racine zoo

Its been a long time since I have been to the Racine Zoo.. I am not interested in paying admission. The grounds were covered with duck etc poop.

this small zoo has a very clean and a wide variety of animals that are well cared for and the grounds are maintained nice view of the lake. reasonably priced.

An excellent Zoo to take the family and spend a nice afternoon! The animals are thoughtfully and conscientiously quartered and cared for and the entire place is beautifully laid out and easy to navigate. Everything is clean, orderly and well kept! Admission is a very reasonable 4 bucks for an adult and well spent. Definitely worth making a stop!

Always a great place to visit with your children or grandchildren. There is an entry fee so call ahead for the details or check online. I grew up in Racine and the Zoo continued to grow and grow. I miss both the Racine and the Milwaukee Zoo's, but have acquired a taste now for our Zoo in Wichita, KS which is wonderful.

We stumbled upon the zoo while in Racine. When we visited it was an evening when there was a concert in the park. So we were able to view the zoo as well. While obviously not a large scale zoo it was amazing to see the variety of animals and displays. Well laid out and easy to walk in a nice part of town near the lake. It would be great for families with smaller children as it is easy to walk with a nice variety to see.

It is very much a park setting in this zoo. A good variety of animals but nothing extensive. There is a large playground area toward the back (and another smaller one by the bird aviary) which my kids love. Its a good place to go for a day out with the kids. You can bring food and drink in, so we normally pack a lunch, bring the wagon, and spend some time wandering around, playing in the play areas, and have a picnic lunch at one of the many grassy areas with tables. Do not expect a large zoo for this one. But do expect a nice day outside with plenty of entertainment and fresh air for the kids (which makes mine sleep really well!). Admission prices are reasonable, but be on the lookout for coupons in the Racine magazine for a better deal.

Grandchildren (4 & 3) beg me to take them to the Racine Zoo every time they visit at least twice monthly! It is small enough for us all to enjoy without being exhausting and the animals are easily viewed. Getting to feed giraffes was the highlight during their last trip. The farm animal petting area is accessible to them for petting and brushing goats and sheep (sometimes baby pigs and ducks to only view also) which the children enjoy. The aviary is filled with colorful birds that will feed off sticks held in your hand. Both the sticks for the birds as well as "crackers" for feeding the giraffes are an additional small fee. Beautiful Lake Michigan views as well as cool breezes off the lake in the heat of the summer make it an enjoyable visit. The three baby lion cubs are now on display and usually quite playful to watch. Certainly not comparable to San Diego or Milwaukee zoos, but a great local zoo offering a nice selection of animals that are easy to see without walking miles.

Hard to believe this gem is in the middle of a neighborhood. The price is right and family friendly.

It is well kept and maintained. Due to economic reasons you now have to pay. Feeding the giraffes was awesome.

Not going to give you the idea that this is a major metropolis zoo, it is a dying remnant. It has some nice animals, probably better suited for younger kids who aren't looking for the massive display of a Milwaukee Zoo. Nice way to spend an afternoon, wish they didn't have to charge entry fee.

True, it is not the Milwaukee, Cincinnati or San Diego zoos, but for a smaller scale zoo, we loved it. My kids (10 & 5) and I purchased a Groupon and headed to the zoo. We were able to find free parking in the adjacent lot with no problem on a Sunday afternoon. The zoo is not huge, but manageable for a 2-3 hour visit. I was most impressed by the giraffe feeding. Most zoos want $10 or more to feed a few leaves to the giraffe. Here, we paid $4 per person and received crackers to feed the giraffe while the zookeeper answered questions. I was equally impressed by the Australian animals exhibit with the kangaroos. It was great! The train ride was adorable and for $2, it was worth it. Good process in the gift shop too. All employees were helpful. If you've never been there, go!

Been goin since I was born! MY favorite. zoo ever went too!I go at least once year when I visit, Photographers dream! Everglades Photography by Kathy Daniels

I read all the reviews trashing the Racine Zoo, but we had a good time with our young grandchildren. The animals were quite close and easy for the kids to see. It was very exciting to have the monkeys start "whooping" and keep it up for 10 minutes. They were also very active which I can't say I've ever seen at the Milwaukee County Zoo. We had a good time but I can see there will be a time when the kids will expect bigger and better.

This is a small zoo with a nice mixture of animals but I really think the animal quarters should be cleaned up a bit better. I thought most of the animals looked bored in their enclosures. The small children's zoo was fine for little one's for they could get much closer to the baby animals. I think they charge a bit much for this zoo entrance fee should be lowered. If you don't feel like walking to much it would be just the place for you. Many nice picnic areas. The view of the lake is always nice.

After reading mostly good reviews on this site I decided to take my kids to the Racine Zoo. I hate to say it, but in the words of my kids we left the place "feeling sad." This zoo may have been a wonderful place at one time for people to come and experience seeing wild animals and learn about them, but now it's just a depressing hole. I didn't mind paying the $8 per person admission until we stepped inside. The exhibits and habitats were grossly over grown. You could barely see the gibbons in their enclosure due to the weeds. The orangutan habitat was not clean with a strong smell of urine and a lot of visible feces. The enclosure for the lions was way to small. Having just had 3 new lion cubs, only the male was out and about which is totally understandable, but again, the enclosure was way too small. The only reason I gave this place 2 marks, instead of one was that the meerkats were very entertaining and sweet but yet again, the enclosure too small. I think the best part of the zoo was the parakeet aviary. We all enjoyed being able to feed the parakeets and get to see them up close. In closing, this zoo had great potential if they would just clean it up, and give the animals a clean and proper enclosure, maybe kids won't leave the place "feeling sad."