Topeka Zoo and Conservation Center
Topeka Zoo and Conservation Center
4
9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
About
Continuously updating and expanding its exhibits, this small but nationally recognized zoo features nearly 400 animals, a tropical rain forest, children's zoo, carousel and train that circles the park.
Meets animal welfare guidelines
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
303 reviews
Excellent
102
Very good
105
Average
53
Poor
21
Terrible
22
crashey
Burbank, CA20 contributions
Mar 2022 • Family
We came to Topeka for the Dino Days and it seems like the zoo wasn’t prepared for the influx of people. They had the Dino Don animatronic dinosaurs throughout the zoo (which are awesome!). Parking was very difficult. It took close to 30 minutes in line to purchase tickets. The zoo was very, very busy and there weren’t many animals out to see (although that can’t count against the zoo, I was very glad they give the animals the freedom to be on or off exhibit). The real problem was parking and food/water. Water fountains were not turned on and the only snack stand/cafe was so incredibly slow. It took over an hour to order (only 7 groups ahead of us) and then another 45 minutes to receive the food. We only ordered 2 kids meals and a Gatorade. The exhibits were okay and it looks like they had a lot of upgrades in progress.
Written 16 March 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
EZMomBSKS
Kansas City11 contributions
Jun 2023
We visited today and saw very few animals. A complete changes from a few years back. The zoo has invested in many building updates and grounds -- just no animals. If you are going to see animals, they don't have animals like they used to. No bears, no hippos, no apes, no chimps, and empty cages. You will see one lion, one tiger, four giraffes and three orangutans Keep your $10 and walk across the street to the park/flower gardens. You'll see more for free. Such a disappointment.
Written 19 June 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
kates5283
Cincinnati, OH195 contributions
Oct 2022
Disclaimer that we are from outside of Cincinnati and frequently visit both the Cincinnati Zoo and the Columbus Zoo so we are a little zoo biased.
This zoo is such a cute little zoo. We went in the fall so it wasn't too hot and most of the animals were out! The animals seem healthy and well cared for. A lot of the places for food and snacks were closed when we were there, as it was later in the afternoon, but that didn't put a damper on anything. There is a cute little gift shop as well. This is definitely worth the stop if you love zoos. Kids would enjoy it, too, as ours are 16 and 9 and they both liked it.
This zoo is such a cute little zoo. We went in the fall so it wasn't too hot and most of the animals were out! The animals seem healthy and well cared for. A lot of the places for food and snacks were closed when we were there, as it was later in the afternoon, but that didn't put a damper on anything. There is a cute little gift shop as well. This is definitely worth the stop if you love zoos. Kids would enjoy it, too, as ours are 16 and 9 and they both liked it.
Written 13 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Caleb L
Nebraska13 contributions
Jun 2022 • Family
Nice little zoo to take the family, alot of exhibits with up close and personal views of animals in enclosures. Some were harder to see but heat/ sun probably played a part. Animations dinosaurs were a hit with me and my sons! Worth a visit !
Written 29 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jen
31 contributions
Mar 2023 • Family
This is a great little zoo! We really like the layout, it’s not too big and easy to get through. We could’ve spent hours in the meditation gardens, a unique feature to this zoo. The hippo was a wonderful surprise, as it kept going in and out of the water. We learned a lot in the African area, and liked that the lions had so much room. The elephants and giraffes were very cool. It’s right beside a park, and that’s where the train is. We spent 2 1/2 hours here.
Written 8 May 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CondoNomad
Vancouver, WA3 contributions
Jan 2023
No concessions were open.
The sunflower Cafe looks abandoned.
Walkways had not been swept. Poor grounds maintenance.
"Junk" left in the open.
Exhibits with no placards.
Besides the gift shop employees I did not see any Zoo staff or Docents/Volunteers.
There were some great buildings and habitats. It was hard to appreciate them due to the general neglect of the grounds.
The sunflower Cafe looks abandoned.
Walkways had not been swept. Poor grounds maintenance.
"Junk" left in the open.
Exhibits with no placards.
Besides the gift shop employees I did not see any Zoo staff or Docents/Volunteers.
There were some great buildings and habitats. It was hard to appreciate them due to the general neglect of the grounds.
Written 29 January 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
David B.
Murfreesboro, TN280 contributions
Jul 2022 • Family
Great little zoo that looks to be expanding. I loved the aesthetics of the zoo. Keepers were located though out the zoo giving their knowledge to the kids. Was surprised to see lions, tigers, and orangutans. We take our kids to a lot of zoos, and they enjoyed this one. It is on the smaller side, it was still a very enjoyable way to spend a half a day. Most of the paths are well shaded, and I like the layout of this little zoo.
Written 9 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Cassie S
59 contributions
Aug 2022 • Family
I really enjoyed this little zoo! It moves in a circle so it is pretty easy to follow. I like that it is small and quaint for a quick trip vs spending a whole day! It only took about 1.5 hours to walk it. They have lots of construction underway with more improvements coming which is always nice to see. It was super hot out so a lot of animals were inside our in the shade.
Written 15 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Laura S
Lexington Park, MD3 contributions
May 2023
This zoo is very run down. I was really surprised at how many animal enclosures were empty. The enclosures that DO have animals are overgrown. It seems there is no maintenance. Some of the signs were missing so we didn't know what animal we were supposed to be looking at or anything. I was extremely disappointed to say the least. It was not worth the $8 ticket in my honest opinion.
Written 24 May 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ddlion
23 contributions
Aug 2024 • Family
Zoo was great. The streets were horrible. Orange cones and detours everywhere. And the streets that were opened are so bad they should have been closed. Makes you wonder if the street department, if there is one, isn't managed by all of the local tire and front end repair shops. You might be stopped for drunk driving avoiding the potholes. Oh. And the local cuisine is 'meh' at best.
Written 21 September 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I thought most of the zoo was pretty well shaded. And there were a couple buildings that had air conditioning like the gift shop and the education center next to it and the building with the lions and painted dogs.
Written 20 June 2019
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