SANTA BARBARA ZOO: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go
United States
California (CA)
Santa Barbara
Things to do in Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara Zoo
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Santa Barbara Zoo

See all things to do
See all things to do
Santa Barbara Zoo
4.5
1,379
#12 of 185 things to do in Santa Barbara
Zoos
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9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
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About
This zoo with a view was once a posh estate owned by a coffee and tea merchant; now it's the lush domain of animals representing 160 species. The pink stucco mansion that once presided over manicured lawns and gardens is gone—replaced by open-air habitats built for the less refined but still exacting tastes of giraffes, gibbons, snow leopards, and gorillas. What hasn't changed is the surrounding scenery; the Pacific and Santa Ynez Mountains are just as spectacular as they were back when this was the setting for civilized galas instead of the wild antics of monkeys and meerkats.
Suggested duration
1-2 hours
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2.3 kmScenic Drives
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
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4.5
1,379 reviews
Excellent
780
Very good
458
Average
113
Poor
22
Terrible
7
Bruce W
1 contribution
No discount for AZA zoo members
Oct. 2022 • Couples
Be aware that Santa Barbara Zoo refuses to honor reciprocity with members of other AZA Zoos. They claim this is because of COVID (?!?). Yet they advertise that a benefit of membership to their zoo grants their members at least 50% discount to every other AZA zoo in California. What a joke!

Also, if you get there at 9: 30, be prepared for most of the exhibits to have no animals in them.

Also, on less busy days you can easily park outside of the parking lot and avoid the overcharge there.
Written 26 October 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
hbgirl
Huntington Beach, CA5 contributions
EXCELLENT ZOO
Oct. 2022
Great way to spend an afternoon. This little zoo has a great variety of animals and birds. The staff is very knowledgeable about each of their animals they care for. We did the giraffe experience and you could tell the team members really enjoyed themselves introducing the giraffes and talking about them....and the giraffe was very approachable and knew its "people" were there and were going to give them treats. Feeding the giraffes is definitely the highlight, but the entire zoo is beautiful to walk around.
Written 15 October 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Christine N
Saint Paul, MN26 contributions
Very nice zoo
Sep. 2022
The zoo in Santa Barbara is a nice size and well laid out. There is a good variety of animals. There is a new exhibit with kangaroos and emus. It is fun to watch kids feed lettuce to the giraffes.
Written 5 October 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
#ALAW
Toronto, Canada71 contributions
Ok could be a lot better
Aug. 2022 • Family
Travelled some distance with young children to see the zoo. Arrived to try and pay on the day and told there were no free slots for 3 hours citing capacity issues. I had to end up in a debate with the kiosk attendant before the manager stepped in. We agreed to buy tickets and come back expecting thronging crowds leaving, not the case so made the admission situation look a farce.

The zoo itself is ok, it was great to see the giraffes, lions and gorillas quite up close. I know it’s a small zoo but it could be a lot better, signage and exhibit information is quite poor. You are just told to look at your phone, well the people running this zoo mustn’t use phones as if they did the would realize trying to walk around in glaring sunlight looking at a small screen with young children is not realistic or remotely easy to do.

There isn’t really anyone or anything selling food/refreshments. We tried 5 vending machines to get just basics as water, all out of order or empty. Poor.

The staff could do a lot more to interact with guests and as it’s a zoo having them talk about the conservation they do and the animals would be appreciated.

As I say it’s ok, but with just a bit of extra effort and attention to detail could be a lot lot better.

