Very nice, with a little bit of maintenance will be perfect

I love the Jackson Zoo or any Zoo! I feel like Jackson zoo is making progress and will become a very nice Zoo again, but at the end of the day the kids love the zoo regardless! With that being said stop zoo bashing and volunteer to help the zoo! Every time someone pay a fee at the zoo it helps the animals! So let’s have a zoo day whenever we can, they need us!

You can tell this place was particularly special back in the day. Over the years, its suffered from changes in ownership, lack of funding and now COVID. BUT, the staff have done a good job with what theyve got and it remains a fun place for a short morning outing. Dont forget the African Savannah - now the highlight of the zoo, along with the giraffe. The prospect of a few new animals coming to replace the ones that were transferred to other zoos is also encouraging. Well keep coming back.

Seems run down and not taken care of. The animals seem happy at least. Maybe it was just a bad time to come given it is winter and getting colder.

We went in February and the weather was great. It was a very nice park, smaller but just big enough not to be too big. It had an interesting assortment of critters and information. No where to get food from but had picnic areas. Had a wonderful time!

The exhibits are no where fit for an animal. The animals are mostly kept all by themselves. There watering areas aren’t full or either have dirty water in them . The water animals as they call them are non existent. The giraffe is kept on Cement flooring and is giving dry dead grass placed on the fence while it has a clear view of the nice grass area beside the exhibit. There are tall rocks in most exhibits with no grass for the animals to walk on . So it is nothing like there original homes . There is a lot of work that needs to be done to this “zoo” . I would highly recommend that you do not spend your money here . You and your family or partner will be very disappointed by it .

I had a wonderful time. I loved how close you could get to the animals. The park was clean, the animals seemed happy,and the staff were awesome. Actually Marrion (staff member) blew me and my family away with her animal knowledge and desire to teach.

This zoo is very sad and desolate. The black bear just paced back and forth, only walking about 5 feet then turning around to pace again. It was almost eerie walking around. So quiet and uninviting. Hardly any exhibits were open which I guess is ok because of Covid. I see the potential the zoo has to offer and I hope there are some efforts being done to try and fix it up. Some exhibits had bits of trash in them. The birds were in small, dark, muddy cages. I left feeling depressed. The zoo needs volunteers badly and perhaps some fundraising events.

It is a fun and a great activity for the family during the covid-19 pandemic. Its safe, clean, and handicap friendly.The rhino is so cool!!!

My family was so looking forward to the reopening. There is so much negative about it I will not even bother discussing. But I still have faith, please do better.

Very very sad. Needs someone who cares about the zoo. Needs alot of work. Please dont hold the state of Mississippi against us cuz our zoo in the capital looks so bad.

Im thankful there is a zoo close to us, however, this zoo needs work. It was very small and so small the big animals looked like they were in too small of cages. The otter exhibits roof leaked and many structures and fences looked like they need repair.

Jackson Zoological Park has its COVID safety measures in place. The high traffic areas are closed such as splash pad, playground, etc. There are one way traffic signs & trails in place. The zoo really needs the public support to become better. Its only $8 for 13 years old & up, $5 for 2 to 12 years.Tickets can be purchased online via paypal. Its took is about an hour & 15 mins to explore the whole zoo. We didnt see any elephants or lions, but there other animals such as tiger, rhino, zebras, different breed of birds & monkeys....& of course the beautiful flamingos. Please support!

If I could give a 0 I would. All animals need to be transported elsewhere that they can truly call home. Animals seemed miserable, malnourished and lonely. They need to be saved.

I have been coming to this zoo off and on for over 20 years. It has always been a great place to spend time with your family. Recently there have been some losses of certain animals like the elephants and orangutans that hasn’t been replaced and there are some exhibits that are in desperate need of repairs. I would love to see the city invest a little more time, money, and effort into this hidden gem that is still located in Jackson. The staff you run into have always been friendly and the keepers are very knowledgeable when it comes to the animals. The snack shop has recently been taken over by Backyard Burger so the menu is a little different and will ONLY accept cash so make plsure you hit the ATM before getting to the zoo. If you are in the city as a visitor or a resident, stop by and support the zoo and say hi to a few animals in the process.

