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Detroit Zoo

8450 West 10 Mile Rd , Royal Oak, Michigan 48067
18 Reviews
Type: Animals
Ages: All Ages
Cost: $$$


18 Reviews for Detroit Zoo

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bookmommy3
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January 20 2011
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Violetwhite_word
"POLAR BEAR EXHIBIT IS AWESOME!"

Our family loves to visit the Detroit Zoo.  It's clean and smoke free.  As with most zoos, you'll see some great exhibits but by far the best one is the Polar Bear exhibit.  The trail leads you right down into where you can see the polar bears swimming right over you!  Truly awesome!

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ancoupons
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January 11 2011
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Violetwhite_word
"Good Fun"

This zoo is definitely fun to visit. Unfortunately there aren't as many animals to see as you would think coming to a major city's zoo. However, they do have fun activities during the holiday, i.e. "Zoo Boo", and the price for a season pass is totally reasonable.

January 11 2011
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Violetwhite_word
"Detroit Zoo"

Ive seen other zoos, and this one just didnt seem too nice.  It was kind of dirty.  Didnt seem like there was alot of animals.  The butterfly/bird  bird auxilary was okay, except it freaked me out having birds/butterflies flying down at you and you cant shoe em away. LoL.  

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sebowersox
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January 10 2011
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Violetwhite_word
"Detroit Zoo"

The Detroit Zoo opened up the African exhibit a few years ago and did a great job.  They have a wide variety of interesting animals to view.  They also host after hours events - I attended a wedding at the butterfly gardens and it was amazing!  However the rest of the zoo could use a little updating.

pinkcookie
pinkcookie
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January 10 2011
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Violetwhite_word
"Has gone downhill since my childhood"

The animals are rarely on display, graffiti tags the outer walls. Litter inside the park, overpriced foods. Nobody seems to clean off the tables where you are supposed to eat. The surrounding neighborhood is not the best, I felt very uncomfortable leaving my car for the day, even though I parked inside the zoo. The animals don't seem very happy, and most of the people were rude. On the bright side, there were a few exhibits ( like the butterfly house ) that was absolutely beautiful.

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lewike01
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January 10 2011
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Violetwhite_word
"Better options out there"

This zoo has some decent exhibits that are unique for the area. The Outback exhibit, in particular, is great for the experience of walking amongst kangaroos, but they aren't very active during the day. But the long and drawn-out layout of this zoo, combined with the poor customer service and food choices, many closed stands (ice cream, lemon ice and the like) and completely disappointing giraffe encounter make this zoo a no-go for our family. We do more walking than seeing animals and are very surprised they even charge for the 30 second feeding of the giraffes. Binder Park and the Toledo Zoo are with a little extra time in the car.

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dannien
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January 10 2011
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Violetwhite_word
"Not that great"

When we went to this zoo it was not that great. Located in downtown Detroit doesn't help it much either. The drive to get to it is not pretty. It has gone downhill in the years since my childhood and is not worth the trip. It is unfortunate but I would have to say that it is not worth going to and if you do, lock your doors on the way there.

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jfenn
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January 10 2011
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Violetwhite_word
"Awesome!"

This zoo has something for everyone. It is great for a day trip or a weekend. We always stay the night and go for 2 days so that we can see everything. My 3 year old loves this zoo & I'm sure her sister (9 weeks) will love it as soon as she's old enough, too :)

January 10 2011
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Violetwhite_word
"Decent Zoo"

This isn't the best zoo I've been to, but not the worst either.  If you're in town for a couple of days, the admission is kind of steep, but if you live in the area, and annual pass is worth it.  There are no elephants here, so don't look for them!  You can pay a little extra and feed the giraffe's, which is a fun experience for little ones, and a good way for them to get up close.  The Polar Bear exhibit is WONDERFUL- by far the best in the zoo. It can get a little crowded on nice days.

January 10 2011
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Violetwhite_word
"Fun with animals"

This Zoo is fun for the whole family. The Zoo is the largest family attraction in Michigan with over one million visitors each year and home to over 1,500 animals of 260 species. Public feeding opportunities are available at the Giraffe Encounter. Check it out....I'm sure you will love it as much as my family does!!

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Jena
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January 10 2011
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Violetwhite_word
"Detroit Zoo"

We LOVE going to the Detroit Zoo. The play park is wonderful - great for big and little kids. They have wonderful staff at the exhibits who offer tons of information. They often have tiger teeth, or giraffe hair, etc. for the kids to touch and feel. They only negative is that they don't have elephants. Other than that, it's a great zoo!  

