San Francisco & so-so reviews. What say you?

I toying with the idea of a visit to San Francisco Zoo - because I enjoy zoological parks in general - but the reviews on Trip Advisor leave a bit to be desired. There%26#39;s talk of half empty exhibits, sad looking animals and so on. Having said that there was also some mention of construction %26amp; improving exhibits/enclosures etc which may well be finished by now.

I am wondering about the general consensus on whether it is worth the trek out there + admission? While on vacation in SF I will also be spending some time at Golden Gate Park %26amp; hope to get out to Marin if weather and time permits so after all that outdoor goodness maybe a zoo is likely to be a little ';blah'; anyway!? I duno%26#39;t know...

I know some people think all Zoos are the same but if there%26#39;s something that distinguishes San Francisco from the rest then I want to know about it!

Thanks in advance :)

San Francisco %26amp; so-so reviews. What say you?

er, yes I just realised I left out that very important word: ZOO!!!!

LOL, hope no one has choked on their coffee thinking I am dissing the city ;)

San Francisco %26amp; so-so reviews. What say you?

If you really want to visit a zoo while here in the Bay Area, I%26#39;d recommend the Oakland Zoo over SF. Not sure how easy it is to get there via public transportation from SF, so it might not be a feasible option for you.

In my opinion the only nice exhibit at SF Zoo is the lemur exhibit. The rest are outdated and rather depressing. It could be that after visiting the San Diego Zoo a few years ago, all the rest just can%26#39;t compare in my eyes.

A better alternative would be a visit to the Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey, if underwater life interests you and you are already planning on visiting that area during your stay in SF.

The California Academy of Sciences also has a lot of animals. I haven%26#39;t been to the zoo, but it has a pretty poor reputation (especially after last Christmas!); I don%26#39;t think it%26#39;s generally regarded as being any better -- and many think it%26#39;s a lot worse -- than any other average city zoo.

thanks for your replies :)

It all sounds rather sad and depressing so I may give it a miss. Such a shame since this year is the Zoos 80th Anniversary and I would have hoped they%26#39;d fix things up. I feel so terrible for the animals :(

FYI I had previously been to San Diego Zoo but I didn%26#39;t want to ask for a comparison as I know that that can be annoying! I don%26#39;t necessarily subscribe to the view that SD Zoo is fabulous but it%26#39;s certainly acceptable as zoos go.

In any event, Im sure to find a tonne of other things to do during my all-too-brief stay in San Francisco, no doubts about that! Already wondering if 6 days is enough...

Dear msMelburnian,

I have not been to the zoo lately, but I do want to encourage you to go to the new Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park. It has a wonderful aquarium, planetarium, and tropical rain forest. Check the website for the best times to go - and buy your tickets in advance so you can avoid the lines. It is fabulous.

Also - I highly recommend coming out here to Marin to enjoy the nature - especially Muir Woods, and perhaps West Marin. There is lots of natural wildlife out here and it is beautiful.

Thanks for your reply :)

Seems the general consensus that the Academy is the place to be! We were already planning to spend a few hours at GG Park - to rent a bike and do the scenic circuit (and check out those cute bison!) - so we will most certainly visit the Academy as well after such positive feedback!

I am still eager to visit a Zoo while on holiday so have turned my attention to Central Park (although this also gets bad reviews ) or the Bronx Zoo. If anyone has any experience of either...or even Los Angeles Zoo..I would be happy to hear your thoughts!

Thanks again.

Looking forward to our trip :)

Like you, I love zoos and am always keen to visit the local one when I travel. The SF Zoo does have some wonderful things to recommend it: the new bear enclosures are wonderful as is the African section near the entrance. And I still find the children%26#39;s part of the zoo very charming, especially the area where all the raptors are sitting on perches. Some fantastic owls!

