Its a good zoo but its not as large as you think it will be when you first walk in. There are some really fun animals like seals and sea lions, tigers, bears, lions, gorillas. The aquarium is large and pretty cool. There are some really good food options. I was disappointed that theres not more cohesiveness to the zoo and no one-way path, especially during Covid, its hard to keep a 6-foot distance. The train is like a mall train in its own little area, not a train through the zoo, and you have to pay extra to go into the petting zoo! I did have a lot of fun feeding the goats and the lorikeets (which also costs extra.)The gardens are really cool but its quite a hike to get up to them! They are a longish walk from the zoo itself and up a big hill. Normally, theres a tram but not right now. If you make it, however, theres a beautiful walled garden and lots of things are in bloom even now. Then I took the nature trail back down the hill to the zoo and that was nice.I also did the Lights Before Christmas event and found that to be pretty disappointing. It was just so crowded, and again, no real traffic control or cohesiveness to the experience.To visit the zoo in general and the Lights Before Christmas, youll need separate tickets that give you a specific time to arrive. The lights took me about 45 minutes to walk around (I was alone) but the full zoo and gardens open, I stayed from 9am to 2pm.

We really did have So much fun here! It was Absolutely lovely. We will be returning, as soon as Covid isnt dictating our schedule, plans and outings!! There is just SO much to do at this Zoo!When I was 8-10 years old, we went to the nearest zoo to us, in Alabama. I was just terribly bored.. I remember falling asleep at a picnic table! I know, its been about 25 years ago.. but it definitely wasnt Anything like this!Actually, my husband, myself and our daughter, had a better, more relaxed time here, than we did at the Smithsonian National Park and Zoo, in Washington DC!We cant wait to go back!Side Note: Columbia Zoo also offers classes to Homeschoolers and Ive heard the Halloween event, Boo at the Zoo is absolutely awesome!

One of my favorite Zoos to go to. My mom and I go every time I drive up to SC. We have been going there for over 30 years. Miss seeing the Elephants though. Will continue our tradition. Love this place

Amazing habitats and great variety of wildlife.The bird exhibits were incredible! After seeing the amazing back drops on the bird house we were a little disappointed with the Koala exhibit, the plain green wall took away from the room, unless its a work in progress.The map was a bit confusing, some of the animals werent where the map showed.At times it was too close for comfort with the amount of people that went in the different houses. Many did not adhere to the social distancing. I personally feel that until this Covid is over with, entry to the different houses need to be limited or controlled better.Thank you to Pamela at the Kangaroo exhibit for the great chat and being so friendly.We drove 3 hours to get there and left at closing. We havent seen everything yet so we will definitely be back. All in all very impressed. Thank you to all the amazing Zoo Keepers for the incredible job you all do!

Ive been here a hundred times with my family. Its just a spectacular place. Every staff member is nice and helpful. The bathrooms are all very clean. The food is good and they have a pretty diverse selection. The pricing isnt bad, about what youd expect. In addition to the zoo, the botanical gardens across the river are absolutely gorgeous. Definitely worth the 2.5 hr drive for us.

This is by far one of the prettiest zoos I’ve ever been to. Everything is so well maintained and taken care of. A lot of detail has gone into making this zoo amazing. They had two animals that I had previously not seen at a zoo before! To me, that makes it even better! I love to see animals and I love to see animals being repopulated.The food is so good but expensive (like all zoos). The gift shop is HUGE! They take your picture at the entrance, which I personally like.The only problem that I’d say is it doesn’t follow the easiest path. You have to backtrack a little to go through which a lot of zoos are like that so no big deal.I didn’t see a place to rent strollers or anything like that so bring your own. Bathrooms are clean.All around, I’d def go again.

I brought my wife and 2 sons to the Zoo and we had a wonderful time viewing the exhibits. The aquarium/reptile exhibit was probably the highlight for me - lots to see inside! Feeding giraffes is as fun and entertaining as it sounds. The Koalas were incredibly cute and active. This was the closest Ive ever been to a Komodo Dragon!! The park was very clean and orderly and felt like things were handled very professionally. Will definitely return in the future.

