The 5 Best Zoos In All Of California, According To Visitors

Typically, if one is looking at world-class attractions in California, theme parks immediately spring to mind. After all, the Golden State is home to Disneyland, Universal Studios Hollywood, and Knott's Berry Farm, along with many other smaller options, like the underrated theme park for a family-friendly day of rides, Gilroy Gardens. However, while rides and roller coasters are fun, there's something almost magical about visiting a zoo and seeing exotic animals. Fortunately, California is home to many incredible zoos (and aquariums) throughout the state, so no matter where you're visiting, you'll be close to at least one of them.

But with so many options to choose from, how can we know which ones are the best of the best? One of the most valuable resources is user reviews. We've compared rankings on aggregate sites and looked at what people were saying online to compile this list of the top five zoos in all of California. To make it slightly easier for travel planning, we're also listing these zoos in geographical order, from north to south. In fact, if you're something of a zoo junkie and have a week or more to spare, you could visit them all in a single, epic road trip.

For the most part, the zoos on this list are in major cities like Oakland or San Diego, which makes them super convenient for planning a vacation, but less ideal if you're trying to have a more nature-oriented experience. Fortunately, California's oldest zoo is a fun wildlife haven with a skywalk through a redwood forest. Sequoia Park Zoo is located in Sequioa Park, in the coastal town of Eureka. At the time of this writing, the zoo has an average 4.5-star rating with over 3,300 reviews on Google. According to one reviewer, "This zoo is always fun and so well kept. It's truly our favorite small zoo."

In addition to being the state's oldest zoo, founded in 1907, Sequoia Park Zoo is also one of its smallest. Spread out over 6 acres, it's easy to walk through the entire zoo in an afternoon, but there are plenty of exhibits packed into this relatively small area. Overall, you can spot over 150 animals and 50 unique species, including red pandas, native bears, and coyotes. Or, if you're into birds, the Nancy Hilfiker Aviary is a wonderful treat. But animals aren't the only highlight of this zoo. The Redwood Skywalk provides a unique vantage point to see both the exhibits and the forest surrounding the zoo. It's a self-guided experience that puts you 100 feet in the air. If you're feeling even more adventurous, you can walk through the Adventure segment, which is 360 feet above the ground.

Situated about 280 miles south of Sequoia Park Zoo, the Oakland Zoo is located in the diverse, eclectic California city that is also the foodie capital of America. It's important to note that while the San Francisco Zoo is just across the bay, many locals prefer Oakland. For comparison, the Oakland Zoo has an average of 4.6 stars with more than 13,000 reviews on Google at the time of writing, while the San Francisco Zoo has just 4.4 stars with about the same number of reviews. According to visitors, the animals are active and well cared for, and the views of San Francisco Bay are hard to beat.

One cool feature of the Oakland Zoo is that you can watch live streams of your favorite animals, including giraffes, condors, bears, and mountain lion cubs. This way, you can enjoy the zoo before, during, and after your visit. The zoo is still worth visiting in person, as it's home to over 850 animals, including lions, tortoises, alligators, bison, and many more. You can also check out invertebrates like scorpions and black widow spiders if you're brave enough.

Another unique highlight of the Oakland Zoo is that you get to see how well the zookeepers take care of the animals. Visitors can book a tour of the onsite veterinary hospital and learn how each animal is cared for. Tours are only on select dates, so it's best to book your time well in advance if possible.

Orange County Zoo is one of the little zoo's in America that are extremely underrated, according to visitors, and is about 6.5 hours further south from Oakland. Despite being close to several other zoos in the area, including the LA Zoo, the Reptile Zoo, and the Santa Ana Zoo, Orange County Zoo is rated above the rest with an average of 4.7 stars and 3,800 ratings on Google. According to most visitors, the zoo is fairly small (it sits on just 8 acres), but it's clean, well-maintained, and offers gorgeous scenery. Plus, it only costs $2 per person (children two and under are free), so it's a cheap way to spend the day in SoCal.

As with the Sequoia Park Zoo, the OC Zoo is located inside a park, in this case, Irvine Regional Park. The park has multiple family-friendly attractions, including a botanical garden and a railroad, so it's easy to spend all day here and add the zoo to the festivities. As far as animals, the selection here is pretty small, as the zoo focuses mainly on species native to the Southwestern United States. Orange County Zoo also houses animals that can't be released back into the wild for various reasons, such as injuries. Here, you can expect to see a black bear, a mountain lion, an ocelot, a turkey vulture, and several other animals. There's also a petting zoo area with goats and sheep that's perfect for family's with small children.

Although zoos allow guests to experience exotic animals that they would typically never see up close, some people object to putting these creatures on display, especially when they're kept in small enclosures. Fortunately, the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens is a place where wild animals can roam free. With over 1,200 acres of open spaces and a heavy focus on conservation, the Living Desert is unlike other zoos in California (and the rest of the United States). It has a 4.7-star rating with over 10,000 reviews on Google, illustrating how much visitors love the experience.

The Living Desert is located in Palm Desert, California's retro city with cool shops and trendy eateries. It's also just under two hours east of our last stop, the Orange County Zoo. According to visitors, they appreciate how much space the animals have, and they rave about how it's easy to spend hours wandering through the exhibits. The Living Desert is also appropriate for all ages, especially for children who want to see and interact with animals up close. Both the rhino encounter and the giraffe feeding area make for memorable experiences.

The zoo is also broken up into several sections, including the African Safari, which is where you'll encounter the giraffes and rhinos (and cheetahs and zebras). Additionally, you can explore Australian Adventures and spot wallabies and other species from Down Under. Finally, there's the Wild Americas, featuring coyotes, foxes, mountain lions, and other species that thrive in a desert landscape.

Last but certainly not least, we find ourselves in San Diego at the world-famous San Diego Zoo. Not only is this probably the most well-known zoo in California, it's also one of the five best zoos in America, according to reviews. This is an impressive pedigree that is well-deserved, considering it has a 4.7-star rating with over 64,000 reviews on Google. We should also note that there are actually two attractions: the San Diego Zoo and the Safari Park. The latter is set up like an actual safari expedition, where guests are in a truck and roam the grounds, rather than seeing animals in enclosures. However, for our list, we're just focusing on the zoo, which is located in the heart of San Diego. 

So, what makes the San Diego Zoo so impressive? First, it spans about 100 acres, putting it on par with the Oakland Zoo. However, San Diego houses over 12,000 animals across 680 species, making it much more diverse and exotic. The zoo is also a botanical garden with over 3,100 species of plants, giving it a lush, tropical vibe. Before you visit the zoo in person, you can check out some of the main stars via live cam, including hippos, polar bears, pandas, penguins, baboons, elephants, and more.

According to many visitors, the San Diego Zoo is the best zoo they've experienced. They appreciate how thoughtful and interactive each exhibit is, as well as the fact that most of the zoo is shaded with trees. During the summer, these trees really come in handy and help guests stay cool throughout the day. Others comment that you should plan to spend the whole day there because of the sheer number of animals and exhibits, so it's best to arrive early and spend the entire day.

Although California is home to many incredible zoos, we picked our top five based on visitor reviews and comments. So, while something like the LA Zoo might be larger or have more things to do than the Orange County Zoo, it's not as highly rated and didn't make the cut. That's not to say that any zoo not listed isn't worth visiting, only that it's not technically within the top five.

As mentioned, we went from Northern California to SoCal, meaning you should be able to check out at least one zoo on your vacation to the Golden State, depending on where you're visiting. Also, the price range and time commitment for these zoos vary, giving you some flexibility when planning your trip.