children's zoo at celebration square

The Saginaw Children's Zoo is not only a great place to see animals up close, but it is a beautiful park-like setting where the family can enjoy water, flowers, and mature trees. The hand-carved carousel is stunning and has many themed horses representative of the local area and history. It is well-worth getting an annual membership because of the additional programs and events as well as the overall cost savings for other zoo attractions like train rides and the gift shop.

Nice smaller zoo that you could easily spend a few hours walking through. Pack a lunch and enjoy. Exhibits are decent, animals look well cared for and in good health. Train and carousal rides are good too.

I am partial to this zoo because I can see the love that *MOST* volunteers/employees have here. The animals are very well kept from what I can see. However, some improvements could and should be made. I.E., the aquarium area....such a shame to see something that could be put to use just sitting. I do not think that the serval there has enough room. He needs a larger habitat in my opinion. I do like the new little playground area just built, its nice. But I really would like to have seen improvements to the animals living quarters. They should always come first. Price is good, and its a great place to take the family for the day. They offer several events throughout the year (zoo boo, Xmas events etc) and allow Birthday Parties, in which we have taken advantage of. We have a membership for the family as well. I do have to mention that upon our last visit we did run into a rather rude young lady, intern/volunteer at the ticket booth. She was quite the snot. Apart from that, we enjoy it here! Hoping for growth in the future!

I've been going to the children's zoo for 35+ years and it impresses me very time I visit. We take visitors there and our children love it. The train is certainly the highlight of the zoo!

This was a great little zoo that you could easily cover in an afternoon. The community gardens were a cute addition.

The perk of being a member to this zoo is getting free unlimited rides on the train and merry-go-round. Other-wise it's $2 per ride or $5 for unlimited wrist band. It's great for children, because there is always something to look at. It is a smaller zoo, but it's compact so you are not bored walking around between exhibits. They have a nice playground area. The parking is free. You can bring a lunch.My kids love riding on the merry-go-round and the train that runs around the zoo. In the summer they have a butterfly house.The only con is it's not open year round.

Our family has been going to the Saginaw Children's Zoo for years and years. Before our grandson left for the Air Force it was one of our day trips he wanted to take. The memories the zoo creates are forever.Our great grandchildren love the new playground and howling at the wolf. The zoo is the perfect size for small children and parents following them. The train ride takes you through the zoo and the kids never miss taking it.The gem is the carousel. Local woodcarvers created the animals that grace the ride. Each time we wait in line the kids watch each animal go by choosing the one they want to ride. Before the ride begins the question "Is everybody ready?" is answered with loud affirmative shouts. Then the predictable response from the worker, "I can't hear you!" receives even louder shouts and screams. Every single time this brings smiles to every child on the carousel. The zoo is filled with small themed gardens. There is a waiting list for people wanting to plant a garden. Each one is tenderly cared for throughout the season.The animals are well cared for. The monkeys are the favorite.I love going to our zoo and every child we have ever taken there wants to go back.

The Children's Zoo was pretty good. My husband and I brought our 3 year old grandsons there in July. I thought it was a little expensive though.

I read all the reviews on here. Some said how there were hardly any animals but others said for young children it's ok. I decided to chance it with my young family and boy were we disappointed. I paid $50 for 2 adults and 4 kids, they charge full price for 1 yr and up. We knew it would be a small zoo but it was even smaller considering that there were hardly any animals out, and a lot of exhibits were closed. We hardly saw any animals and when we did, there was no one there to let us in to pet them. The butterfly exhibit looked very nice on the outside but when we went in there was a grand total of one butterfly in the entire place! The otters were not swimming and no where to be found. The wolfs were not there either. The train was closed so was the reptile exhibit. The wobbely bridge was closed for repairs. We went through the whole zoo in about an hour. I am disappointed because if you have a small zoo to begin with, make sure that whatever is there is up and running and animals are available. If you can't do that then you have no right to charge full price and especially for a 1 yr old who has no clue what he's looking at and is not entertained in the least but empty cages with grass and bushes.

This is a very small zoo, nice if you're looking for an afternoon outing. They had a nice selection of farm animals and activities for the children to do, but we expected more zoo-type animals. The capuchin monkeys were a lot of fun. We found the North American animal exhibit to be very small. The deer was obviously wounded - perhaps it had recently been rescued? We actually chose to come here so we could ride the carousel. This is a very special one, all the animals made by members of the Saginaw community. They were beautiful, intricately carved and fun to ride, going in circles at a slow pace good for smaller children. They also have much information about the carousel and animals posted on the walls as well as beautiful stained glass windows of carousel animals.We also took the train around the zoo. You can actually see much of the zoo from the train as you drive around the oval track, which gives a nice overview of what there is to see. Prices were $2 a ride on train or carousel, or a $5 wristband for multiple rides. If you like to ride things like we do, go for the wristband. We took 6 rides each.

We travelled to the zoo recently and were pleasantly surprised to find how well maintained the animal habitats are. Yes the ideal is environment for animals is their natural habitat, but many of the animals at the Saginaw Children's zoo were acquired as a result of people having first had them as exotic "pets". Saginaw children's zoo does a great deal with limited resources, to provide a refuge to these animals and to educate the public about wildlife. We spent a great deal of time speaking with Heidi, who has worked as a keeper and educator at the zoo for many years. Take the time to go here, interact with he staff and learn about these animals. My son was thrilled to see Zena the wolf - she is 15 years old, and yes, she would likely be happier to have companions, but integrating wolves is a complex process. The zoo staff do the best they can for her (and I am surprised to hear a comment about garbage - this zoo is very clean and the paper in some of the exhibits is actually filled with food to create enrichment for the animals - they like to find and hide food). Zoos are for learning about and appreciating the animals - and hopefully educating people to prevent the selfishness and ignorance that fuels the exotic pet trade. For a small community, this is a gem.

Thank you for taking the time to review your visit! I apologize that it wasn't to your utmost satisfaction.I can assure you that the quality of care we provide the animals is one of our greatest concerns. We have a very attentive zookeeping staff, who have all received many years of professional schooling, in addition to an on-call veterinarian. I can assure you that the animals housed here at the zoo are in good health and if any show signs of illness, it is dealt with immediately. Animals receive daily enrichment to keep them from getting "bored." Enrichment is anything new or interesting that stimulates an animal’s natural behavior. This can be food, or a puzzle, or a toy, or a scent. Often, zookeepers will use empty paper bags and pizza boxes to stuff with hay or treats so that the animal will have to spend time shredding the paper or cardboard to get the goods inside. They are cleaned up every morning before fresh enrichment is put out. I hope your next visit is more enjoyable for you. Feel free to stop any staff member if you have any questions or concerns--we would love to talk with you!

Great value and great place for the kids some of the animals you were able to get right up to and pet

I took my own kids to this zoo 25 years ago, and it's still going strong to take our Grandson there. A little worn on the edges over the years, but very clean and friendly. Love the corporate sponsors and families that maintain all the gardens. Each little spot of garden tells a story. The train ride is still the hit it used to be as is the carousel. Doesn't take too long to make your way around, leaving plenty of time to play on the playground, have a snack and check out the butterfly house.

I love that Saginaw alone in the Great Lakes Bay region has a zoo. It is well kept, gardens are lovely, animals seem happy and well cared for and they have an old steam train! It is worth a trip to see it. The kids will love it!