For a small zoo this place is a lot of fun. I would recommend going here if you enjoy animals, be sure to bring a wheel chair if needed because they cost $9 to rent one for your visit.

A complete disappointment! The black bear look half dead, panting erratically... Grass is overgrown, there were no zoo keepers around. The poor giraffe looked malnourished and tired. Where is the funding?! Then you have to go through the worse part of town to get to the zoo. Just shut the zoo down if nothing better than this will be done. And stop charging people to get in it should be free!

It was a beautiful zoo, and the added bonus was that my fiancee and I had it all to ourselves! The only issue I had was that some on the animals look mildly depressed and a little pitiful to be honest. These animals are locked up and looked at by thousands each day- the least you could do is make sure they are happy in the meantime.

A good place to bring your kid or just wonder around yourself! Was a little dead, but they do the best with what they have!

Pitiful excuse for a waste of whoevers money that supports this. At least half of the existing cages were empty with coming soon signs. This is only third weekend in September and the leaves covered the walkways. What little of the animals seem so lifeless and sad. Its time for a change. I havent been in years. Sitting around the house, bored, I realized now, not as boring at home that at the Jackson zoo.

Wow sad you would think being in our capital it would be great zoo so had to give it a star wouldnt let me post or it would be zero

Nice little zoo. A real hidden gem hidden in Jackson. Reasonably priced and the enclosures are nice. You can get reasonably close to the animals and take excellent pictures. I really liked this little zoo and Im glad I visited.

Very nice staff, and nice atmosphere, but pens need work. Especially Rhino exhibit

Please get more animals. My grandson wasnt ready to leave. We enjoyed it.

Fantastic little zoo. Beautiful splash pad. My kids loved the train ride. Will do again.

I was blown away by the access to the animals up close. As a photographer I particularly appreciated the glass viewing areas for many of the animals or the open moated enclosures. All the animals seemed healthy and well fed. It is an older zoo (opened 1919) and could use some cosmetic improvements, but after reading the complaints about closed exhibits, I was pleasantly surprised that nearly all the exhibits were open. Its not a big zoo but its well worth the price of admission.

So, there was actually a lot of movement with the animals in the middle of the afternoon. I had fun by myself on lunch and it was really soothing just to walk by myself.

Great place for kids and adults my family had a blast and my two year old was at awh!!!! He especially lived the train ride.

Pretty nice smaller zoo. Its apparent that they care for their animals. Enclosures were clean and the animals looked to be in good health. Large portions of the zoo were off limits and dilapidated. Entire buildings collapsing right as you come in to zoo. Its really got a ton of potential, but its pretty run down. Ill bet In its day, this was a wonderful zoo.

This place needs a lot of maintenance attention! But beautiful friendly animals.

Great place go out give nature love!!! Always

The animals were pretty much all alone and appeared sad but it was pretty decent. The gift shop is definitely not all of that

Just wish some of the animals had mates/friends. Noone likes to be by themselves. Everyone enjoys a friend! It was a lot better than last year but just wish theyd move to a nicer location and had larger enclosures. Other than that we enjoyed our day.

The zoo was not at all what I was expecting. The animals all looked sad and miserable.. the zoo is very unkept. Needs a lot of work. I felt so sorry for the animals. It was horrible.. I really felt like I had wasted my money after we left. I managed to take some decent photos though..

The lady working the register was amazing! So sweet and helped us pick lunch while we were in town!

The poor Zoo could use more animals overall my 5 year old enjoyed it.

Fun place 4 kidos and also if u love animals.

