Norfolk, United States
3500 Granby St
N/A
+1 7574412374
Good for kids
Wheelchair-accessible entrance
Really nice zoo. They had lots of animals to see, and the staff was really helpful and friendly. This was a great place to spend a afternoon.
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Today is my birthday. I was soooo excited to go to the zoo. I haven't been in years and I have fond memories of seeing all the animals with my kids. Due to Covid, reservations were necessary for a timed entry. No problem. Went on the website and easily made the reservations. Didn't see anything telling me that 1/3 of the zoo was going to be closed off. In retrospect, it makes sense, but I think before people drop 18/ ticket, some full disclosure would have been nice. So, I was already feeling the sadness due to no access to the armadillo and sloth (my and my son's favorite animals). But then it just went down hill from there. Everything just looked run down. The habitats, the animals, the gardens. Ugh. It was depressing. That with the fact that the farm, the nocturnal and reptile exhibit, the kangaroos, the otters, the fox, the elephants, and almost all of the birds were not on exhibit made it feel like a waste. Meh.
Very quiet on a weekday when kids in school/virtual school. MUST make reservations in advance online during Covid. Family membership is a good idea & will pay for itself. My fam of 5 would've been 85 for one trip &, for about 44 more, we got an annual membership. Since they're AZA members, we'll get discounts at other zoos. Bathrooms clean. Sections, like the petting zoo, closed because of Covid. If you are really missing the petting zoo, just head on over to Bluebird Gap in Hampton after the zoo. We did! It's free.
We took advantage of the member swap and went on a Monday to avoid the weekend crowd. It was a great visit. There was only few small groups of people and plenty of 6ft distance reminders. The place was also equipped with hand sanitizer dispensers everywhere. We had fun observing the animals: orangutan, giraffes, rhinos, lion, tiger and other. Most of them were sleeping or enjoying the shade. There is also a food court where they serve pizza, burgers, fries etc. Also, there is a little train ride available for 2 for each passenger older than 2. It circles around the zoo, and it takes maybe 5-6 minutes. It was a nice break from walking. With 2 young children, it took us about 3 hours (lunch break, potty break, drink breaks included) to walk around the zoo and see the animals. Thank you Virginia Zoo and Norfolk Botanical Garden.
Two hours is all you need to get around the entire park (probably three once all the attractions open back up post-pandemic.) Lots of decently large exhibits; but I feel like the space for the cheetahs is absurdly small. They don’t even have enough room to get up to speed, much less run around. That can’t possibly be good for their health. Most other habitats seemed large enough.
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