We had a great time. Wish we would have bought tickets ahead of time, because they were at max capacity for 2+ hours out. We got there at 2 and the earliest tickets available were 4:30. So we played at the park, which was fun! Someone was having a birthday party (good idea!), there are little park grills to use, lots of shade and picnic tables. Once we got into the zoo, the animals were out and very active. One of the workers said they are most active at the end of the day because its almost feeding time and most of the animals prefer the cooler weather. Awesome experience, our 3 year old and almost 1 year old loved it!If you have a MIBridges card (EBT or WIC) you can get in free!

John Ball Zoo is lovely small zoo with lots of treasures throughout. The tiger exhibit is large and the tigers are always out. The red pandas and the three triplets are hilarious to watch run around and play. The animals in the reptile house are fun, and the zoo keepers are kind and informative. This zoo is definitely worth a visit.

The new entrance is great! I love the flow now. We visited during illumizoo/Boo at the zoo/Brick animals. It was great to experience them all on the same visit. We did not see many animals as it was quite dark. Would love to go back during the day and visit the animals again.

Beautiful night for a stroll through IllimiZoo. It was fun seeing how the lights were used to illuminate the zoo. It was inventive and a mix of pretty and spooky. The quotes were fun to read and some of them quite thought-provoking. I wish I were a better photographer. Youll just have to go and see it for yourself!

Many positives since my last visit many summers ago. As a Grand Rapids West Side native I have watched JBP evolve and its very exciting. This visit I love BRICKLIVE! Wow, due to numerous reasons many of the animals were not out and available and the BRICKLIVE helped redeem the $14 entrance fee. The positives are the fabulous walkways through the park and many of the exhibits are conducive to the animals exercising and staying healthy EXCEPT the Grizzly Bear! Please do something to create a healthful environment for this bear! The Pond is dirty and surroundings are not healthful. The benches through out the park are nice as well. I can see a bright future especially when the Grizzly cage is better managed.

Great little zoo in a great little Midwest town. The enclosures are very nice, even compared to much larger zoos. Great place for kids. You can get through the whole place in just a few hours without even rushing. Many interactive stations with the animals as well, from petting farm to camel riding and urchin garden.

Our family came for the Wizarding weekend and had a great time. The zoo did a great job with all of the Harry Potter type decorations and exhibits. The kids loved it. The animals were all out as well and saw so many up close through the exhibit windows.

Great zoo! Not crowded at all. All the animals were out walking about, Tigers, Lions, Snakes, and Red Pandas. The Lego exhibit was awesome.

The new ramps are amazing. Makes the walking more enjoyable. I went to Illumizoo and it was okay. The lights were nice but the whole thing could have been better about telling the folklore and stories. Wait until Christmas and you can view all the lights you want.

What a great time with the kiddos.It was a beautiful day here at the zoo. Clean restrooms with air conditioning. Lots of food stands and doing hand art in shade area. Lots of new animals. I havent been here in years.

Had a good time with the family here. Lots to do for a smaller zoo. Social distancing was in play and everyone seemed to respect that. Food and beverages where a little pricey but thats to be expected. Zip lines, skywalk, panning for emeralds still in play though. Animal exhibits where pretty good we had birds saying, Peak a boo to us walking by and lions and tigers where active and impressive. All in all for a small zoo I give it 5 starts for cleanliness, nice staff, good walkways and lots to do with the kids. No complaints at all

Very friendly and accessible zoo- brought a stroller and there was easy ramp access everywhere we wanted to go. The employees and volunteers were very cheerful even in the cold and told my son a lot about all the animals. A great experience, and a good activity that also allows for social distancing.

For being during covid it was a super nice experience. We got to hear the lion roar, see the tiger and a few other things we didnt think would be available. The employees and security were amazing and it seemed everyone was following social distancing. It was almost like we had the place to our selves. There are cleaning stations all over the place as well as having some bathroom doors propped open so no one needs to touch them.