Omg wish I could take it

Disappointing to see a Zoo run down. The girl who took our money was not the face of the zoo I was expecting - sullen. As a veteran I was entitled to a cheap entry rate. I didnt ask for it because it was obvious even before we went through the gate the Zoo was run down and that they need the money.Most of the animals looked depressed. The giraffe walked around in circles while the Asian bear struggled to breathe. Some of the enclosures were so antiquated they were falling apart.We came to Jackson Zoo for a quick stop over and to be honest we couldnt wait to leave. I know thats harsh, but the presentation of the zoo has a lot to be desired.Come on Mississippi you can do better than that! Its clear your city leaders are failing you and with elections coming up demand action to fix your Zoo.

Took my kids this weekend and was a little disappointed. A lot of the animals werent out, a lot of exhibits were shut down, and it wasnt as well kept as it used to be.

The animals all seemed to just be layed up out of sight. No shows or attractions. A lil boring.

The zoo was absolutely beautiful. But some the animals were in cages and not in the actual fenced in area. All of the animals looked very upset in a way

I wish it was more donations rolling in to get the zoo back to its thriving days. It needs some upkeep for sure but the animals are pure joy. I enjoyed seeing the giraffe and I loved that tut the ostrich walks along the wall following you. Hes cute. I enjoyed the zoo overall.

Ive been hearing a lot of bad things about the zoo. And yes it does need a lot of clean up. But I was surprised by the animals I saw there. There was actually a good bit. The only thing I didnt see was elephants. The area around the zoo is rundown. I heard but dont know if its true they were going to move the zoo somewhere else. They have a train ride there, a big carousel, they have a really nice size splash pad for the kids out there too. It looked like they had like a little restaurant out there. Im not for sure but I want to say Backyard Burgers. The restrooms were clean. We went on a Sunday so it was really dead. I mean there was a handful of people but it wasnt busy which I like that. And it didnt look like there was a lot of staff there working but again it was on a Sunday. And the price isnt bad either $10.25 for each adult. Im not sure what it was for a kid. A lot cheaper of course. Of course the zoo in New Orleans is a lot nicer and bigger and more expensive per person but for the zoo here in Mississippi I dont think it was that bad. We enjoyed it. Kids would definitely enjoy it. I still would recommend this Zoo as an fun outdoor activity.

Great zoo, our 3 year old loves it! The train is fun as well, though has been out of order recently. Just got an Asiatic Black Bear! Great deal to join as a family. The staff are great and thekeeper chats are informative and a good way to learn about the animals and the logistics of running a zoo. The zoo is a wonderful place for families in the Jackson area.

Great for FAMILY! AND GROUPS! GROUND AND ZOO KEEPERS GOOD JOB! NEED SOME SORT OF MOBILE WAY TO TRAVEL THROUGH THE ZOO! Good for all age groups!

We enjoyed seeing the animals, they were all easily viewable and seemed pretty lively. The zoo definitely needs some upkeep. There were lots of stagnant water attractions. The Cafe was also not open. Luckily we had packed some snacks and drinks for the kids, which held them over through our walk.

Great only $10 great selection of wildlife.It has a gated parking lot so dont worry about the rough neighborhood nearby.. I’ll start with the positives. It is laid out nice with a bit of a nature walk between exhibits; not cage after cage.

People overlook the zoo a lot but shouldnt. It may not be as big and impressive as some of the larger metros, but definitely a gem for Jackson. Staff is super friendly and knowledgeable. If youre sitting at home bored one weekend, check it out, its worth the trip.

Im only giving a 1 star because it wont allow me to give 0. We came in from TN and visited the zoo while we were here. 75% of the exhibits are unavailable. The exhibits that are aquatic/glass are so filthy you cant see the single fish or turtle in them. The snakes they have displayed are labeled incorrectly. One display said it was a rattlesnake but there was no rattle and a rounded head. Rattlesnakes have pointed heads. The other tank had a boa but was labeled cottonmouth. The only thing we truly enjoyed about our $20.50 Zoo trip was L. C. Miller. The amazing gentleman that works the train rides. He was a pleasure to talk to and the only memorable experience at the Zoo.

