Fort Worth Zoo, Fort Worth

4 more images

Although I would not consider myself a zoo connoisseur, I have been to a few of the country's greatest zoos, including San Diego, and I would place Fort Worth easily within my top 10. The animals all seem to have a great amount of space to roam around, and all look very well maintained. On this particular trip, we were entertaining friends from out of town, so we ventured over to Fort Worth to enjoy this day.

The first exhibit we went to was the primates exhibit. We experienced plenty of Monkeying around, and by the end, the locals were swinging from the rafters. This was much better than swinging from the raptors, which were located close to the monkeys. The lions were lying around, the meerkats were on the march, and the flamingos were busy being vain in the mirror. We did get a dust bath from the elephants, and watched a lazy rhinoceros work on his sun tan.

I would highly recommend checking out this beautiful atmosphere on a great sunny day in Fort Worth!

3 more images

Just having moved to Texas in July 2006, we want to see as much of our new state as possible. We've been drawn to Ft. Worth again and again because this city offers so much!

The Ft. Worth Zoo has been recently nominated as top family attraction in the Dallas/Ft.Worth area and noted as being #11 in a list of 50 top zoos listed by Zagat's U.S. Family Travel Guide. The zoo was founded in 1909. It's education programs are claimed to be the among some of the most respected in the world.

Themed habitats from many countries such as:
African Savannah
Thundering Plains
Raptor Canyon
Asian Falls
Flamingo Bay
Meerkat Mounds

Visitors stroll past lagoons, waterfalls, rock hills or rivers as they follow shady walkways through the park.

A bird enclosure gave us lots of close encounters with its inhabitants when we purchased seed sticks. Colorful parakeets and other birds flocked to the sticks as children held them aloft. We spent a good deal of time in this area.

When you are finished for the day, a train ride takes you back to the entrance for a small fee. We were so thankful that we could ride back, it was a very hot day!

Summer hours are 10 am-5 pm daily with extended weekend hours; Winter hours 10 am-4 pm with shortened holiday hours. Admission is $10.50 for adults; $8.00 for children 3-12 and seniors $7.00.

My wife and I loved the fort worth zoo, we went there twice. This zoo (along with the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans) is my favorite zoo. The zoo is laid out very well. Unlike the San Diego zoo, where you walk forever between some exhibits, the fort worth zoo is easily navigated. When i go to a zoo, it is to see animals, not to walk forever in search of them!! If you want to see a nice zoo and not spend the whole day doing it, this is the place.

Another trip to the Ft. Worth Zoo for us did not disappoint again. We were wanting to see the new babies and Arachnitopia. Only the babies were worth the trip this go around.

I will always say, the best time to go to the zoo is right when it opens. They have just fed the animals and they are all awake and ready to start the day. Except for the lions and bears, they are more or less still tired.

From Silverbacks to orangutans, rhinos to meerkats, white tigers to a walk-through aviary...and let's not forget the lizards, insects and snakes. This zoo is the Disneyland of all zoos.

I highly recommend their candy shop in Texas Live, their fudge is to die for!

Arachnitopia was a disappointment though, the line was 45 minute at least. They had it in a very small building (next to Grandy's Restaurant, which I could only keep thinking if one of those things escaped where they would actually go), and they would only allow in one person(s) in a group together at a time. And some people seemed to be camping out. We just couldn't stay any longer having already spent 4 hours in the zoo already, so we left. I have a phobia of spiders anyway, but it would have been nice to see the Goliath Birdeater. I was able to find that out on YouTube, and that was probably better for me.

A word on their gift shop, shopping in the zoo is just below standards compared to other zoos we have been to. Very few licensed merchandise and very little to do with the stars of their zoo.

This is one of the best zoos in the country. Visitors can see cheetahs, lions, tigers, elephants, komodo dragons, and a variety of other animals. The zoo is in Forest Park, which is west of downtown. It is not far from the Cultural District and has easy access off of I-30. Be aware that there is a parking fee in addition to the admission charge.

2 more images

By far the best zoo in the DFW area! Although I have never been to the Dallas Zoo, I hear it doesn't even compare to the Fort Worth Zoo. Not to mention, the animals here are very unique, as well as their habitats, and they are VERY well taken care of. This I highly recommend, especially for kids. They will have a blast!

Texas Wild features the flora and fauna of Texas set on 8 acres. Lots of interactive activies and more than 200 animals native to Texas.

Texas Town in Texas Wild is a reproduction of an old town with shops and exhibits. There is a good ice cream store there as well.

There is a Playbar where kids can experience life on a farm and interact with the animals.

This building is amazing especially for kids. There are many educational exhibits including a weather theatre. You get taken through tornado's and hail storms including making you feel you are actually in a storm. You can get slightly damp but nothing to worry about. You also get the feel of what its like to live in the wild. Very good indeed.