Milwaukee County Zoo - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)
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Wisconsin (WI)
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Milwaukee County Zoo
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Milwaukee County Zoo

See all things to do
See all things to do
Milwaukee County Zoo
4.5
#11 of 326 things to do in Milwaukee
Zoos
9:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Monday
9:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Tuesday
9:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Wednesday
9:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Thursday
9:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Friday
9:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Saturday
9:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Sunday
9:30 AM - 4:30 PM
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See what travelers are saying
  • Dean_Amy-2004
    Gettysburg, Pennsylvania5,831 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Wild Connections tour with Amanda
    We arranged ahead of time a tour with Amanda. I can’t say enough how much we enjoyed the tour and Amanda sharing her knowledge of the animals and their care. We got to interact with several amazing animals and a true behind-the-scenes look. I highly recommend checking out the zoo and making the most of it by doing an encounter tour. Amanda spent a great deal of time with us and it was greatly appreciated. The zoo overall was laid out well and offered plenty of shade and restrooms throughout. We purchased our tickets and parking ahead of time, made access easy-peasy when we arrived.
    Milwaukee County Zoo
    Thank you for sharing your experience! We're so happy you enjoyed the zoo. Hope to see you soon!
    Written July 14, 2023
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited July 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written June 30, 2023
  • Jason S
    Reedsburg, Wisconsin715 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Such a great zoo
    This is a really good zoo with lots to see. Plan a day and work your way around. The extras such as the train ride or the gondola rides are reasonably priced. Overall it is a great experience. My favorite is always the hippo.
    Visited July 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written July 2, 2023
  • KPP
    15 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Multi-year trips
    Been going here since I was a kid and has been great to watch the changes over the years. The new elephant habitat that opened a few years ago is huge and so nice to see Brittany and Ruth get an enclosure they deserve.(new elephant too but I don't remember her name). The yearly summer special exhibits of dinosaurs or dragons are always fun to take the littles to and was bummed I missed the gorilla jungle VRA exhibit. Can't wait for the next set of upgrades coming down the pipeline and to hopefully get wolves back at the zoo.
    Visited October 2022
    Written July 12, 2023
  • Mike X
    Chicago, Illinois2,045 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Saw a lot
    What a cool little zoo! The male hippo (Happy) really did us a solid by taking a dip in the pool right as we were walking by! Lots of giraffes too and you can get really close. The big cat had lions and tigers up close too so my baby really enjoyed it.
    Milwaukee County Zoo
    We appreciate you for taking the time to write a review. We're glad that you and your family enjoyed your visit!
    Written October 2, 2023
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited September 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written September 23, 2023
  • Betty
    2,808 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Educational!
    We enjoy visiting this zoo. The indoor and outdoor enclosures are well maintained and the animals are well taken care of. There is a good variety of animals and you can see many active in their enclosures. The zoo is constantly upgrading and making improvements. Definitely worth visiting
    Milwaukee County Zoo
    Thank you for taking the time to leave us a five-star review! We appreciate your feedback and support.
    Written January 14, 2024
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited November 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written January 13, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions
4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles1,744 reviews
Excellent
1,065
Very good
472
Average
142
Poor
48
Terrible
17
Lisa B
Chicago, IL473 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Nice zoo but disappointing
Jul 2021
This is a nice zoo but we had a very disappointing visit. As of our July 8 visit very few food facilities were open. I’d say only 25% were functional. The zoo was absolutely mobbed and what very few places were open had insanely long lines. I checked the website before visiting and this was not disclosed. Smart people packed picnic lunches or ate a big breakfast before arriving. I advise you do the same. Parking and admission aren’t cheap so I expected more facilities and food options open at this time if they are going to let large crowds in.
Written July 16, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mel52088
Woodville, WI168 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Unique Animals. Expensive. Mostly Closed.
Jun 2022 • Family
We made a special four hour trip here to bring our 4 and 2 year olds to see elephants and other animals that the zoos closer to us don’t have. Unfortunately, it was disappointing.

We went on a Tuesday to avoid big crowds. The forecast was hot weather, so we arrived early with the plan of getting in right away and leaving early afternoon. They don’t allow people to enter the parking lot until 9:30, so we sat in our car in line. By the time we got through the gate, parked, and our kids ready to enter, it was 10. Not a huge deal, but irksome.

Maybe because it was a Tuesday, a lot of the zoo was closed. Many animals were off exhibit and almost no food / drink locations were open. The only item I really wanted during our visit was an Icee. We passed one open stand near the elephants, but it had no menu or pricing of items and I figured I’d find another cart closer to the main gate since we’d just had a picnic lunch. Nope. Never saw another open cart and I wasn’t going to walk all the way back. So, no Icee.

When buying tickets, you have to click that you understand wearing masks in building for anyone over age 3. There are signs at the entrance to every building and free masks for those who need one. We brought ours and were one of the few people to abide by it. It wasn’t a dealbreaker for us either way, but the zoo makes a big deal about it and then there’s no follow through. Something to be aware of for those who are attending under the belief that masks are worn.