Staff were wonderful from the young lady at the ticket counter, the sweet one at the carasol, and they young man who ran the train ...and animals were okay. Does seem to need funding to update and maintain? Poison ivy is everywhere on the sides of pathways and curbs and climbing up enclosure fences...that was my only real complaint as a concern

While the animals are undoubtedly well fed and taken care of, some of the empty exhibits really should have been cleared out and cleaned up. More than a few glass cases had nothing inside but rotting vegetation. Also couldnt understand the point of some of the glass cases that were so high up that I couldnt see in them. A child definitely couldnt see the animals inside those. Staff was very polite when we encountered them

Great selection of animals and very affordable. Seems rundown and in need of maintenance though.

It looked like the zoo was on the upswing when I moved here in 2015. Sadly, when I went last week, it was more dilapidated than ever. The animals seemed depressed and lethargic. Many of them weren’t even in their exhibits. Buildings are falling in. The staff seems unengaged. We really can do better. It’s time for our community to pitch in and overhaul the zoo if we want to keep it.

The animals arent doing so good and parts of the park is closed due to insufficient finances. A lot of things are over grown and broken down. It would be a great idea for them to allow volunteers from churches to help out and clean up things

It was a bit ruined down but overall a good visit

Fairly small zoo. Very reasonable price of admission ($10.25) and soda machines ($1.50), but both dining areas were closed by 1pm

Lot of closed attractions, lack of diversity in species. Splash pad was enjoyable for our baby.

Today my husband and I along with our grandchildren from Tx. Visited the zoo today we had a wonderful time my babies really enjoyed everything especially the water park, in the early 1970my husband and I went on dates at the zoo we also visited a lot with our children today at the zoo brought back lots of memories for us, my hopes and prayers is that the zoo can stay in this area maybe we come together as a community and help .the zoo was nice and clean everyone working there was very nice and friendly we had all ball.

Ive been to many zoos and this is the most disappointing. Please dont waste your time. Theirs hardly any animals and the ones that are there arent even well cared for. They seriously need new management and a whole new game plan. Sad sad zoo. A waste of a $10, and kids pay $7 for what? A mediocre splash pad that are generally free to the community. Youll have a much greater experience elsewhere

My son had a blast at the zoo! He really enjoyed the parrot repeating after him too!

Couldn’t even bring myself to go in. It didn’t even look open as we pulled in since it was so overgrown. I also forgot to pack lunch and he one food vendor wasn’t even open at 1pm on a Monday. I was offered snack machines by the staff. I know I shouldn’t judge a book by its cover but when it doesn’t even look open I couldn’t take my kids in

Went to boo at the zoo and had a great time. It was very nicely done. Everyone enjoyed the day.

I am totally appalled in the shape of this zoo! I’ve NEVER been to a zoo that actually made me SAD! First if all u have no choice but to drive right in the BAD area of Jackson, the zoo sits dead center of it, then, most of the park is grown up, the “drinking water” for some of the animals was God awful, it was literally stagnant! MOST of the animals were miserable, ones breathing was labored and it was NOT hot out at all, it was MAYBE 70 with a breeze! I saw “workers” and heard them all gathered and LAUGHING like it was just a hang out, there was ONE elderly gentleman I saw working. I cannot believe this place is being ALLOWED to house animals! Also, where’s the gorillas? Saw NONE, And it definitely NEEDS TO BE MOVED to safer area! We will NOT be back as long as it is this way! This I can PROMISE! I would like to know who to call about these issues! My kids brought me here for Mother’s Day this year, and thank you to the person that sponsored mothers! But please please someone do something for these beautiful animals!

This place needs help! The only reason it has 2 stars cause it’s actually one of the few places Jackson MS has to offer. Thanks for trying but we have to get better.

It has potential to be a nice zoo but in its current state it was pretty disappointing. I’ll start with the positives. It is laid out nice with a bit of a nature walk between exhibits; not cage after cage. The majority of walk was shaded which made it much more enjoyable on a warm day. The exhibits themselves allow you to get fairly close to the animals. Now for the negatives. The walking path is dilapidated. The animal enclosures were overgrown. The zebras had Uncle none dry water trough and one that had only a small amount of green, slimy water. The gift shop was tiny and bare. Overall we enjoyed our visit but I can’t give this more than 2-2.5 stars as it is now.