Havent seen John Ball Park Zoo in 35 years! Thus place rocks. Incredible exhibits and creative layout. Plenty of places to sit and buy refreshments. Be ready to walk, but every step brings a new view. Love this place!

Had a pretty decent time today. Saw a lot of cool animals. The lions were very active. I just wish the attractions were open. We werent able to ride the zip line or use the high ropes course... May have been weather related though.Also, they are offering free admission to Snap/Food Stamp recepiants. You simply need to bring your Michigan Bridge Card and your ID to the ticket office.

John Ball Zoo is wonderful place to go. I took my granddaughter there on Friday. It was supposed to storm, but the sun came out and it turned out to be a beautiful day. Social distancing is handled appropriately. It wasnt super busy because they limit the number of visitors. I do think it should be a little more affordable for seniors.

Such a clean, well organized and active zoo! Saw many animals walking around, and bird experience was so fun, birds land right on you! Went inside the kangaroo area and had a little one hop right around us! Very jungle like which makes it feel real! Thank you for our wonderful day!!

I went to Veldheers tulip farm on Quincy , in May, to see the wide variety of tulip plantings. The variety was impressive. I really enjoyed my visit there!

We enjoyed the Lego exhibit and beautiful scenery. We spent a few hours here, which was well worth the price of admission. Parking was free, and the food was also reasonably priced. A few of the extra attractions were closed understandably. They had a limited amount of things to choose from in the gift shop though.

Its a small zoo, but it had some pretty nice enclosures. The Lego animals were awesome! Plus baby Red Pandas! But there were some large sections with no animals and not a large number of animals overall. I would go again!

This is my new favorite zoo in lower Michigan. I have been to Detroit zoo and it may be bigger but half of the animals are usually sleeping inside, and/or half of the attractions are under construction 3 years in a row. John Ball may be smaller but the layout of it will have you feeling like you are walking on a suspended boardwalk/tree house admiring all of the animals, which were out playing and having fun. The Lego exhibits are amazing, the Bears were our favorite encounter, 2 massive bears within a foot of you on the other side of bulletproof acrilic. Over all my best zoo experience that I can think of.

I went go John Ball Zoo for IllumiZoo. This is a seasonal event and this year (2020), it ends November 15. It was very safe, there was little to nothing that you needed to touch, and the lights and attractions were beautiful!

Let me start saying that this zoo is not bad just sad zoo, almost all the animals in there were sad, I can notice the lack of green ( no trees to cover ) where they where placed, the flamingo water was green green an smelly, the bears looks sad and skinny, etc, is not good, they just keep them in there for our entertainment but in the reality we dont see their feelings we only see us having fun with them, sad. But for does in need of ENTERTAINMENT is good. The interesting part is they dont were a mask. Jajajajjajajajajaja lmao

Lovely zoo near downtown Grand Rapids. The facilities and exhibits are really impressive with elaborate habitats and some really immersive sights. The red panda exhibit at the top of the hill is especially neat. Be aware, its a smaller zoo and certainly not flat - visits will be gradually ascending a hill to the top of the zoo then descending. All said, that unique lay out gives much charm.

Great zoo!! The lego animals are great! Food & drinks are outlandishly priced but thats expected at any public attraction. Loved our visit. Would recommend going when they open at 9 because we went at like 230 and most of the animals where sleeping or just laying around and not very active.

One of my favorite Michigan zoos. Hadnt been in a few years. Was excited to see how it had changed. Was not disappointed! Everything looks brand new. Very walkable zoo. Parking is easy, a little walk from the entrance. Very friendly staff. Accessible exhibits. Definitely a must visit.

Nice zoo. Had a wonderful time. Nice to get out of the house. Enjoy all the updates they have done since our last visit. Liked the mercats and Tiger. Granddaughter got a great shot of the . Didnt get to see all the zoo. But most of it. Good family time.

