Did You Know?
Bluefin tuna can swim up to 55 miles per hour!
Private Events
Celebrate the season at Zoolights, our one-of-a-kind holiday lights festival. Enjoy a private venue, professional catering services and of course, Zoolights just outside your door! Book now.
Celebrate the season at Zoolights, our one-of-a-kind holiday lights festival. Enjoy a private venue, professional catering services and of course, Zoolights just outside your door! Book now.
New at the Zoo
Brighten your night at Zoolights! FINAL WEEK.
Recapture the magic of the holiday season at Zoolights 2009.
Dates: November 27 to January 3
Times: 5 to 9 p.m.
Prices: $7.50 at the zoo's front gate
Buy your tickets online or at any Bartell Drugs to save $1 per person!
Special Holiday Hours
Dec. 31: The zoo and Zoolights will be open.
Jan. 1: The zoo and Zoolights will be open.
Don't forget to bring your old holiday lights! We'll recycle them for you and the money raised will go to the Zoo's conservation fund. Learn more.
Zoo/Zoolights combo tickets
Make a day of it:
See the animals during the day and the lights at night!
When you buy your Zoolights ticket, you get 50% off general admission to the Zoo.
Learn more.
Make a day of it: See the animals during the day and the lights at night!
When you buy your Zoolights ticket, you get 50% off general admission to the Zoo.
Learn more.
We have babies!
Mama meerkat Dora had a litter of four babies in August, and they are on exhibit in the indoor meerkat building at Animal Avenue.
Plan your trip today with our daily schedule of animal presentations and close encounters!
Mama meerkat Dora had a litter of four babies in August, and they are on exhibit in the indoor meerkat building at Animal Avenue.
Plan your trip today with our daily schedule of animal presentations and close encounters!
Explore the shore in the Marine Discovery Center
Stop by the Marine Discovery Center this winter for some up-close (and indoor!) animal fun.
You'll have a blast feeling your way through the Puget Sound touch tank and seeing all the beautiful creatures and creepy crawlies that call our local waters home.
You can take the Puget Sound Pledge, pick up a Seafood Watch Pocket Guide and plan your next trip to the beach with the Explore the Shore field map and Beach Field Guide.
Visit the Marine Discovery Center page to learn more, then map out your Zoo trip with these daily animal encounters.
Stop by the Marine Discovery Center this winter for some up-close (and indoor!) animal fun.
You'll have a blast feeling your way through the Puget Sound touch tank and seeing all the beautiful creatures and creepy crawlies that call our local waters home.
You can take the Puget Sound Pledge, pick up a Seafood Watch Pocket Guide and plan your next trip to the beach with the Explore the Shore field map and Beach Field Guide.
Visit the Marine Discovery Center page to learn more, then map out your Zoo trip with these daily animal encounters.
More info
Zoo hours:
September 28 - December 31 9:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. daily (except Dec. 25)
Zoolights hours:
November 27 - January 3 5 - 9 p.m. daily (except Dec. 24)
Parking is FREE!
more info
Get involved: The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has developed a draft conservation plan for the Puget Sound population of rockfish and the gray wolf population of Washington state. Voice your opinion about the rockfish here by December 1 and check out these rockfish fun facts. Read more about the plight of the gray wolf here and let your voice be heard.
Point Defiance Park: The Zoo is just one of many attractions in Point Defiance Park, including Fort Nisqually, Owen Beach, public gardens and others. To learn more about Point Defiance Park and services, click here.
Zoo hours:
September 28 - December 31 9:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. daily (except Dec. 25)
Zoolights hours:
November 27 - January 3 5 - 9 p.m. daily (except Dec. 24)
Parking is FREE!
more info
Get involved: The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has developed a draft conservation plan for the Puget Sound population of rockfish and the gray wolf population of Washington state. Voice your opinion about the rockfish here by December 1 and check out these rockfish fun facts. Read more about the plight of the gray wolf here and let your voice be heard.
Point Defiance Park: The Zoo is just one of many attractions in Point Defiance Park, including Fort Nisqually, Owen Beach, public gardens and others. To learn more about Point Defiance Park and services, click here.
Our sister park: This is a great time to visit Northwest Trek Wildlife Park in Eatonville -- just 35 miles from Tacoma. The park features a narrated tram tour through more than 400 acres of meadows and forests where you can see bison, elk, moose, mountain goats and more. There's also a walking tour on paved forested pathways to see predators and small forest and wetland animals. Save your Zoo ticket for a 2-for-1 admission (printed on back) to Northwest Trek. For more information about Northwest Trek, go to www.nwtrek.org.
