Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium in Ferguson

Great little zoo! We especially enjoyed the Pacific Seas and Rocky Shores exhibits. It was a cold and rainy day but we were able to see lots of animals. Our grandchildren really enjoyed the carousel, elephant and feeding the goats. This zoo is Stroller and wheelchair friendly and very easy to get around.

The grandkids always have fun feeding the goats, watching snakes and other small animals. The best facility of all is the aquarium. So much to see and do, especially the hands on area for kids. Very accessible for them. I have a year pass.

Wanted to share some pictures I took from my trip on Saturday, October 8.Had a wonderful time with my friends for a birthday just walking around and seeing all the pretty animals.

Just became Deluxe Household Member after 2 visits. Love this zoo! the staff always goes above and beyond and is incredibly helpful and friendly. The zookeepers are also incredibly knowledgeable and friendly. Lots of zoo talks/feeding shows every hour. LOTS for your kids to do!! We typically spend about 3-4hrs each visit, you CAN bring your own food and drinks, but they also have multiple spots to get food (the main one being by the entrancefor the adults they do serve cocktails in a can! (1 per person per time). The food has actually been pretty great and the kettle corn is awesome. Overall I love going to this zoo with family and even became a member. It’s 100% worth it!

Few stairs make this an easy walk. Presentations throughout the day for those who want the inside scoop. Clean and reasonably priced restaurant. Free parking was a nice touch.

I always have such a positive experience at this zoo! It’s the perfect size, not too big or too small. The two aquariums are awesome. The views of the sound are beautiful and staff is friendly.

Had so much fun. It got alot more packed during the afternoon but if you show up early enough youll get there before the rush.Our favorite part was the penguins that were racing in the pond .A little sad the polar bear was no longer their but besides that the rest if the zoo was awesome. I love how interactive the team was with the guest.

The journey was unique and memorable. We bought tickets online to save some dollars ($20/each before tax). We visited early on a Sunday morning, so there was no wait, and it helped us to visit each animal at our pace. I love how the zoo management devoted a section for children called the kid’s zone, where children can learn about animals and their habitats. The sad news is that there is no more polar bear or arctic fox, and the south aquarium is closed until 2023. I would love to come back someday to see the new things in this zoo next year.

We had a good time. I was disappointed by the splash pad (its really only for toddlersand by the "animal experiences" promised during the end of summer "bash". We didnt see anything "extra" taking place (promises of animals eating popsicles, etc). $2 extra to feed the birds was unexpected and, I think, rude to require considering the cost of entry. As long as you dont expect anything other than typical "zoo" animals in a typical zoo setting, itll be a fine time. The website over-promised and definitely under delivered. Feedback to the zoo: Thanks for not charging for parking. Consider starting shows and interactions much earlier. For guesta arriving at opening time, with older children, the entire place is viewed in 2 hours. We had no interest in waiting around for a show, but would have extended our stay (and therefore made additional purchasesif we had been engaged with a show during the first few hours.

Great zoo and aquarium especially with younger kids - its not huge territory but also the amount of animals or sea creatures is not a huge variety.Great kids zone area with playground and petting goats area.Prettiest carousel ever!And free parking is a huge plus. Also zoo located in point Ruston and around is a ton of easy outdoors hiking trail options, viewpoints and Owen beach. Easy can spend all day in the area.

More of a park with animals than a zoo but it was still cute and we were happy to support a small zoo. Views were awesome of the water and Mt Rainier. In the Asia area they rotate the animals through the different enclosures so they could be in a different area everyday which is really neat, never seen that before.Nice for a quick visit and pretty affordable.

Very surprised by this gem of a zoo & aquarium. I don’t expect too much, but was pleasantly surprised. The zoo is well maintained, has a great kids area, and the enclosures are great for observing the animals.

Its an alright zoo. Parking, keep searching for 20 or more minites. Line up was quick though. Theres a lot of animals that are alone with no other companions, they look totally miserable and under stimulated. A lot of the enclosures are bare and look like prison cells or are way too small for healthy living conditions. Gift shop was very expensive. The most impressive part of the zoo was the beautiful flowers, plants, grasses, and trees that were throughout. The weird thing was, was that barley any of the flowers & plants were labeled.

