Virgina Zoological Park

A long weekend trip to VA Beach and a spare day led me to the zoo. My visit was on a Monday and there were few other guests. Most of the animals were out and active less the Red Panda in the sun. $19.00 admission was a bargain. I'm looking forward to a future visit and a 'behind the scenes' activity / tour that you pay extra for and need to book in advance. Great place for kids, adults or seniors. Everywhere is wheel chair accessible. Super clean facility and very kind staff. Limited lunch items to buy there

A great zoo for all ages, but especially toddlers and small children. Manageable in a day or even afternoon, but with great animals! My toddler loved the tiger and giraffes, as well as petting the goats. Beautifully landscaped with many fun play areas. The “playground” isn’t really what I’d call a playground, but over all I was very impressed.

We visited Virginia Zoo as part of the YMCA/Zoo membership swap for the month of October. The kids loved every exhibit. The staff was friendly and knowledgeable, they encouraged and answered all of our questions about the animals. We had a great time and will be visiting again in a couple weeks.Visited onWeekendWait timeNo waitReservation recommendedNot surePrice for adult entryFree

For the admission you really can't beat it it has so much gd walking and really taking care of sceneries. Well kept ground with very nice knowledgeable employees we had the honor to see a born yesterday giraffe he was big 6ft and ready to go the Zoo layout was very gd no issues of see animals or being close to them I loved the meerkats pretty cool animals a must for kids and toddlers a must if your in the area. Thumbs up Virginia always a pleasure coming here

There weren’t many animals outside since it was a hot day, which I understand, so that’s not the reason for my low rating. You can still spot them in the shady areas if you look close enough. My rating is due to the lack of animals at all. Most of the enclosures had nothing in them whatsoever, almost like they were never there in the first place. The ones that did had animals that, quite honestly, appeared depressed, especially the Orangutan in the main enclosure. A lot of the enclosures also seemed far too small for certain animals. There were also animals that usually live in large groups bison, monkeys, lion and lionesses, etc. who were all alone in their enclosures. The Orangutans were separated. Two were in a very small viewing area. One of them was sitting near a window inside, staring out at the main enclosure like he wanted to be outside instead. The third Orangutan that was in the main enclosure was just lying on the ground, fiddling with some hay. I’ve never in my life seen Orangutans act like this. They’re usually very lively and happy animals. Other animals looked overheated, but had nowhere to go. I can’t remember what type of bird it was maybe a toucan who was on the hilltop area — the poor thing looked miserable and he didn’t seem like he had anywhere to cool off. Quite a few animals looked sick or like they weren’t receiving proper care, especially the Bald Eagle. He was sitting on a perch by himself and his feathers looked absolutely pitiful. The path for the hilltop area was under construction. Once you reached the top, you had to walk all the way back and go around to see the other side. Most of the zoo is filled by play areas or blank space. It feels more like a city park with random animals tossed in at certain points than an actual zoo. It really feels as though this zoo cares more about appearances and being pretty rather than the conservation of the animals that live there. Overall, I wouldn’t return to this zoo for another visit. It’s very lackluster and, quite frankly, sad in comparison to other zoos. I also didn’t take very many pictures, which I normally do, since it was so underwhelming.

Staff was outstanding! They shared knowledge of the animals in great detail. We even enjoyed lunch there. We bought plush long snakes for the boys and I bought a giraffe purse that I love. My 4 year old grandson said it was his best day ever!Visited onWeekdayWait timeNo wait

Great well maintained zoo, not as many animals as other zoos I’ve been. Not crowded. Most exhibits had better views than other places. Very kid friendly.Visited onWeekdayWait timeNo wait

Nice little zoo, nothing too big but plenty to see. The enclosures had great viewing areas and some of the animals were closer then what I have seen at other zoo's. The walk in goat area was pretty cool for the kids. There are plenty of rest room areas in the zoo, but garbage was overflowing in the trash cans in the bathrooms and in some that were outside, ie at the end of the giraffe area before going into their building. Price for entry: $11.00

My kids and I loved our visit to the Viginia Zoo recently. What I like most about this location is that its not too big or hard to get lost in. The directions are very easy to follow and the distance between yourself and animals are spot on. We got to see alot of animals close up during this visit which gave my kids more excitement and curiosity. To me, we typically take about an 1 1/2 to 3 hours to see everything but that really depends on the person and how many times people visit. Overall, the zoo was clean and animals were beautifully taken care. That definitely gives me a peace of mind. There are also bathrooms, venting machines, and food located throughout the zoo. :

A great overall zoo! Asia area and Okavango themed areas are beautiful! Large splash area for children. Lots of open lawn to walk and relax in. Don't miss the reptile house!Visited onWeekdayWait timeNo waitReservation recommendedNoPrice for adult entry$16–20