Well laid out modest sized zoo. The setting is very natural; you feel like you are in the forest/jungle with the animals. They are in large natural enclosures, not cages. Well made Lego animal creations help tell the story.They have most of the usual animals, but no large mammals like elephants or giraffes. You can get up close and personal with bears, lions and tigers (there is glass panelling between), interesting and unusual animals like red pandas, go inside the budgie aviary to feed the birds (tuppance a bag?)They have activities like a zip line, a harnessed rope walk course, a funicular railway and camel rides. There is a small aquarium. Theres also many activitiesExpect to spend 4 hours.

We love John Ball Zoo. The staff is so friendly and the Harry Potter theme was great. The animals look healthy. The social distancing indoors for covid was done well except inside the tiny display where the frogs and toads are kept (used to be jellyfish in there too)

Loved the Illumizoo! Was a wonderful walk and allowed us to see the zoo in a new light.

They have made a lot of wonderful improvements since the last time we were there. The habitats are small, so I feel somewhat sorry for the animals. Because of their limited ability to move, they are not very active. Its a fun day out for smaller children. The park where the zoo is located is large, and is a great place for a picnic. Right now they have an animal lego display around the zoo which is very impressive.

Me & my wife spent a couple hours walking threw zoo, last time we were here was 2 yrs ago. They have upgrated a lot, the zoo is totally different. Lots of remodeling. Lions & tigers and bears, oh my! # Lol you need to check out all the lego animals, Amazing. Sincerly Dennis & Nancy Merryman.

This is a nice zoo medium sized zoo. I wasnt expecting it to be as hilly as it was, so expect to get a workout with your animal viewing. The hills also made it tricky to see some animals as they were up high in the exhibit. Overall I was a little underwhelmed on the amount of animals they had compared to the size of some of the exhibits (great for the animals to have extra space though). As for parking there is ample parking in the lot connected to John Ball Park, so no issue there. Timed tickets are still in place as of this visit.

The IllumiZoo show was great. Really enjoyed it. But, the animals need a bigger habitat

My kids loved the zoo.. the Legos are so fun. It makes going to the zoo extra nice. It was pretty clean an the buildings didnt stink. You have to wear a mask inside but the day we where here the weather was nice.

The park seemed to go above and beyond to make sure everyone was being safe with masks when needed and not having huge groups of people, even tho a lot was closed down due to covid, it still made a fun day for my 4 and 2 year old. Loved all the LEGO animals they had around the Zoo! Definitely would go again

Illumizoo was a wonderful experience of the zoo at night. Although we didnt see any of the animals the light show and natural walk of the zoo was great. This experience goes on until Nov. 15th and you dont wanna miss out.

I used to love this place as a kid but as an adult it saddened me. I can see how unhappy the animals are to be there. Ill never go avain.

Always a great place to walk around. They have done a lot of remodeling since I was there last many years ago. A very family oriented place! Ive been coming since I was a kid and now Im bringing my kid!

Very much enjoyed it. I love zoos that show how they educate the public AND help the animals wild cousins. This zoo does both. With volunteers educating about bat houses, a group of kids going to the zoo camp, and numerous educational tidbits about how they acquired the animals, this is one of the better zoos Ive been to. Also, they have tunnels that the lemurs and monkeys can use to walk over the paths, and they still protect you from getting pooped on!

Fun family night. Zoo was all lit up and decorated for the Holidays. No animals, just a nice fall walk through musical lights and fog machines and bubbles.

Always a great time here.If you have a bridge card you can get free entry.Extra items like the camel rides are expensive for what you get but I cant tell my kids no Covid specific:Be sure to reserve your ticket in advance online.The petting zoo aka the hobby farm and also the ropes course at the top for kids were both closed due to covid ;(

Love John Ball Zoo! Friendly staff, great refreshments, plenty to see and do. It’s be nice if the funicular ride would work, but that’s not the reason we go to the zoo. All in all a great, little zoo!

