We're in the area currently for a concert and needed some time to kill before checking into our hotel, so we stumbled across this zoo. And I will say, it's really nice! Spacious enclosures for the animals, nice graphics that talk about the animals, facts about how endangered they are. The aquarium was really cool, and the penguin habitat was great. They seemed really happy. The animals appeared to be healthy and well cared for. They have a petting zoo as well, which was fun to do. Because of the time of year, only a few places to eat were open, and the one place we went to had a pretty long wait (like 20ish minutes). But the food was decent, normal zoo food. Really enjoyed going here. The price of admission wasn't insane either. Would love to come back in the summer when more animals are out.

A decent zoo - neat how it is kind of on the side of the hill. I recommend taking the little 5 minute tram up to the top and coming down from there. All the birds are put away for bird flu and there is a ton of construction going on so eventually the zoo will be really nice with the exhibits all finished. The good is a little pricey and it costs extra to do all the things like the ropes course, zip line and tram, but it's not horribly outrageous. Some very cool sculptures and the waterfall is cool.

This was a great zoo to visit while passing through town. It was the perfect size and we covered everything in about 2 hours (yes, we obviously could have stayed longer, and we didn't spend too long at anyone spot, but we did get to see everything). The funicular was not operating the day we visited, but I don't think that detracted from our experience. The animals have nice enclosures, especially the tigers and lions.

This is an awesome mid-size zoo located on a very shaded hill. Even in mid-June, all of the trees around the zoo made for a relaxing outdoor experience. They have a good variety of animals, and even a small indoor aquarium. They also do a great job of adding in some additional interactive activities for kids, such as a ropes course, a unique playground at the top of the hill and a camel ride. Parking is split between a few different lots and is free. As of June, masks were not required for entry and tickets could be bought right at the gate.

What an amazing zoo!!! So much to see and do. The "extras" are definitely worth it. Never been to a zoo on a forest foothill before. Worth every penny. Lots of shaded areas. Enclosures for the animals were great...lots of room for them and enrichment. We will definitely return the next time we are in the area.

Went yesterday and was very pleased with my visit. Everyone were friendly and polite. Handicap parking and easy access to the entrance. There was some construction going on but nothing that would disturb your experience. Some exhibits were closed but all in all it was a great experience. The Legos art work is amazing!! They are spread out throughout the entire zoo. And the waterfall was awesome, it was pretty tall and nice on a hot day. The funicular was my favorite! Highly recommend this place.

Lions, tigers, and bears... Literally. Great zoo for the price. It has a unique layout due to being built into a hillside. You get several vantage points of different animals because of this. It's also a great place to watch a variety of animals nap 😉 definitely worth checking out if you're visiting the area. Soon it will also have koalas! Go already

Had a good time with the family here. Lots to do for a smaller zoo. Social distancing was in play and everyone seemed to respect that. Food and beverages where a little pricey but that's to be expected. Zip lines, skywalk, panning for emeralds still in play though. Animal exhibits where pretty good we had birds saying, "Peak a boo" to us walking by and lions and tigers where active and impressive. All in all for a small zoo I give it 5 starts for cleanliness, nice staff, good walkways and lots to do with the kids. No complaints at all

Must say this was a really cool zoo... I loved that it wasn't to big, but also not to small. Was so happy with the exhibits they covered more than I could have hoped for, from the lions to the turtles. Make sure you stop by the parakeet area where you can feed them on your hand. Also the 🦘 was really cool as well. Was one of my favorite zoos in the area

For being during covid it was a super nice experience. We got to hear the lion roar, see the tiger and a few other things we didn't think would be available. The employees and security were amazing and it seemed everyone was following social distancing. It was almost like we had the place to our selves. There are cleaning stations all over the place as well as having some bathroom doors propped open so no one needs to touch them.

Great little zoo in a great little Midwest town. The enclosures are very nice, even compared to much larger zoo's. Great place for kids. You can get through the whole place in just a few hours without even rushing. Many interactive stations with the animals as well, from petting farm to camel riding and urchin garden.

