Small zoo, taking my sweet time analyzing all the animals and reading their descriptions I was able finish in an hour. This place is well maintained and very clean. My son and I loved the petting and feeding area. I recommend to Take some quarters to purchase feed so your kids won’t miss out. This zoo is a must visit especially already being here in the Irvine park. The entry is $2 per person but if you sign up for emails they’re buy 1 get 1 free.

Beautiful park with wonderful little zoo. Low admission fee, and a good overall vibe - none of the usual commercialization of animals and all the hype that goes with it. Very chill, clean and informative, a great place to spend some good family time. Our daughter loved meeting the "animal ambassadors" - an animal accompanied by the park volunteer who would answer all the questions about it, and in some cases, allow the public to gently touch them. Peacocks we're magnificent and loud. Petting zoo was clean and very nice, those goats were dope. Thank you!

In short, Best bang for your buck zoo. With a few more details, The OC zoo is at a beautiful location, within the Irvine regional park that has hikes and plenty of space for kids to play and many picnic spots. It also has the mini train and pony rides which kids love. It has such a great amount of animals, a sheep petting area and reptiles section and most animals you get to get real close to them. It is not huge so easy for kids to walk and see. Even if it is crowded on the weekends it still is not too bad to see the bears or Bald Eagle or Peccary. Kids and adults alike will get to see a good number of animals with plenty of info on little wooden boards. The staff are very friendly and will occasionally bring out a parrot it snake for visitors to touch or interact with. We love this zoo more than any big zoo. The biggest twist is that the price of entry is two dollars for adults and kids under 2 are free. Also, they do take donations if you’d like to do that too. To park inside the regional park is five dollars. So if you were wondering what to do with your kids on a certain day, this is a great option. Def recommend.

This was a very fun experience. For the price of just $2 i think its very worth it. It will cost $5 to get into the regional park and the zoo it more towards the back. Very family friendly, a great place to brings kids. There is a petting zoo too. Even though me and my friends are older, we enjoyed it. Very relaxing! Only down part was the parking lot is very small but there are many lots you could park at and there is a over flow lot for the zoo.

I’ve only been to the Irvine regional park a handful of times… and really didn’t even know there was a zoo there. This is such a great value at only $2/person. There’s a great variety of animals. Nothing too crazy, but well worth the visit. There’s a goat petting/feeding area that my kids went nuts over. The mountain lion exhibit was huge. They have a large habitat constructed for them. I really liked seeing the beaver. It reminded me of the one from the movie lady and the tramp. If you come to the park, the zoo should definitely be part of your trip. It’s so nice to see the animals and it’s way worth more than $2.

Great little zoo for the price. Workers were friendly and helpful to any questions our kids asked. Cute holiday decorations in most of the enclosures. You can walk through the zoo in about 15-30 min depending on pace but we went through a couple times so we were able to spend an hour and half there. Id recommend checking it out if you have a day off and are looking to do something outside with the family. The whole park area is nice to walk through before/after the zoo as well.

This place is the BEST. It is way better than any other local zoo, other than San Diego Zoo. The new area for the mountain lions, jaguar, and the black panther are awesome. There are so many local animals to see. You can brush and feed the goats. The admission price of $2 amazes me. I expected it to go up after the beautiful addition, but nope. We go here every few weeks, and also have an ocparks parking pass, which btw is another great deal.

Small zoo but located at Irvine Regional Park, which gives you so many other activities to do. Really wished they had a gift shop. They dont have large animlas. Mainly small/babies. After the zoo went to the nature center for free. I will definitely come back with my 3 year old.

I am glad I read the reviews. I have been to Santa Ana Zoo a few times but this is my 1st time to OC zoo. Is small but worth every penny for entrance fee ($2) and park fee ($5). Free re-entry with stamp. We went there right before they opened at 10am. It's a cool and windy day. But inside the zoo it is not windy but kind of chilly. Many different animals and reptiles are awake and out moving around, especially cute little owl. It was my 1st time seeing foxes up close. Small petting animals area with feed machines. It takes up quarters and there is no change machine. You could get an exchange at the cashier at the front entrance, before going inside. Bathrooms are behind the cashier. The small area is still remodeled and seems like it will be finished pretty soon. A few peacocks wander around the zoo Volunteer zookeepers take out animals / reptiles for show and tell by a small waterfall close to the exit. I understand safety, the fences that either have small holes or are too thick, it's hard to take good pictures.