Hopefully the management will appreciate and act on the feedback for future guests.
Written 7 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
SBZoo
Hi ALAW999, Thank you very much for sending along this feedback. We're sorry to hear you had a less than stellar experience at the Zoo, but we're grateful to hear any comments that can help us keep improving. Regarding your difficulties with getting tickets, we made the decision to keep a reservation system in place to help spread out the times our guests visit the Zoo. We have heard mostly positive reception to the system, since it helps to alleviate crowds in the Zoo, parking lot, food locations, and so on. We try to make the need for reservations as clear as possible on our website and advertising, so we would encourage guests to check sbzoo.org prior to their visit for details. We appreciate your additional feedback on several areas around the Zoo, and in all cases our staff are actively working to improve the guest experience. Once again, we're sorry to hear that these areas didn't meet your expectations. We are continuing to work on them and hope you'll return at some point in the future to see our progress. Thank you! Santa Barbara Zoo
Written 12 August 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Viktoriya K
12 contributions
Great park for the family
Jun. 2022 • Family
Beautiful park. Its compact, but well planned. It took us about 2 hours. Food is good, but whole ordering online from the app is a disaster. Emu and kangaroo enclosure is great. Overall, great park
Written 26 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
sonic1us
Overland Park, KS434 contributions
Great stop
Sep. 2021 • Couples
Wow so beautiful to see the animals up close and by the ocean! What a treat! Make sure you wear tennis shoes there are so good hills.
Written 5 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Leah M
1 contribution
The zoo is great, and any "difficulties" can be easily fixed
Apr. 2022
The zoo is very fun to go to. It has been more of a pain to order food online, unlike before the pandemic, but you can bring your own food with you. The zoo is so much more beautiful than I remembered from pre-pandemic days, and I can't wait to bring my own food to have a picnic in the beautiful areas they have to sit down. If you want to do something like feed the giraffe's, you should look online to find out what time it will be open (1-2 pm) so that you can be there when it's open. I saw that train tickets were only available through purchase on the website, but many in the line purchased their tickets in the shop next to the train; but better safe than sorry to purchase them online. The zoo can seem "expensive" but this is just like many other companies that need a lot of money to keep their activities continuing. I think all of the money spent is worth it, but I suggest bringing your own food.

Lauren C gave this a bad review because she was upset that the zoo did not give her special treatment by breaking one of their rules, but she said that the zoo was fun to go to. This does show that the zoo really is enjoyable, even if they follow their rules and don't break them for a normal member.
Written 24 April 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Rose P
Burbank, CA43 contributions
Belated Birthday gift for me
Mar. 2022
As a belated birthday gift to me I wanted our family to meet up at the Zoo. Our daughter and her family are in the So Cal Valley and our son and his family are in Santa Maria area. We're from the San Fernando Valley. So we set out time for 11 AM and all met there. Six adults and 5 children ranging in age from 2 to 8. The kids were excited, so off we set. Flamingos and swans and ducks, oh my. Bigger attraction for the 2 year old. Snakes and turtles and poisonous frogs mostly for the boys. So much fun and so relaxing of a walk for us Grandparents, with such lush surroundings and places to rest and play for the kids. We stopped for food but the restaurant by the top was closed for set up for a wedding, so the men went back down to order from the snack bar at the bottom. Hamburgers, chicken nuggets, sandwiches and drinks. Refreshed we left the 2 ducks in the fountain and went straight over to the train. We just missed the first one and had to wait 15 minutes or so for the next one. The kids enjoyed that too. All 5 Grandkids fed the giraffes too. The sky couldn't have been bluer and nice and warm. Wonderful day was had by all. Then off to dinner.
Written 14 March 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
kay k
Metro Minneapolis-Saint Paul, MN852 contributions
Nice Zoo, good mix of animals
Feb. 2022
Nice zoo, good size to visit in a couple of hours. Loved the penguin display. You can get really closed to the kangaroos, wallabys and emus. Lovely grounds, nice landscaping. Disappointing Covid protocols, no masks or social distancing required, despite many key viewing spots are enclosed and crowded.Many hand sanitizer dispensers were empty. Still recommended. Adults $20, parking $11.
Written 2 February 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Sightseer57798
4 contributions
Lovely zoo
Oct. 2021
Great zoo. Especially liked the Gibbon habitat and giraffes have an ocean view! Only issue is you can't purchase food unless you order and pay online. They took credit card for entry and git shop but not food.
Written 31 October 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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SANTA BARBARA ZOO: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go

Frequently Asked Questions about Santa Barbara Zoo
Santa Barbara Zoo is open:
  • Sun - Sat 9:30 am - 5:00 pm
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