On the other hand, it is true that there are some rather depressing areas. The zoo has had it%26#39;s share of awful news in the last couple of years, beginning with the enclosures for the elephants (way too small to allow for the poor things to roam comfortably), followed by a beyond terrible incident in which a tiger escaped (!) and killed someone (!!!!!!). If that%26#39;s not bad press, I don%26#39;t know what is. (The reasons behind that horrible event are pretty controversial in SF so I won%26#39;t get into it here. In any case, I do hope the zoo can recover and find its footing in the next few years.)

So as someone who enjoys zoos, I%26#39;m with most of the posters in saying ';skip it'; and head over to the Academy of Sciences ( truly awe-inspiring) as well as spend some time up in the woods north of the GG. There%26#39;s a Marine Mammal hospital near the Marin Headlands - it%26#39;s small but worth a visit if you%26#39;re out near this gorgeous part of the Bay Area (check to see if it%26#39;s open, though: it was undergoing renovation not long back.)

And while this is not SF-specific, you might want to reserve some zoo-time elsewhere during your U.S. sojourn The Central Park Zoo is very compact and old-school and, I think, completely charming. It%26#39;s the ';anti-San Diego zoo'; - an ';urban zoo'; at the base of Central Park that can be taken in in less than couple of hours. The L.A. zoo (where I worked as a teenager) is sprawling and more encyclopedic and you can make a day of it. Among its other virtues is a great koala house - but coming from Oz, you might find this a tad redundant.

Enjoy San Francisco!

I%26#39;m not sure I agree that the Zoo is so awful but with so many choices of places to go I would recommend the Academy of Science. It is brand new and has great exhibits. I think the SF Zoo has made huge improvements and has some really nice exhibits They are really trying to do a lot of education and research with conservation. They have a tremendous program for children in conservation. However, they have gotten such a bad rap it makes me sad since I really feel they have made great strides in improvements. Then we can get into the whole political talk about whether we should even have Zoos. Maybe not. On a sunny day ( far few and between) It can be a nice place to go . I would go there over the Oakland Zoo but as I said with choices the Academy of Science would be my first choice. Have fun!

It is not up the the scale of the San Diego Zoo. I resent paying for what used to be free. That said, it still has some attraction. It is on the edge of the Western World, a stone%26#39;s throw from Ocean Beach. There is a certain peacefulness that is present there. The Academy of Sciences is wonderful, and while the fish birds, penguins, and gators are grand, there are only ';stuffed'; mammals, present there. Wonderful dioramas, ';still life';, but no real life. If you have time, do both. The zoo can use the revenue for the animals and improvements, while the Academy%26#39;s cup runneth over. Don%26#39;t forget the Buffalo Paddock in Golden Gate Park (free).

Thanks for your replies :)

I checked out the Academy%26#39;s website and it looks really interesting and quite spectacular (love that roof!). Unfortunately I can%26#39;t take advantage of the free day on Wednesday 18th Feb since I had already booked Alcatraz for that day. Despite the price being quite steep (and the reviews are appalling! are people just hard to please!?) I think we will make the time for it since we%26#39;re going to GG Park already. I AM already going to Monterey Aquarium but my travelling partner really likes the sound of the Planetarium there so we%26#39;ll probably do both.

As much as I want to help out the Zoo I also don%26#39;t want to feel sad about the animals plight - seeing it with my own eyes - and have it ruin my holiday (selfish? maybe. Likely to actually ruin my holiday? DEFINITELY! I still occassionally think of a polar bear stuck at Singapore Zoo in a crappy and small enclosure in that terrible stinking heat looking miserable - I was too so I can sympathise! So so sad and completely inappropriate considering their climate not to mention they stuck the kangaroos in a teeny little gated area. Grrrr ;o ). With that in mind I might consider making a donation rather than a visit.

Having just said I don%26#39;t want to see anything sad I was, ironically, planning a visit to the ASPCA in New York City! I guess I see a distinct difference to housing cats and dogs in cages (temporarily). Plus I will be missing my %26#39;lil guys by then so a cuddle will be in order ;)

Thanks again!