I’m from Santa Barbara and I was entertaining family with young kids so naturally they wanted to go to the zoo. As an adult seeing the zoo again for the first time in decades, I was saddened to see how small the enclosures are. I’m not a fan of zoos in general so maybe I’m biased, but this zoo is way too small and even though it’s very popular I wish we hadn’t gone and at the very minimum wish they would let the larger animals go to a rescue.

Loved this Zoo! There were animals here I’ve never even heard of. Super breeze great weather was the highlight.

Compared to a decade ago when I took small children, the zoo seemed so trash and unkempt. As if they are lacking staff. I think are now only 5 large animals: 3 giraffes and two lions. Saw a poster of a huge ostrich but no ostriches. Gorilla (ape) next to the lions had a drill and open toolkit. Don't know if the gorilla ate the worker or what the hell was going on, but no sign, no warning, no gorilla. Saw a couple of hopping kangas, but wouldn't call those large animals. No bald eagle because the enclosure is so overgrown you can't see anything. I guess the soaring condors were pretty amazing though. Saw way too few monkeys but plenty of flamingos and other birds along with small reptiles. Yawn. Train ride terrible value as the aging speakers don't convey the conductor's tour voice. Maybe this zoo is out of money or endowments, wouldn't recommend any more. Sad

A very fun place to visit for all ages. Good variety of animals to see. I think the best part was visitors can actually get into the area that the kangaroos move around thus up really close. The gorilla area is closed due to a remodel. Many scool children were in attendance and, seemed to be having a wonderful time

The Santa Barbara Zoo ended up being one of the highlights of our trip. It’s the perfect size for families, especially with young kids, because it feels manageable without sacrificing how much there is to see. The grounds were beautiful, clean, and so well maintained, and the ocean views throughout the zoo made the experience even more special. They also have such great animal options, including the snow leopard, giraffes, red panda, and capybara, which I honestly didn’t realize was as big as it was, so that ended up being a really fun surprise for all of us. We also got to brush the goats, which was such a fun interactive experience for the kids. They had yard games set up throughout the zoo and an outdoor play space where the kids could run around and get the wiggles out. The animals seemed well cared for, and there were so many interactive areas that kept the kids excited the entire time. The staff was friendly and helpful, and everything felt organized and easy to navigate. We also got tickets for the train ride, which the kids were really excited about. My only suggestion would be that the train could probably use some WD-40 because it was very loud and screechy at times. My nephew is sensory sensitive, so the noise was a little challenging for him, but he was able to cover his ears and manage. Overall, we easily spent a couple hours here and still could have stayed longer. Such a fun, relaxing, and memorable experience for the whole family.