Fun Day Trip to Zoos Around & Near Austin
Petting zoo area at the Austin Zoo
With the Summer in our hands, we are always trying to find things to do outdoors. If you are in Austin, and don’t mind taking 1 hour+ ride, the Zoo provides a nice day trip idea that are fun and educational for the whole family.
The Austin Zoo is not your typical zoo. It is technically an animal rescue center. A lot of these animals have been rehabilitated or received as donations. Even though the trails are a little rough, and the selection of animals is not as broad as you would see in a regular zoo, they do offer great attractions that the little ones will definitely enjoy! The petting zoo area is a great way to get your kiddos to feed the goats. The feed can be purchased for $1 and you can also use it to feed the llamas and the deer that are located past the petting zoo area.
Peacocks cruising at the zoo
One of my favorite things for this zoo was having the peacocks roaming around freely!It definitely gives you more of a farm type of feel and kids love running around after them. They are very friendly, so I guess they are already used to it! They are usually hanging around by the picnic area, giving you some fun entertainment while you’re eating.
Train ride at the Austin Zoo
The train is another kids’ favorite! It rides every hour until 3pm and it costs $2.5 per person to ride. It is definitely a must if you’re going to be here.
Here’s the current Pricing for the Austin Zoo:
Children (ages 2-12) $5.00
Adults $8.00
Students & Military (with ID) $6.00
Grandparents/Seniors $6.00
Austin Zoo
10807 Rawhide Trail
Austin ,TX, 78736
(512) 288-1490
Hours: Open daily from 10:00am – 6:00pm (No entry after 5:00pm)
If you go a little farther past the Austin Zoo, probably about 20 more minutes off Hwy 71, on the way to Bastrop, you’ll find this “hidden” little zoo! I really had no idea it existed until I saw the sign as I was driving through Bastrop. I wouldn’t officially call this a zoo either, but since it is in the Austin area, it worth visiting at least once! It definitely has some animals that would surprise you they even have, given the zoo’s size, like the camel, and zebra and your typical black bears, monkeys, and lemurs among others. They also have a petting zoo and peacocks running around, although these are slightly different ones, but it’s still fun to see! The trails are tough, specially if you have strollers, so just be careful when your walking.
One thing I loved was having one of the zoo keepers walk me through some of the exhibits. You can tell they are very passionate about what they do and make sure they can provide the best conditions and food for these animals, some of them which are in the brink of extinction.
Here’s the current Pricing for the Capital of Texas Zoo:
Teens and Adults (12 and up) : $7.99
Children (2-11) : $6.99
Toddlers ( 2 and under) : free
Capital of Texas Zoo
376A Jenkins Road
Cedar Creek, TX 78612
Phone: 512-303-6675
Hours: Open daily from 9a-5p (until Labor Day). Winter hours are from 10a-4p
Located in Waco, about 1.5 hrs from Austin, this Zoo makes a wonderful day trip that’s well worth the driving time! The Park is certainly well kept, the walking trails are great and now they have Asian Forest exhibit open where the little ones can enjoy the funny orangutans. The view from the walkways are just gorgeous, specially on a sunny day!
Music playground
They have a nice playground area for kids to play while taking a break from the animals (Grammy Nell’s Playground), but I usually just take advantage of visiting the animals since my 2-yr old gets pretty tired after a couple of hours. There is one neat area where they can make some music. My son particularly loves the one pictured on the right, where they can literally make music while they jump. Fun!
Here’s the current pricing for the zoo:
Adults (13+) – $9
Children 4-12 yrs – $6
Senior Citizens (60+) – $8
Children (3 and under) – free
Cameron Park Zoo
1701 N. Fourth Street
Waco, TX 76707
(254) 750-8400
Hours: Mon-Sat. 9a-5p & Sundays: 11a-5p
You can see the hippos up close at the newest Africa Live exhibit
Not quite within the Austin limits, but if you’re heading to San Antonio for the day, you may want to consider stopping at this beautiful zoo! You can start off by riding the
Ocapi Exhibit
train along the park’s perimeter and then enjoy over 10 exhibits, including the bird house, forest, cranes, butterflies, and their biggest one, Africa live and plains. The Africa exhibit is by far my most favorite one, as you can see all their elephants, giraffes, bears, among others really close. Their newest one was the Ocapi, which was very fun to see, as I have only seen them in the Go, Diego, Go show. Afterwards, you can always enjoy a nice dinner at the Rainforest Cafe at the Rivewalk to continue with the theme.
Whenever you decide to go, you can take advantage of their $1.00 OFF printable coupon, valid for up to 6 admissions.
Here’s the current pricing for the San Antonio zoo:
Adults– $10
Children 3-11 yrs – $8
Senior Citizens (62+) – $8
Children (3 and under) – free
San Antonio Zoo
3903 North St. Mary’s St.
San Antonio, TX 78212
Hours: Everyday from 9a-5p
There are a lot of great things to do outdoors around Austin. Try to stay cool and have a fun family time!
4 Responsesto “Fun Day Trip to Zoos Around & Near Austin”
My daughter is 20 months and we love going to the Austin zoo!
Great article!