Once again an otterly awesome visit to the zoo, missed the Tigger. An no monkeys showed to fling poo. But got to watch thr turkey vulture buzz the grand kids head. Oh and watch out for the battle slug on the merry-go-round.

This is a pretty good zoo. We were bummed because there were no food booths open anywhere in the zoo until right before we left. It takes a couple hours to do the whole thing. Friendly staff, very clean. Pack a picnic!

It is a wonderful small zoo. The tigers, seals, and otters were very active. The Pacific ocean exhibit has an exuberant display of native fish. It seems a lot of exhibits are closed, she did warn us before we entered but it seemed half the zoo, maybe a temporary discount until its fully functional would be nice. Love the fact that they memorialize the lost animals in statue form.

First time visitor. Parking lot was packed. Drove around for about 15 min to find decent parking, it wasn’t a bother to me since it’s summer time and kids are out of school I expected it to be jam packed. Spent a couple of hours here and that was enough for me. Food at the cafe was overpriced as I suspected it would be. I mainly enjoyed the lovely kids garden they have and the aquarium. It was sad to see how small the enclosures are for the wild animals, like the elephants and tigers. 🥺 Overall though it’s a well kept and maintained zoo. I wish there were more sitting areas throughout though. The little tyke thoroughly enjoyed their time here. They were ecstatic the whole time.

Always a blast we live in Lewis County Mossyrock. Was the summer school kids I have 4 kids I have gone with the school with each one ages 22-8. The Zoo is getting better every year the staff was very polite informative and was ready to engage the kids with answers and locations of animals sad to see the polar Bear had passed we loved him. amphitheater show was awesome the raptor flying over the kids head 6" over them twice had em screaming..Sad we didnt make it to the ride garden as it is so beautiful. I love watching the kids who have never been out of their small town see the Narrows bridge Tacoma Dome and the massive amounts of houses and p people. We even made it with no traffic both ways... We will be back again.

I came to this zoo to check it out and have some fun turned out to be a really well great groomed park it felt like youre walking in the woods in Africa. Very organized!!! I love this place. There aren’t many animals and the animals are always too far away to see them clearly. But the environment is super great!!

Always worth the 1 hour drive for us! We went on a very busy Friday about 1:00pm and waited less then ten minutes to get in. 4 adults and one baby in a stroller. If you have been here before and have kids try giving them the map and let them be in charge of your expedition., if nothing else that alone will make for an interesting adventure.

Great park for kids of all ages and has a fantastic aquarium for free and a carousel for 2.00 each and a kids play zone. But bring food and snacks and water its very expensive in that regard. You can pay military rates at the door its 20.00 for each adult 20 and up. Kids over 3 to teen are 15 each under military grandparents are one of those prices members are free babies under 2 or 1 are free. There were clean air-conditioned bathrooms with a changing table. Shaded area to nurse or bottle feed an infant. It was a great zoo but for just tickets for two adults 3 kids one free infant it was 85.00 so we stayed a long time and got our moneys worth. Oh they did have weird kid strollers but not infant ones and Im sure there expensive we brought our own thank God.

Our granddaughters went to enjoy their visit with the animals and nearly all major exhibits were closed or the animals put away. It was very busy and we would have liked to have known potential closures online prior to purchasing tickets.

Some places were not open but it was fun. They have a hands on aquarium section for kids (and adults tooand they had a micro splash park in the kids zone. The little ones loved it and frankly so did I on that hot day!!

This zoo has something for everyone in my family, exotic animals, endemic animals, play areas, aquariums, food, shows, animal encounters, a carousel...We always get a yearly membership. It makes sense for us as we have kiddos that have varying attention spans and while we would like to stay all day and make good on the drive time for us, it doesnt usually happen. I dont feel so badly about leaving after a few hours knowing we can just come back.

We went early on a Monday morning and there was no wait to get in. It was busy, but not intolerable. People were aware of taking turns and being respectful. It was very clean and the animals had large enclosures and seemed happy. We spent about 4 hours and took our time.