I have been to a lot of zoos but this was by far my favorite zoo of all time the animals look like they’re being treated really well they’re super happy the bear was walking behind me while I was walking next to it the lion was making noises the Penguins were happily making noises everything in the zoo seem so active and alive and it was so wonderful!!!! I was visiting from out of town and I was so surprised about how amazing it is they have the school zip line you can ride a camel and they have the school course that’s like a obstacle course for kids of a safety line and then they can go through it and it’s really cool!! Also they were these super cool Lego exhibit and a bunch of really interesting animals I’ve never seen it is you before like a red panda there was a tiger or a lion a bear beautiful penguins and a snow leopard and a lynx cat!!!!

A really great zoo! We loved the trees and winding paths. It feels very natural, unlike some zoos which are too open with the sun beating down on the animals. We went to a wedding there and got to explore the zoo, and it was the best wedding experience I've ever had! Highly recommend visiting, but if you've got an event coming up it's worth checking out for the great venue!

I went in with the expectation that it would be a fairly typical zoo layout and experience but I was pleasantly surprised. The zoo has a very vertical component to the land and is incorporated well into the surrounding trees and hillside. The types of animals is pretty standard but the hippo was nice to see. Staff were numerous and friendly with info on the surrounding exhibits. Great for the whole family.

It was super fun with my family. My niece (she is 3) had a blast!!! The monkeys were adorable and the exhibits are so clean and nice. Great experience with the family. 10/10

Great zoo! Not crowded at all. All the animals were out walking about, Tigers, Lions, Snakes, and Red Pandas. The Lego exhibit was awesome.

We enjoyed the Lego exhibit and beautiful scenery. We spent a few hours here, which was well worth the price of admission. Parking was free, and the food was also reasonably priced. A few of the extra attractions were closed understandably. They had a limited amount of things to choose from in the gift shop though.

Had a pretty decent time today. Saw a lot of cool animals. The lions were very active. 😲 I just wish the attractions were open. We weren't able to ride the zip line or use the high ropes course... May have been weather related though. Also, they are offering free admission to Snap/Food Stamp recepiants. You simply need to bring your Michigan Bridge Card and your ID to the ticket office.

John Ball Zoo is wonderful place to go. I took my granddaughter there on Friday. It was supposed to storm, but the sun came out and it turned out to be a beautiful day. Social distancing is handled appropriately. It wasn't super busy because they limit the number of visitors. I do think it should be a little more affordable for seniors.

Very much enjoyed it. I love zoos that show how they educate the public AND help the animal's wild cousins. This zoo does both. With volunteers educating about bat houses, a group of kids going to the zoo camp, and numerous educational tidbits about how they acquired the animals, this is one of the better zoos I've been to. Also, they have tunnels that the lemurs and monkeys can use to walk over the paths, and they still protect you from getting pooped on!

We had a great time. Wish we would have bought tickets ahead of time, because they were at max capacity for 2+ hours out. We got there at 2 and the earliest tickets available were 4:30. So we played at the park, which was fun! Someone was having a birthday party (good idea!), there are little park grills to use, lots of shade and picnic tables. Once we got into the zoo, the animals were out and very active. One of the workers said they are most active at the end of the day because it's almost feeding time and most of the animals prefer the cooler weather. Awesome experience, our 3 year old and almost 1 year old loved it! If you have a MIBridges card (EBT or WIC) you can get in free!

What a great time with the kiddos. It was a beautiful day here at the zoo. Clean restrooms with air conditioning. Lots of food stands and doing hand art in shade area. Lots of new animals. I haven't been here in years.

Very nice, clean zoo. Small but a nice assortment of animals, some I've never seen before in person. The enclosures were spacious for each animal, I like that. I also liked that the signs told the stories of some of the animals including how/why they were in a zoo. My favorites were the eagles (bald and 2 golden), the grizzlies, and the reptiles/amphibians. Didn't get to see some animals because of the heat, but that's pretty normal in a zoo. Would have loved to see the snow leopards and somehow we missed the red pandas. There were some beautiful Lego displays of animals throughout the park, mostly at the entrance, that were fascinating.