Very uniquely set up! Very interesting to see and walk around. Animals, etc, were well placed, and habitats nicely done. The Lego creatures and displays were great! Reasonably priced. Ready to go back whenever we are in the area again!

Had a great time. All the animals were active enough so we could see them. Zoo had the lego statues still out and the zoo is decorated for Harry Potter. The flowers are still in bloom so all in all it was great.

We went there for The Zoo went Boo event. It was well run, plenty of staff, so much work went into decorating the park. The park itself looked great, too. Well done.

Nice place. Not your typical, flat ground, walk around, looking at animals. Enclosures with exotic animals. And lots of information about the conservation of the species.Fun for the family!

Wonderful zoo. Its only getting better. The tiger exhibit is one of the best and dont forget to ride the funicular!

Had a great family day at the Zoo. Listibg to the roaring, watching the cat nap. My favorite was the Bald . Lego animals are were pretty cool too.

Great moderate size zoo. Great variety of animals. The staff seems to truly love working there. Even with Covid-19 limits, the zoo was full of people. Lego exhibit was fun.

Have been here several times and it is nice. A smaller zoo but my daughter enjoys it.We went to the Illumizoo event they have going and we really enjoyed it.

Always Have loved my home town zoo but just recently they made some big changes and I love it. They have this Lego theme going on. The open the front up with all new architecture added a bunch of stuff. It gives u more of that big city vibe. I hope soon they can give the bears and Mountain lion a new habitat. But over all John ball zoo is amazing.

The zoo has done a wonderful job reconstructing the zoo to make it so much more enjoyable. They have done a great job bringing in fun stuff for the family!

My family had a great time at the zoo. Lots to see with a nice layout. But what really earned the 5 stars was the fact that the online ticket buying service accidentally charged me twice for my tickets. At first I was very upset and disgruntled, but the staff were very helpful with dealing with this mistake and quickly refunded the amount. Mistakes happen, and Im very happy that the situation was handled so well and promptly. Will be attending the zoo again in the future. Thank you for providing such a great family experience.

We were in the area and saw a commercial that the zoo has a red panda exhibit. We were pleasantly surprised by how nice the zoo is! It has different elevations so they could fit more things, but it also makes it look amazing. All the animals were out and active which was really nice. They had zip lining but we didnt try it.

Great place to spend several hours walking around looking at animals. The park has done a a great job at updating the zoo. Walk paths are new and much wider. Everything was clean and well maintained.

Illumizoo was really cool. My grandkids and I loved it!

Ever improving.I avoided all indoor activities.Had a nice stroll.I chose to start at the tigers and work my way towards the front.The big cats were all easily visible. Which made my guest patrons 5 and under very happy.

Been a fan since 1984. 36 years and 3 Kids later...never a dull moment! Thanks for bein the best!!!

Took my family to the zoo on a whim. My niece is up at gcsu so we took her as well. To keep covid at bay, you buy tickets for time slots. There doesnt seem to be anyone kicking people out but they are limiting the number of people in.The first thing you see in the zoo are large Lego animals. Id suggest loving them because the live animals are far apart. There is a lot of walking between. Also some how everything is up a hill. Even when I was leaving. It felt like a grandparent telling me how they went to school.We were able to take notes and have a much better route planned for the next visit. Also Id suggest getting a membership.

Went there for the illumizoo in October. Kids had so much of fun, there were a lot of awesome lights.

Its bigger than it was the last time I was there, which was many years ago. It was fun but there were no Lions, Tigers, or Bears, oh my!

I took my grandson here and from the Lego Shark at the entrance to the Lego Polar Bear at the end by John Balls statue, it was AMAZING!! The penguins were funny, the baby lynx was adorable and the awake bear was cool!! A great place to make memories for everyone!!

We enjoyed the zoo.. staff was friendly. We liked the fact that they offered zipp line and had places were you could sit and eat your own food you carried in.