I enjoy visiting the zoo with my kids and seeing the animals and fish. I love the landscaping and the new pollinator interactive garden.We had lunch at the zoo today and it was absolutely disgusting. Food and condiments all over ever table, the trashcans were overflowing, the countertops looked like they haven’t been cleaned all day. Please do better, if employees are not going to clean the tables leave out sanitizing wipes so people can do it themselves. I used sanitizer to clean our table and some napkins, but every chair and table in there was dirty.

Had a ton of fun with my family seeing all the different animals and exploring! Everyone working was helpful and kind, and we had a ton of fun feeding the budgies! The food is a bit pricey, but that was expected.

Its okay. Not that great, but its a good place for a family to have a picnic of sorts. There is a nice covered shed with tables where you and your family can have food together. Overall, its an Okay place. The nearby beach and trials make it more interesting.

The best little zoo in the Pacific Northwest! We got to watch one of the tigers be fed, got to talk to the keepers about the Otters, and even got to watch the little meerkats scramble around. Always a great visit, not too crowded and animals are usually out!!

This is a beautiful little zoo and aquarium. It sits in a very large park beside the sound. There is free parking. They are both very popular and for good reasons. The zoo and aquarium had a few attractions that were closed the day we were there. They were working on adding a new attractions and fixing some. There was still a lot to enjoy. I wont go into specifics for there is to much for me to tell. But if you enjoy beautiful animals and being able to interact with them and their staff friends, this is a great place to plan a trip to. They do offer zoo memberships that can save you money throughout the year and enjoy other benefits. Look into there website.

Its always nice going here but I swear everytime we go here. Theyre always under construction. I really feel like if your zoo is going to be under construction so often you should not be charging so high or at least give your guests tickets they can use in the future. Northwest Trek does this when theyre under construction. I like them adding new things every now and then. I get very sad about the passings in the zoo though.

It was a good little zoo. Not overly big. Walkable In about 3 hours. The keeper talks are interesting. Some exhibits are closed for renovation. Animals are mostly limited to marine wild life and some asian. This is not the San Diego Zoo, it’s also not trying to be and as such is a great addition to point defiance park!

We love Point Defiance! The surrounding area is full of beautiful trails and beaches. The zoo itself is great. The staff is always helpful and informative, answering questions and indulging toddler chatter. We use it as part of our homeschooling to discuss habitats, animals adaptation and diets, etc. They have lots of animal chats at various times to learn about the animals and I enjoy looking at the plants and seeing where they are from. It has plenty space to bring a picnic and a cute playground also. Lots to do and lots to see!

Smaller zoo compared to Woodland Park Zoo but I feel like this one brings you up closer to the animals. An enjoyable place to bring the kids. Finished the trip with a carousel ride for the kiddos, $2/kid

Overall it was a lovely experience, though the crowds were a bit much, it was to expected over spring break. The gift shop had decent prices, and the staff was very nice and informative. It is clear all the animals are very well cared for. The only downside is that one of the aquariums is closed for renovation. I would have loved to see it, but what we did see was wonderful.

Lovely, clean park where they make their care for their animals part of the educational components of the space. They rotate animals through different exhibit areas as well, so multiple visits are well worth it! The keepers were happy to talk to guests and answer questions. Really great aquarium space with interactive games and info points. Lots of kids.

This zoo and aquarium is amazing that is actually is more fun than the zoo in Seattle. The aquarium isn’t very big but we love that it gives us more options to see under water animals and creature.There’s a kids zoom which is like a small playground near the zoo entrance. This is the most high traffic area in the zoo and some facilities here need maintenance as the paint seems to be fainted.Overall, this is a must go place if you visit Tacoma with kids. The parking lot is large and has plenty of parking space. It’s in the Point Defiance park so you could also visit the other part of the park with kids and maybe spend the entire day in this park.

Fun zoo you can see in a few hours. Great for kids. Fun play places to rest at. Clean restrooms. I recommend packing a lunch and bringing a drink.

It was great! I wish more places were open (food/aquarium/shows/camelbut I have a feeling we can thank Joe Biden and the VID for that. We had a group of 11 people and we all had a blast.

A gem in Tacoma.... Exceeded my expectations, esp. the aquarium. Grounds are very nice. Sumatra Tigers are a must see. The polar bear was MIA, must have been snoozing. Grandkids loved it. We shall return when its warmer. Be prepared to take pictures!

