San Francisco Zoo is the place for your family to go to, especially with children--they will have a lot of fun here, as they can interact with some of he animals and will learn a lot. There's a mini-train that they can ride. There's an animal farm where they can feed and touch the animals, and the children's zoo is where they can play and see the environment of the gopher. They can crawl in under the mini-cave, and it's a lot of fun.

From first hearing about it, I assumed the SF Zoo was going to be large and crowded; however, it's not! Crowds are pretty small, the zoo is easy to cover in one day, the animals look happy, and visibility is good. They are playful and fun to watch. Everyone who works at the zoo seems to really care about the animals and the visitors - they encourage questions and are eager to talk to visitors. Lots of photographers hang around to get pics of the animals. Good practice for amateurs like me!

San Francisco Zoo displays 250 animal species in natural surroundings.

We went to see the extremely popular panda exhibit on loan from China, and there was a long queue of people waiting to see a glimpse.

There is limited parking, so take public transportation. You get $1 off admission if you show a same-day Muni transfer or pass upon paying admission. On the first Wednesday of each month, they offer free admission.

Daily 10am to 5pm

Phone: (415) 753-7080
Guest services email: guestservices@sfzoo.org

Muni 18, 23, L

The SF Zoo has all the usual animals you would expect at a large zoo--monkeys, giraffes, hippos, elephants. They definitely have a large assortment of animals. The lion and gorilla sections are highlights. They also have nice sections for the Koalas. Obviously, you want comfortable shoes for this trip-- it's a large park.