Very clean and nice inside. Animals seem happy and had tons of fun during adult night. This was my first time at the zoo in many many years and I had fun!

Great updates! We had a great time! The only thing we missed were the red pandas. There was an event happening and it was blocked off.

What a fun and interactive zoo! 100% love and support their mission to help animals and educate the public.

I didnt have to many expectations but was pleasantly surprised. The zoo is just the right size to spend a few hours. There are many different animals, some that are uncommon at other zoos killer the snow leapord, red panda and amur tiger.The zoo grounds are on a hill which provide some excellent vantage points to observe the animals. They also have A short zip line ride near the red panda exhibit. There were some impressive Lego animal models on display around the main walkway.

Zoo Boo was Great! Grandson had a blast looking at blow-up animals and live ones. Fun ways to get treats for youngsters.

Going to John Ball Zoo in the summer has long been a family tradition. Some of my earliest memories are at John Ball and I still enjoy coming back every summer as an adult. I’ve kept the tradition going with my niece and hope to do the same when I have my own kids.It’s a lovely size zoo that you can easily get through in one day with little ones. Yet there’s enough variety to keep you coming back for more!There are options for refreshments and food throughout the Zoo. They also have feeding times posted so you can view animals being active and eating their favorite snacks.The facilities are well maintained and clean. While I wish the zoo had more land for each exhibit so the animals can run more freely (John Ball is rather land blocked by the highway near by) they’ve done a fine job of maximizing the space they do have.John Ball Zoo offers plenty of opportunities to get involved at the Zoo (volunteering, kid programs/camps, etc…) and if you’re a huge animal fan you can even rent out the jungle top gazebo for special events and weddings.The staff is always friendly and they’re usually knowledgeable on the information of each animal. Asking the staff questions about the animals can be quite informative, but if you’re not one for socializing or human-interaction they have a fair amount of information posted in front of each of the species exhibits.I highly recommend John Ball to anyone new to Grand Rapids. It’s a staple and it’s a great place to take kids to to get them excited about animals and their protection; and to help properly educate them about the importance of every species.

Went to the IllumiZoo event last night at John Ball Zoo and it was fantastic! Theyve got the whole place lit up with various kinds of lights and it is beautiful. Went with my wife and son and his fiance to the 9pm show and would highly recommend it. Its appropriate for people of all ages and we plan to go back next year if they do it again. It is a little pricey (tickets on the weekend for 4 adults were $25 each) but worth it to us. So if youre going to be in Grand Rapids any time soon check out IllumiZoo at John Ball Zoo!

Ive been going to this place since I was a kid its fun to see changes all for the better looks so nice.

Great out door activity to go see and do with the whole family. Very educational.

This zoo has always been a family favorite spot. Staff is always friendly, exhibits well maintained and a decent variety of foods and snacks offered. Many sanitizing stations as well. We went during the Lego extravaganza.

It’s the nicest small zoo I’ve ever been to. Excellent use of terrain and exhibits. In the last week I went to three different zoos. One was a major zoo that charged 4 times as much. This zoo was nicer in many ways. Just realize this is a zoo that doesn’t fill an entire day. You’ll be pleasantly tired at the end of your zoo adventure — not exhausted.

Went to the night time light show. It was pretty amazing. A little crowded but definitely worth the time and money.

Ive gone to John Ball my whole life and its only gotten better as the years have gone on. The animals are taken care of, its clean, and theres always something fun to see. Its the best date spot!

What a wonderful day with the kids and family, lots of animals and plants for everyone to see

We have been to this zoo several times and have loved it. Today however was very disappointing. We came from Cadillac with three kids who were so excited about the animals and Harry Potter. On the zoos website it says we recommend you buy tickets online, it doesnt say you MUST!! So needless to say after driving two hours to get there we were turned away. Please fix your wording on your website so others dont have this problem. Thank you.