We went on Saturday, December 11 at 11 until about 3. Unfortunately I happened to pick a day where there was a wind and rain storm, so there was a good amount of animals that weren’t visible or wanted to mainly stay in their warm den. But that’s no fault of the zoo! That’s just how it is sometimes.We got angus burgers and waffle fries from the food place, it was delicious.At 12, we made our way to the Wild Wonders Outdoor theater for the Animal Close Encounter, which I highly recommend! We got to see pouched rats run across a bridge, a really cool African bird take flight, a beaver swim in a pool, and an Eagle Owl fly over the audience.We were only able to view one aquarium as the other one is under construction but the aquarium we did see was AMAZING! At the end they even had an area where you can touch tide pool animals like sea urchins.The kids zone was nice and big and had a bunch of cool animals surrounding it. My kids also enjoyed riding the carousel. Even with the bad weather we still had a great experience. We definitely want to try and go back so we can see animals that we weren’t able to.Edit: we went back late January in 2022 and were able to see the polar bear and three tigers!

Always a fun afternoon. Very educational and the keepers are great to speak to when you can catch them! A lot of diversity in the species you can see on a given day but also not overwhelmingly huge. Lots of families and is usually moderately busy but the crowds ebb and flow so you can get some excellent viewing! It does seem like there are less options right now as far as dining and activities due to the off season and probably Covid too. Definitely check out the otters 🦦, polar bear 🐻‍❄️, elephants 🐘 and lemurs! What am I saying?! Check out all of them! They’re all cool from the boas and scorpions to armadillos and (fan favtigers. Learn and take notes on conservation and how you can help keep these amazing creatures around for the future generations! ❤️

What a wonderful zoo. Get there early and avoid the crowds. We have been coming for years and the additions, like the new aquarium, are fantastic. My kids have grown up visiting this zoo and it’s still one of our favorite family activities. It seems like the staff really do care for the well being and protection of the animals. Consider a membership if your local. It pays for itself very quickly!

Nice little zoo. Great winter exercise. Nice exhibits, although many animals were not out. Will try to come back someday during spring or summer.

This whole area is beautiful. From the parks to the zoo, everything is very well laid out. There is a road that is called the 5 mile drive and the whole road stays pretty scenic. I saw deer, birds, raccoons, squirrels in the short time I visited. Definitely worth a visit

We attended Zoo lights for the first time ever. Our party included my husband, myself, our daughter and her husband and their two little girls, age 3 and 16 months. The 16-month-old was in a stroller. It was raining lightly, so we got a little wet but not drenched. We very much enjoyed the walk and the lights. It wasnt terribly crowded; we went at 4:30 on a Tuesday evening. The 3-year-olds favorite stop was the little goat barn and feeding and petting the goats. Everyone we saw was masked as required, and there were a few places where you could get hand sanitizer, the goat barn being one of them. My photos turned out surprisingly well for it being dark. All those holiday lights brightened up the place. Most of the animals were not out for viewing but we did see penguins in their pool, and a few small animals in their glass in habitats. In one building we were lucky to see a tiger in his giant glass in home and he was sleeping so soundly was like giant house cat.

Love that the zoo is with an aquarium. Although it seems that it was more quiet now that before all the changes, the fun and experience was still there for kids. It was great to be back. Staff were helpful. Love the take your photo section, but the photos didn’t make it to our emails.

Love this place! Great for the little ones. Super kid friendly and theres a playground thats spaced out and a little bit for all of them. Theres a food court but its not the greatest. Suggest bringing in your food or eat prior or after the zoo. Otherwise, everyone was super friendly, patient and welcoming!

Absolutely our favorite zoo and aquarium! The kids and adults had a blast. We were fortunate enough to go close to Halloween, so there were cute Halloween add ins if you were looking! Loved it.

Such a fun zoo! We bought ice cream halfway through. Just wish more of the animals had been out. It seems like there were a lot of empty or single occupied exhibits (such as the elephant enclosure). You can touch a lot of the sea creatures. Overall it was well worth it. Pay online for a discount. There are strollers and wheelchairs to rent. Also a carousel to ride in the rental area.