The Jackson Zoo is highly underrated. First, little Jackson Zoo is trusted by a number of agencies with breeding pairs of endangered species. Sumatran tigers are fighting for survival on one small island. Red wolves have been hunted to extinction in North America, but Jackson Zoo is helping efforts to reintroduce them in nature. There are fewer that 40 Amur leopards in the wilds of Siberia, but until Katya died we had a breeding pair. We helped with the endangered Borneo orangutans.Second, its a great place for the kids. Theres a petting zoo, carousel, train, and splash pad, in addition to the regular animal exhibits. Theres also a traveling zoo which brings animals to schools and events.Additionally, the park is beautiful and well maintained. Its a peaceful place to stroll and enjoy the ambience.Finally, we have some of the best staff. The keepers take exceptional care of the animals, the educational staff have a number of programs to help the public, especially children, understand the animals, and the administration works tirelessly to keep the zoo going in tough conditions. So many people worry because its in a bad part of town, and it hurts attendance, but theres a fire station at the front gate, and the zoo is a safe place, from fire and from crime.What the zoo needs is YOU. Please buy a family season pass and attend regularly. I love it.

Thrivent organized a volunteer workday to help the zoo put down mulch. The group did the 2 play grounds and a small tree area. It was fun and the zoo needs the support.

My babies was happy so that made me happy everything was nice music, the few animals the have was well kept wish there was more like elephants and tigers just too NAME a few but over all we had a nice time meet friendly people

Half the exhibits are empty, my daughter tripped on the extremely uneven paths and skinned her knee and palms. A few animals were active but 90% were not moving or asleep. It’s not the zoos fault. Oh the train is always broke down. It’s just an embarrassment, I hope it’s because they are moving to a cleaner and better location.

I love this zoo! My family does too! I recommend that you visit. They need the business and have made improvement. I do want to see the otter exhibit better with their little waterfall. I also would like to see the prairie dogs back. I think if more people visit it may help get these things better looking

No animals was out and no place to get drinks. But we still had a good time thanks

I’ll be frank, this place sucks. Our family drove 3 hours to come here and i can say the best part about it was the drive back. The zoo is located in a pretty bad area (don’t believe me then check it out) but that’s not necessarily their fault. The facility itself is pretty barren and looks like it’s in serious need of some TLC and not just for patrons, for the animals as well. I’ll say that about a 1/4 of the mammals were missing from their exhibits and at least half were missing from the aquatic exhibits. A lot of the enclosures showed lack of care and upkeep. It looked as though the zoo itself was hurting on the employee side of things considering we saw 2 employees including the woman at the desk (who was very kind and a saving grace if there is one). This place has a ton of potential but it’s really being wasted. I honestly feel that if it were investigated it would be shut down. If you wanna go to a zoo drive to New Orleans, it’s actually worth it.

This zoo is very obviously underfunded. The animals here are kept alive but do not thrive in their enclosures. Walk ways are extremely worn from years of inconsistent maintenance. Electrical wiring is found strung all around the zoo easily within reach of guests to include small children. That being said this is an adults perspective. My children LOVED the zoo to death and didnt notice any of the infrastructure issues within the park. This zoo have a broad variety of animals for a zoo of its size and is sure to bring a smile to a young childs face.Finally take note of the area the zoo is in. This is a very rough area and I would not personally want to be in this area by myself, early in the morning or late at night.

This zoo Is falling apart and not much to it for the price. So sad because it use to be beautiful.

This zoo was a wonderful experience. I felt pretty uncomfortable turning off the interstate and driving through the absolute ghetto to get there, but once we got to the zoo itself I felt safe and welcomed. The personal were all warm and professional, from the gate attendants, to animal workers, to the maintenance staff. The animal exhibits seemed much closer than at other zoos, and very visitor friendly. I also found the place fairly well maintained and clean, even the restrooms. No complaints about this visit at all.

