Oakland Zoo

Get a membership and arrive as early as possible on Saturday or Sunday mornings. They open half an hour early for members. The animals are calm and about, and it's nearly empty of people.

One of the more engaging zoos . Unlike most zoom, the animals aren't in small cages. They are in large open arras that you can get real close to. The monkeys are really active and fun.

I like how close you could get to some animals. Didn't feel as nice as the Philly Zoo , but it was a good deal for the money to spend an afternoon with your family or kids.

The giraffes have stolen my wallet on 4 different occasions. Sometimes at the top of the gondola there is a small imp (possibly a goblin?) that makes you answer a riddle before he will let you off.

Definitely come early for parking . About two hours is enough to spend at the park .

I love how you can get pretty close to the animals. Bring your own lunch . Don't bother with the Sky Ride, it only provides a good view for the first 3 minutes.

The animals don't look very happy the further back you go. The animals towards the front have beautiful enclosures but when you get to the elephants and the giraffes it starts looking kinda grim.

The sky tram is pretty awesome in that you get to see animals you would normally miss if you were walking around ????

Good place to spend sometime. Best part of zoo is the gondola ride and view from top

Fantastic small and inexpensive zoo . Extremely kid friendly . Let 'em loose and try to keep up.

Love the crocodiles in the kids area !! Kinda scary for the kids section but cool as hell! LOL!

For less than 10 bucks the Oakland Zoo is a great place for a nice casual relaxing day. Not one of the biggest zoo 's but always one of my favorite close to home faves.

The best view is at the California Visitor Center outside terrace

So many things for kids to do! Great for the whole family. We come here frequently and get a ton of use from our year pass.

You can tour the entire zoo in about an hour, give or take. Great if you want the rest of your day open, but if you're looking for a full-day experience you're better off going to the SF zoo .

My favorite Zoo so far.. Close to home (Fairfield) lots if greenery and hills . The Skyline and Train are a nice touch.

The fruit bats are fascinating! Crazy creatures.

membership is an amazing deal and goes on sale every year. pays for itself in 2 visits, plus you get free ride tickets .

Children's area to play and run around. There are many benches and areas to rest in the shade too.

Take the train for $3.00 per person to go through the Wild Australia exhibit and see awesome Bay Area views !

Loved the giraffes , elephants and camels. Lots of walking uphill. Wear good shoes .

Good zoo and very stroller friendly if you have kids on a stroller. Good place for a quick family outing

The new gondola and California exhibits are great!

Come early to see the animals out. Staff are cool. Bring your own lunch because it is expensive .

Buy the $3 key from the gift shop near the entrance for little ones. It has a wrist strap so they can wear it and plug it into the audio info boxes to tell them in Engl or Esp about animals.

Membership pays for itself quickly with free parking . Also early admission in summer

Favorite place to pull out a snack and rest are the benches in front of Gibbon Island . Have a little patience, give these apes some of your time and they will entertain you with amazing acrobatics . Read more

New gondola ride is free and provides amazing views !

Get the family membership. If you go 3x in a year it's worth it. There's always something to do.

Got there around 11, had to park on the grass near the back entrance. Kind of confusing of it is your first time.

Come early to get a good picnic spot -- yes, you can bring your own food.

Best to get to the zoo when it first opens.. Allow a couple of hours to see everything.

The zoo itself was a pretty fair value and is very small-kid friendly .

Well worth the membership. Come when you want, free parking , ride tickets .

Excellent enclosures , way more natural than the SF zoo

First time here. Zoo was ok. If we were to return, I would make the time to pack lunch . We had lunch at their cafe today, it was over priced for the quality and quantity.

Had lots if fun kids didn't really like all the hills we had to walk up but was fun

Parking in the lower lot is a lot easier, and is close to the petting zoo

ZooLights event was fun

Nice urban zoo . Lots to see.

Love this place. The animals are all very animated, and the Zoo is a great place to go walking. Read more

Sit outside on the patio to eat your lunch and wave when the train goes by

Have fun and bring plenty of snacks

Goats and monkeys!

Great place, love the kids zoo . Make sure to check out the meerkats and cotton topped tamarins. Read more

Check out the wildlife theater today, KOFy tv hosting a kiddie casting call to find the next bay area star

Take the gondola.

Park near the Snow Buiding rather than the main parking lot and save time!

great place

Love the Zoo Lights!