Great experience at the zoo. We had a great time despite many of the exhibits being closed. We rode the train and carousel. The train cars were not disinfected between rides like the carousel but I packed plenty of wipes so I was not deterred.I noticed mobile handwashing stations scattered throughout the park. It gave me peace of mind knowing we could wash our hands without having to visit the restroom.I was pleasantly surprised to see a Coop food truck because their food is delicious. Most of the snack and drink stations were opened today which was great because it was a scorcher.We only stayed for about 2hrs because it was hot and by then we saw all the attractions in addition to chowing down on some Coop! I cant wait to go back. Hopefully the splash pad and some more stuff will be opened.

We took the family to the lights at the zoo tonight. About a third of the people there were not wearing masks. Zoo management was informed but said there was nothing they could do, even though they have signs that clearly say masks are required. If you are older I would suggest not going. There’s no reason to support this zoo when they will not support you.

Great place for family visit. Animals seem to be happy - they have plenty of space and treated well. Sea lions are amazing. You can feed giraffes and parrots. Awesome aquarium - you might have to wait in the line before you get in, but it shouldnt take long and definitely worth it. The botanical garden attached to the zoo is also beautiful

Lights before Christmas is always a nice event to start the Holiday season! Walking through the zoo, viewing the lights, sipping hot chocolate, and making smores, as you listen to Christmas music...outstanding experience!

Ive taken my family with 3 children to Riverbanks Zoo over the past 5 years. Theyve removed the elephant exhibit, and replaced it with a rhino exhibit. We absolutely love the zoo. As they have fish, reptiles, marsupials, birds, apes, monkeys, and mammals. The park is a great size, and there is plenty of parking (although parking now costs $5). The zoo always makes a phenomenal day trip, and is perfect for young families.

The zoo is one of my favorite places!! I go about once every year as a family day, and it has something for everyone! The garden is a great quiet place, awesome for pictures! The kiddos love the splash zone! The gorilla exhibit is a fun one! The bird feeding area is exciting! Thats just a few of the great things the Riverbank Zoo has to offer.

We have been to the zoo several times and we always have a great time. This was our first visit since Covid and I was happy with the level of precautions they have put in place. The visit was still enjoyable as always.

We really enjoyed the Zoo better than the garden, that’s only all the flowers not in season right now. I’m sure it’s beautiful garden when the flowers are blooming.

We went to Riverbank zoo this past weekend with a large group. The staff was friendly and the zoo was clean. There were some people not wearing masks when walking around the outside exhibits, but when we were entering the indoor exhibits masks were enforced. Our nephew went on the carousel, which was cleaned after each use. I highly recommend visiting.

The zoo is very compact and therefore its easy to walk with little kids, the territory is nice. Many dont put away their credit cards- constantly hold them in hands, at first I was very confused by it but later I found that you pay for literally everything inside the zoo: for the entrance tickets you pay almost the same amount for a kid as for an adult which is very expensive, buy a ride, buy lettuce to feed the animals from the farm, giraffes, etc. ... Buy lunch... Pay to see birds... Always have to buy everything, buy buy buy. Really annoying

We took our grandkids to Riverbanks Zoo and we had an awesome day. Lot of animals, an aquarium, a reptile house, lots of birds. We went on a Mon. so it wasnt real crowded. The kids had a blast snacks and food are pricey just like an amusement park. Also there are other additional costs to feed the animals and birds and to ride the train.

A great family fun opportunity to do together. Right now you have to wear masks and make appointments to be able to enter the park. But so worth it with all the beautiful animals and wildlife they have there. Take a stroll over to the gardens where you will find endless amounts of flowers and history.

Even though certain areas were closed due to Covid-19, it was still a pleasure going here. Weve been a few times before when everything was open and theres lots to do. Dont forget that theres a garden here, too! The hike up to the gardens from the zoo crossing the Saluda River was tranquil and refreshing.

This zoo is one of our family’s favorite places period. Unfortunately we will not be back for awhile. They advertised mandatory masks and timed entries and this is not happening at all. Less than half the people we saw were wearing masks, most did not even have them dangling around their necks. We went when they first opened last weekend and the crowds were large and not even trying to stay at a safe distance. A few people seemed to treat our masks as some kind of political statement and were aggressive in letting us know how they felt. We still enjoyed ourselves because this zoo is just fantastic but the people were just being incredibly selfish and foolish. Reap. Sow.

