Mill Mountain Zoo

This zoo was super small. Do not go in with the expectation of the major city zoos. We already read reviews and knew what we were getting into. We have a 4 and 8 yr old and this was a perfect size. There were only a few animals and when we went it was raining and foggy which made it all that much more tricky to see some animals. That being said, we had the zoo practically to ourselves. The otters were playful and even went to the window to interact with my daughter. The snow leopard was putting on a show, the birds were doing the callings. The wolves werent fond of the weather so we didnt get to see them but most every animal was visible. The little garden was pretty too! We saw it the day before but it was still covered in leaves as expected (considering it was fall in the mountains). I also learned while there that they are deeply involved in conservative and their wolf pack is part of that. They have a few new exhibits being built and updated. All in all, we would visit again hopefully when it is not raining.

For a small zoo and for something to do on an afternoon its fine. we went on a warm day and a lot of the animals were inside their houses staying cool. Cant blame them for that. there were some new exhibits that were waiting for the animals to arrive but due to covid a lot was on hold. We spent more in the gift shop then we did for our tickets to get in, But from what I understand all the money goes back to the animals so I wasnt mad. This is definitely something that the local community should support. We will be that again to see the new exhibits like the black bear when it opens.

I was with a group of ladies who recently visited the zoo. We arrived when the zoo opened and met a young lady feeding the possums. She was wonderful about telling us about the animals. She continued talking and feeding. We followed her to the Red Wolves, Red Panda, Otters, and Porcupine. The zoo has two beautiful bald eagles and will be getting bears soon. The view of Roanoke from the Mill Mountain Zoo is beautiful. Very small zoo, but animals and staff were great. Worth you money and time.

This is quite the little zoo. In October 2020, it’s a bit discounted to $9 a person since the reptile part is closed. There’s soon to be a black bear! The gift shop is tiny (it’s mostly stuffed animals; there are not really any magnets or key chains or the sort). There’s about 10-15 types of animals and about the same amount of birds. Currently, their little train is not up and running.

This is a great local zoo. They have a snow leopard, red panda, tortoise, bald eagles, wolves and more. The train was under construction during our visit. Lots of shade available. Children’s playground to visit. Cute tiger statue for a photo opportunity. Super area to enter to get close to some awesome looking birds. Great place to bring young children.

The zoo was alright...definitely small which I thought it would be. It was clean and seemed well kept. Probably wont go back though.

Well spent happy 50th birthday with my grandson we both loved our time here!

Couldve been better if some of the animals werent out sick.

Very cool little zoo, clean and good variety of animals.

Im sharing my experience as a warning..I went to the zoo expecting a pleasant time but instead I felt like I got robbed..please do not spend your money during covid pandemic on the zoo. I saw probably 6 animals. And my tickets were discounted for $18.00..Dont waste your money..enjoy the trails and view for free..they r worth it..Shame on U

My daughter is 5 and we enjoyed it despite reptile center and discovery center being closed due to Covid-19. We maintained distance and used masks in the gift shop. She was excited about the bald eagles, racoons, and snow leopard. She also enjoyed the red panda, lynx, porcupine, red wolf, otter, crane, tufted deer, and turtles.

This is a very small Zoo, but they have a reasonable selection of animals to see.On the whole you get the sense the animals are well looked after, but those enclosures are so small. Seeing them is such small cages is hard to take in.The fee to get in is pretty cheap and they even do a free entry day once a year.

Cute little Zoo. 9 year old and 3 year old had a great time. The smaller size of the zoo allowed the kids to spend more time at each exhibit, and see every animal. They have a variety of animals, reptiles, birds, fish... It was cool. They have a train ride that we went on. Bought a couple things from the shop. Overall had a great day. Saw some domestic animals as well as some exotic animals. Nice quiet area, I encourage you to visit if youre in the area.

This is not a zoo. Dont go with any expectations of what you expect from a zoo. Super small and a very limited selection of animals. Was in and out in 20 minutes and it was not worth the $9 admission. Save your money and go somewhere else.

Quaint little zoo. Really good with social distancing.

This is a very small zoo I think it should be considered a wild life center as apposed to a zoo.

Its a small zoo, but they have some great animals. Theyre constantly trying to change things up and add on more. Every time we go its a different experience. The animals look in good shape too, nice and healthy.

The reptile exhibit was my favorite! But the raccoon was very lively and the cougar was super sweet just hanging out in the shade. It was honestly worth the $10 and better than my expectations.

My kid really liked it. Its impressive what they done with a small space. Its also fairly well priced.

We love the zoo on Mill Mountain for its simple, non commercial atmosphere. During this time many animals were missing and reptile house & refreshment stand both closed. We still go and support them until this snafu is over.