Really great zoo! Many animals to see. Big cats, reptiles, aquatic animals, insects, etc. zoo is clean and ticket fee is not bad. Of course like all places like this, the concession stands are a rip off. $4.50 for an 8 Oz. fountain drink!!! So my advice would be to bring your own drinks. Other than being rip off, which is to be expected of places like this, unfortunately. I would highly recommend this Zoo for both adults and kids.

Great place to spend half a day. It is a nice big, spread out zoo. Easy to navigate. The animals have large enclosures and do not seem stressed. They have shade and are able to get away from crowds and people, yet are easy to be seen of wanted. The parking lot was very busy, yet inside it did not seem to busy except in a few places like feeding birds, ropes course and other interactive areas. The staff are very friendly and kind as well as knowledgable and willing to talk about the animals and show they care about them. It is a nice park with lots to do and a nice area outside to picnic and relax before or after visiting. Look forward to returning.

We haven't been to John Ball zoo in 4 or 5 years and wow has it changed! We always love going to zoos in general but John Ball is definitely a top tier zoo for me. With all the new additions and future expansions the place is really starting to go over and beyond! Pricing is great for entry fees and concessions are standard for a park of any kind. The highlight of our trip was being able to feed the birds!

This is an awesome place to visit! The staff were extremely knowledgeable and responsive to our questions. The natural habitat design was quite appealing, and the trees and flowers provided shade and beauty on a hot day! I loved seeing all the animals, who looked very well cared for! The brightly colored block sculptures of animals displayed throughout the zoo grounds (temporary display until end of Sept, I believe) added to the fantastic experience we had at this zoo!

They have truly made some amazing changes to the entrance and all the way above the eagle's area, I thought the entire area around the meerkats was a great change too! It was exciting to see the Zoo looking at the future and not only keeping everything fresh for the eyes but also trying to make it more accessible for everyone. Hopefully they keep the momentum going and keep making this an even better Zoo than it already is! Also we really loved the Lego exhibits, I think I missed one or two pictures...

As far as zoos go, this has a lot to offer for it's size. If you like art and animals, then this is the zoo for you. The lego created animal sculpture s & exhibits are superb in information and design. The zoo staff is ubiquitous - at least on the day we visited - and friendly and knowledgeable. It's a small zoo, but that makes it a doable zoo, a one day visit that is a complete visit. Oh yeah, they have great Red Pandas!

Absolutely stellar! I've been to a LOT of zoos and aquariums, this is by far one of the better ones! The animals have decent-size enclosures, and have clear enrichment provided. My daughters and I attended the Kids Day at the Zoo on 5 August 2021. The staff was very friendly and knowledgeable. The animals seemed very happy and comfortable.

Very fun place. Love that there are workers near the animals to give you more information about the animals and to answer any questions that you may have. Very friendly staff at the food venues. Food is a bit pricey, but I guess that is expected. Plenty of spots to eat in the park if you pack your own lunch.

Somehow the zoo has expanded without getting more animals. There's more walking with less learning. But there's good art! Also more opportunities to amuse kids, sometimes for an extra $10 apiece. There's a camel ride, zip line, ropes course, and pan for gems. That's after the $20 (adult) admission. But the animals seem well housed and cared for and are fun to watch. I love the painted dioramas. Staff is informative. As of June '22, the predatory birds are off view because of bird flu. Additional advice: don't go when it is very hot because the critters will be snoozing, often out of sight. They will perk up at feeding time though! That seems to be towards the end of the day.

We decided to go to the zoo while we were in Grand Rapids MI. So much to see. There was great parking. You could take a train ride to the top and walk down through the rest of the zoo. It was the best way to go instead of walking uphill through the zoo. There is a gift shop, restaurant and food stands. The animals were so active when we went through. We enjoyed taking some time to go through the zoo.

Beautiful zoo. Staff was helpful and friendly. Went on 05/28/22, all Avians were being held inside for their safety against Bird Flu. Lots of construction, but they are working hard to bring everyone a better experience. The only thing needed is additional or bigger Cafe/table area.