Yes everything was great me and my beautiful wife Robin RICHARDSON had a wonderful time on Saturday afternoon everyone wore mask like they was ask to do in order to keep everyone safe William Richardson 4&1/2 stars

Garden Center was open unfortunately, not a lot of staff. The Main area was packed with things to see. All in all a great time. Good to see Family and friends are going out again.

I really liked the zoo for its diversity in animals. They had big animals like lions and tigers, local animals like chickens and goats, aquatic animals, birds, reptiles, and all sorts of things. In addition, architecture of the zoo was awesome, very nice and modern.Despite all of this, I still give it a 3 star from my faulty experience with eating at the Burger Shack. After ordering the Tiger Burger I experienced a bad stomach ache. Other members of my family ordered other things and were fine (ex: the American Classic Burger). So if you go to the burger shack and order something please dont order the Tiger Burger...

What a great zoo. This has to be in our top 5 favorite zoos and we have been to LOTS of zoos (San Diego zoo and the Manitou Springs zoo in Colorado which is a mountain zoo). One thing that they did really well is that the sidewalks are shaded for the majority of the paths, which is nice because you are not having to walk in the blazing sun for the whole time. Not to mention, the zoo has lots of nature incorporated. It’s not just a bunch of concrete, metal, and bars. Pretty impressed.

Riverbanks has a great zoo with lots of wildlife and educational opportunities. Some people complain about the cost of food and souvenirs but never consider how much it cost to maintain the operation. I highly recommend a visit.

The zoo is huge and connected to a large mountainside garden. My son loved being able to touch animals and even walk through the forest.One thing which could have been better is the forest walk was not labeled in the best way. Once you get half way into the forest, there are signs to tell you the rest of the way is not wheelchair or stroller accessible. It would be nice if these signs were posted at the beginning of the route to tell people.

The quality of this Zoo has gone down hill tremendously over the last 10 years. Very sad to see, we visited the Christmas lights this year and it’s pretty, but not all it’s cut out to be. Lot of displays were not operational or turned off.

Extremely clean, lots of areas for cooling off. Animals are well kept. A lot of new exhibits are being built which is nice to see! Im excited to see the update. Everyone is friendly and helpful. Mask are required in all buildings and to enter however you can walk around without masking.

My family and i decided to take a chance and visit during covid this past Saturday. We got an entrance time of 12:30 pm while waiting in line to get in we noticed no social distancing and watched a family be allowed in not wearing masks.....sign says masks required at all times unless eating or drinking. We drove well over an hour to get there or we would have left then and there, so we decided to go in. During our entire visit we were crowded at all the exhibits while observing many people without masks or very improper mask wear.Truly i was disgusted and we will not be back til after covid.

This zoo was busy!! Lots of people but socially spaced and safe. Staff was great and very informative. It was a very good experience.

Great small zoo to take the kids. No where near as big as the zoo in Asheboro, which is not a bad thing. Not crowded, plenty of exhibits. We were able to get around it in a couple of hours.

SOOOOOO talk about the best bday gift!!!! I have wanted to come here since I first visited Columbia a few years back. Caregiver life didnt allow for that experience until now. I had a fabulous time despite slicing my big toe open on the trail stone steps ... I got 4 stitches for my bday!!!! But anyway... the animals were gun you could feed various ones and get closer with added fees... i watched the tiger walk in the same path for 15 minutes... idk if that was sad or scary. Literally turning around at the same spot. I enjoyed baby gorillas, zebras, giraffes and all that jazz. Ppl did NOT social distance and many didnt have masks... but if that doesnt frighten you go!!! I got some fun gifts. And. Great pics and vids. Too much to say... DO NOT WEAR SLIDES if you plan to go on the trail. Thank you to the couple who supported to give my friend a first aid kit & Skyler from the Zoo Safety who patched me up even more... (apparently my fast acting tampon /face mask tourniquet was good too) I know I know ... girl scouts actually paid off!!! Lmao. Anywho- if you liked animals go. If you get funny seeing them caged maybe do the added fees to engage more. Ooooohhh and I got to pet a goat... that was exciting. Long story! Any way... if this hasnt excited you then maybe zoo life aint for you stick to watching The Zookeeper movie. Lol.WEAR A MASK. Also if you go on trail watch for these HUGE SPIDERS!!!! Food is 4-5 bucks for everything... I did see ppl with water bottles... no one checked bags so idk if you can bring stuff. Strollers & wheelchairs not allowed on trail areas. (I wouldnt advise it anyway its not even)Parking sucks too not enough. Park to the left its closer to entrance.Ok... enjoy the pics. This was my bday gift... 9/27 was my bday... thiiisss was on 9/26.

