The New Christmas Lights walk through the Zoo is AMAZING!!! They say to wear a mask...it was about 50/50 of people wearing a mask and those that didnt....This was the Best Ive ever seen!! They have a fire pit, gift shops throughout, got chocolate, coffee, roasted nuts, and other Amazing things there!!! Truly an Amazing experience regardless of Covid ..Great memories and LOTS of photo opportunities!! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!!

Wasnt sure what to expect but it wasnt too bad for a small zoo. Overall maybe 2 1/2 hr to get through everything. I would have to say the Tropical exhibit was pretty sweet. My 4year old enjoyed the play area. Wasnt busy at all. I visited the zoo on a Monday. They dont let you bring outside food or drinks. Right now with covid the area for food was closed. But they did have Cona ice was right next to play area open. Not sure if they really enforced the no outside food. The Japanese garden was nice place to sit and relax and enjoy the view. For The price to enter zoo is super reasonable. No reservations needed I was able to purchase tickets at front entrance. They dont have maps to hand out but you can easily find the map on their website. Masks are required.

We had a wonderful winter lights experience with the whole family! The light display was gorgeous and fun to walk through. We only wished the whole zoo was lit up instead of just half. It was a great delight to share this memorable experience with our whole family!

The Zoo may be small, but it is worth a trip. Unfortunately, it was an extremely hot day on this particular trip so many of the animals were inside trying to keep cool. This didnt bother me mainly because this was not my first visit. So I would recommend going early in the season or early in the day. Theres a lot of really neat and unique animals to see. The lions, the otters, and the sharks were super fun.

The zoo is absolutely fantastic. Unfortunately, my family purchased a memorial brick in June with the understanding that it would be up within a month. We all traveled great lengths (Minneapolis and Seattle) for the 1 yr anniversary of the loss of our loved one in Sept only to find out the brick still was not in place. We followed up in mid Nov, and the brick still had not been placed.

We love visiting the Topeka zoo. We live about an hour away and try to visit at least twice a year. It it well worth the drive and very affordable. The zoo is very clean and well maintained. They recently did a lot of new additions and revamping and it looks incredible. It is a smaller zoo but we easily spend at least two hours during our visits. There is also a very large park across the street that is great for kiddos to play or to have a picnic. The good thing about it being a smaller zoo is that you get much more up close to the animals and can easily see and observe them in their habitats. It is a well laid out design that allows to groups to view the exhibits without being too crowded. There are plenty of shaded spots and benches to rest. We enjoy the wide array of animals. The elephants are my favorite animal within the zoo. So beautiful. Highly recommend this zoo to anyone who loves animals and wants a nice day outside in nature.

Nice small zoo. Takes about 1.5 to 2 hours to really enjoy all it has to offer. The new areas are nice unfortunately a lot of buildings have been closed due to covid. Snack bar is closed almost every time we have been so not worth buying refillable drink cups. Looks like a great place to hold events.

The zoo did a great job with addition of the Christmas lights. Well worth the price of admission for the amount and variety of lights. I feel that they have started what will be a new Holiday tradition in Topeka.

Pretty amazing, most animals were out, over all me and my family and friends had a pretty good time, tickets were not a bad price.

Wonderful place, family friendly, and well kept. I like it has ramps everywhere so our toddler was able to walk in front of us without any danger of falling or tripping. The animals were amazing, especially the elephants.

HUGE improvements have been made to this zoo! Im glad theyre finally starting to add on as it has paled in comparison to other zoos! What they have done with the additions makes up for the small size! Me and my kids LOVE going to this small but mighty zoo!

Prices were reasonable and there are so many fun places to play and cool things to look at besides the awesome animal houses. Its a super helpful feature to have wagons and strollers you can rent if the kiddos tucker themselves out and need a break or if its just too much walking. My kids loved it and it was a lot of relaxed fun for the whole family.

We spent a delightful afternoon viewing the Kay Mcfarland Japanese Garden & the rest of the zoo. The Japanese Garden is a must-see! Its beautiful now in early fall, & we could certainly see how it would be an impressive winter destination that will only get better in the years ahead. Very well done, its a real asset for Topeka!

The zoo lights were amazing only 8 bucks for an adult ticket!

Always went to Taco Tico as a teenager. Just went there , it tasted the same. Brought back good memories. Cant wait to go back soon.

Great place to visit if you are in town and we are glad that we went!

It was great the kids had a blast it was warm out but they had a few air conditioned areas to go to so that was nice

We went ahead and bought the family pass bc this place is great! You can see everything in a couple hours even with toddlers who move at a leisurely pace located in gage park, you can make it a day trip and check out the discovery center too! Maybe catch a ride on the train.

