Full Review of the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle (From a Local!)
Last Updated on January 2, 2025 by Kelly
I have an annual membership to the Woodland Park Zoo, and I’ve been more times than I can count. If you’re a Seattle local, I think it’s definitely worth getting a zoo membership. We go all the time! Sometimes we just visit the Zoomazium on a rainy day, other days we see all the animals, and some days we just enjoy walking through the beautiful gardens. Our daughter loves riding the historical carousel, and we also enjoy the special events like WildLanterns in the winter.
In this post, I’m sharing everything you need to know about the Woodland Park Zoo to prepare for your next visit.
If you’re in a hurry, our favorite things to see at the zoo are the:
- Gorilla exhibit: With expansive windows, we always get to see an up-close view of the gorillas.
- Snow leopard exhibit: The baby snow leopards spend a lot of time in their maternity den, but are usually seen for a few hours each morning. (Check before visiting!)
- Brown bear exhibit: On several occasions we’ve even seen the brown bears swimming! We also like to view the otters right next to the exhibit.
- Historic carousel: We almost never leave the zoo without riding the indoor carousel.
- Zoomazium: If you have kids, this indoor play space features slides, coloring spaces, and more.
The animals at the Woodland Park Zoo are grouped by regional habitats. Currently the Woodland Park Zoo has 11 exhibits:
- Africa Savanna
- Assam Rhino Reserve
- Australia
- Molbak’s Butterfly Garden (open seasonally)
- Humboldt Penguin Exhibit
- Living Northwest Trail
- Temperate Forest
- Trail of Adaptations
- Tropical Asia
- Tropical Rainforest
- Ambassador Animals
We’re super excited for the upcoming Forest Trailhead exhibit, which will open in 2026. The Red Panda is one of our favorite animals, so we’re excited to see a special exhibit showcasing our favorite little creature!
The zoo is just one of our favorite things to do in Seattle. Be sure to check out our full list in the linked blog post!
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I may earn commissions from qualifying purchases. This post was not sponsored by the Woodland Park Zoo, but I have collaborated with them in the past with my Instagram account.
Overview
The Woodland Park Zoo is quite large, covering 92 acres. There are over 70 exhibits with over 1,000 animals. Expect to spend at least half a day there if you want to see everything!
The zoo’s hours vary by season. Typically it opens at 9:30am, and closes at either 6pm or 4pm depending on the season. For the current schedule, see the official zoo website.
More than 1.3 million people visit each year!
Travel Tip: If you’re planning a trip to the Woodland Park Zoo, consider buying a Seattle CityPASS. You’ll be able to save money if you plan on visiting multiple attractions.
Best Time to Visit
The best time to visit the Woodland Park Zoo is typically on a weekday during the school year. We particularly like going on weekdays in late September.
We have also been to the zoo on cloudy and rainy days and still had a great time. One of our favorite visits to the zoo was in January and it was practically empty!
We most recently visited the zoo on a sunny weekend in summer and it was PACKED. It took us forever just to find a parking spot. We had to circle around the parking lot until someone left. If you’re planning on visiting on a weekend day, I recommend arriving at opening to beat some of the crowd.
Fun fact: The children’s book Terror at the Zoo takes place at the Woodland Park Zoo. The story is set in Seattle, and it’s about two children that decide to spend the night at the zoo. It’s a “thriller” that’s appropriate for younger children.
Dining
The Woodland Park Zoo has indoor/outdoor dining available at 1899 Grove, which was formerly called the Rainforest Food Pavilion. This is the largest dining area in the park, and it offers a fair amount of indoor seating. Our favorite thing to order is the Market Special, which is a grilled cheese sandwich with tomato bisque soup. (We order it almost every time we visit the zoo!) However, the last time we visited the tomato bisque soup wasn’t very good, so we’re hoping it was just an off day and they didn’t change the recipe.
There’s also a food counter with some outdoor seating called Gather and Graze Cafe. This food counter isn’t always open, so check the hours in advance of your visit.
During peak season, you’ll also find carts and food stands at the zoo. During one visit last summer, we saw a Cuban food truck and a coffee stand near the African Savanna area.
We also like to visit Dick’s Drive-In after a morning at the zoo. If you have never been to Seattle before, Dick’s Drive-In is basically our equivalent of In-and-Out… you have to try it! Order a cheeseburger and a milkshake and you’ll be in heaven. Dick’s is only 1.5 miles from the zoo. (Address: 111 NE 45th St, Seattle, WA 98105)
You can also bring your own food into the Woodland Park Zoo. There are plenty of picnic tables in designated eating areas in the park. No outside alcohol is permitted.
Carousel
In addition to seeing the animals, there are a lot of things for kids to do at the zoo! The Woodland Park Zoo has a historic carousel which for a small fee you can ride. (Our toddler loves it!) The carousel was originally built in 1918. It was previously located at an amusement park in California. That amusement park later placed it in storage, where it sat until it was purchased for use at the Woodland Park Zoo in 2006. The carousel contains 48 wood-carved horses and two chariots. Each horse is completely unique! The carousel is indoors, so you can ride it rain or shine. At the time of this writing, a ticket for the carousel was $3.
Zoomazium
The Woodland Park Zoo is also home to the Zoomazium building, which has a number of indoor play opportunities. There’s several indoor slides and a climbing area. Our daughter loves visiting the Zoomazium, and sometimes we visit the zoo and spend the afternoon just visiting the Zoomazium. There’s an area to color, do crafts, and read as well. There’s also a smaller fenced area for younger kids. (We like to play there with our one-year-old.)
