Saint Louis Zoo, Saint Louis

The St. Louis Zoo is considered one of the best in the country. It is located in Forest Park about 10 min from downtown. I paticularly enjoy the Penguin and Puffin exhibit and the Big Cat Country. Admission is free. A great place to visit on a family vacation.

Gotta go to the Zoo! It's a first class zoo! And it's free. Expect to have a hard time finding a place to park on nice days, though, it draws a big crowd and deservedly so! It's cat country; 1904 World's Fair bird "cage"; new River Country for the rhinos, elephants, hippos and such; Ape house; reptile house; seal shows; Monkey house; and bear exhibits are just a few of the outstanding things to see here. If you're into zoos---that's reason enough to come to St. Louis!
Although it's free to get into the zoo, there is a really neat Children's zoo with baby animals and a playground in that area. There is a fee to go in there. As well as for the River Country.
The zoo is huge---you can easily spend the whole day here.
There's also a building full of free learning exhibits. It's called The Living Zoo.
And , of course, there are lots of snack bars in the zoo and a couple really nice gift shops.

I wish it would have been a little cooler on Saturday, The Zoo would have been much more pleasant. But, all and all I had a nice time. Next time we will have to go when it's cooler, maybe we will get to see more animals.

Go to the St. Louis Zoo! It is always ranked among the best in the country. I've been to many other zoos, including the famous San Diego Zoo. I thought ours was better. It's also FREE! That's right, you don't have to pay $16.50 per adult to get in.

4 more images

We went to the St. Louis Zoo in June and we loved it!! The zoo was large with a lot of exhibits. The animals seemed to be in a "natural" looking habitat with a lot of room for them to roam around. While the zoo was free, as was parking, there were a few things that was required to be paid for, but we had no problem buying lunch at the park with all of the free stuff that we had access to. Lunch at the zoo cafeteria was on average about $8 per person. Just do not go on a hot day, as shade is scarce! I would reccommend and most defiantly go back again!

The St Louis Zoo is probably my favorite, although my first real life exposure to it probably cost me whatever chances I may have had with one of the prettiest young ladies that I ever dated. I had driven over from Omaha, NE for the weekend to meet the sister of one of my Air Force pals. I thought that we hit it off pretty well but apparently made the mistake of spending several hours at the zoo, which I enjoyed and thought would have been okay because she asked if I wanted to see it. When I returned to Omaha and work the following week, my buddy asked me if I took her to the zoo. When I said that I had, his face almost fell off. He immediately apologized and said that he had meant to warn me that she hated the zoo because "all of her first dates seem to end up there." After I left about a million messages on her answering machine, I told my pal that he should tell her not to suggest the zoo if she did not want to go there, but I never saw, nor even spoke to, her again. Nevertheless, I have been back to the zoo and always enjoy it even with the still haunting questions of "what might have been." The zoo is in a park-like setting in an even larger park. It doesn't have any particularly unique animals or displays but I suppose that I like it so much because it never seems crowded and you can travel through it at whatever pace you desire.

If you have children, I am sure they would love a visit to our zoo. There's so much to see and do here. I haven't see some of the newest areas yet. Or the upgraded outdoor bird aviary that is over a hundred years old. It is really big, the cage and the zoo. There's a zoo train ride, a guided tour bus "train, " a children's zoo, playground, indoor exhibits, a penguin & puffin indoor building and much more.

This map might be a little old, but will give you a good idea of how big the place is. Oh, I almost forgot!! Admission to the main zoo entrances is FREE. The rides cost money & there are plenty of places to eat. A variety of cafes & you can bring a picnic, too. There are two zoo parking lots but they are not free. You might be able to find a good, free spot along a street curb. If you have little kids, be sure to bring a stroller.

3 more images

No family trip is complete without a trip to the St. Louis Zoo!! Even by myself I had a fun time (even though my favorite animals', the gorillas and Chimpanzees, habitate was under construction and they weren't there). There are lots of animals to see from all over the globe- California Sea Lions, Asian Elephants, Giraffes, Polar Bears, Penguins, various birds, boa constrictors, the list goes on and on. There is something for everyone. Though know that in the winter, even though the zoo is open, there were quite a few animals not out in their "habitats".
Def do try and catch the daily feedings of the bears, sea lions, and penguins---it was neat seeing the sea lions be tossed pounds upon pounds of makrel! :-)
The Zoo is open 8am - 7pm (Memorial Day weekend-Labor Day) and 9am-5pm (the rest of the year)
The Zoo is FREE (though if you want to park by the zoo it costs $9--though it all goes to the up-keep of the zoo).

It's a great way if you don't have a lot of money visit the animals, and maybe before you go in have a nice picnic lunch at Forest Park or at the zoo at one of the tables.

It could be a nice first date where it can be just fun and not any expectations.

Also great if you have kids and dont want to spend a bunch of money.

I have been going to the Zoo for many years. As a child and now as an adult with my children. They are adding new things all the time. The Zoo is always free.