Zoo was small, but made up for it with lots of exotic animals. They had a train that goes around for smaller children and a decently priced admission makes this place a good visit.

Very well organized space, with gentle reminders of distancing, and arrows leading you through exhibits. Very impressed with the quality of the exhibits and the entire zoo. Smaller in size, obviously, but of great quality, having been to places like Pittsburgh, San Diego, Milwaukee.

It was good. Small zoo. The enclosures arent big. But the animals didnt look stressed. The kids loved it. And its nice on the parkway. Cool view of Roanoke. The staff is very friendly.

Im glad we have this nice little zoo in Roanoke but we were a little disappointed overall. Most of the animals we saw were the natural wildlife in the area visiting the animals in the exhibits. I feel like it would have been a better experience pre-COVID because we would have been able to see more of what they have to offer.

I like mill mountain zoo. Im giving it 3 stars because a lot of the animals were not out but it is winter time. I hope to see the wolfs and foxes in the spring and summer.

The animals werent all out but it was fun anyways with whatever animals did come out. Our favorite was Eli the fox, he was adorable and super friendly.

Awesome place for kids. Its winter time now so a lot of the animals are put up. But Id bet this place is absolutely amazing in the summertime!

Staff was very friendly. BUT...We arrived at 1:30 and were told since we didn’t prebook we had to pay and wait until 2 to come in. (I saw nothing about prebooking on website). Not easy to explain to a 3 year old. Upon arrival there was no one hardly even in the zoo and no line. Having to wait until 2 was so dumb bc then we had to enter with a ton of other people. So staggering come in times does nothing to help COVID. We saw like 3 animals. It was pretty disappointing after driving an hour and a half.

I’ve been to several small town zoos, so kept my expectations within reason. The good news is friendly staff and a pretty natural setting under big trees, clean restrooms. But honestly, this zoo is SO sad. It’s very, very small with tiny enclosures for the animals, most of which could not be seen, but that was ok since I routinely see raccoons, foxes, otters, and eagles in the wild. The animals that I did see looked so depressed and lonely since none had mates. The porcupine looked to have an eye infection. A very depressing experience...I’m sure the staff love the animals, but it isn’t enough. This zoo should close down and sell the animals to zoos with adequate space, facilities, and resources to provide for the well-being of these poor animals.

Cute little zoo up by the star, only $10 for adults, not as big as i expected but still worth a visit. They also have certain things to watch at certain times (I watched the foxes get fed)

If you are looking to be impressed, I do not recommend this zoo! Some of the exhibits were closed and we didnt even get to see half of the animals.If you havent been to Fort Chiswell Animal Park yet, you should go. Its worth it.

This is such a cute place! I did a hike up Mill Mountain and got to see the zoo at the top and was pleasantly surprised! They have a lot of animals you don’t usually see. My favorite was the Red Panda and the Cougar, but they have all sorts of things. The staff is very nice and there are a lot of things to do at the top of the mountain as well such as taking a picture of the star. I would go here again and had a great time.

Great location on top of a mountain for a zoo. It is smaller, but clean, shady, and many childrens playgrounds and activites provided

Nice little zoo. Friendly staff. Interesting assortment of animals. Cant beat the admission price. I would say that it has about as many animals as the Good Zoo in Oglebay Park in Wheeling, West Virginia in a more compact area. Allow for about an hour to go through. Its a shame that due to COVID the train wasnt running, but still worth the 1 hour drive that it took us to get from the campground where we are staying to the zoo.

Sweet place to spend an afternoon beautiful scenery and animals well cared for.

I came to this place because they have red pandas. I was impressed with the amount of space certain animals got. However some animals got less than seems adequate. The red panda looked a little lonely but I enjoyed watching Novas feeding! Their price was half off for the zoos birthday which was very fun and they had cake! I’m not sure why they breed in captivity when this is not necessarily red panda climate.

Five Star Plus rating I Mill Mountain Zoo it was a very enjoyable trip got to see the big star on top of the mountain very educational and learning experience my family and I had an excellent time couldnt have been better I will definitely return again tell other people about my experience thank you Mill Mountain Zoo management employee staff for making a very enjoyable trip for my family.

What a great little zoo! The have a snow leopard! A snow leopard! All the animals were out and walking around. We came too late in the season for the train but we will be back!

Nice little zoo with some very cute animals. The staff is super nice and helpful. I visited in late Feb and some animals are still hidden away & keeping warm until springtime. The best thing is that this zoo is part of an expansive recreation park with plenty of things to see and do.

Great place to take the family for a few hours of fun outside

This place was a lot better than we expected. We went to a similar size zoo in Austin, TX that was awful. This place seemed well maintained with a good selection of animals and cool atmosphere being on the mountain. It is also right next to the Mill Mountain star so you are able to check both out in the same trip. Looks like they have a little train that goes around the zoo but it wasnt running when we were there in early Feb.