I loved this place. I really enjoyed going through this place. So many animals I have never seen before. The coyote was a big hit. The bears were wonderful and the mountain lion. Many of the animals were rescue animals that can't live in the wild. I really liked that part. Giving the animals life after injury ,giving them a home and care

Awesome wild animal park within the Irvine Regional Park. The zoo staff have lovingly raised and cared for the animals. It’s a real bargain for just $2.00 to be able to get up close to the largest types of wild animals that roam Southern California! I thought it was fun for the kids to see the reactions of their interactions, throughout this small park. Restrooms are located just behind the ticket counter to the left. From there, the zoo trail loops around back towards the right of the entrance, tho keeping left continues to a t-trail with a coyote, goats and chicken-like fowl. Back to the main loop trail, there’s also some interesting glass case enclosures where I saw some snakes and lizards before the exit.

Opened today. Animals were as happy as we were. Interacting at the fence lines. Very covid safe. You'll see what I mean when you get here. Had a blast!!

We spent our family outings to celebrate a day for my two year old. We visited the zoo, paddle bikes, and train ride. The zoo is small but large enough for a toddler. The paddle bikes were fun and the staff operating the train ride are amazingly friendly! They gave a shout-out to my daughter over the speaker!

If you have young children this is an amazing value. $2/ per person and it's new, clean and well kept. Lots of animals within view and active. Staff is friendly and attentive. Bring quarters to feed the goats! They are so hungry, friendly and cute!

Extremely surprised for the amount of animals ( I expect less due to the fact that is in a park), and the price:$2/person. My granddaughter had a blast petting the goats and feeding the sheep. And her eyes got bigger when she saw the bear! Nice, shady, relaxing! The park is huge, with multiple playgrounds, bathrooms, there is a lake, paddle boarding, food, and more. Awesome place to spend a day with your family!

The Orange County Zoo was so much fun for my two year old, and just as much fun for my boyfriend and I. You are able to view and learn about a variety of animals, from different species of birds to viewing bears in their exhibit. Entry into the zoo is only $2 per person over the age of 2! Keep in mind, entry into the park, for us, was $3 - but still, not a bad deal. The walk through the zoo was easy, not too crowded, and wasn't too long. Really enjoyed my time there.

I've been here maybe half a dozen times. Definitely my favorite regional zoo. I was sad to hear the sister mountain lion passed away recently. My favorite part was watching the brother sister duo playing with each other. The bears, serval, bobcat and ocelot are still fun to watch. And the beaver is surprisingly one of my favorite stops everytime! Always active. Make sure to bring quarters or get some when you enter and enjoy feeding animals in the children's section! There are two adorable baby goats.

This little zoo was nice! Only $2 to get in. It had a couple of interesting animals that aren't local to the region. It had some big cats, bears, and some beautiful birds of prey. If you are in Irvine Park I would highly recommend going in to take a look. I recommend getting into the park early because parking fills up fast. Especially on the weekends.

This was a very nice Zoo. They feature mostly animals local to the Southwestern US, so it's not very big. The price tag is just right at $2/person. It definitely feels like a good value, especially if you happen to see some of the big cats playing. Totally worth the trip. We went as part of a field trip and got to enjoy a guided tour for only $1 additional per person. It's not as big and fancy as the San Diego Zoo, but it's sweet and way more budget friendly.