The animals are super friendly. If you go during the week, its quiet and peaceful. The enclosures are more lifelike and less like a cage. Even the bears and tigers got up front and personal with us.Our little girls enjoyed their trip to the zoo, and loved the giraffes.

Will never go back to this zoo again unless they do some major renovations the indoor aquarium was trash one of the tanks was pitch black and leaking water had me feeling like I was in a scary movie thinking something was going to jump at me there was hardly any staff on site and could use some professional clean up in alot of areas definitely no a good experience

Amazing. Small splash pad, and play area. Animals are close. Loves it.

Nice

Very sad to see almost all the animals gone. I just wanted to support the zoo before it closes in 2 days.

It was sad.... the animals looked sad like they needed more room to go the giraffes home was so tiny and the big cats and bears needed more room or seems like some of the smaller animals had a bigger area to live in and the big animals didnt have enough. It was real depressing but we need a zoo here just it needs to be better.... the kids had fun though but it really needs to he updated or moved to a better location in the surrounding area

The Jackson zoo is one of the worst zoos in the south. This zoo is an exact image of its surroundings, broken. It’s time for Jackson to give up and either demolish the zoo or relocate it.

So sad. The indoor part where the river otters are is dark and leaking. All the animals need more entertaining toys. There was several electrical outlets open to the elements .There was a couple light fixtures that had broken pieces that were extremely sharp sticking out . Over all we still had a good time strolling through the zoo and wish they had better funding.

Liked it but could be more educational. Most information kiosks didnt work

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THE JACKSON ZOO! I GO EVERY CHANCE I GET!

It still a good place to walk and see exotic animals

Okay let me just say this is the worst zoo ever, there were little to no animals, the water provided for the animals were dirty and quite discusting. Most of the animals weren’t available and it was an overall horrible experience. On the bright side there was shade.

Great variety of animals. Even has a giraffe. Its cool to watch the zoo workers interact with the animals: feed or train them. Weve seen something cool every time we went. Loved the pair of noisy gibbons. Ive never heard anyone or anything make a sound like that. Ticket prices are affordable, an annual family membership is definitely worth it - youll be saving a lot of money if you go regularly. We havent been to the zoo in the summer yet, but I hear the splash fountain is a great hit with the kids.

Although this is a smaller zoo it is very pretty. The animals are well cared for and the park is beautiful.

Great only $10 great selection of wildlife.It has a gated parking lot so dont worry about the rough neighborhood nearby.

The only good thing about the zoo was the price. Majority of the animals’ cages were either overgrown or a muddy mess. I understand it takes a village but if there is not funding to support the facility the right way get the animals to a place where they can have a clean habitat and more room to go. Very sad and disappointing especially since it’s a zoo in a capital city.

I really enjoyed this zoo and going around it, I normally find zoos a bit depressing because the animals really dont look happy or healthy, and there are normally lots of people around but I went on a quiet sunday afternoon and it was almost empty except volunteers who were helping clean etc. The only reason I gave this zoo a 4/5 was because my favourite animal is always a tiger (White Siberian preferably, but any tiger will do). And unfortunately these animals simply never seem happy in a zoo environment and this one was no different, he was pacing a lot and unfortunately thats a big sign of stress and unhappiness in these majestic creatures, so I was a little sad about that, but the attraction as a whole is really good and you can get incredibly close to some of the animals and the majority of them look really happy. Definitely somewhere to take your family for the afternoon or to wander around if you have some time.

A good place to bring your kid or just wonder around yourself! Must visit.

They really need to upgrade most exhibits or move it to a better location. It has really gone downhill since the last time I went.

Its not the best experience for a zoo, but its still a fun place to take children. There are plenty of animals to see and dont forget to ride the train. The concessions are pretty good to. Id recommend this for locals but tourists might have a better experience at other zoological parks.

A good place to bring your kid or just wonder around yourself!

Ghetto but the tiger is awesome he gets the stars 3/3

Would have been better if there was a concession stand or food there. And there wasnt an elephant or alligators. I wish there were more animals

Not a very good maintained zoo, they need to get better marketing to bring in more donations