Its our families Favorite Zoo so far! Nice size, you can see all the animals within a few hours, but your not too exhausted either! We love bringing a picnic lunch and eating outside the zoo gates where they have some tables set up. We liked it better when the tables were in the forest area though. Animals seemed happy and well taken of with large exhibits. For those saying masks arent enforced... if you read the signs and policies, they say you only need a mask when inside or close to other people. So while walking around outside, you dont need it. Every staff member we encountered was wearing one appropriately and customer service was great!

Zoo is always a delight! I just wish people would keep masks on and follow social distancing..so many groups without masks frustrates me...many with a lot of children!!

Amazing felid trip for homeschool families like us! Weather was perfect, food was priced reasonable and extras were only 2$.

Great place to take your family. Great exhibits and lots of exotic animals that you don’t see at any zoo.Only one issue I had and that’s there was a lot of us that come from out of town that just happen to be a smoker. I totally understand the smoke free facility especially around the animal exhibits and around the public but would be nice if they had designated smoking areas for the ones that do smoke so we can smoke a cigarette without having to go all the way up front to go out gate and fight to get back in without paying again. Or at least have a area where they can vape if the smoke is too strong smelling. Other than that I had a great time but even Disney world has smoking areas

Although it is most recommendable to come in the spring, especially when youre heavy on loving different array of flowers. The Riverbank Zoo & Garden sure had its perks through sightseeing and attractions. I especially loved how all of your coworkers and trainers there are so passionate in their workings with each animals that were featured there! It was sweet as it was exciting!

No social distancing here at all. People running around in big groups not wearing any masks at all even though its mandatory here according to riverbanks zoo and gardens. I will not be coming back here until the pandemic is over it truly is not safe for anyone young or old. I truly wish it was different but they are not implementing their own safety measures, they still let the non mask wearers in with no problem in the middle of a pandemic. Stay safe be careful if you come here.

I went with the children and they had a good time. It was a really nice day so many people were out too. I had been there years ago, but it has upgraded and improved my zoo experience.

Nice little zoo to spend a few hours. Animals looked healthy and staff for the most part seemed happy. The top rails around the exhibits could use a 12 raise for those in wheelchairs as the rail blocks their views of the animals.

I grew up with a Riverbanks Zoo pennant on my wall most of my young life. My parents brought me there and I totally enjoyed it. Few years back we were in the area visiting family and we saw they were doing Boo at the Zoo. We kind of plan for it on our way down bringing our costumes. We had a great time. The park was all decorated for Halloween. The exhibits were too. It is a great zoo! Lots to see and do, barely can do all in 1 day. Take your time, check out their schedule and try to attend some of the cooler things. You cant go wrong here!

The Zoo was set up for the Wild Lights that evening, so we went a little late in the day to be able to see all the animals, but the Holiday light display was beautiful throughout the Zoo and the fake snow machines near the entrance made for a great experience for my children.

I love this zoo, I loved seeing the penguins. They are the reason I went to riverbanks. But the food was good and the park was great!

Lots of fun and kids and adults alike can really enjoy a day out at the zoo!My favorite parts were the gorillas, and the Dippin dots

We were bored. Party of 3 including a toddler and there wasnt much to see or do. Granted, due to COVID-19 restrictions, most attractions are closed, zoo keepers and staff could do more to provide alternative activities for children and guests. Most animals were also hiding away.