January 10 2011
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Violetwhite_word
"Zoo time"

Can you go wrong with a zoo? I love the Detroit Zoo. This is where I grew up going to the zoo and it is a big nice zoo. I have heard they have done lots of work on it too. There are many animals and definitely you can spend the whole day with your little ones looking around. It's always fun to go to the zoo and see and learn. There is a train ride and they put on little shows where you can learn more about certain animals. I highly recommend a stop at this zoo.

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mi3
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December 23 2010
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Violetwhite_word
"Pretty good zoo"

We live about the same distance between the Detroit zoo and the Toledo zoo. I much prefer the Detroit zoo. The exhibits are more spread out, so plan to do more walking, but the grounds are very nice. You will see all the typical creatures and they seem mainly happy and well taken care of. There is also the standard food options as most amusement type places. I was impressed with their polar bear habitat and viewing. It's worth going... check it out!

annethel
annethel
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December 23 2010
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Violetwhite_word
"Detroit Zoo"

We love the Detroit Zoo! The polar bears are outstanding. You can go into an aquarium like cave see the polar bears up close and watch them walk over you. My daughter loved it!
The butterfly house is also a must see! You can go into this room that is sunny and filled with butterflies! They are flying all around you.

December 23 2010
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Violetwhite_word
"Detroit Zoo is FUN"

I live in Metro Detroit and really enjoy this zoo, we go several times a year.  I bring my almost 2 year old and she has a blast.  Along with the "typical zoo" animals there are lots of other areas here.  The Butterfly house is a Wonderful Attraction where you walk through the conservatory and all the butterflies & hummingbirds fly freely around you.  The Kangaroos are set up in a "walk thru" safarii trail.  There is an area where there are farm animals.  They have a nice playscape.  Many many botanical speciman plants throughout, (which I enjoy).  And my daughters favorite part is the peacocks that roam freely around the zoo.  All in all I give this zoo 5 star ratings.

zoot
zoot
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December 23 2010
1 family found this helpful
Violetwhite_word
"Even in winter, fun to visit"

The Detroit Zoo is surprisingly located smack in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Detroit's close-in Woodward corridor suburbs.  Just north of 696 right off Woodward, it is quite convenient to Royal Oak, Huntington Woods, Pleasant Ridge, Berkley, Birmingham, and travelers from the interstate.

The grounds are extensive for such an urban-suburban location.  There is plenty of space to spread out for a picnic under the trees.  But that also is my only complaint about the zoo - it feels like you must walk a mile before you see a single animal.  And, of course, because of Michigan's harsh climate in the winter, many of the animals are not out on view year-round.  Animal lovers will be happy to know, however, that almost all of the Detroit Zoo's animals are rescues.

The Butterfly House is the first attraction you come to.  It is really amazing and wonderful.  It is open year round, I believe.  Another newer exhibit that is open year round is the Amphibian House.  That is especially fun for younger children who lack the eyesight and attention span to pay attention to the major outdoor exhibits of the more wild and dangerous animals.  Another fun stop is the little enclosure where you can view the otters.

Another newer addition to the zoo is the Polar Bear exhibit.  When I lived in Detroit, this exhibit was quite new, and sometimes there was a line to get into it, which was annoying.  Hopefully that is no longer the case.  To me, the best thing about this exhibit was the walk-though tunnel that went through the water surrounding the exhibit.  You can see seals and other sea mammals swimming around and over you.

December 23 2010
1 family found this helpful
Violetwhite_word
"Detroit zoo"

The Detroit zoo is a perfect activity for my family to spend the day together doing something we all love.  

We usually stop at the playground with our picnic lunch and spend a fun hour.  The kids get to run around before we put them back in the stroller or wagon to visit more animals.  

Each time we visit we see something new.  And if you want something a little more exciting for the older kids they have the imax theater.  

a visit to the zoo wouldn't be complete without a train ride through the park-which gives us older kids a chance to relax, for a minute anyway.

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kare423
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December 23 2010
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Violetwhite_word
"Detroit Zoo"

The zoo is a fun place to take the kids and I like to pack a picnic style lunch.  It is a relaxing walk and the kids are very interested in all the different kinds of animals.  The kids also like the playground that they have inside the zoo.  The polar bear exzibit gets very busy and gets congested in the underwater tunnel.  I would suggest seeing the polar bears in the morning.