Cleveland Metroparks Zoo

We visit this zoo number times a year and still find something new to see every time. The newest thing is the tiger exhibit. It’s truly amazing. Very large and really nice. There is even a spot to stand under them while they cross a bridge. The tigers are currently getting acclimated to the environment so if you really want to see them wait a few weeks. It will be amazing! The other new thing is a 4d theater. We loved it! It’s a must for sure.

Second year with a family membership. There’s a lot to see within the zoo & rain forest. We always make a day out of it. We go all throughout the year, even in winter. There aren’t as many animals out in the colder months but the rain forest is still a good time in cold weather.

I came here as part of my trip to Cleveland and really enjoyed seeing the wonderful zoo and all the animals that are here. The displays are wonderful, and I am glad I got the chance to come.
For starters, the admission is reasonable, only $ 14.25 for adults. Parking is free with plenty of spaces. Upon walking in, I was given a map and took a few minutes to figure out which way to go. I started with the elephant exhibit which was amazing! I walked through the first area which was the outdoor pen. None of the elephants were there. I then walked through the indoor part to find the elephants eating and getting ready for their day! I was able to get up close and personal with them, which I absolutely loved!
Then, off to the Flamingos! Love these guys. Their always up for photos, and I love the pink colors. Up next, I fed the birds. I purchased a cup of nectar for $ 2 and with some prompting, was able to feed them right then and there! They were absolutely hilarious! Two birds would come up, and one would push the other out of the way with their foot to get nectar!
I then walked around and got to see a bunch of other animals in no particular order. Lions, tigers and bears, along with Giraffes, birds and fish. I did take the tram down after walking through the monkey exhibit, which was fun to do as the monkeys were actively swinging from the ropes.
At this point, I’m a bit worn down, and starting to feel the burn from hiking it for almost two hours. There’s plenty of benches to sit on, which I did to regain my strength. But here’s where I dock a star. First, the tram only runs from the Monkey part down to the entrance. There’s a second part the the tram runs, but due to construction, they weren’t shuttling people up and down from that part. BOO. Also, none of the food or water stands were open, and I was there for a good part of the day. Not that I’m looking to stuff my face, but a lemonade would have been awesome!
Also, I think I may have skipped an exhibit or two by sheer accident. I realized on the way out that there was the jungle thing admission, but I was so run down I didn’t have the energy to see it. Also, the gift shop seems to be geared mostly towards kids, and I didn’t by a thing. A LOT of stuffed animals and coffee cups, for sure. I was looking for something on the smaller end, and what am I going to do with stuffed animals? Maybe some magnets or picture frames would do.
Anyways, I had a blast and spent 3 full hours here. I would go again weather permitting and was worth the price of admission.

very nicely done zoo. coming from philly its hard to beat. some of the zoo is currently under construction but will be great once completed. Reasonably priced for what you get. a full tour should take about 2 – 3 hours. If you goto the top make sure to take the tram, its a hike to walk the hill. The zoo itself is very clean and maintained.. My only complaint is with the food. And i know you dont go to the zoo for the food but with all the great things going on in this city to have McDonald and pizza hut be you food is kind of a shame. Wish the what i would assume to be stadium food stand was open.

Awsome zoo! Bigger land wise than DC zoo (my home zoo) but my zoo has more animal variety. It was nice seeing Aftrican Elephants for a change. DC only has Asian Elephants. 3 kinds of Kangaroos and a kola!!! Day made :-) Cat enclosure have indoor outdoor runs (best of best worlds) absolutely great!!!

I’ve been to multiple other zoos in the US and Clevelands Zoo puts the rest to shame. The exhibits are grand and the animals look well fed and happy. I truly recommend going to the Cleveland Zoo.

As a local I’ve watched the Zoo improve it’s enclosures for most of the large animals over the years. Elephant crossing, the African Savannah for the giraffes, rhino building, Rainforest for the orangutans, etc. All I’m saying is the gorillas could use some love. IDK, maybe moving them after all this time would stress them out, but their suite looks like a holding cell. I like the aquatic section even though it’s not as big as some other zoos (especially with CLE new aquarium opening in the Flats) but the tanks are well established and many of the fish have obviously been there awhile as they are huge. If you haven’t been in a while, you must go see the baby orangutan, show stealer. We also liked the otters, bushbabies, and the ocelot.

This is such a fun place for kids. A lot of the exhibits are interactive and there are plenty of volunteers at the exhibits to educate you on that particular animal.
There is a lot of walking so plan on wearing your comfy shoes. We always pack a lunch but there are several places to purchase food.
Don’t miss the Australian Adventure, one of my favorites.