Good variety of animals. A lot of things were closed like the high ropes course - which was disappointing. Glad the lorakeets were open and the carousel were open. Also glad the petting zoo was open.

Great place. Wonderful time. Memories

I love Riverbanks Zoo and have been a member for years; however I will not be going back until the virus is long gone. We (two of us) made reservations in advance for Sat Oct 3 at 2:00pm. When we got inside the zoo we were shocked by what we saw and turned around and left. The place was absolutely packed with people, and we saw many people without masks. I guess even though the zoo tried to space people out checking in, there was no way to get them to leave in a set time, and the number of people just exploded during the day.

Great to see the animals. Not crowded because of limited admissions. Would be nice if it could be that way each time visiting.

Very good experience and cannot wait to go when everything is up and running all the way

Went for the Lights Before Christmas. It was beautiful. I highly recommend going.

We had fun. Masks inside, optional outside if you can socially distance. It was HOT! Overall a fun day spent tiring out some kiddos. They loved the animals. Flamingos and snakes were their faves.

I visited the zoo and garden on Labor Day with my family. We toured the ENTIRE zoo and garden, including the Saluda River hike, within 5 hours at a leisurely pace, taking time to feed the animals along the way. There are lines to feed the various animals, see the rhinos, and get into the aquarium because of social distancing. It costs $2 a person to feed the birds, giraffes, or goats. The tram from the zoo to the garden is not in operation until further notice. Be warned that its either a very steep walk up the hill to the garden, or a beautiful long hike along the Saluda River to the garden. You can opt instead to drive your car around from the zoo to the garden. I did not see or find a restroom at the garden, but there are a few situated in the zoo which were clean.They say no outside food or drinks, but youll see people pulling personal snacks and drinks from their bags and baby buggies. I carried a couple of water bottles in my purse. The drinks cost $3 in the machines found in the zoo. It was an overall enjoyable experience, and tiring from all the walking.

We had a wonderful experience. Great layout for even younger zoo-goers!

My review is solely a reflection of the lack of customer service and support on the weekends. Ive tried calling several times to speak with a customer service representative about my situation, but there has been no answer. I left a voicemail the first time and then my subsequent calls found that the voicemail was full, so Im assuming multiple people are not having their questions answered. If youre going to maintain business 7 days/week, you should have someone available to answer the phone 7 days/week. This is a very common and basic customer service expectation, and I certainly expected better from an organization that is hailed as one of the cant-miss experiences in the Columbia area.

What a great zoo!! We are from NC and this zoo is a smaller than the NC zoo but the exhibits and enclosures were so well kept!! Our favorite part was the lorikeet feeding!! Well worth the visit!!!

Best little zoo in the South, this is a jewel in SC. Well maintained with the latest updates for all the animals!! A great Barn area, petting zoo for the kids. This is must for kids of all ages!!

Awesome and could not believe that the zoo was not brand new. Absolutely spotless and all the exhibits where gorgeous and so well laid out.

Took our grandkids from Alabama there last week. They have been to several zoos and said they liked this one the best. Was an easy drive for a day trip from Augusta.

The zoo was a great experience but I am very concerned about the tiger exhibit. The tiger was pacing around which i believe to be the lack of space given. This was very heartbreaking and sad to see. In the future or sometime soon, could you please give the tiger a bigger space. Other than that it was great experience.

Wonderful,we enjoyed it so much, but go early, we took the 9am entrance option, and it was not crowded, but around 11 AM the crowd was large, still plenty of room to move around

Awesome place to go. Bring the family and stay all day.

This is the first time we went to the zoo post-COVID, and wed heard good things about their safety precautions so we went with my mom who is the primary caregiver for my 90-year-old grandmother. Even though masks were required, at least 25% of people were not wearing them and were making no effort to socially distance. The zoo employee who ran the carousel and talked to everyone in line multiple times had his mask under his nose. I wish, at the least, zoo staff would wear their masks properly and, ideally, ask people to put their masks back on.

Have to purchase hr tickets. Things arent the same, due to Covid. Which is understand. No food is been sold. Shaved ice cream is. No crowds. Much calmer.