The new Japanese Garden is beautiful. Docents and keepers are always friendly and my son loves to see all the animals (especially Tank the hippo).

Great zoo. Nice variety of ecosystems represented. Lots of additions in the last few years. The brand new Japanese garden is very nice!

My family absolutely LOVES the Topeka Zoo! Its been our go-to outing throughout the whole pandemic. As they took all precautions possible (social distancing, one way traffic, masks, and hand sanitizer galore) The staff is always exceptionally friendly (even the high schoolers on their first summer job), theres just an atmosphere of positivity. Everyone there clearly cares about the quality of life of the animals as the habitats reflect their native environments, theyre able to socialize and are well cared for. My daughter is especially fond of Tank the Hippo and we have to say hi at least once a week.

Today my wife and I toured the new Kay McFarland Japanese Garden and it is fabulous! Brendan Wiley, the Topeka Zoo Director and his staff continues to enhance every aspect of our truly World Famous Topeka Zoo. The future project plans are exciting to envision and the Zoos future is bright. It is a must place to visit while in Topeka. Dont miss it!!!

It was a really good zoo. Had a lot of animals and all the employees were great. Definitely check out the Trumpeter Swans they have.

Love this cute little zoo.

The ZooLights were a wonderful winter walk through.

Joined local clients for a tour of Kay McFarland Japanese Garden. What a delight! Will be back in different seasons.

Nice zoo for young children. Reasonable size for an afternoon visit. Tickets should be purchased online at this time. Masks are required for some enclosures/exhibits.

Small w/ a great atmosphere! Drove from blue springs mo to have a family day at the zoo and wasnt disappointed!

Zoo was great. A lot of animals were on exhibit and the staff is friendly. They interact with the kids and answer their questions

Went to the Zoo with my wife and grandchildren. Excellent experience. The staff were friendly and knowledgeable. Well be going back.

Took my son here today for his 2nd birthday. We had an amazing time. The animals are healthy and thriving. The park is clean and I loved the area. So much to see. Its 1 hr away from where we live but we will be going back.

The Topeka Zoo is small but mighty! We love going to see the animals and playing at the “beach”. They have several events for children and adults all throughout the year. A learning center, a nice gift shop, a park, a petting zoo, and a little restaurant (who needs to serve french fries). After the zoo, you can walk right across the street to play at the park, stroll through the rose garden (in season of course), fish in the pond or take a ride on the train or carousel. Both the Zoo and the Park are wonderful places to take photos also. I’ve captured some of my very favorite pictures at the zoo.

For $7.75 per adult, this is worth it. We were disappointed to see that the llamas were unavailable since they were in the petting zoo area which is closed due to Covid. Other than that, we enjoyed seeing giraffes, an Asian and an African elephant, male and female lions, a hippo, and the lorikeets. Not a big zoo, but we enjoyed it.

I came from California to visit and all animals hiding, my daughter wanted to see the bears and all other animals, only saw the elephant. Sadly, wont be back

Nice smaller zoo. Plan to spend 1-1.5 hours there. Admission price is reasonable for its size.

Perfect sized zoo for a toddler. Plenty of space to socially distance.

Was clean and the animals seemed very content. Masks were enforced indoors, but outside werent required as long as you were socially distanced which was nice. The bug exhibit was closed, but everything else was a joy.

Its a small zoo, but its clean and well maintained. Our family really enjoys going a few times a year.

Wonderful zoo! We really enjoyed our time here.

Very fun play places and animals, the food was really skimpy for the price, I would not eat there again. But over all it was good fun.

We love this zoo! Since moving to the area we have been getting the yearly membership for a few years. Even without it, prices are very reasonable. Including in the gift shop and cafe.The new camp cowabunga is amazing! Great to get up close to the lions and other animals, while also learning about the history behind it.Overall, the zoo hosts many great animal habitats with opportunity to get up close to them. Check out their event calendar as you will find many awesome experiences for the young and adult alike!Restroom near the cafe has a comfy area for breastfeeding mamas, as well as changing station.Playground inside the zoo is simple yet fun, and the bigger gage park is on the other side of the zoo parking lot, which has a train ride and more! You will not be disappointed with a trip to the Topeka zoo! Just plan accordingly to the weather

Great fun for the whole family

Came here for my one year anniversary with my wife and son. Pretty cool variety of animals. I dont normally support the idea of zoos but this was pretty enjoyable.

Had a great time at Boo at the Zoo. Would highly recommend to anyone with children.

Havent been in many years the wife and I enjoyed every minute!

Very clean and animals seen to be well taken care of. not 5 stars due to lack of social distancing inside the buildings. especially the gift shop. I had to avoid it because not one person had a mask on and people were not socially distanced.

This was a great day trip, overall not too spectacular. Would probably be much more enjoyable in warmer summer weather, not everything was open. We really enjoyed the monkeys and wild dogs.

