The Caldwell Zoo, in Tyler, Texas, has been a big part of my life as long as I can remember. When I was young, it was free to go to the zoo! (So we went often!) We would load up a picnic & make a day of it. Then, when I had children, I took them!Things have changed now. The Caldwell’s eventually needed to start charging, so they could help create larger & more natural habitats for the animals. However, the prices are not nearly as much as some zoos.You have to see it, to believe it! I was very pleased with the upgrade! My favorites were the giraffes, elephants, lions, and parrots!The staff here are very knowledgeable and never mind answering questions.Caldwell Zoo is around 85 acres, of absolute beauty!There’s more than 3,400 animals to see!It’s such a fun place to take your family and enjoy learning about wildlife together.

Really like this zoo. Its a great size and the set up is pretty good. The zoo is well kept and always improving. They arent overly crazy on the COVID restrictions which is nice. They have hand sanitizer out for everyone. My kids really enjoy going.

Its a cute zoo. We went to the right when we entered and saw the buffalo first and I loved the animals enclosures very well done. My favorite was the lions. A male and female over looking a Savannah full of animals. All you could see was the elephants cage the rest looked as if they were in with the lions. Well done guys. And as you go up you got diffrent views very neat. Was well worth the visit.

We always enjoy trying out different zoos when we are traveling around. The Caldwell zoo was surprisingly better then I had thought it would have been. The enclosures are beautiful and well maintained. They have a lot more animals then we had expected.

Ive been coming here since I was a little girl. Its really nice to be able to bring my kids here now! Experience was a bit different because of Covid, but still good!

My family is from Ft. Worth and we have gone to the FW Zoo numerous times. The Caldwell Zoo, although smaller, is outstanding. Great displays to see the animals. Beautiful flora and the design of the zoo was well done. Lots of trees for shade. The people we talked to that work at the zoo were very helpful and informative. A special thank you to Hector who helped my wife and I with a problem. It is worth your time to visit this zoo.

We had a great time. My kids loved it. It was small & welcoming but they had plenty of animals to see. I love how different animals were grouped together.

This zoo exceeded my expectations in so many ways. The landscaping was like a small scale Arboretum. Many of the animal exhibits were multi-species. They managed to display animals in their own habitats in a very natural way able to see other animals in their own habitats safely. The walk in bird feeding exhibit was a bit overwhelming for our little ones but I loved it! We had a lovely picnic lunch watching elephants and our afternoon snack was in front of sleepy bears. The zoo was clean and safe and friendly to both humans and animals. We will definitely be back.

North Tylers crown jewel is by far the Caldwell zoo. You can access this amazing place via blue line and is around a few places to eat. I had not been here in about a decade and I glad I came. Me and my lovely lady had a splendid day looking at all the exhibits. We got to play with a few colorful parakeets and fees the giraffes. Prices are pretty reasonable and they have memberships for the year. They have a good court which is a nice little treat and its not crazy expensive. I will be back.

Loved this zoo! What else can I say, awesome place. Visit if you get a chance.

It was fairly enjoyable considering the heat. The cafe actually had an expansive menu. The zoo was pretty shaded throughout. Some exhibits were closed down because of the virus. It was also pretty clean. Beautiful flowers and plants throughout. I appreciated that the gators were actually in a real pond and not a concrete one. Made it feel like their real home.

Love the hometown zoo. Always some new experiences to see. Have to check out the new baby giraffe.

Wonderful day of fascinating exhibits with our family. The facility is lush and beautiful, the animals are well cared for, the food at the cafe is offered in gracious tasty servings and we got to feed giraffes! We want to become members! I see frequent visits with grandchildren in the years ahead.

We had an enjoyable time. Employees were very friendly & helpful. It took us a leisurely 2hrs. Easy walk. Enjoyed feeding the giraffes.

I was very happy with my zoo experience here! The trails are wide and easy to follow, beautiful flower beds are everywhere, and its easy to get clear views of the animals! There was a super cute baby giraffe and an adorable baby zebra! The big cats are always my favorite and they had a lot of them.

We love going as often as possible with our family pass! We love feeding the giraffes and eating lunch with them! Nice place for nature and a good walk!