We decided to buy season passes this year. I would definitely recommend this for family outings. They had sculptures made from trash found in the ocean and other water areas it was a good way to teach children to properly dispose of garbage. We arrived just in time for the otter feedings , the kids really enjoyed this activity & the kangaroo exhibit was so much fun. They had hands on activity for the kids. I would definitely say to check out their evens page before going to see if they have anything special going on because they have so many different events. I would recommend SEASON PASSES they pay for themselves in one visit along with the SEASON PASSES you get discounts in the Zoo on food merchandise and activities. Along with members only events with first to know information so you can plan the best trip possible. With your purchase of the SEASON PASSES my favorite part is that money is used for the animals! Hope to see you all at the Zoo!

We've been here a couple of times and it's one of the best zoos I've ever been to. We went for the lantern festival and it was amazing. Bright and beautiful and unlike anything I've seen before. I really enjoyed every minute of it.

Went during the day to the zoo and it was really nice! Great place for kids with lots of things to check out/activities. Went back at night for the lantern festival. Hope they continue to have this exhibit every year. I'd go back each time for it!!

Awesome zoo! Great exhibits and during the weekday it isn't packed at all, went on a Friday morning til afternoon, the weekends can get pretty busy. Probably about 3 hours to really see every exhibit and enjoy them. Only small downside to coming early is that some of the animals were still sleeping and not active but circled back later after lunch and they were more active. Great time overall

John Ball Zoo is a beautifully designed zoo with great exhibits. If you have little ones, bring a stroller because there is a lot of ground to cover. We enjoyed the combination of indoor and outdoor areas and the variety of animals. There is also a petting zoo with goats and a miniature highland cow that is free with entry! Outside the entrance there is also a playground!

An excellent zoo with all kinds of animals. The walking paths that wind throughout the zoo provide plenty of shade and are wide enough to not feel crowded. Most of the exhibits are fairly new with the only dated feeling one being the penguins. Time wise you can run and see everything in an afternoon, or you can spend more time and really take in all the animals.

We were there whole the Zoo Boo was going on. Cute zoo, on the smaller side, but the layout was amazing. Most of the animals were out amd interactive, even got to pet a snake there.

Came for the lantern festival so can’t speak for the full zoo but had a great time. Layout was great and the event was spectacular. Showed up just before dark and liked it so much that we did a second loop once it was completely dark. Got a chance to see the eagles and snowy owls too. Would definitely come back for this event but would love to check out the zoo again in the daytime.

We had such a great time exploring the zoo! It's so different in its layout and has so many animals to see. The staff was friendly and helpful. We missed the tram as it wasn't operational but it looks super fun! This place will also definitely wear your kids out!

When we visited, the cable car ride that takes you up was closed for the season. I recommend taking the walking route up to the station up and then visiting the enclosures on by one on your way down. To do this, when you enter, go in the following order: Aquarium -> Kangaroo/Walaby -> Petting zoo -> Follow waterfall route right up to the train station. There are multiple snack stalls along the way. It's a long walk without any enclosures but worth the effort. The route is stroller friendly. If you have little ones with you, I recommend renting the strollers at the entrance. I like that all the big enclosures such as the lion, tiger, chimpanzees have multiple viewing locations. Due to choices in paths, you are likely to miss: Natural treasure (lots of snakes n lizards), chimpanzee sleeping room, second tiger enclosure, bear and the snow leopard. Backtrack to them if you want to cover all enclosures.

The new ramps are amazing. Makes the walking more enjoyable. I went to Illumizoo and it was okay. The lights were nice but the whole thing could have been better about telling the folklore and stories. Wait until Christmas and you can view all the lights you want.

Very friendly and accessible zoo- brought a stroller and there was easy ramp access everywhere we wanted to go. The employees and volunteers were very cheerful even in the cold and told my son a lot about all the animals. A great experience, and a good activity that also allows for social distancing.

Such a clean, well organized and active zoo! Saw many animals walking around, and bird experience was so fun, birds land right on you! Went inside the kangaroo area and had a little one hop right around us! Very jungle like which makes it feel real! Thank you for our wonderful day!!

Let me start saying that this zoo is not bad just sad zoo, almost all the animals in there were sad, I can notice the lack of green ( no trees to cover ) where they where placed, the flamingo water was green green an smelly, the bears looks sad and skinny, etc, is not good, they just keep them in there for our entertainment but in the reality we dont see their feelings we only see us having fun with them, sad. But for does in need of ENTERTAINMENT is good. The interesting part is they dont were a mask. Jajajajjajajajajaja lmao

We love the zoo!