Such a fun and great place to take the kids. You really get your moneys worth with the membership adventure pass! Didnt get to go much due to covid, but a wonderful zoo who has keeper who enjoy talking with and teaching Kids. Plus the POPCORN is fantastic!!!! Try it and you will be hooked!! Lots of fun activities and holiday events for all.

We have had family passes for the last several years. Its worth the price for either the zoo or the splash pad at the gardens. But you get both. And they put up Christmas lights every year. Everything is very walkable.

Great place to visit and take your kids. Even a great option to gave a date. Love going here! The staff is wonderful.

Love coming here everytime my family and I visit south carolina. They are doing a great job handling business during this time period.

Great family experience with lots of interactive exhibits.The trainers feeding for certain animals are exciting educational fun for the whole family. This zoo is well maintained and very clean. Nice restaurant and areas for private parties.The digital download of the map is very convenient and a breeze to navigate. Overall wonderful experience for the whole family.

Just a good place to take the kids to get out the house. Wasnt too crowded so that the kids could actually enjoy it rather than before this pandemic.

A zoo with a beautiful environment, a garden suitable for children, cute animals and friendly staff!

Always enjoy this zoo! Its beautiful, and the exhibits are always nice and clean.Would like to see more food available. It seems theyre always closed when I visit.Nice new rhino exhibit, & the animals appeared to be comfortable, and well cared for.

My boyfriend and I decided to hit th zoo after coming from Greenville SC. There wasnt a lot of people which was surprising. But we had fun and enjoyed the nice day. Will return the next time were up in the area.

I visit this zoo with my family at least twice a year and we love it every time. Great atmosphere. Great exhibits. And its a fair price

This Zoo is Wonderful,a Great variety of animals - all looking healthy & engaging, playing, in their habitats. The zoo employees are I credibly kind & helpful. Terrific experience!

A beautiful experience to see all types if animals

A really nice Zoo, thats had some nice updates over the years to add some new animals / exhibits to the zoom (Sea Lions and Rhinos are the latest additions). The Gorillas are always fun to watch as well. They have made some changes for the worse in the recent years. Charging for parking just seems like a cash grab ($5) and then what they charge for the petting zoo area seems like another one. I think its all a push to get people to buy their Explorer Level memberships that include everything (except the skywalk). In short its a nice zoo, but it isnt the best zoo... I believe they may find they loose more members (which I am) than gain with their new changes.

Boo at the zoo was great, the picture lines were a little crazy they need an app

Im writing this review primarily to commend the woman I spoke with in regards to a membership named Debbie. She answered all my questions without hesitation. She was professional and friendly and even informed me that the park has river otters!! If anbody knows anything about me, its my love of the majestic river otter. Thanks to Debbie, Riverbanks now has a new member!

Nice day trip for the family. Very clean. Animals looked loved and healthy.Gardens are gorgeous.

The best zoo in the South East! We love coming here. If you plan to frequent it, I suggest getting a yearly membership vs tickets bc it comes out cheaper and you get more bang for your buck!

It was a fun activity to do with my family. However we didnt get to see someof the animals because they werent there for some reason or another. Then others were sleeping. We couldnt feed the goats either because there wasnt any food in the machine. Then the people at the carousel charged my card for more than they should have. Through all of that we still managed to enjoy ourselves though.

For its size this zoo really offers a lot. Very well themed, well kept grounds, healthy animals that are vibrant and lively (except the ones that love to sleep). It does offer quite a bit for the small footprint it fills. The only thing I wish different would be a little less for the price of admission.

This was a fantastic zoo! The gardens, kids tree houses, fairy gardens, bird feeding areas, and dinosaur digging res were amazing. There was a free play area in the grass for hula hoop, parachutes and games. You could ride a tram to the back part or walk about fifteen minutes. There was see very overpriced zip lining which we didnt do, but it looked interesting.The gardens were lovely. Such a great collection of thistle! The wisteria is beautiful! The formal gardens are amazing. The bird feeding really was the best experience Ive had at any zoo.