Had a great time! Very clean.. Next time I wont buy the tray of lettuce for the giraffe. I gave them 10.00 and only got 6 leaves of lettuce. That wont keep from me giving them 5 stars because I should have asked ahead of time. Animals look so healthy and well taken care of with nice enclosures.

The Caldwell Zoo is a great way to spend time with family and friends! We were able to participate in the first Bear Encounter. The bears and keepers were outstanding! It was so good we will be doing the Penguin Encounter soon.

Caldwell Zoo Experience, This is one of the best zoo,s I have been to in a while. You would not believe its in a small town like Tyler. Great place for the family and kids.Only better zoo is San Diago California and I will never go back to that Left Coast place again, but their zoo is very big. LOL

I have visited the Caldwell Zoo since a child. Its nice to share the same memories with my nieces and nephews. Always pristine and the care for the animals appears to be very humane.

Great zoo! The animals are all well taken care of. The staff was very helpful as Im disabled and in a wheelchair with a service dog. I truly enjoyed all of the exhibits and the animals. Very clean, well cared for, zoo.

This was one of my favorite places to go as a kid. If certain parts of the zoo where closed and I couldnt see certain animals that didnt matter to me as a kid.At the time of this review it has been a while since I have been here.

Perfect place to spend the morning with the kids. Great variety of animals. For me is sad to see the animals like that but my kids love to go.

Great value for the experiences and staff is friendly!

This was our 2nd visit here, the last time was 7 years ago. This is one of the best kept, best laid out zoos Ive ever been to. Its a large zoo in a small town, very much worth a visit!

The best zoo! Small but has what our kids like. Great dining area facing the elephants.

It is nearly impossible to get someone on the phone. Great place to walk and gardeners are doing a great job. The most fun was to feed lettuce leaves to the giraffe.

So the zoo is clean. A little pricey, for amount of animals you actually get to see. An to the staff working, driving zoo vehicles. You could slow down, and be respectful to the little kids walking around! Some of you drive to fast an are inconsiderate to visitors trying to see animals with little toddlers! Its not safe!

Fun experience overall, definitely had fun feeding giraffe!

This zoo is not one of the largest zoos that Ive ever been to its actually pretty small but you can really see the animals up close the enclosures make it possible to really get a good look at the animals. Thats what we love most about the Caldwell Zoo.

Thank for an amazing day, it was our grandchildren’s first trip to the zoo and they loved it. I highly recommend an early day so you can see all the animals and help feed them breakfast. My 3 yr old grandson loved feeding the giraffe and the other grandson n granddaughter loved the bird sanctuary. It was everything we prayed for in the day.

Really incredible zoo! I was amazed by the good selection of animals.

Absolutely beautiful! Well kept, well priced (and they have military discount) and def a good time. Unfortunately, with COVID-19, the restaurant is closed, but they have hand sanitizing stations everywhere. Totally recommended!

Might’ve enjoyed it if we were able to go. My husband bought tickets online because the website says that is the only way we are able to purchase tickets at this time. It denied the card but took the money anyways. My husband has called three times the first time the lady said that we don’t have tickets but they took the money anyways there was just an error that they will refund. It’s been almost 2 weeks and no refund have called multiple times after that and it’s always “we will call you back “ with no call back or refund! Will never try to go again to this zoo.

Small but still large enough to have great exhibits. Saw so many things close up. They were fully prepared for covid and we felt comfortable

My wife and I visited the Caldwell Zoo on a quiet Friday afternoon. It’s a very clean, well organized zoo with a wide variety of animals, birds, fish and all sorts of crawly critters kept behind glass. One of the best things we experienced was one of the animal handlers presenting information about the penguins while feeding them little fish. There are a few slight hills but not too steep. Also in site is a cafe with all sorts of burgers, hotdogs and other items, as well as a nice souvenir shop. We were at the zoo for about 2 hours but could have easily spent 3-4. We had a great time and will return again.

What a great place to visit. Very well kept, full of shade and waterfalls. Got to feed the giraffes with lettuce and birds with seeds from our hands.

I have been apart of what I like to call my zoo family for over 40 plus years. I have seen such wonderful things happen there. My children are grown now and they are continuing the tradition by bringing their children there. We have seen the zoo grow to what it is today. The staff are awesome for the care they show both visitors and the animals there.