Lions and tigers AND bears, Oh BOY!! Total fun place to go with the family!

I went to Veldheer's tulip farm on Quincy , in May, to see the wide variety of tulip plantings. The variety was impressive. I really enjoyed my visit there!

Amazing. Went to the night time light show and it was fantastic.

Animals look depressed!!

I used to love this place as a kid but as an adult it saddened me. I can see how unhappy the animals are to be there. Ill never go avain.

The IllumiZoo show was great. Really enjoyed it. But, the animals need a bigger habitat

Love the things they are doing here

John Ball Zoo is lovely small zoo with lots of treasures throughout. The tiger exhibit is large and the tigers are always out. The red pandas and the three triplets are hilarious to watch run around and play. The animals in the reptile house are fun, and the zoo keepers are kind and informative. This zoo is definitely worth a visit.

The staff here is really nice, knowledgeable, and helpful. Got to see some cool animals before the end of the season, and learned a few things as well!

Illumizoo was really cool. My grandkids and I loved it!

The ambience and the energy of the Illumizoo invited me inside to a world of beauty and lights🌌

Fun family night. Zoo was all lit up and decorated for the Holidays. No animals, just a nice fall walk through musical lights and fog machines and bubbles.

Fun events for kids and adult children

Ilumizoo - Just a walk in mostly darkness with a few blinking lights. There was a bubble machine.

perfectly sized zoo with plenty of animals and special attractions to keep us coming back!!!

I loved it. The whole thing could have been the bubbles!!!! Expensive though !!!

ILLUMIZOO WAS INCREDIBLE!

Such a great family zoo! So much to see.

Went to the night time light show. It was pretty amazing. A little crowded but definitely worth the time and money.

Kids absolutely loved the illumizoo.

Wonderful zoo. It's only getting better. The tiger exhibit is one of the best and don't forget to ride the funicular!

Pretty expensive.

Fun zoo during the day, their special events are fun at night too.

Awesome 👌..

Great zoo.

Totally had a great time

Illumizoo was amazing!

Perfect!!!

Ya know, I know it's late in the season and we have a pandemic going on but the zoo was a disappointment today. If you can't have the animals out due to weather then close up.

IllumiZoo was awesome

Great zoo! Wonderful time!

Haven't seen John Ball Park Zoo in 35 years! Thus place rocks. Incredible exhibits and creative layout. Plenty of places to sit and buy refreshments. Be ready to walk, but every step brings a new view. Love this place!

Illumizoo was a great way to have beautiful walk on a pleasant fall evening.

Ilumizoo was Awesome! We went on Pink Floyd night!!!

I went go John Ball Zoo for IllumiZoo. This is a seasonal event and this year (2020), it ends November 15. It was very safe, there was little to nothing that you needed to touch, and the lights and attractions were beautiful!

Had a great time at the IllumiZoo! Definitely worth the visit

Great place to bring the kids. The zoo always has events going on that are worth the trip

It was fun to see all the new changes, Legos sculptures

Our family came for the Wizarding weekend and had a great time. The zoo did a great job with all of the "Harry Potter" type decorations and exhibits. The kids loved it. The animals were all out as well and saw so many up close through the exhibit windows.

Great zoo

Nice zoo. Had a wonderful time. Nice to get out of the house. Enjoy all the updates they have done since our last visit. Liked the mercats and Tiger. Granddaughter got a great shot of the 🐅. Didn't get to see all the zoo. But most of it. Good family time.

The park gets a little nicer every day. We love coming here so much we bought season passes.

The new entrance is great! I love the flow now. We visited during illumizoo/Boo at the zoo/Brick animals. It was great to experience them all on the same visit. We did not see many animals as it was quite dark. Would love to go back during the day and visit the animals again.

Beautiful night for a stroll through IllimiZoo. It was fun seeing how the lights were used to illuminate the zoo. It was inventive and a mix of pretty and spooky. The quotes were fun to read and some of them quite thought-provoking. I wish I were a better photographer. You'll just have to go and see it for yourself!