I was also really impressed that one of the employees recognized our family and remembered our daughter’s name!
Sometimes, there are scheduled activities. During our last visit, there was a “dance party” and the employees handed out musical instruments, played music, and brought out bubble machines.
Please note that the Zoomazium typically has shorter hours. During our last visit, it closed at 3pm.
Wildlife Theater
During our last visit to the zoo, we caught a 20-minute drama play at the Wildlife Theater. We got to learn about several animals up-close, including a porcupine, falcon, and skunk. There are also a number of daily zookeeper talks.
Rose Garden
We also recommend a walk around the rose garden. It’s easy to miss the garden because it’s technically not within the walls of the zoo. Instead, you can visit the rose garden for free, and it’s one of our favorite free activities in Seattle. (See the linked blog post for 49 other free things to do in Seattle!)
The rose garden is also a great place to take pictures. I took my cousin there when she was younger, and I have the cutest photos of her dressed up walking through the garden.
How long does it take to visit?
You can spend as little or as long as you’d like at the zoo. We typically spend 3-4 hours at the zoo, but that’s not enough time for us to see everything the zoo has to offer. We’d recommend at least a solid half-day to see the zoo in its entirety.
The main loop of the Woodland Park Zoo is .8 miles long. The exhibits all branch off from the main loop, so you’ll likely walk at least over a mile.
Events
The zoo features after-hours events throughout the year which are a lot of fun! Some events include Whiskey & WildBites and Brew at the Zoo.
During the summer months, the zoo hosts ZooTunes where you can sit in the meadow and listen to an outdoor concert.
During the weekend of Halloween, the zoo hosts Pumpkin Bash. Children dress up in costumes, candy is handed out, and some of the animals get to play with (and eat!) pumpkins.
During the winter months, the zoo hosts WildLanterns. If you attend this event, you’ll walk through the zoo and see large animal lanterns lit up in a variety of colors. It’s fun to visit during the day too, even if the lanterns aren’t lit up! (For more photos, check out our post about the best Christmas activities in Seattle!)
Visiting on a Rainy Day
It’s still fun to visit the zoo in the rain! (We’ve gone plenty of times in the rain.) As they say, there’s no bad weather, just bad gear. Just make sure you’re prepared with an umbrella, rain boots, and a rain jacket. There’s also a number of indoor exhibits if you don’t want to be out in the rain. If you have children, the Zoomazium is a nice indoor play space. The carousel is also covered and can operate on a rainy day.
Directions
The Woodland Park Zoo is located in the Phinney Ridge neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. The zoo’s address is 5500 Phinney Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103.
The zoo is not located in the downtown area of Seattle, but a bit to the north. It’s about 4 miles north of downtown Seattle. (Be wary of the notoriously bad Seattle traffic…it could take you longer than a few minutes to get there!)
Parking
There are several parking lots near the zoo. (For descriptions of all parking lots and zoo entrances, see the zoo’s parking page.) At the time of this writing, parking costs $6 for two hours, with $2 for each additional hour, and a $12 maximum daily rate. (Plus taxes and fees.) Annual members get a discount on parking. We typically park in the penguin lot.
Woodland Park Zoo and the Seattle Aquarium
If you want to visit the Woodland Park Zoo and the Seattle Aquarium, you might want to consider a city pass. The zoo is located about 5 miles north of the Seattle Aquarium. We definitely recommend visiting the Seattle Aquarium if you have time. The aquarium is located on the pier, and it is a lot of fun! It would be difficult to do both in the same day as the zoo (if you want to see all there is to see), so we recommend visiting them on separate days.
Woodland Park Zoo vs. the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium
The Woodland Park Zoo is larger than the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium, and so it has more animals to see. The Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium is a newer zoo and has a large aquarium if you’re interested in seeing more sea life.
We recommend visiting Woodland Park Zoo if you are in Seattle because it’s closer and there is more to see overall. But, you can’t go wrong visiting either zoo!
History
The Woodland Park Zoo was founded in 1899 by Guy Phinney, who was a real estate developer in Seattle. He used $40,000 to create a traditional English park near Green Lake in Seattle. He created a rose garden, a stone entrance, and a deer park.
The City of Seattle later decided to create a public park from the property after ownership of the land was transferred to the city. The city developed the land into a zoo and created the foundations for many of the current exhibits.
The City of Seattle owns the Woodland Park zoo, and the Woodland Park Zoological Society currently assumes the responsibility for operations and management.
Nearby Hotels
One of the closest hotels to the Woodland Park Zoo is Staybridge Suites Hotel – Fremont, an IHG Hotel. The hotel is located 1.3 miles from the zoo entrance. It also has an indoor pool.
We wrote an article about our favorite hotels in downtown Seattle. We go into greater detail about hotel locations, amenities, and more.
Nearby Playground
If you’re looking for a playground near the Woodland Park Zoo, we recommend the West Woodland Park. The playground has swing sets, slides, and lots of climbing structures.
Summary
The Woodland Park Zoo is a beautiful place to walk around and it’s always so fun to see the animals. We’ve been annual members for the past several years, and we always have a great time at the zoo. We would recommend a visit to the Woodland Park Zoo to anyone visiting Seattle. We hope this post was helpful in planning your own trip to the Woodland Park Zoo!
Disclaimer: We always strive for content accuracy. Since the time of publishing, travel-related information regarding pricing, schedules, and hours may have changed. Please look up such information directly from each vendor or institution for the most current information.