Great little zoo to enjoy a few hours at. You can bring a picnic lunch or eat there. Wheelchair/stroller accessible. Make sure your phone is charged for awesome pictures. Dont forget to feed the birds!!!

It is a wonderful zoo. Small yet packed full of beautiful animals. I love the way they have the animals in habitat like areas. Many of the Animals are very close so you can see them. Dont forget the petting zoo.

Zoo has a good selection of animals for different parts of the world. The park is layed out well and the paths are easy to follow.

It was so much fun for me and my family! I would totally recommend that you go check it out!

It is so spectacular! The animals are very well cared for and awe inspiring. It truly is lions and (white) tigers and bears omy! We have been multiple times and it never gets old.

The Caldwell zoo is a wonderful zoo that has a great layout, is easily traversed walking or with a stroller or a wagon. You could easily see everything you would like in just an hour and a half or two hours or, spend a good share of the day there and enjoy lunch at the cafe. Parking is easy and is just a short walk to the entrance of the zoo.

I went back to Caldwell Zoo on November 11. My review might be a bit biased though because I grew up with this zoo. Lots of memories of family and field trips came flooding back to me on my last trip. However, I got to experience it again as an adult (if you can even call me that!).It was a cold and drizzly November day, so there were hardly any crowds and most animals were taking shelter inside. Although some critters, like the ones pictured were taking advantage of the day before the rain. The animals appeared to be well taken care of, and those that were out and about, were active and exploring their habitats or at the very least seeming comfortable enough to stretch out for a nap.I wasnt able to enjoy some features, such as the Wild Bird Walkabout or the Giraffe feeding area (which was new to me!), obviously due to the season/weather. But I still got to reap the benefits of basically having the zoo to myself. I met a shy snake that took to hiding everytime I reared my face around the corner, came face to face with a curious young giraffe, caught a cheeky little bird stealing crumbs, and got to race against a couple of penguins.All in all, for a small-ish town zoo, this place is a great place to experience your wild side and connect with the animals that live here and get to know more about them.

Love coming to this zoo. Friendly staff and always clean.

This is a great zoo. Lots of different animals and you can Interact with some of them. For a small town zoo this one has the same potential as a major city zoo. Highly recommend.

It wasnt our greatest experience! The place was clean, friendly staff, but it smelled worse than most zoos and the enclosures felt very small for the animals. Kids had fun, but I felt bad watching a lot of the animals.

I mean such a great place to take your kiddos. Its always clean and fun & their food is yummy if you didnt get a chance to pack a picnic. Love Caldwell zoo

I love this zoo. It is small but makes for a fun day with my toddler.

I have visited this zoo as a child myself, & now with both of my kids throughout several school field trips. We are all animal lovers and love to visit several different zoos every time we visit a new town. Our little zoo here at home, always seems to compete highly with those of bigger towns! We have great paved trails to go on, the animal cages seem clean and organized, and we love the new extension for the elephants and giraffes! We have always liked the gift shop, and never thought they were too overpriced. The play area is very fun and unique, the restrooms are always clean, and I like the cold misters they have on the paths during the summertime. The food areas are not overpriced for the quality of food you get. It is a great place to take the kids and spend the day, and I cannot wait to carry on the tradition with my grandkids!

We love this little Zoo!Bring the kids at least once a year!

We had a great time here. It was larger than I expected. We were able to see all of the animals except the zebra and ringtailed lemur. The children were able to feed the giraffes ($5 fee). There was also a cafe there although we did not eat there.

Beautiful. Wooded, nice flowers. Nice exhibits too.Be sure to reserve time online and print tickets ahead of time.

Bad Day at the Zoo- Print the map online,or study the one at the entrance. Bring water, they dont have a drop for you. Nowhere to cool off. Spent an hour before the kids where begging to leave. Never again Caldwell Zoo!

We had a nice trip to the zoo. Was happy to feed the birds and see the new babies born.

This is a great zoo for families of all sizes and ages. The landscaping is very well done such that there are sunny and shady spots as well as breezes. The layout is easy to follow and the few hills are easy to walk.

Major improvements over the years, we drove down from Dallas....two hour drive. Recommend and will return

Great setup, animals all looked happy and active with lots of room to play. Walkways were nice, clean, shaded, and easily navigable. Staff was friendly. Nice selection of animals, but could add more.