Many positives since my last visit many summers ago. As a Grand Rapids West Side native I have watched JBP evolve and it's very exciting. This visit I love BRICKLIVE! Wow, due to numerous reasons many of the animals were not out and available and the BRICKLIVE helped redeem the $14 entrance fee. The positives are the fabulous walkways through the park and many of the exhibits are conducive to the animals exercising and staying healthy EXCEPT the Grizzly Bear! Please do something to create a healthful environment for this bear! The Pond is dirty and surroundings are not healthful. The benches through out the park are nice as well. I can see a bright future especially when the Grizzly cage is better managed.

AMAZING service! beautiful sights a must-see

No long wait getting into the parking areas or the zoo its self. The incline right at the entrance is gone creating a very pleasant entry. All the things we've always enjoyed are still here and lots of new areas too. The adults enjoyed a wine and ice cream float beverage at the deepest part of the zoo, it was yummy, just a bit pricey. Over all a fun visit 😊

Hands down the best zoo I've been to!! Family friendly, friendly staff, clean restroom facilities, awesome on site activities, and they also have a zipline and obstacle course. 10/10 will be going back. If you are in that area definitely check it out!

Excellent collection of animals, packed in a spacious, yet not so huge area. However, the attractions are not arranged on a flat surface. So it's all ups and downs to climb. So, tough on the legs with that perspective. I found the viewing areas of many animals to be designed in a very nice way that I was able to see them very close. They also have a small petting zoo that lets kids up close with goats and sheep. One of the best zoos I have seen

One of my new favorite small zoos. You get a 1/2 off discount if you’re a Detroit zoo member too! It’s nicely organized, and although small, it has a lot of cool exhibits.

Another zoo. This one is pretty cool. We spend just over 2 hours and feel like we covered it all. The tiger was really cool and active. Not sure we would return, but it was definitely worth a visit.

Had a Blast at the Zoo Boo, rain and all! What a great experience for the kids & adults. All of the zoo staff were so friendly and excited to see the kids! This will be a new yearly thing for us! Can't wait to go back tonight for the Illumizoo!

Who would've known a ZOO set right in a neighborhood! Wide variety of animals and exhibits.. Face painting, gift shop and food stations. As well as Hand washing stations, loved this! Staff friendly and very knowledgeable on where exhibits are. Maps are provided to Explore and Enjoy.

The illumizoo walk was actually jaw dropping. So inventive and fun. Great for little ones. But. We're seniors and just as great for us. Don't miss this out-of-the-ordinary opportunity.

This is one of the most enjoyable zoos my family has been too! We loved the small aquarium at the front with penguins, starfish, little sharks, lobsters, and a few more fish. This zoo is shaded well with beautiful trees and the landscape is beautiful. There is great accessibility with ramps as alternatives to stairs. There are water fountains around and drink machines as well; along with food. The animals are some of the healthiest and happiest I've seen (to be confined). The staff is very friendly and the zoo is well laid out. We were able to enjoy the entire zoo in about 1.5 hours, doubling back to see the grizzlies before leaving. The gift shop is nice with lots of buying options. I love that you can leave without going through the gift shop like with some zoos that force you to visit the gift shop! 😅. Other things it has but we didn't partake: camel rides, Zipline (closed dieing our visit), and rope course. LOVE this zoo! Hats off to the staff and volunteers! 👏

Always good to visit the zoo! You never know what you're going to be able to see and visit each time. It was busy but not too awful on a Wednesday. Unfortunately none of the birds were available because of a bird flu. This was a bit frustrating because it seemed like half the exhibits were birds. Then had to rely on animals being out and about which often they weren't.

Was a great trip and a great time for our anniversary. No birds due to the flu but still had a great time. Food is extremely expensive and very little portions. Besides that they have the zip line so thats cool.

Kids loved the capybara. Bummer that the birds were all in quarantine but we'd rather keep them safe. The sculptures made of recovered marine trash were cool as well.

Very nice zoo! As someone who has lived next to the Detroit zoo, I was pleasantly surprised that this zoo wasn't underwhelming at all. The otters and penguins were probably my favorite. Spent about 3.5 hours here. Food at the cafe was amazing too.