This place is great. It’s not very big but is well done and it’s only a few dollars to get in. No gift shop like Santa Ana, but it’s inside the bigger park so you can’t beat paying for parking and a few bucks for entry. The animal variety is also really good. One thing that’s nice as compared to the Santa Ana Zoo is that there are bears, leopards and other larger animals, rather than seeing 20 kinds of miniature monkey breeds. If you have little ones the size is perfect for them to spend time in without getting exhausted. Plus if there’s time, you can take a short walk to the train, pony rides ($8) and snack bar that are also really close. You can park in one of many parking lots and still go do lots without a long walk back.

OC zoo ticket is $3 only. Free for kids younger than 2 years. It's in Irvine Park. The ticket to enter Irvine Park is $3 for each car. The zoo is small but adorable, it has a children area, and kids can interact with super kind goats. Surrounding the zoo, there are playgrounds, a huge BBQ area, a tourist train, lakes plenty of wild ducks, and birds. Hiking trails and horse rides. This zoo is a unique, extremely great place for families with children to visit.

I love all zoos, but glad I was able to visit the zoo at the Irvine Regional Park. Attending a field trip for 4th graders to learn about plants, weather, temperature, the habitat of the animals in the wild, rock formations w/ the Rangers. The leaders did a great job, activities were meaningful too. We also learned about the need of the low fires.

Irvine Zoo is awesome for a family day out! We went with my daughter's school, and it was a blast. The zoo is small but super well-kept, so you can see everything in about an hour. Perfect for little kids who might get tired of walking around for too long. It only costs $2 to get in!! Super cheap and totally worth it. The best part was the petting zoo – the kids loved it. Easy for us parents to handle, and the whole place is just chill and fun. If you're heading to Irvine Regional Park, make sure to drop by the zoo. It's a cool spot for families. We had a great time, and we're definitely going back for more animal adventures!

Fun way to spend an hour with kids - smaller than many other zoos, but so was the price - it was perfect for our day! The hands on petting zoo, and the up close talks with guides were highlights!

everyone keeps saying that the headlands are the perfect place to take visitors, but people, take the time to enjoy and appreciate your own city! snap the quintessential OH photo for your own book. roaming around the old bunkers and climbing on the rocks beyond the ropes i feel like a billy goat. gotta love places that make you giddy like a kid :)

Good for kids to see some animals for the first time. You can see California bear and mountain lions. Not too big. You will have fun with your friends.

Adorable small zoo located inside the beautiful park.. I was pretty surprise and happy to discover this place. Perfect for the whole family , cute animals and just about $2 per person plus $5 entrance to the park for parking

It was a very great experience for all children going out and animals are very happy to see us we love this place and whole weekend keep coming ended up coming days God bless

Beautiful scenary, sundays are usually very very busy but still a good time closes early before 3pm.

Good

After hanging out at Zoo my 70+ mother and son biked around the park. I have beautiful memories of learning about animal friends and family bonding. A+ best place for family time in OC

A beautiful day. The staff was very friendly and knowledgeable the zoo was set up very nicely. It's nice to see these animals being taken care of after being wounded or having some kind of issue that wouldn't allow them to continue in the wild. Beautiful place for families

Nice and short but sweet! Can't get a better value for only a few bucks. Perfect for smaller kids and can visit multiple times as a reward and the best part is that it is inside of the regional park where there is so much to do. Parking can be a challenge so you may have to walk a little. You have to pay (per vehicle) to enter the regional park so be prepared for that. I think there are some discounted days, but check the website.

This place is amazing. It's cheap, only 2 dollars a person. It has a good variety of animals, and they are currently even expanding. I have spent many countless hours just walking around a couple of times, as the animals are fairly active, and if you don't see one the first time, you'll probably see it when you pass around the second time. They also aren't shy, they like to look at you and walk up, so you tend to have a good look at them. The staff is also very knowledgeable about their animals, and friendly. One of the best little zoos around.

We always have a great time comming to the OC Zoo. It's never crowded and you can really enjoy sitting and watching the animals. We recommend it to people all the time.

$2/ea for 3& up. Free for 2 year olds. Kids loved it. Never too busy or crowded. We made it at rope drop at 10am sharp. Enjoy everyone!