Absolutely wonderful! We had so much fun. I was a little disappointed that the bird enclosure was closed for the winter but otherwise it was incredible.

Go to the zoo several times a year to take my great granddaughter. It’s a small zoo but she absolutely loves it. She loves the birdhouse and feeding the birds and she really really loved feeding the giraffe! This Zoo is walkable in about three hours, great if you have a little ones. There is a snack bar. You will have to pay extra for the lettuce for the giraffe and to feed the birds, but it’s reasonable.

Wonderful place not to big, or to small either animals well kept .The bathrooms are clean and overall place is neat . Beautiful animals and scenery perfect peaceful day getaway. Especially if you dont want large crowds..Sunday visit was perfect minimal crowd.

Took my daughter to Caldwell once again, and the educational experience is wonderful for a smaller style zoo. They have some wonderful animals and a lot of staff that are great at talking to you about the animals if you have any questions. Ive yet to have a bad time at Caldwell. Truly worth the trip.

Nice zoo along with great gardens. It should be called Caldwell Zoo and Gardens. And if they change the name now, it owes me a commission.

Kids loved our visit. Even during covid!

Ive spent a whole day, and it was very interesting. It is surprisingly big zoo.

This zoo was so nice. Parking was easy, the flow of the zoo paths were great and the animals were very active.

This place is great. Lots of diverse animals to enjoy

Very family friendly! Feeding camel cost $5 which was the most I have ever paid for 3 pieces of lettuce but the experience was worth it. Feeding the birds was less expensive at $1. Side note Texas citizens you ROCK every place I went everyone was so nice! We didn’t bring cash only card someone gave us a dollar to feed the birds. My little boy cannot thank you enough!

This is a lovely zoo. Our four year old granddaughter enjoys it every time she goes.

Went during a non busy season and really enjoyed it there.Social distancing measures are in place and every few metres along the pathway.There is a table being placed with hand sanitizer available for you to keep sanitized.I do suggest water bottles on hand,sunscreen and hats.You enter into the Zoo in a group time frame and must book in advance.Once you go in you can not go backwards and have to follow the pathway.The only thing is at the entrance the souvenir shop is the first stop you go through.So you have to purchase your souvenirs in the beginning, as you wont be able to go back after.Low staff at the cafe.So there was a long line for people waiting for food.There is a lovely area to sit and eat and you get to overlook the Girrafes and elephants.So if you are willing to save money on food and bring your own home made meals.This would be a great spot to eat and relax after walking for a bit after entering into the zoo.Staff is lovelyWould suggest to go not during the lunch time and when the sun is beaming down.As the animals were mostly sleeping around lunch time or hiding in the shade and werent seen out exploring their grounds.Go during the morning or evening.

Great little zoo! Beautiful landscaping and always clean!

Hardly any animals, filthy habitats, disgusting, cold food. The only thing I enjoyed was leaving.

Neat little zoo, lots of animals and a good walk. Tickets and concessions are reasonably priced. Good place for an afternoon family adventure.

Excellent zoo for a small city, wasnt expecting much but was surprisingly good

I love the zoo but Mr.Caldwell would not appreciate that people have to pay to get in.

I was pleasantly surprised by this zoo. Most of the animal enclosures are quite large and the elephant and giraffe areas were probably in the top 5 Ive seen at any zoo. The paths were shady with beautiful foliage and landscaping. A few drawbacks... in some areas the smell of sewage was quite strong but I guess you expect smells at a zoo; there were lots of bird exhibits; several of the advertised animals werent viewable (we didnt see zebras or penguins); we only noticed 2 restroom areas and none were near the exit. Since we were there during social distancing, you couldnt backtrack. Overall, we had a great visit and would definitely recommend this zoo if you are near the area.

We love this zoo. Its, very, clean and it has some beautiful landscaping! I dont know if they are opened during COVID19, but, we are ready to go back! Its been a while!

Always love going to the zoo, bringing along the kids always makes for wide eyed stares at the animals. They have a nice assortment of animals, grouped together by regional habitats. They lack gorillas, which is the only animal really missing from the zoo. The map could be a little bit more informational and less confusing when it comes to the northern part of the zoo, easy to get turned around.