Attended Lantern Festival last week on Thursday, well organized event, love the way the path works with the trees. With it being a hot early June day the animals were more active in the evening. The staff was friendly and always looking to help. The entrance fee for the event was $22 and there was time slots with plenty of flexibility. The parking was free which was a wonderful perk.

We went for a field trip! The kids had a great time seeing all the updates and the hippos. The lanterns were beautiful and we just loved the walk and watching the animals. Most were out and active! The bathrooms were nice and there was plenty of shade for the hot day!

We went for the lantern festival so I can only speak for the event but everything was beautiful and it was definitely one of the coolest layout for a zoo I've seen. Definitely need to make it back in the daylight hours! The only thing that was kind of a bummer (but not the end of the world) was that we really wanted to try some of the themed food after a walk around of the lights, it was still almost an hour to close and they were already shutting the kitchens down. Otherwise a great time!

Great little local zoo. They've done some updating since the last time I been there. They still had the paper lanterns on display, which was really fun to look at even in the light of day. They do have some options for other activities like the zip line, funicular, camel rides, feeding the parakeets, and gem shifting that are alot of fun but will cost you extra on top in addition to the entry ticket price. Parking is free. Food and drinks are available inside the park. I'd recommend bringing your own water bottles since there are multiple places available while walking around to refill them.

Large zoo set on the side of a hill overlooking Grand Rapids. Easy access from the highway. There are plenty of animals to see. During our visit, they were setting up for the Lantern Festival, and the extra decorations were great. They really added to the fun. My grandson really enjoyed running in the tree house / kids club fun area. Good picnic area under cover yet near the animals, for the little ones to have a rest and snack. It was a good day at the zoo.

Great family zoo. Everyone had fun! Lions, Tigers, and Bears, oh my! We loved the penguins, frogs, and flamingos! The camel ride made our visit very special. Helpful and knowledgeable staff, and clean bathrooms. Many places to relax in shade.

I love this Zoo! Most of the Zoo is shady and was such a peaceful walk to get to each animal. Loved the Tiger exhibit and Penguins. There are plenty of restrooms and spots to grab drinks and snacks. Very well designed Zoo. Will go back when in that area. Super kid friendly, too, for those with little ones.

John Ball Zoo is a nice attraction. I've been to several zoos in Michigan. Was very disappointed that the website didn't note that it is an incline to walk to the top of the park and my parents are in their mid 70s. The Funicular takes you to the top so you can walk down instead of up, but of course it was closed. Some exhibits were great, and some were just meh. Most exhibits had a zookeeper available to answer questions and they were very informative. There were some dead fish in the aquarium which was upsetting to my daughter. All in all I would recommend it for a family day trip. It's what you would expect from a zoo in my opinion.

Been 10 years since I have been here and it's definitely changed. Loved seeing that they put effort into the animals environment let's, especially the tiger. Spent a few hours here, if the train up was working I would have definitely taken it up. The walk is definitely uphill the whole way buts it's not too difficult.

Took my daughters 8 and infant on a weekend to zoo around 2 pm. Was pretty busy but was still able to move around and see everything. Zoo was big enough zoo to spend a few hours there. Paid for attractions (zip line, camel ride) were decently priced. Was able to bring things in such as snacks and drinks. Zoo participates in program for low income families with EBT or WIC card to get in free (up to 2 adults and 5 children). Overall my daughter really enjoyed herself and we would return.

I enjoyed my visit - it's a wonderful way of connecting with nature inside a city. There is so much to see. There is ample parking lot there. The tour map can be a little bit confusing - especially for a first-timer.

Visited from out of town and absolutely loved the zoo! Much bigger than expected and so many animals and reptiles. We really enjoyed everything there was. The food was pretty good too. Would love to visit again!

This a great zoo to visit! Took us about 2 hours to walk thru as we took our time. It's neat how the zoo is positioned on a large hillside, with the some exhibits being inset to the hillside.

Staff was very courteous and knowledgeable when we had questions. The volunteers were good as well. It's kind of pricey & if you're committed to going at least 3 times a year a membership is the way to go. It was busy for Zoo goes Boo, but fun nonetheless.