A perfect spot to spend an hr or two, and they have a little petting zoo where you can feed/ pet the goats.On their website, it states many of their animals are " injured, orphaned, confiscated, or not releasable into the wild." Despite seeing how small the enclosures are, it's nice to know that these are the kind of animals they have here. The animals do appear to be well taken care of, and all the zookeepers seem to love what they do. (: it's a pretty cheap entry fee for both the park and the zoo. Make sure to bring quarters for the animal feed if you plan on feeding the animals. 😊 Picture of one of their goats called Dixie (not sure if I spelled her name right, lol)

This is a fun little zoo. There are not many animals, but the kids enjoyed what they do have. They have a children's zoo where you can fees goats and sheep along with a petting zoo. It is cheap to visit and park.

Loved this zoo, and my 2 1/2 year old grandson loved it as well. Beautiful mountain lions, a bear, and I believe the little guy swimming is a beaver.

Great for kids and adults! Went between rainclouds on a weekend, and plenty of parking and walking space available. After the zoo we explored the park and rode the train - lots of things to do and ample space!

This is a tiny zoo but they have managed to make sure the animals have space. They have added the cat section which is amazing. They have leopards, mountain lions, and more. My kids loved the two bears they have but especially love the petting zoo.

Our family comes to OC Zoo maybe once a month with our two daughters. It is very reasonably priced at only $3 each and they have an area where kids (and adults) can go pet and brush the goats in the Petting Zoo. My girls love when they have the staff featuring an animal they can pet and learn more about as well as seeing the reptiles. Love that my our kids are learning new things and enjoying time outdoors, as well as fostering a love for animals.

nice weekend spent in OC zoo. small zoo but the design is wonderful, and they have many amazing animals. also we have fun in taking boat, railway rides and pony rides

Do yourself a favor. The Orange County Zoo at Irvine Park is a must! 5 bucks a car to enter Irvine Park and 2 bucks a person for the zoo. We stood face to face within a couple yards of large bears, mountain lions, eagles and a majestic "Black Panther" Jaguar. I'm embarrassed to say I live 3-5 minutes away and haven't been until now. I hear they offer an annual pass option. I'm about to be a regular.

This is a great local zoo. Dedicated to animals that are native to the Southwestern United States. Nearly all of the animals here have been rescued and/or would not otherwise survive in the wild. New bathrooms are a great addition to the zoo as well.

Perfect place to go to spend time outside! They have it set up for one way only, and only allow a certain number of people in at one time to help maintain social distancing. Definitely something to see again while finding things to do with my toddler!

Its so beautiful there, and so much to do. Just walking around is enough to make you happy. The zoo itself was awesome, very cool indeed.

Very inexpensive to see live animals. It's a long wait to get in because they promote social distancing. I felt safe so it's worth it.

My friend Karen and I went to the zoo yesterday. I saw bears, raccoons, beavers, turkey vultures, and porcupines.

I wonder if humans would enjoy being put on display in cages?...🤔🙄👎😡💥

I've driven by Orange County Zoo probably about 50 times in my life and yet today was the first time I stopped in and checked it out. This place is kiddy Nirvana for munchkins from 2 to about 6.

Small but mighty

This is a small zoo compared to the others we have been too. The entrance fee is cheap and the animals are hand are enough to burn a few hours wirh the kids

Great viewing of rescue animals

Even tho a small zoo it's nice. I would recommend...

Its closed due to the fires

Coyotes, he's so small,nobody takes him seriously. But looks and size can be deceiving.

Best place to take the family

Great place to take your little one. The location was only $2.00 for adults and children under 2 years old are free. Place is open right now too

An inexpensive yet great place to spend time with your family. It's clean and very well organized during COVID time

Great family experience! Small and intimate with great exhibits!