Ok so I’ve been to like 10 Zoo’s in the past year and let me say Cleveland Metroparks Zoo takes the cake and wins this round. It’s huge! It was cold the day we went but so perfect for a walk about, a tram ride, trip to the gum-​leaf hideout with one legit koala, and a visit to the deadliest snake in the world’s cave.
The food court is EPIC and also has GLUTEN-​FREE BREAD!
I’ll just post photos of what I really encountered here but this is an ALL-​DAY ZOO which really takes 3 – 5 hours to complete if you move at a chill pace and be sure to scope everything out. The only letdown was how some of the animals were kept like the cats and the snow leopard it was pacing in circles and looked real sick =(Poor Kitty! Let it run Cleveland, let it RUN!
Besides some of the Animal’s cages being way to small for these critters, the Cleveland Zoo is awesome, and was fun to see a large variety of species, animals, and be sure to bring your walking shoes because this Zoo is way large.

I have been a member to the zoological society for almost 20 years. Cleveland’s zoo never disappoints.
I enjoy going on colder days, the animals seem to be more active.
Stay away on Mondays, the zoo is free to Cuyahoga county residents and it is very crowded with families and field trips.
The staff is friendly, knowledgable and has hands on activities for children.
The elephants are awesome, the lions are roaring, the koalas are sweet, my daughter loves the animal hospital and Australia is a fun hands on area.
There weren’t gorillas last time I visited in November, 2015?
I usually pack food, not a fan of their food choices and it’s pricey.
Bring walking shoes and water.

My review is a bit delayed, as we went when the weather was nicer, but I just had to share my experience and the photos I took.
The prices for drinks are pretty expensive so that’s a bummer. Some of the exhibits where closed and I did witness a child get sick in the middle of the park, but you can’t expect a totally perfect day, right?
The weather was perfect and the animals knew it! They were all out and showing off, it was so cute. The elephants! Oh my goodness, they were a hoot.
The actual place itself was nice, clean and pretty well structured that you followed a path to go around. They have awesome exhibits like feed the giraffe or go into the bird cages to feed them. The giraffe experience was in high demand so they ran out of leaves but maybe next time.
For my first time at the zoo, I had a blast!

Love the Zoo. Great walking zoo for the whole family. The area can be a little confusing, but that is part of the adventure. Make sure you look for all of the hidden places.

I absolutely love the Cleveland Zoo. It is one of my favorite zoos to visit and spend time in with friends. This zoo is big it’s a lot of fun and the variety of animals is perfect for the zoo and the Cleveland metro parks area. I have been going to this zoo my whole life. There’s not much else to say except that I love this zoo so much and that I love going to the zoo and there are great times to go during the summer winter and fall times.

I was able to use my Buffalo Zoo membership to get in at half price. This is a really nice smaller zoo. The exhibits are well maintained and staff is knowledgeable. Highlights were the hippo and koala bear exhibits. They also have a nice carousel that my son loved. When rating this zoo I factored in cost of admission and expectations. Is this the Columbus or San Diego Zoo? No, but it’s a nice place to take your kids to on a weekend afternoon.

The GOOD:
They have quite a few interactive options with animals. Camel rides, petting area with horses/​goats and you can feed giraffes. It’s mostly for kids but I loved doing these things.
The wolf area I strongly recommend. It was my favorite thing and I didn’t even get to see the Mexican Wolf. You go into a cabin and the back is huge clear walls where you can pretty much be up close with the wolf (if he’s around). There’s another room you walk into (lower level) so you have direct underwater view of the fishes and can look up to yard the wolf is in. It’s got a «I live in a cabin in the woods and see wolfs in my backyard» kinda vibe.
The rainforest is really cool. It’s hot in there but totally worth the trip. They have this set up as if you’re walking through a rainforest. The little monkeys are cute. Rainforest is not in the main zoo. It’s good to do it before/​after visiting the park.
The BAD:
There aren’t enough vendors, I could have used a bottle of water here and there but there wasn’t really any snack/​beverage stands. You had to go out of your way for it. When we did find the vendors, they only took cash. Soooo, I didn’t get my dippin dots. :-(
The trams don’t run often enough.
The elephant crossing is weak. Understand that the park has safety regulations but once they open the gates, the gates block off any real view of the elephants. Even clear gates would have been cool so at least people could see them up close.
The Penguins, don’t bother. There’s about 4 of them in a little showcase. They hype it up to be bigger than it actually is.