A small but very enjoyable place! Took my son here for his 4th birthday and he absolutely loved it! His favorite animal was the raccoon! I loved the snow Leopard I just wish he had a bigger area to run and play in.

The zoo was rather disappointing. The parking lot is about a quarter mile from the entrance. People with disabilities will have difficulty reaching the zoo as it’s not entirely handicap accessible. $9 for admission and the only animals that were visible were the eagle, foxes, tortoise, crane, otters, and birds. The most entertaining aspect of the zoo were the two squirrels my family saw fighting over an acorn. My wife and I joked that we seen more employees than we seen animals. To make matters worse, the ramps in the park have large inclines making it difficult for people to maneuver with strollers and wheelchairs. Finally, ramps are placed inconveniently requiring people with strollers to take longer routes when leaving the park as the ramps ultimately lead to the stairs.

I don’t ever give them one star. There animals have terrible care. It’s way to small and the animals are all alone and pacing back a forth from stressing. It’s terrible and needs to get shut down.

Not many animals, but the ones they did have were super cute. Family friendly.

Cute lil zoo nestled on Mill Mountain. Its a little worn around the edges but has a surprising variety of animals to see. Pretty walk through a wildflower garden from the parking to the zoo entrance (paved path available for those with mobility issues or just prefer not to hike). Its priced well. But the exhibits are a bit worn and could use some TLC. We visited at noon on a hot day and all the animals were hiding in their shade so they were difficult to see, except the racoon who seemed to be trying to find a way out of his cage. Didnt get a chance to ride or see the train. Its worth a visit if youre in the area and have an hour to kill, but wouldnt go out of my way to go back.

Love the animals there! Red panda is my favorite! Staff are friendly!

I will definitely be going backEnjoyed it all.

Brought my daughter and grandson. Its a nice little zoo. Just wish the wolves and cougar and eagle were available to see. As far as the price its reasonable Im sure the cost goes toward the up keep and care of animals. If your looking for a big zoo this isnt for you. This is more for lil ones learning about animals. Staff is super friendly and location is great just up the road from where I live. We had a blast making memories. As far as the enclosures I did not see any that seemed to be too small for the animals

A go to spot for kids and to kill time. I love walking around here and helping fund the animals.

Great trip today, too hot out so the animals were mostly sleeping

I just observed this red wolf from a hiking trail. I went in near closing time to ask about the beautiful creature. The staff were friendly, helpful, and very informative

Great small zoo with many rescued animals

This zoo was depressing, I honestly felt bad for the animals. There werent even many animals there either but the enclosures were small and most of the animals were by themselves. Then the other half of the enclosures were empty. I went with 2 other people for 30 dollars; it wasnt worth it... I just hope the animals got funded for something better. They seemed to be doing well though so thats good.

Price was a bit high but I was glad I went

Nice clean little zoo. Perfect for young children.

Fun place to walk around

COVID BEWARE!!! NO ONE WAS WEARING A MASK

We took our grandson there, very disappointing. There was only a few animals other than birds and they were mostly sleeping. What a waste of $25. The train was not working due to Covid, why?

For a small Zoo, this is a nice place to visit.

It was alright.. wasnt much going on. Kinda small. Came at lunch hours which was my mistake.. all animals were sleeping. The view of the city along the side was a nice touch!

Excelkwbt beautofullkk

Very cute and picturesque....great place to take children

Nice for the price. Gotta deal on Groupon

We love our visits to the zoo. Its on the small side, but it has so much personality.

Smal but so much fun.

Very disappointing. Due to Coronavirus, they were giving a $1 discount! Over 1/2 of it was closed! Also, well over 50 people there and most were children (understandably) running in many directions with no facemasks (except my grandson). I have been many times before and this was my first experience where they showed no care for the customers.

A small zoo with a handful of animals, took about an hour for us to see it all.

Too expensive. They tell you what parts of the zoo are closed after you pay. Very little to do or see for what they are charging.

I like the zoo myself for a small Hometown Zoo. Wish there were more animals. And it was a little larger place. But I enjoy going there. For my home town today.

This zoo is fairly small, but its a great space for an afternoon trip! At 10 dollars standard admission (cheaper for kids and seniors), this zoo is an excellent and affordable location to enjoy nature, learn about exotic animals, and support wild life conservation.

Random find. Small zoo but something to do.

I took my 2 year old and 8 month old today to the zoo. I wasnt expecting much but I ended up being disappointed. Although my 2 year old loved running around there really wasnt much to see today. I was bored myself. We watched the raccoon walk around in circles for 20 minutes, the snow leopard sleeping, the bull eating and the hogs laying around.