Nice set up for Covid safety. Nice variety of animals, birds and reptiles, great staff

Nice size zoo for a great price. Great for the family and kids

A lot of fun to visit during covid they did a very good job of keeping sanitary and having lots to see

This is a very inexpensive fun zoo to go to has mountain lions so close feel like you could touch her highly I highly recommend feeling it visit

For 2$ entry is good enough. You can spend like 30 minutes there. Staff is nice and animals are well taken care of. Its smart to have all of these things ( bikes, pedals, zoo, picnic, hike) to do at one place . Will be back for sure

Such a nice spot to take your kiddos for an afternoon zoo trip! Staff are all very friendly and educated on all the animals! Super Covid friendly and clean. Best to go during the week versus weekend, less busy.

As a kid, I would come here during the first Wednesday of the month in the summer. My aunt would take a day off and take my cousins, brother & I here. It was our tradition. When I'm old and a grandma, I think my cousins and I would take our grand kids here during the summer, just like my aunt did. The last time I came here, it wasn't the same. I saw empty cages, where are the animals?! It sort of feels empty now.

Its a small zoo with animals from north America. Well organized to keep visitors safe. Most animals were awake, visible, and they look well cared for. Very convenient that its located inside the park so there's plenty of activities to do afterwards. My daughter had fun we plan to visit again😊

Great little zoo in the middle of Irvine Park. Inexpensive and don't enforce masks. Yay!

My son and I go every Wednesday the best zoo hands down and for only $2 amazing value that's what keeps us going

Can't wait to for the new exhibit 🦍

Chiquito pero bonito 😁👍🏻

Worth $2

Lots of smaller animals to see. It's inexpensive. The biggest draw backs are the giant lines for everything and the parking fee.

So much fun! The kids love to go there.

(Translated by Google) Since the number of people is limited, we lined up for about an hour around noon on holidays. It's a small but fulfilling and very nice zoo. It's cheap. (Original) 人数制限をしているので、休日の昼頃で1時間程並びました。小さいけど、充実しててめっちゃいい動物園。安いしね。

This place was pretty cool, it had ice cream and Snow Cones. It was awesome

Small but clean. Animals seem happy and healthy...

Nice place 2$ per ticket, 6$ per train ride

Great place to spend an afternoon. Not as special as San Diego zoo but still manageable and my kids love it.

Had a great time, I will be back again.

A more casual zoo in a beautiful location.

Reopened February 3, 2021. Immaculate small zoo that's worth a visit, in a beautiful regional park.

The zoo is temporarily closed right now, but I have been there many times and love it. Its great for kids; fun and educational.

(Translated by Google) It was closed (Original) Estaba cerrado

This is such a cute zoo! It is small but they do have a variety of animals and they have had some improvements done recently. There are bathrooms inside now! With the pandemic they have set up a one way lane that takes you around the zoo.Too bad the petting zoo is closed. My family spent around 2 hours to get through all the animals without rushing.

OC Zoo was great!

Very nice small zoo. $5 to park, $2 to enter zoo. They have got a good range of animals.

Had a blast. A fantastic day trip for anyone trying to get outside and have some fun.

My granddaughter loved it!

Exelent. 2 dls entry. Kids 2 and under free. Social distance and mask required.

Only $2.00. Fabulous place to take children and very covid-19 prepared and safety precautions utilized. Excellent experience.

So much more to do than just a zoo! My family had a blast visiting the animals, and all the activities available here.

Really cute zoo inside a huge park. I enjoy the focus on displaying wildlife native to this area.

The line was long and the staff took a while to check people in. The weekend is the worse time to go, just to find parking took 20 minutes. A lot of kids and parents who let them run wild, they don’t social distance like they should. For the price the zoo was worth it.

Awesome park, fun, food, boat ride, bike rental, train ride, so much parking. Trails are open, peacok sight everywhere. Family friendly. Zoo is open. 😍

Nice small zoo with covid-19 precautions located inside Irvine railroad park.

Fun! Relaxing! We'll be returning.

Such a wonderful place to see so many terrific species. Mountain lion, serval, ocelot, bears, bobcat, various birds, a beaver, creepy crawlers and a beautiful bald Eagle. Only $2 to enter per person and you will have a great experience. I suggest going within the last two hours, they are most active and I think getting anxious for their supper time. Have lunch in the park, visit the zoo and enjoy thw day with your family. To get away from the city I visit at least a few times per year.