Great family activities. They have a new lego display set up throughout the park (hopefully it sticks around causes its legitimately awesome).

Love, love, love John Ball Zoo! The lego display was amazing and Adult Night Out was very fun!!

Very nice place to.visit during the day! Not too many people to worry so much about Covid. Plenty of sanitizing stations around.

Was nice day just lots of people and long lines due to Covid. Will go back when COVID is over. Loved the lego displays

A very nice small zoo with some really nice animals. Easy to navigate and great for kids. Lions, bears, penguins and monkeys plus lots more. Free parking and friendly pricing.

I love a good zoo. John Ball Zoo is a good zoo. The layout and presentation is really well put together. The only drawback: where are the animals? Didnt see a lot of them. Luckily admission rates are reasonable.

Had a great time and the lego animals are Awesome. If you are planning a day and are going to eat there it is a little pricey but not too bad. Go and enjoy the animals and take some time to marvel at natures wonders.

We had a great time at the zoo. Just wish the tram that takes you to the top was working, it was a hor day to walk up.

Great day with the kids. Half price Toucan Tuesday all August 2019. All you have to do is bring 2 cans of Non perishable food on Tuesday per person and you get Half off admission! Donations go to Feeding America West Michigan. So the donations say in our neighborhood! Great day of fun for a great cause!

It was really fun had a great time with my family. Hadnt been there in years.My Son and his wife were going to take my grandson who is a year old. So glad they asked us to join them.Thank goodness you had amigos that weCould rent. With all the up hills and my husbands arthritis he would have never made it through the zoo. We all had a great time especially watching the zoo through my grandsons eyes.

They have done a great job with Covid. They require pre-registration to limit the amount of people at the gate, a line to get into the aquariums and reptile house, and masks if you are less than 6ft apart. I was able to thoroughly enjoy the animals while feeling safe.

Like how they remodel the zoo. Walkways are easier to go thru and lot more stroller friendly. Thought they did good job with the pandemic we are in. They have signs where they say frequently touch area. Many wash stations for hands.

John Ball Zoo is great. Easy to navigate, friendly staff, good cause.

Very nice zoo, compact enough to bring small kids without wearing them out completely. Great exibits.

My husband and I stopped in for a leisurely morning. We havent been here in close to 5 years and it was a relaxing morning. Loved all the new items, and the way it is set up. We took the train to the top and had a nice walk down the hill checking out all the attractions. Loved the red panda and the sloth, and of course the waterfall is one of my favorite spots.Ive lived in GR my entire life and every time we visit the zoo it gets better and better.It is very clean, the staff if friendly, parking is a breeze, and its just an enjoyable way to spend some time.

Went for Boo at the Zoo. Very few animals to see, the decorations pretty lame during daytime (I bet it is good at night), and very little in the way of treats and candy. Vendors open though, so hot chocolate and snacks available. Would not recommend unless weather is good.

What a great zoo almost all the animals were out where you could see them. The setup of the zoo is very interactive. Highly recommend this visit

Lots of people. They really have done an excellent job over the past few years with improvements for the park and for the animals.

We got here at 1:30 not realizing that we would have to buy tickets for specific time slots. The earliest time available was 3:30. We still had to pay full price even though we lost 2 hours of time, and I wasnt able to input my discount for having a zoo membership elsewhere. Its an hour drive for us, so it was disappointing. I had checked hours before coming but didnt see anything about this. People also are crowding in the lines and not giving people 6 feet of space, so Im a nervous wreck. We love the zoo though. Not their fault. Just not what I was expecting.

I grew up going to this zoo I always loved and I love how close to home it is. Then new look is awesome. My only complaint is you do more walking than actually seeing animals. I do appreciate that they made some animals habitats bigger, but it would be nice to see a little more animals while walking around

The staff here is really nice, knowledgeable, and helpful. Got to see some cool animals before the end of the season, and learned a few things as well!