Cincinnati Zoo

By all means visit this zoo if you happen to be in Cincinnati with absolutely NOTHING TO DO and have money to waste. Never make a special journey to go to this place Your time would be better spent at Fountain Square dodging pigeons. This zoo is SO depressing! Management does a fine job of maintaining the zoo - it is clean, landscaped, etc. But this is a zoo, after all, and it is all about the animals. This is an old, old zoo, in the center of an urban area, and as a result the animals are housed in tiny cages and enclosures. This is as far from natural as it gets, and they are clearly miserable. The Big cats and bears - what most people want to see - are sad, sad, sad. Fur is lusterless and often thin and patchy. The animals either pace constantly in a heart rending psychotic trance or lay in the corner in what appears to be a drug induced catatonic slumber. more

We recently took a weekend trip to the Cincinnati Zoo in beautiful Ohio. What an amazing place to visit, especially for kids. The children's zoo offered a fun spider web to crawl on, koala stand behind pictures, a train ride, turtle shells to crawl through and a petting zoo where a parent and child could pet goats and kangaroo's. My boy's ages 3 and 1/12 had a great time visiting all of the animals and especially the "choo choo train" ride. There were many break areas with a light mist or cool breeze blew which provided a breathe of fresh air to anyone walking by and a place for the kids to play. I enjoyed looking at the botanical gardens and the polar bear exhibit. The only set back is that its all on a hill, imagine a double stroller, going up hill most all day, well worth it, but tiresome!! There was also a picnic area where you could pack your own food and drinks to save. Every restroom we stopped at had a baby changing area and large stalls for little ones just learning how to go. It was a fun day had by all and VERY family friendly! Order your tickets on line and save $2.00 per ticket! http://www.cincyzoo.org/ more

This is already a great place to take the family but in late May of this year they are having an Australian exhibit which will be there through the summer. You will be able to see koalas, kangaroos, emus, kookaburras, wallabies and other Australian animals. This will be a treat for the ones of us who will never be able to go to Australia to see some of the animals from that country. Zoo baby days is from May 6 through May 28, where you can see the most recent additions to the zoo. The Festival of Lights is also a great time to go to the zoo. Prices to get into the zoo keep going up, as well as everything else, but it is now $12.95 per person and $7.95 to park, but if you go a lot the family membership pass is the cheapest way to go. more

The Zoo and Botanical Gardens is a great place to visit-especially with families of young children. The gardens are beautiful and have a ton of different flowers and plants. The zoo is clean with lots of fascinating animals to watch. I love the unique animals that are there. It's such a great place to visit, and Zoo Babies is especially fun! Everything appears to be well taken care of. They also have some great education programs! more

Another good place for kids in Cincinnati. They have pretty nice decorations during the holidays (Xmas). The entire park is covered with lights, so go when it turns dark and enjoy. Other good times to go is when they advertise zoo babies. Those are always fun to watch especially when they are really little. more

I love the Cincinnati Zoo. It's much larger than you expect, and just when you think you have seen it all you realize that you haven't been down the hoofed animal trail. They have a lot of eateries featuring Cincinnati cuizine. The polar bear exhibit is great as is the manatee building. There is a lot of walking up and down hills but the glacier didn't make it this far so I can deal with that. It's really great exercise. Make sure you check into the overnights they have for children. They are great! more

The Cincinnati Zoo is the perfect place for an afternoon outing with the family. They have tons of attractions, including the world famous Manatees. There is a moderate amount of food selections, including STARBUCKS! There is no place better to bring children than the Zoo. I’m amazed to see how children are just fascinated day after day with the Zoo. The admission price/cost of food is a bit steep, but hey…it’s for the kids. more