Philadelphia Zoo
Philadelphia, PA 19104-1196
Phone: (215) 243-1100
- Hours:
- Feb-Nov: Daily 9:30am-5pm, Dec-Jan: Daily 9:30am-4pm
Editorial Review for Philadelphia Zoo – by Judy West
In Short
Despite the quaint old buildings, the zoo works hard to bring in the new. When the primate reserve burned down, the zoo turned tragedy into opportunity by shoveling resources into a new exhibit. Designed to resemble an abandoned timber mill, it offers lots of good vantage points for watching lemurs, langurs and orangutans. The big attraction, though, is the silverback gorilla--a mighty specimen that happily munches lettuce and picks his teeth, mere feet from zoo-goers.
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Insider Tips
Know Before You GoDon't miss Solitude, a beautiful 18th-century mansion built by a grandson of William Penn, or the Treehouse, an playground with a separate (nominal) admission charge.
Fun FactYou can get married in a rainforest, a peacock garden or the entire zoo. Call (215) 243-5628 for info and prices.
The Extraspopular exhibits include the Children's Zoo, where kids get to feed goats and sheep, and Carnivore Kingdom, where the jaguars, snow leopards and cheetahs spend most of their time sleeping on hard-to-spot ledges.
User Reviews for Philadelphia Zoo
05/11/2008 Posted by ctdan
Our family went to the Zoo on a Sunday. Our visit started with parking on a city street at least a 1/4 mile away. This was the closest parking, with the promise of a shuttle to the zoo entrance. We were offered no help or information by the parking staff (yes, this is official parking), and asked another family how long they had been waiting. After they rolled their eyes and said "a long time," we decided to hoof it with our two and four year old. Unfortunately, that walk set the tone for a tough day. We stood in line for fifteen minutes to pay $12 for the priviledge of "parking," admission, and a stroller. We quickly got a stroller, and then stood in another line for the bathroom which was not very clean and did not have a changing station. We later found a family restroom that was clean and had a changing station nearby. After a couple of hours of viewing animals, in well kept, nice exhibits, we found what appeared to be the largest restaurant in the park. There was easily ten minute, probably fifteen minute, lines and there were many families who found eating spots on the ground due to the lack of sufficient tables. We opted to pass on that, and found a smaller food stand. They had two lunch wraps on the menu as well as breakfast sandwiches with nearby seating. They were out of the wrap we ordered, and while waiting ten minutes for an egg sandwich, we observed the handler sneeze into her hand and continue serving. We decided to call it a half-day and find a more customer-friendly environment. We stopped by the family restroom and discovered (due to the length of the ladies room line) it was being now being used as a general bathroom. After no help with a return shuttle, we walked the uphill 1/4 mile (past a closed entrance) to our car. Overall, it seems like a pretty nice zoo. But, on this Sunday, it was horribly underequipped to handle half the number of visitors. Hopefully, that was simply a bad day for the zoo. It was for us.
11/13/2006 Posted by asd4s
I love going here with my kids. It's got wide paved paths that make it easier if you have two stroller bound kids. We'll miss the elephants! I highly recommend getting the membership online before you go. This will allow you to park for free. Parking is VERY VERY EXPENSIVE otherwise.
Pros: convenient, fun for kids
Cons: expensive
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