I love this zoo mainly for its size. You get to see a good variety of animals and dont feel completely dead at the end. I loved the newer building by the lions. It gives you a break from the elements and allows you a few of I think 3 different animals.

Love going to this zoo️️️ been going since I was a kid and now take my niece and nephews️️

Neat small zoo, with lots of cool a animals and play areas too.

I must admit, to give my review fair context, that Ive taken my kids to the Kansas City Zoo at least 20 times, and we are rather spoiled by it. Ill add as well that I visited on March 13, which was not only a very chilly day, but also at the beginning of the real onset of CO-VID pandemic in Kansas, and this was my first and only visit. So the zoo was very sparsely attended that day, and most of the animals were not available for viewing.We found our initial arrival to be frustrating and confusing. There is insufficient signage leading up both to the zoo parking lot and to its entrance. Google Maps told us to turn into a closed gate that was marked as for Authorized Personnel Only, and construction workers and trucks busily working made us fear the zoo was closed. We finally asked a worker, who told us to drive further down the road and that the zoo would be on the left (it was on the right, with the playground on the left). When we finally got parked and walked up to the ticket building, we had our cooler in hand, ready for a nice picnic lunch. I stood with my girls before what looked like a service window, with no sign on it for direction, wondering why the lady was gesturing, pointing, and laughing with the woman sitting next to her instead of doing anything to serve us. Finally, we figured out on our own that her service window was on the side of the building. Simple signage could fix both of these problems! So could decent customer service!!! When we got around to her, I saw the sign that stated outside food and drinks are not allowed. This really frustrated me, as were used to the KC Zoo allowing us to bring in our own lunch and drinks, which saves us a lot of money.After returning our cooler to the car, we finally got inside, and since we were all hungry, we went straight to the food stand to the left of the entrance. One family sat eating at the tables across from it, and no one stood in front of or behind us in line. Despite this lack of much to do, the 3 employees working in the food stand seemed to spend a lot more time talking than working. They were not very friendly when taking our order, took awhile to make our drinks, and then handed them to me with no lids or straws. I asked about lids, and the worker said We do not use lids and straws here. I told her ok, I understood, but I would not have allowed my kid to order a large root beer if Id known that ahead of time, and once again, I saw no signs stating that fact, nor did any of the workers mention it until after the drinks were made. She apologized, and I sat down with my kids and the drinks (after vigorous handwashing in the bathroom next door). Approximately 15-20 minutes later, they called us up to get our chicken wrap, go-gurt tube, veggie cup, and hummus. How on earth does that take 3 people, 20 minutes to make?We did enjoy the animal exhibits and little displays about recycling, conservation, and the like. The Da Dum signs on the sidewalk all over the zoo, leading up to the shark display, was a fun touch. My kids loved the play equipment.Next to the swan exhibit, the feed machine ate our money and, despite being full of food, didnt let out a single pellet. Thankfully, some of the other machines did work further down the path.When we got to the gift shop, I heard the sales person tell a family ahead of us that they do not use any plastic or paper bags, and that people should bring in their own or buy a reusable one for (I think) $5. Maybe I just missed it, but I saw no signage about the no bags policy around the shop. If I had gotten up to the counter with a huge load of little things to discover that, I wouldve been miffed! So many issues that could be fixed with simple signage.I chose a book to buy for my library, and was disappointed to discover they charge sales tax (KC Zoo doesnt).We did enjoy our time at the Topeka Zoo overall, but there were a lot of things that could be done (most notably, customer service training, allowing patrons to bring in their own food and drinks, and clearer signage) to make it better.

I like the zoo atmosphere. There is so much to do, many animals to see, and only takes about two hours with reading/ learning about the zoo.

Lots of construction and missing animals.Perhaps it will improve again after construction is complete.

Took advantage of the nice weather for January and took my 8 month old grandbaby and my daughter here for the afternoon. Although many of the animals and exhibits were not available to see because of the season it still was a great way to spend the afternoon with family and i cant wait to go back when its warmer and there will be more to see.

One of the best zoos in the country! Proud to have it here in my hometown!

Covid made it not as good as it could be but we understand

The food is overpriced as it tends to be n zoos. the animals look well cared for and the zoo is a very refreshing walk and makes for a nice day trip out to topeka with the kids

Visiting the Zoo in the winter is beautiful! No crowds, no lines, excited residents who pay attention to the few visitors they have. A great time to really observe behaviors and characteristics of the animals. Try it, you will love it! Needless to say, there are closed exhibits and fewer animals to see.

Intimate zoo that was easy to do in a few hours. Reasonably priced.

Nice little zoo. Not as exciting for adults as it is for small children, but with kids it is definitely worth a visit!

