I love animals and this is a prime example of how important it is to educate people of all ages! Every breathing being large or small on our planet needs to be cared for. A zoo is a place we need to support! On a road trip we went out of our way to get some exercise and walk around the Topeka Kansas Zoo. It was a hot summer day and the perfect place to explore a new city and zoo! This is a small facility so every person that comes here makes a big impact on the budget. The animals at this zoo are so amazingly entertaining and beautiful! They need your support. Visit in person for only $10 entry fee. If you can't make it in person, show up by going online to support these animals and the Topeka Zoo. Remodeling projects are in progress and funding is necessary so that the residents have improved habitats. Find the Topeka Kansas Zoo online and make a donation! read more

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I love coming here and you do not need to have children to enjoy. It has a great variety of trails to choose from, lovely pond area, places to picnic and more. The area for kids where they can take the train ride, go to the zoo and support our local community is where it's at. There are plenty of spots to grill out and there is a nice community pool. All in all a one stop fun area and it's well maintained. read more

My family and I where on a mini vacation after a work function and this zoo was close by so we stopped in. The price isn't bad for a family of 5 and the setting of the zoo was beautiful as far as landscaping goes. We found some of the grounds crew very unfriendly and almost rude towards my kids. It was tough to find many animals outside in their habitat and we're not sure why due to it being in the low 80s. Most of the animals where I'm their inside cages beside from the very cool elephant and hippo my kids where almost board after a hour of being there and their all under the age of 9. I was told we should have went to the Kansas City Zoo and I wish I would have listened. read more

went to see the tropical rain forest and that was small but nice we went in and out of the other areas as it was depressing to see the small areas. read more

Zoo Gage Park - Zoos Near Me - Topeka, Kansas

Just an amazing experience for a toddler dragging her dad and grandparents along. Bright, clean and every enclosure well designed to put the animals' well-being as first priority but with excellent visibility for children to see, this zoo is a gem. Plenty of parking, wide walkways and flowers/plants galore make it a very appealing experience. Great gift shop too! read more

Cost/Benefit Analysis: Good Benefit for Cost. I recommend visiting this establishment. The Gage Park Zoo, Topeka Kansas, is a modest exhibition zoo where you can see beautiful animals on exhibit--rather-than in expansive natural habitats. The primary advantage for the human visitor is that the animals can be readily seen up-close. One-way viewing screens have ingeniously preserved the animals' sense of privacy. We particularly enjoyed seeing the giraffes, mountain lions, and Sumatran (to be distinguished from Siberian) tigers. The African artifact display was also well-worth the time. The zoo's approach is clearly informed by conservationism--rather-than environmentalism. As a conservationist, I like that! There is tremendous industry--with far reaching business interest--in and around Topeka, Kansas. Expansions and improvements could be readily funded by tax-advantaged business partnerships. It would probably be wise to invest in this direction. More animals, younger animals, and mating pairs of animals could be rotated into--and out of--other zoos and habitats (after the fashion of Lincoln Park and Balboa Park). Maintenance could be improved throughout. Animals on exhibit should never be one of a Kind. Cost/Benefit Analysis: Good Benefit for Cost. I recommend visiting this establishment. read more

The only thing this has going for it is $7 to get in. It's small and the animals were not out. I did not enjoy this place at all. Adults could walk it in 25 mins. The staff is non existent and inattentive. Not good we love small zoos but this was no bueno. read more

My husband and I travel via RV across the US. One of the things we like to do in each state, city, is to see the local zoo. This one was ok. Its small, and not laid out well. I like when its laid out so you dont miss anything without having to toil over a map. They had some unique animals I had not seen before. The enclosures looked nice and the animals seemed happy. Well as far as I could tell, they didnt let me know they were unhappy. One food option (was not expecting a sit down restaurant) and it was very limited. My husband likes to get a corn dog when we visit zoo's. He does not get those at home (YUCK!). But sadly there were none. I wouldn't go back, but it was an ok zoo for one visit. read more

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A fine small zoo. Animals seem well cared for. They seem to be trying to upgrade the facilities they have to modern zoo standards. Nothing really jumped out as differentiated. I would not go out of my way to visit but it is a nice local zoo. read more

