Zoo vs Zoo: Texas Zoo Comparison

This Texas zoo comparison looks at all five Texas zoos that we have visited. All five zoos are different from each other. However, each zoo has something to offer to visitors. Although most of our Zoo vs Zoo articles feature two zoos, because this one features five we will rank them 1-5 in each category. The winner is the zoo with the lowest score. Please note that the Houston Zoo and the Dallas Zoo are both great Texas zoos that we have not yet visited. The five zoos in this comparison include: Austin Zoo, Fort Worth Zoo, Frank Buck Zoo, Gladys Porter Zoo, and the San Antonio Zoo.

Size:

The Fort Worth Zoo is easily the largest zoo in Texas that we’ve visited. This zoo takes about 4-6 hours to navigate if you want to see all of it. The San Antonio Zoo is large by most standards. This zoo would take 2-4 hours to see in its entirety. After that, there’s a big dropoff. The Gladys Porter Zoo is next, but it has a much smaller feel than the previous two. Frank Buck Zoo is similar in size, but has much less animals than Gladys Porter does. The Austin Zoo is by far the smallest. Of the five, Fort Worth is the zoo that will continue to grow the most. Rankings: 1. Fort Worth Zoo 2. San Antonio Zoo 3. Gladys Porter Zoo 4. Frank Buck Zoo 5. Austin Zoo

Indoor Exhibits:

Since we usually tackle Midwestern zoos, this category is usually a big one. However, in the state of Texas, it’s not as important. Of these five zoos, Fort Worth has the most impressive indoor building, with their MOLA exhibit (Museum of Living Art). San Antonio has some indoor viewing areas of hippos/crocodiles and some others. Gladys Porter as well has some indoor viewing, and then Frank Buck and Austin have very little. Rankings: 1. Fort Worth Zoo 2. San Antonio Zoo 3. Gladys Porter Zoo 4. Frank Buck Zoo 5. Austin Zoo

Animal Interactions:

The Fort Worth Zoo gives you the ability to feed giraffes, as well as sting rays. However, I think the San Antonio Zoo offers slightly better options. They have several behind the scenes options available, but also have giraffe feeding, lorikeet feeding, flamingo feeding, and a kangaroo walk-thru that you can decide on the day of your visit. The Austin Zoo has the Galapagos Tortoise feeding, which is pretty easy to sign up for, in addition to their Capybara feeding. They also have their petting zoo feeding. The Frank Buck Zoo offers giraffe feeding, flamingo feeding, and their petting zoo. And finally at the Gladys Porter Zoo, you can feed giraffes. Rankings: 1. San Antonio Zoo 2. Fort Worth Zoo 3. Austin Zoo 4. Frank Buck Zoo 5. Gladys Porter Zoo

Habitats:

The Fort Worth Zoo is the largest zoo of this group, and I think they have the best habitats as well. Both their elephant exhibit and African savanna are good examples of visitor visibility, and room/natural feel for the animals. I put the Frank Buck Zoo second here, mainly because of their African Savanna in the back, complete with a wooden boardwalk. San Antonio’s best habitat is probably the immersive aviary where you can be inside with the birds. This zoo used to be very outdated, and they’ve made some changes to bring it up to par. Gladys Porter comes in right behind San Antonio, and the Austin Zoo is far back in the fifth spot. Rankings: 1. Fort Worth Zoo 2. Frank Buck Zoo 3. San Antonio Zoo 4. Gladys Porter Zoo 5. Austin Zoo

Wow Factor:

So we define wow factor as what you see when you enter the zoo. Sure, wow factor can extend to other parts of the zoo, but really it’s that immediate reaction. I give the nod to the Gladys Porter Zoo here. Immediately upon entrance, you see the gorilla exhibit. I love seeing animals immediately upon entrance, and this is the zoo’s best exhibit, so it makes it that much better of an entrance. After that, San Antonio comes in second with their walk-thru aviary near the front, in addition to some climbable statues. Frank Buck Zoo is third, mainly because of an amazing animal sculpture. The Fort Worth Zoo is great, but nothing screams “Wow” when you enter it, so I list it fourth here, with the Austin Zoo again in fifth. Rankings 1. Gladys Porter Zoo 2. San Antonio Zoo 3. Frank Buck Zoo 4. Fort Worth Zoo 5. Austin Zoo

Kids Play Area:

The Fort Worth Zoo has the advantage in kids play areas. Their largest attraction is the Safari Splash area, a great water area for kids. They also have several kids items in their Texas Wild! section, including the Playbarn, and the carousel. Finally they have a 25-foot climbing tower in their Australian section. The San Antonio Zoo comes next, with a Kiddie Park in the front, a tiny tot nature spot, and a carousel. The other three zoos contain small climbing fixtures for kids. Rankings 1. Fort Worth Zoo 2. San Antonio Zoo 3. Gladys Porter Zoo 4. Frank Buck Zoo 5. Austin Zoo

Price:

A Texas zoo comparison wouldn’t be complete without looking at price. The Austin Zoo is $16.95 for adults and $13.95 for kids. Parking is free. Fort Worth Zoo is $18 for adults and $14 for kids. Parking is $5. Frank Buck Zoo is $9 for adults and $7.50 for kids. Parking is free. Gladys Porter Zoo is $15.50 for adults and $9.50 for kids. Parking is free. San Antonio Zoo is $23.50 for adults and $18.57 for kids. Parking is free. Only some of these offer a discount for reciprocal members of an AZA zoo. Also we kept in mind the size of each zoo in relation to the price. Rankings 1. Frank Buck Zoo 2. Gladys Porter Zoo 3. Fort Worth Zoo 4. San Antonio Zoo 5. Austin Zoo

Overall:

Fort Worth Zoo runs away with the title as Best Zoo in Texas that we’ve visited so far. San Antonio takes second, while the Gladys Porter Zoo edges out the Frank Buck Zoo for third. The Austin Zoo is fifth.

Thank you for reading our Texas zoo comparison. Want to see what others have to say about it? Check out this blog by A Cowboy’s Life, where they give their opinion on the best zoo in Texas.

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