID because…read moreit's huge and maintained distance. Since then, this place has come a long way. They also had a flood and had to rebuild quite a few things. Since a great place to spend a weekend. Their baby goats are adorable. Make sure if you want to feed them, buy it online; otherwise, the wait is hours.