From the extra assistance I received from Debbie, in membership sales (she was patient, helpful and followed up with membership info in an email), to the outstanding staff that ensured safety (covid precautions) in our zoo visit, I could not have had a more positive experience. Every exhibit had included extra guidelines to help patrons know to use masks and keep 6 feet from others. Not every visitor was compliant (just like every other public place we go to) but the vast majority were considerate. We saw alot of hands on care of the cleaning, feeding and interaction with the animals. I bought my college student a pass here so she can take her friends. What a pleasant outing for us.

Riverbank is a wonderful place! It has a wide variety of animals and things for the little ones to do. Extremely clean and we always enjoy ourselves.

VERY DISAPOINTED to see that Masks arent being enforced for Boo at the Zoo by the Riverbanks staff. We were told they were mandatory and that they are limiting entry to keep crowd sizes down which is why we decided to go, but when we went last night, there were tons of people and about half without masks and no interest in maintaining any social distancing. Normally, as long time members, We Love the Zoo and left very early due to meeting with unexpected crowds and blatant disregard for basic safety measures in the midst of a rising pandemic. We also didnt understand why our membership didnt cover the train or carousel like usual and why we were charged an additional entry fee, almost the same amount as non-members when many or most of the animals werent even out to be seen. We thought there would be extra shows or really decked out decorations and activities, but that was not the case; it was Not what we expected.

We enjoy visiting The Riverbanks Zoo & Garden. We always have a great time except for our most recent visit. We expected it to be a different experience because of covid-19 but a lot of the things that make it fun to visit were closed. On the website they do not tell you these attractions are close. They wait until you get there and buy tickets then drop the bad news. Before you go to visit, you need to go online and reserve a time slot to enter the park. I guess this is to break up large groups from coming at the same time. Masks are required. Not a big deal. Overall my kids had a good time. It was just much more muted than before Covid-19. I forgot to add that they are doing a Halloween theme at the park from 5-9 but at an extra cost of $15 a head, its a bit to expensive for a family of 6. I took 2 stars off. one for not posting the attractions that were closed and the other is for the steep price for the Halloween event. They should consider giving a discount to families that paid for a daytime admission.

We had so much fun with our one year old! Cant wait to come back again

Social distancing mild requirement. The grounds and exhibits are nice. The koalas are adorable and this zoo is one of the few zoos in the US that have Koalas!

Absolutely Beautiful, I would love to go back. This Time, Take My Grandchildren.

Clean and spacious! The animals are very friendly and visible. The only ones that arent really out are the lions, tigers, and gorillas. To be fair it was very hot. The otters and penguins are awesome to watch and interact with. There is a good amount of shade that you can walk in, but some areas are very sunny. If you have a stroller, I would recommend bringing a fan and water for your child. Not many vendors are open right now.

Boo at the zoo was awesome. very family friendly, great employees, awesome DJ and dance party! we cant wait until next year!

Nice little zoo! I thought it would be much bigger but it’s not. It’s a great zoo to see a variety of animals and it’s very kid friendly. Prices are not bad. We went through it in 2 hours if that says anything. If you’re looking for a bigger zoo I’d try the N.C. zoo it’s huge and has a ton of animals. But this was good for small kids and to just walk around and enjoy some animals

Awesome experience with my wife and 18 month old. There is a plethora of animal exhibits. Theres also other small attractions such as wall climbing and a merry go round. My only complaint is that you need special credits, which cost extra, to enjoy the extras such as the feeding and petting, the wall climbing, and merry go round. The staff was very nice too.Other than that, it was a lot of fun!

Only gave 4 stars because I could only find 1 place to eat more than ice cream or pretzels. A little pricey on the rides especially for a child under 2 and on food, but overall we had a great time. Wish the waterworks had been open because it was miserably hot and only found a couple of places that had the water mist to cool off in.

Wonderful. No congestion, enjoyed it a lot. Staff working very hard to keep the zoo clean and pleasant. All of the animals out and about. Wonderful day!!!!!

It was a nice place unfortunately too small for the amount of money we spent. Also we couldnt visit the sea life display they have. It was closed because it was maintainence day. They should let know visitors in advance.

Love this Zoo, easy to navigate, alot of shade, plenty of seating. Kids & adults always enjoy.