Expensive for what it is. They wait until you pay to tell you what parts of the zoo are not available. Very little to see and do.

Nice little zoo for a family visit with young kids. Friendly staff.

Nice little zoo

The Zoo is small and we were able to get through the entire thing in about an hour and 10 minutes. There were not that many people there for the day time in the summer. We also had a guided tour about the animals habitats and that was very interesting and informative.

Not generally a fan of zoos and this one is sad like most others. Many animals pacing out of boredom. Enclosures seemed very small and depressing. Just a sad place overall unfortunately.

I have always enjoyed coming to Mill Mountain Zoo. 30+ years of fun, excitement and train rides. Now my children are creating memories and enjoying themselves here.You should too. By yourself or with your family it is worth the trip!

Small zoo but great place to take the kids. Really nice even on hot days because there is lots of shade. They have a really cool 67 year old little train that kids can ride around the zoo. They have some beautiful animals including endangered red wolves, a lynx, and a gorgeous snow leopard. Great events for the kids especially on the weekends. Plus they do really cool outreach like visiting local schools to teach the kids about the animals.

Had a great time with my family

Great place to spend an afternoon. The is very well run and the staff is friendly and knowledgeable.

Loved it. Lauren was awesome as a guide. Fun, interactive. Definitely recommend.

Its a small zoo, a nice stop along your route. They have a snow leopard, which is cool. Some of the enclosures and buildings look like they need some maintenance, or completion (there were some under construction that looked like its been taking a while). The zoo train is cute and a unique feature, but it would be nice if they dressed up the track it takes a bit. Half of the track looks like it passes through maintenance areas, which are kind of bland. There is certainly potential here though.

Fun place to take the kids

Giving this a 3 star review because I wasnt aware they hardly had any animals. Now as I look at their website, I see they dont offer much. When we checked in to buy our tickets, we had 3 adults, a 8 year old, and a 2 year old so the price came to $38.00 even (which isnt bad) we drove two hours here and got there right at 10 AM when they opened. It was super shady (which I LOVED) since we had children. The zoo is located on the Roanoke Mtn so its cooler anyways. We were not offered a map of the zoo when we did check in, and the box to get a map were empty...we started going through the paths which were nice, but it was almost like a maze to find the animals and eventually we ended up right back where we started like 3 -4 times. I dont believe they have 175 as displayed at their check in desk. I feel like I saw MAYBE 30? We were in and out within an hours time, so we went to the gift shop which offered nothing exiting. Our 8 year old and 2 year old didnt even pick out anything (which is strange for being that age, guess nothing caught their eye) -- you do have to either walk through the Wildflower Garden which is super muddy and has no appealing flowers, or walk on the hot pavement back to your car which is a good stretch...overall, the only thing I was happy about was the shade, and it didnt take us long to get back to town. Ill be sure to do more research next time...you get what you pay for I suppose.

Awesome animals.

Mill Mountain Zoo is very small, but full of life! Unlike other zoos we have visited, the animals were all awake, active, and alert. The snow leopard, Bali, put on a great show playing with a baby pool that had just been introduced to his enclosure.

These sweet babies are well taken care of and this is the perfect afternoon place to relax and enjoy the beautiful outdoors.

Small quaint zoo in the mountain. I enjoyed it. Theyre reasonable priced. It was a fun thing to do after we visited the big star. Kids would enjoy it, there was a lil train to ride around the zoo on.

Absolutely loved it!!!! Its not a huge zoo but it sure was fun seeing all the animals the staff was amazing, very friendly, helpful, and accomidating. The zoo does have a little train that rides you all around tge perimeter of the zoo which I thought was so cute. Also the day we went they had live music and were serving alcohol inside the zoo it was a cool experience. The adult fee was $8 Im not so sure on the childrens fee I know some children do get in free if they are under a certain age I would defiantly recomend this zoo to anyone just wanting to get out for a weekend outting with children it sure was fun.

Great little zoo. I suggest going in the morning so you can see them feed the animals. Staff was friendly and very nice

Nice little place. Way too pricey!

Amazing!! Wonderful zoo camps for children!! Caring and compassionate staff.

Small zoo. $9 seemed like a but much when you are done within 20 minutes. Half the animals were sleeping, went about 1pm. Seems like it was a happening zoo at some point.

Very friendly and nice Zoo and staff

Its a nice atmosphere but there arent many animals. Even taking our time we saw everything (somethings we saw twice) and we were done in about 1 hour.

Great little zoo! Try to make time for the tiny train ride and definitely bring your own stroller as they do not offer rentals.

Our kids loved it

Its a small zoo but has nice paths and very well taken care of. Enjoyed our visit here.