The zoo is alright. I was happy our kids saw elephants and a hippo. But those two animals wasn’t worth the hundreds of dollars in gas and hotel to visit this zoo. We likely won’t return.
Written June 15, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ELKW
United States11,866 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
not worth to go
Jun 2022
There is a dragon kingdom exhibit this summer, so we went there, it's $3 per person (in additional to general admission fee), but I think that it's totally not worth to pay for the dragon kingdom exhibit, just a few fake dragons shown, and some of them just mixing different animal together, not educational or informative, and you can tour it within half hour, not much to see. Talking about the zoo, it takes more than 40 min wait before we can enter, the staff said the system is slow, even when you have the zoo pass, still need to wait for several minutes for the system to be ready to scan your pass, ridiculous, also there is no giraffe feeding this year (may be due to COVID?), they said will resume in next year, so disappointed as my kids love to feed giraffe, but they didn't have it this year. The bird house is still closed, really not much to see in the zoo. You may go for once, but no reason to go again for this year.
Written July 12, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ELKW
United States11,866 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
not much to see on cold days
Mar 2022
Not much to see in late March, maybe the weather is still cold, the elephant, giraffe are all kept indoor, the bird house is closed, the rides are also closed, not much to see. No shows until summer time. Besides the admission fee, you also need to pay parking fee, so it's quite expensive to go there for a whole family, if you choose Father's day or Mother's day to go, then the Father or Mother is free, but you can imagine that there will be much crowded in those days.
Written April 5, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Linda H
57 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Just trying to get into the zoo is stupid!
Jul 2021 • Family
We drove here from IL. The Zoo opens at 9:30 we were there by 10 but it took over an hour to just get in the parking lot! Granted it’s Saturday, but still! I even took a short cut coming in off 103 vs Mayfair and Bluemound. Seriously don’t think I would ever comeback with this nonsense.
Written July 10, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
PewaukeeJim
Fort Myers, FL252 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
How could anyone rate this other than a "5"?
Aug 2019
Over the past 60 years I've gone to the zoo 40-50 times. I've seen the many upgrades and transformations. It's a great way to spend a day especially if you're from out-of-town. Children 2 to 12 will absolutely love it as there's so much for them to see and to do. Don't leave without a Train ride.
Written January 5, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sue M
Milwaukee, WI49 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
The Milwaukee Zoo needs an Overhaul
Sep 2022
We visited at 1:30 on a Friday and were quite disappointed. We biked there and had complementary tickets. In a nutshell: we barely saw any animals --exhibits were empty and cages were being cleaned (why clean cages while you are still open?) (also many of the animals were being fed in an inaccessible spot while we were there - leading to empty areas), we were going to have a snack and though we saw several places to eat, NOTHING was open except dipndot/cotton candy and the Flamingo Cafe (why are no food spots open while YOU are open), we bought a $5 bottle of water ($5 for a bottle of water?). I guess you have to bring your own picnic lunch and beverage.

I always feel sorry for the animals. This zoo needs a total overhaul, with a new mindset for animals and a new mindset geared towards the customer, etc. etc. I've lived in MKE my whole life and visited the zoo many, many time from childhood on. I worked there for a summer. I felt very sad and let down by the experience today.
Written September 17, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Journey288669
18 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Not worth a visit
Jun 2022
Having traveled the country visiting zoos as part of our trips, I would have to say this was the worst we visited. It is more of a walking park than anything. We took train ride around park to see if we were missing seeing it all. No,that was it. The animals we did see were kept in small enclosures. There was one in which 4 lioness were kept in no bigger than a 40x40 enclosure inside of big cat house. They still collected the full price at gate,even though there were no animal shows and buildings were closed to the public because of virus. Food prices were outrageous ,to simply get 2 hot dogs and a bottle of ice tea was over $25. After going thru whole park,we were out of there in under 2 hours. Skip this on vacation. Save your money. To say that we were irratated for wasting our time and money here is an under statement.
Written June 2, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Janae C
Lincoln City, OR43 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Do the seal and sea lion show!
May 2021 • Family
This is a great zoo. By far the best part though was the seals & sea lions show. It was amazing! You can take your own food into the zoo and there are picnic tables. The food to buy is like any zoo, more than you'd want to pay for it. But they did have Dole Whip, which was a fun treat for a lactose intolerant person like me who never gets a fun ice cream when out. The train was okay. You wait in line a long time and it doesn't really go by any animals.
Written May 31, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
EaglesFan27
Reading, PA647 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Enjoyable Morning
Jul 2020
With things slowly returning to normal, you have to pre-purchase your tickets and reserve a time slot online. We did a Sunday morning and it was quite busy. The zoo is pretty large, so it was easy to spread out. Some of the animals were not on display, but for the most part we were able to see everything. They did have the indoor buildings open for one-way foot traffic. It was nice to spend a few hours at the zoo.
Written July 26, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Milwaukee County Zoo - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

Frequently Asked Questions about Milwaukee County Zoo
Milwaukee County Zoo is open:
  • Sun - Sat 9:30 AM - 4:30 PM
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