Frank Buck Zoo Review

We stopped at this zoo on a whim as we drove north, exiting the state of Texas. The Frank Buck Zoo is not AZA-certified, so it’s not on everyone’s radar. However, as you’ll read in our Frank Buck Zoo Review, this is a hidden gem. They say everything’s bigger in Texas – that’s not quite accurate with this zoo. It’s small, but the layout is perfect. It’s basically a circle, so you can follow the loop around in a logical manner. Some of the exhibits are outdated, and it could use some improvements. But it’s the perfect zoo to stretch your legs at. You should probably budget about 1 1/2 – 2 hours for this zoo, but could maybe do it in less than that.

Highlights:

This wallaby joey was an unexpected perk of visiting this zoo

Wallaby exhibit – As a kid I always thought that entrance/exit ramps for highways would make for good zoos. Yes, unpractical, but I saw that space and thought it would be great to see animals while exiting the highway. The Frank Buck Zoo took this idea and made their wallaby exhibit. As you are exiting a long boardwalk for viewing some of their other animals (see below), they maneuver the ramp around a small area where they house the wallabies. I love it – it’s creative, and keeps you engaged as you exit that portion of the zoo. And for a bonus – there was a joey!
Savanna – At the back of the zoo, there is a very long savanna on two sides of the boardwalk. The boardwalk is a nice touch. Although rocky terrain is awful for visiting a zoo, concrete and get old quick in the hot Texas sun. So this wooden boardwalk is a nice touch. On one side they have camels and donkeys, and on the other they have ostrich, giraffes, and ibex. It’s a very nice portion of the zoo.

This lemur exhibit gives them access to crawl above your head!

Lemur exhibit – I know this goes against my disdain for caged exhibits, but this one is worth it. Monkeys can grip onto the wires, so wired cages make sense for them. The best part here is that the lemurs can cross over visitors when going to the other side of their exhibit. It’s a creative way to give these animals more space to move around.
Animal Rock Sculpture – So normally we only call out the exhibits as highlights of the zoos that we visit. But the rock sculpture seen when you enter the zoo (top of page) is one of the coolest zoo sculptures I’ve ever seen. It’s a great photo opportunity upon entrance to the zoo.

Lows:

Caged exhibits in entrance – Upon entering the zoo and heading left, you can find several larger animals (bears, cheetahs, alligator). However, all of these animals are difficult to see. It’s great having these exhibits, but I wish they could make these exhibits a little more creative (like they did in the back half of the zoo) to enhance the viewing experience.
Interactive Opportunities – Small zoos (typically) thrive on interactive opportunities. There weren’t many at this zoo. I would recommend some more aviary and petting zoo type exhibits to ensure that younger visitors enjoy their visit.

Thanks for reading our Frank Buck Zoo review. Want to see how it compares to the other Texas zoos? Check out our comparison here.