Meh this place is OK as far as Zoo’s go.
The layout isn’t great and the exhibits can be hit or miss depending on how the animals are that day.
It is nice for a great walk… as you will walk your butt off getting from exhibit to exhibit.
If you have never been, go ahead and check it out, I’ll probably go back again in a few years when i have forgotten about most I have seen.

I found myself in Cleveland for a few days this summer, and had a couple of chances to explore the city on my own. On day two, I took myself to the zoo.
I got a little bit of a weird look for buying just one adult ticket– are grown-​ups not supposed to like animals?! Other than that, this zoo was amazing, and I had a fantastic time. The place is enormous; my FitBit told me I walked over four miles while I explored, so plan accordingly.
Everything was very clean, including the bathrooms, and I loved all of the exhibits. You can tell that the animals are well taken care of, and that they’ve done a good job giving them as much room to roam as possible, with both indoor and outdoor areas in most exhibits.
For me, some of the highlights were:
–elephants! I’m always a sucker for them, and Elephant Crossing lets you get very close.
–swimming cat exhibit: because who doesn’t want to see big cats swimming for their food?
–gorillas: they have a couple male gorillas who hang out in a big outdoor exhibit in the summer months.
–African penguins: every loves cute penguins.
–harbor seals: you can watch them above and under water.
–grizzly bear: go at feeding time if you can– gives you a chance to see the bears stand up, so you can see how huge they are.
–Monkey Island: the Colobus monkeys live on an island separated from visitors by a moat, which gives them some seclusion from us and a chance to have something similar to their natural habitat.
Give yourself plenty of time to explore– I was here for well over 3 hours, and that was without kids in tow. There are plenty of shaded benches if you need to give your feet a quick break, and decent snack options as well, including a Ben & Jerry’s by Waterfowl Lake. Tickets were reasonably priced considering how much there is to explore, and parking was plentiful and free.
Until this trip everything I knew about Cleveland was from «30 Rock,» but this city has some awesome things. I’d happily go back! Especially to the zoo.

Growing up in the suburbs of Cleveland, I’ve always enjoyed taking a trip to the zoo.
The past 3 out of 4 years, I’ve had a membership (renewed today, actually) and I’ve always gotten my money’s worth. Plus, when visiting other zoos, I get deals from them, too!
My only complaint is that it’s such a huge campus. I wish there could be more along the way, sometimes. And it kinda stinks when it’s not summer that there aren’t too many concessions open.
I am glad to see them re-​doing a lot as the years go on. Today, I saw that they’re reconstructing the giraffe exhibit to have more interaction, which is neat.
I wish the seals weren’t so blocked off, and I enjoyed being able to feed them. And I wish they’d re-​do a lot of the northern trek. The animals seem so unhappy and bored there. Would love to see another polar bear. I miss Aurora!
Aside from all the nit-​picky things, I really do enjoy the zoo. I’m constantly going back!

I absolutely love the zoo!!! What an awesome and unique thing to have in your own backyard. I feel a lot of Clevelander’s take it for granted.
They’ve made a ton of improvements throughout the years. They added a whole new section near the elephants, and the carousel is a nice addition too!!! It brought out my inner 8 year old.
They’ve added a bunch of new healthy themed restaurants too, none of which are open yet but all of which I am excited about. They even added places to get beer!!! They should all be open soon. A nice touch is that these places aren’t ridiculously overpriced. $ 6 for a salad, $ 7 for a cheeseburger with fries. Not bad at all.
The animals also all seem well taken care of with nice, big enclosures. Some of them have somewhat smaller ones but the majority of the animals have really nice spaces to live in.
The Cleveland Zoo is definitely one you can’t fully appreciate in one day which is nice because it adds value of coming back. Each year my grandmother buys us the zoo pass so we get in for free and it’s really a great value!!! Me and my grandmother have dedicated that this year we are going to just go there every/​every other weekend just to walk and exercise in a nice environment. What a great place to do it!

Haven’t been to this zoo in what? 30 years? Safe to say it’s a wee bit different now. Sad to see that they don’t use elephant keys anymore.
Went on a Sunday, figuring it would be dead because of the Browns. Wrong. Also figured they would have shuttle service. Wrong again. WTF?
Had a beautiful display of art near the entrance. I had forgotten how large this zoo really is. Guess when you are young you don’t notice those things.
The numbers and kinds of animals on display were very good. Only real disappointment was the aquarium. Guess I just wanted to see more types of jellyfish and freshwater fish. Did get to see the baby giraffe though! Rainforest was great as always, though the staff there was gruff.
This zoo makes me wonder why the one in Columbus is so hyped? Jack must be a greater marketer than I believed, because that zoo blows compared to the Cleveland one.