Very nice zoo for only 3$ it was amazing!! Got to see eagles being fed, parrot was talking to me. The place was very well kempt animals looked relaxed and happy(coyote was stressed). They had it decorated for Haloween it was darling. My family absolutely loved this zoo, did I mention they have bears, a mountain lion and so much more in a nice shady area.

Went here with family. Small zoo but just perfect for small kids as you can see it in an hour or less easily. Bring some quarters for change because the feed machine doesn't take dollars. Lots of beautiful birds you won't see other places. The cougar is beautiful and they are growing the zoo. Go online if needed to Irvine park website and you can get a buy one get one free coupon to get in but it's only $2 dollars...a great deal. Lots to do at this park also. You don't have to spend a lot to have fun.

What an awesome little zoo!! I haven't been there in years and it was still only $2 to get in. We really enjoyed the new large mammal exhibits. The young mountain lions were adorable!

The staff was awesome. And the animals were a nice mix. It was our 1st zoo visit with my granddaughter and she loved it. The joy she had petting the goats just made my heart hapoy. We had a wonderful experience and hope to visit often in the future.

Nice, family friendly park. Zoo is only $2.00. There are pony rides (in park outside zoo) for kids for $8.00 but they only take cash. There are plenty of peacocks roaming the zoo. Liked seeing the big mountain lion. The park also has paddle boats, picnic areas, BBQ areas, train ride that goes over the park and bike rentals. Get there early as it can get crowded.

Its not a big zoo with a lot of variety but its certainly a nice spot to spend an hour getting the kids out of the house.

Check out the Black Panther. A lot of updates since i had been there last with my kiddos. Very serene. I always love petting the goats. We need to change the law putting down Mountain Lions & doing more to protect their habitat so they don't have to revert to attacking pets & people... It was wonderful observing the mountain lion in peace at the zoo when there weren't many people around. 🐆 They 🐺 coyote almost looked like a sweet dog that wanted to be pet. I've never seen a bald eagle hanging out on the ground before...they are usually high up in a tree... The golden eagles are beautiful as well, the mascot of Mexico.

Great get away and affordable for families the park is Clean , the kids love the Zoo they take a lot of pictures and able to pet some animals .

Our favorite zoo. They have a scavenger hunt for the kids with a prize. The animals are well taken care of and seem way happier than at larger zoos. They have a wonderful petting zoo here too. Lovely place to take your family, really cheap too.

Small but mighty. Excellent use of space and very nice keepers. Loved the updated big cat exhibits but all the animals seemed well taken care of and visiable.

Small zoo, but worth the visit! Very clean animal habitats & surroundings! 😊 We enjoyed the part where we can buy goat pellets for a quarter to hand feed the goats! Too bad we did not have enough quarters! 😔 We rented a paddle boat & 4-seater pedal quadricle! We sure got our exercise doing those! 🤣 It was short & fun! The zoo will not drain you! We all agreed to give a donation of what we can offer. The entry fee is only $2.00! We all agree it should be, at least $5-$8 per person, as $2.00 per person is way too small. We enjoyed our visit! Thank you!! 😊❤️

This is a small zoo. An hour would be more than enough time to stay. The zoo is well maintained but the habitats seemed small for the animals. The panther kept pacing back and forth. There is a parking fee of $5 for the park. Recommend getting there early to get parking. Tickets are $2 a person. There’s a train ride at the park. There’s also bike rentals.

We have been to OC Zoo in fair weather and on rainy days. It is wonderful either way. In the sunshine, keepers bring out residents like Artemis Owl and Ellie Hedgehog for an up close and personal visit. On rainy days, the big cats are more out and about in their habitats. And on any day, the covered exhibits are full of fun facts (plus phone accessible tour), and the peacocks are roaming. We loved getting to know some residents like the tortoise and the bear's stories. This rescue/rehab/sanctuary is a gem and we are so thankful it's nearby!