Mac Rating: 0.00 | Votes: | Date: 03/06/2026 14:02:00

Tucked into the western edge of Hermann Park in central Houston, the Houston Zoo is one of the most popular zoological gardens in the United States and one of the most visited in Texas, welcoming more than two and a half million guests each year. The zoo traces its origins to 1922, when an American bison and a single albino raccoon arrived at the park, with the first dedicated zoo facilities following on the same site over the next several years. The non-profit Houston Zoo, Inc. has operated the property since 2002. The zoo today houses around six thousand animals representing more than nine hundred species, arranged across themed habitats designed to recreate the ecosystems of their origin. The African Forest, the largest of the zoo's newer exhibits, recreates a Central African forest landscape and is home to lowland gorillas, chimpanzees, an extensive elephant complex, giraffes, rhinos and the celebrated okapi. The Asian Forest displays a similar approach to the wildlife of South-East Asia. Among the standout exhibits are the Galápagos tortoises in the South America area, the polar bears in the Arctic exhibit, the tiger and clouded leopard habitats in the wider Wortham World of Primates and a celebrated aquarium that includes a walk-through tunnel surrounded by sharks, rays and tropical fish. Family attractions are particularly strong. The Kathrine G. McGovern Texas Wetlands, a meticulous recreation of a Texas swamp complete with alligators, whooping cranes and the recovered Attwater's prairie chicken, and the popular Wildlife Carousel are among the most popular destinations on the property. A series of educational, conservation and animal-encounter programmes round out the offering. A 95-million dollar centennial-year expansion completed in 2022 added the Galapagos Islands and South America's Pantanal habitats to the zoo, lending the venue a distinctly contemporary feel. Tickets are reasonable, with timed online booking encouraged. A typical visit fills four to six hours.