Except for the snack bar being closed, when the website said that it would be open, the Topeka Zoo was great. The kids really enjoyed the play area and the ease of seeing the animals. The adults enjoyed the many buildings with AC! One issue however, was the poor signage. When poor signage is teamed with not giving out maps, it leads to folks missing exhibits and retracing their steps. read more

I don't know what these other reviews are talking about! The Topeka Zoo was awesome the time I went. Very affordable like a small zoo should be, but also a had a great variety of large and small animals. It is home to 2 Hippos (including a baby)! Not normal for a small town zoo to have these awesome creatures! Also home to Giraffes, Elephants, Tigers, Lions, Mountain Lions, a Black Bear, Gorillas, Orangutans (including a newborn), an Albino Crocodile, and much much more. That list is impressive for a big city zoo (No zoo in Chicago has Hippos or Elephants!), let alone the tiny city of Topeka! However, the most interesting thing about this zoo in my opinion was all the local and non typical zoo animals that it had. Things like skunks and leeches and about 5 different kinds of tarantulas! There is a freaky insect building and a pretty cool rain forest dome with free roaming Flamingos, Scarlet Macaws, and other birds. read more

Nice Zoo. Not too big to get through in a few hours. I enjoy taking pictures here. If you like big cats the Tiger and Lion exhibits are fantastic. read more

Lions and tigers and bears....oh my! Speaking of tigers and in light of the recent tiger attack of a zoo employee, what security measures does this zoo have in place if an animal were to escape its enclosure? There is nothing posted and we would like to know is there an alarm that sounds, a safe place to go etc.? Also, please post better updates on the Kay's Garden area construction. We saw a lot of people turn around and leave when they could no longer park in the large parking lot and the road was blocked off in several places on Mothers Day. When we asked a couple of employees about the plans, they rolled their eyes and said they didn't know. What are the plans for future parking, and will you have to pay to see Kay's Garden, and where will you have to park to attend shows at Helen Hocker theater etc.? Also, the food leaves a lot to be desired. Where do you order a couple of burgers on a slow day and have to wait over 30 minutes for them? Gift store employees/volunteers should know what they are doing and not be too overbearing and also be competent. We even had one gift shop employee/volunteer refuse to give us our "animal on a sucker" after we paid for it and she was cuddling and rocking it at the register because she said it was so cute. We had to ask her for it 3 times! PS...why did they take away free admission for mothers on Mothers Day? read more

Grow up going to this zoo and now my boy does too. It's a small zoo about the right size for a toddler pre-k. Fairly educational and has recently been stepping up their game a bit, so it's been fun watching grow. Across from the zoo is a nice park and a train that is a must for the boy. I've been to a lot of other zoo's that have a lot more space and a lot more options, which is the reason for this being average. If it continues to grow at it's current ambitions I'll bump up the rating. For what it is it is great and works great for teaching my boy about animals and conservation. read more

They do a great job taking care of the animals as well as conservation for animals. They incorporate natural landscaping for enclosures (ex: lions, painted dogs, bears). Was a fun little zoo to experience and see some animals! Baby giraffes are so cute!! read more

Ok, if you take the zoo by itself it is less than impressive. However, if you make a day of it and go to the zoo and then spend the rest of the day at Gage Park (which is right across the street) you will have a wonderful experience. The zoo is small, with fewer animals than your big city zoo. You won't find any zebras, kangaroos, seals, dolphins, rhinos and a few others. You do get to see a white alligator, which was something new to me. It is super easy to navigate, with very little backtracking, to see all the animals. Plus, everytime I have been you actually get to see the animals, they aren't inside where it is cooler or tucked away in some remote corner of their home where you can barely see them. The admission is very reasonable and even better if you have a FOTZ Membership to another zoo. My advice would be to enjoy both the zoo and Gage Park...the kids will love every minute of it! read more

Since I grew up in Topeka, I have waled this mini zoo all my life and have seen many changes. From the small cage for a polar bear to becoming more animal friendly. If you are looking for a quick outing with a couple animals in the background. Then this is the place to go. read more