I like to go walk and watch my favorite animals. Today was a good day.

Great little zoo. Cant wait to see the new exhibits! Its nice that they have a big park across the street to picnic and finish the day with a ride on the train!

Fantastic small zoo! I have already been twice this year. The zookeepers are more than willing to chat, answer questions and point things out. I took my kindergarten class here for a field trip and also my daughter for her first birthday. What a great small zoo with amazing exhibits!

Excellent exhibits, easy for even small children to see all the animals. They even have play structures and benches to let the kids go crazy while parents get a rest!

Very small, but Im used to the kansas city zoo. Still fun for a short day trip.

We came when they had cubs out day and it was a rainy day but still had a great time. Love how we can be so up close to see the animals. Kids loved the hippo. I loved the sloth. Everything was awesome

This zoo is top notch! Their rain forest is full of very interesting birds. This one in particular will seem to try to dive-bomb unsuspecting visitors! Always an adventure!

Great local zoo.. have been going most my life. Its a wonderful asset to the community with a variety of animals.

The staff here is amazing. They have so many family events as well as after dark feeding and tours! It is affordable and worth every penny.

The zoo had many activities for kids, but having been a repeat patron for 20 years today I saw some improvements and some disappointing changes. The amount of actual exotic animals has dimished greatly. No gorillas, zebras, antelope, artic fox, or snakes like they once housed. Some exhibits have grown and improved and others seemed to have shrunk to questionable smallness. The Gift Shop ... Wow! Prices to rival a sale-less Macys. Bought a small beaded frog ... Price tag said $23.99 and the cashier literally changed it to $28.99 in front of me at the register before telling me the total was over $34. Enjoyed seeing some of the animals, but not sure Ill be visiting again any time soon.

I came here in October and most of the animals were not out waste of gas to get there so I would call before you go see if animals are even out and I got there at 10am

Had very few animals and a lot of exhibits were closed including elephants, Hippo, Bio-Dome, Tigers, and Butterfly Garden. Last time we went 2 years ago a lot of stuff was closed. Nice staff though.

So happy everything is open again, feels good....but we cant let our guard down or it could go away again.

Its a decent zoo. Just about the right size. Kids were happy.

Small zoo but with alot of exhibits...

10 out of ten and would recommend!All the animals are soo active and zookeepers are so nice!

Always have fun with the kids when we go.

Have a fun day out with the family really excited about the new exhibit.

Fun place to visit

Always a fun place to visit and get a good walk in

Did you know that the Zoos parking lot used to be a swimming pool? If you didnt then youre not a Super Fan.

Its World Famous!

The exhibits were not all there. No sharks or zebras. No elephants.

I just love visiting this zoo!

It was so quite and they made is were mask in building loved it

Very fun and cool to see!!

My granddaughter had a blast from feeding the ducks to seeing lions tigers her favorite the elephants. Seeing the hippocampus. We had an amazing day.

When we were in Topeka, we used to visit Topeka Zoo pretty much every three months. Fun filled place. Clean and neat. Zoo has very great exhibits.

I grew up going to this zoo and it is still just as exciting as it was when I was a kid. I have a kid of my own now and he loves it too. There are a lot of animals even though it is a small zoo so it is definitely worth visiting.

Because for a small city zoo, the staff make the most with what they have to work with. Animal care is top notch. The rainforest is amazing. The Zoo Camp each summer is a perennial favorite. My son has been going since he was 5 and still looks forward to it at 12.

The zoo is kind of small. You can get through the whole thing in about two hours but its great for an outing with small children.

My all time favorite Zoo! Its on the smaller side but to me is the perfect size. No big hills to climb with your kiddos. Affordable. Clean. Always seem to be adding new exhibits.

Nice zoo. WAY TOO MANY KIDS. The animals seemed well taken care of. There was no bike parking at the zoo.

Great little zoo. Easy walk. Not the best if you want to photograph the animals but will do.

The zoo is quite small but the animals seen well cared for. Most were just hiding from the heat when we were there

There are a lot I mean a lot of exibites that there were no animals or they were closed. Do not waste your time

This zoo is a gem of Topeka. A rich variety of animals makes this zoo a favorite. The staff are welcoming and knowledgeable and the atmosphere is engaging. This zoo is a must visit and can be an all day adventure. Watch for events on their social media.

Quick day outing & so pretty!

The couple that run the train are so nice. They let us ride even though they were shutting down for the day

Unlike many zoos in the Midwest, this zoo is relatively hassle-free: easy, close parking, minimal crowds, and a short walk around the park. Theyre a smaller zoo, so they dont have a huge selection of animals... but the kids seemed to have a great time. Were members of the KC Zoo, so they give us a 50% discount at this zoo.