Been to several zoos in several towns. This zoo has a good variety of animals and also was enjoyable to walk around. The only concerns I had was when you first walk in to the bird area, it stank so bad that it made the whole family want to vomit. We quickly walked past this area. Due to the weather, several areas were empty or closed. Also, they were doing several remodeling jobs on multiple exhibits at the time. One thing they do well on is the exhibits are built to be able to see the animals for the most part. The price was also adequate for the zoo. Overall, we did enjoy this zoo.

We love this zoo! It is not the biggest but for the area it is a great way to spend a few hours. They have overnight camps, summer camps and have worked with my scout group on many occasions. They set up a class for then to earn badges. We always get a year pass. If you live in the area GO!

I traveled to the zoo from Shreveport with my daughter because there is no zoo here. I found that this zoo was a hidden gem in Tyler! The zoo is not very big, but perfect size for small kids and the selection of animals is great! My daughter loved every minute of it. I was most impressed with just how afforable it was. I will definitely be back!

Visited during COVID-19. Despite a free buildings being closed in the interest of the public, the zoo was operating as usual. Plenty to see, animals looked to be well cared for, and staff was exceptionally friendly!

Came here as a kid, and they have only expanded since then. Its a little pricey but well worth it. You get to feed the giraffes too.

Great variety of animals. The bird feeding experience was our favorite. Feeding the giraffes is great too if you happen to be there at the right time.

We can not wait to go back to this zoo! the price is great, you get to fee birds & giraffes, its smaller but that makes it so much better!!! You get to see the animals instead of a lot of them being somewhere else. My boys could do the walk as opposed to them getting tired 1/2 way through and needing to be carried. The zoo is well maintained, nice and clean, and so so much fun! we cant wait to go back!

Awesome zoo for its size. Always clean and animals seem well taken care of

This is a great zoo that packs a lot of great stuff into a big area with little walking compared to many similar places. We would definitely go again.

Shady paths and lots of animals, including many Texas animals. My kids liked the indoor Penguin and African animal exhibit, especially the weaver birds nesting. We visited during COVID social distancing, so there was a one-way pathway, which worked well since it insured that we saw all the animals efficiently, with no backtracking.

Lovely, beautiful sites! The animals are gorgeous! Great if youre looking for a workout or if youre trying to tire out your kids! Lots of walking and distractions and things too see!! Pretty good looking food also!

This place was beautiful!! The landscape was just as good as seeing all the fantastic animals. Very clean, did a great job with all the Covid restrictions, friendly staff and of course cute animals. We even got to feed the giraffes and some birds. My only complaint is some of the habitats need to be bigger. I will definitely be back again and again.

What a beautiful, well taken care of zoo. Much larger than we thought with all kinds of different animals. The exhibits are so open and you can get close to the animals. You can feed the parakeets, you can feed the giraffes at certain times. There is a small cafe with hotdogs, chicken nuggets, hamburgers, etc. With plenty of seating with a beautiful view of the large Africa enclosure. Its a great walk with shade. We bought Season passes for our whole family!

A perfect sized zoo, not too big, not too small.

Great zoo. Nice pathways. Good animal exhibits.

Pretty cool, smells like animal poop though.

The zoo was appropriately roped off for the public to keep off all railings and glass. All animal houses were closed (reptile house, penguin house & petting zoo all closed) and spaces were drawn in tape for social distancing. Hand sanitizer was provided at various places. Thank you Caldwell Zoo for giving us a safe space to spend the day with our family OUTSIDE of our house!

We had a wonderful time here. The facility is nicely arranged and the exhibits and enclosures are nicely done and of ample size for the animals within. The zoo has sanitizer stations all around the park and they stagger admittance to keep people apart.We are really happy after the two hour walk through the zoo and strongly recommend it to people of all ages!

Great zoo! The zoo itself isnt a huge place, but it is well put together. Highly recommend stopping by to look at it. The Africa exhibit is amazing. They even have a place where you can feed a Giraffe!

Besides the mid weather change, this zoo is still in my top 3!! Theyve renovated recently(past couple of years) and its working for them!! There was a guide who did a fantastic job at literally everything! From explaining why certain animals werent out, their enclosures, how they dwell together, why they are at this specific zoo, ETC. Check this place out!!

Always a fun zoo to visit! Best time is the morning when its cooler, the animals are more visible.