Edmonton Valley Zoo

6159 reviews

13315 Buena Vista Road &, 87 Ave NW, Edmonton, AB T5J 2R7, Canada

www.edmonton.ca

+17804425311

About

Edmonton Valley Zoo is a Zoo located at 13315 Buena Vista Road &, 87 Ave NW, Edmonton, AB T5J 2R7, Canada. It has received 6159 reviews with an average rating of 4.0 stars.

Photos

Hours

MondayClosed
TuesdayClosed
Wednesday10AM-4PM
ThursdayClosed
FridayClosed
SaturdayClosed
Sunday10AM-4PM

F.A.Q

Frequently Asked Questions

  • The address of Edmonton Valley Zoo: 13315 Buena Vista Road &, 87 Ave NW, Edmonton, AB T5J 2R7, Canada

  • Edmonton Valley Zoo has 4.0 stars from 6159 reviews

  • Zoo

  • "Ok"

    "This zoo is such a safe and inclusive space"

    "It was a nice day so I thought I'd take my grandkids (13, 10 and 3) on an outing"

    "We've been there many times"

    "Was very disappointed in the zoo this time! Only saw a very upset zebra, trying to join the females and a baby zebra"

Reviews

  • Katy Yorke

Ok. I mean.. I don't know where to begin about how incredibly disappointed we all were. So, first of all, it's sneaky as all hell to charge for age 2.. like seriously?? C'mon, man! 2 - 9 was the same price. RIP. OFF. Secondly, only about 30% of the animals were visible! So we walked and walked for nothing. Barren. The kids were getting tired, so we figured we'd take them to the Farm Fresh Center for food or treats. No go. Closed. It wasn't even 3:30!!!! Thank goodness for the overpriced vending machines in that one building. The carousel was not working. To be fair, that was on the website. We DID get to see Lucy up close as she was cruising around the zoo munching on grass. The kids kind of enjoyed the 3 minute train ride. ( ) I guess if they liked it, that's what is important. The front customer service gals were super sweet! They get 10/10. 100% will never go back. I'll drive to Calgary Zoo.
Visited on
Weekday
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
No

  • Erin Leflar

This zoo is such a safe and inclusive space. Not only do I appreciate that it focuses primarily on conservation and education, with careful attention paid to the comfort and care of the animals, but I am so deeply appreciative of the sensory accessibility they have implemented. So many of us with sensory sensitivities gravitate towards the zoo because of its naturally more accessible nature with mostly outdoor spaces and limited crowds (and let's be honest a hyperfixation on cool animal facts helps too) but the fact that they have tools like sensory kits, weighted lap pads, signage indicating volume/possible loud zones and tons of specific social stories available online makes it clear that they have a commitment to ACTUAL inclusion and accessibility that is rare to find. They're tools are kind of the gold standard to me from now on. Zoominescence is the ONLY holiday event I look forward to. Keep up the great work!

  • WENDY COUNTAWAY

It was a nice day so I thought I'd take my grandkids (13, 10 and 3) on an outing. I had not been to the Zoo here in years. What a disappointment. So many things were closed, so many of the displays were empty. $6.50 for a small ice ream cone! All kids deserve to have a treat, but I wonder how many families couldn't, or wouldn't because of the cost of things. That's not even mentioning the cost of entry...which should be free when the Zoo is practically empty. They might try...but time to throw in the towel...it got way worse than the first time I attended.
Visited on
Weekend
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
No

  • D Weebergs

We've been there many times. We love it! It's a new experience every time. There's always a person at the entrance greeting us. Some days some animals are resting, so we don't see much but some days, they're all out. It was nice to see the Arctic wolf and the snow leopard up close, and finally, after how many years of just seeing its head poking out, we saw the huge python out from the rock. Too bad, the fish sculpture with water sprinklers is now closed, my son who has autism loved to play there (in the pictures). We will go back there again, soon.
Visited on
Weekday
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
Yes

  • Sandi Quinn

Was very disappointed in the zoo this time! Only saw a very upset zebra, trying to join the females and a baby zebra. Lots of exhibits under construction and there seems to be more Lego animals then real live animals, is that the way the zoo is going? Why isn't the public allowed into the elephant building yet? We heard Lucy was on her walk but we never saw her. The zoo might think about a real time tracker on Lucy so we find her, as she is the only worthwhile attraction at the zoo these days.
Visited on
Weekend
Wait time
Up to 10 min
Reservation recommended
Yes

  • Zoltan Wagner

The animals had shade and various toys and seemed well cared for which is the most important goal for a zoo. The zoo is on the smaller side but it’s still worth a visit. The cafeteria is newly renovated and food prices as expensive for what you get. $9 for a chicken burger - see picture - made with fried-from-frozen chicken and a single piece of lettuce and tomato. They were out of salads and cheese for cheeseburgers but the most shocking thing was a lack of vegetarian options. There is no veggie burger for example. In a zoo! I’m not vegetarian but found this very odd.

  • Hiroshan Gunawardane

The experience was not so good. The Birds section was closed, and a few other cages (you must mention this before we buy tickets). Not very well maintained, washrooms had a bad odor, and the restaurant inside the zoo was poorly managed. We bought hot chocolate after struggling with their credit card machine and ended up having a hot chocolate with no taste in it. So better to bring your own food and drinks. Compared with other Zoo's around the world, I can barely give 4 out of 10.
Visited on
Weekend
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
No

  • n hann

Staff very helpful. Borrowed a wheelchair for a member of our family. A little difficult pushing on some of the hills (up and down). Winter sand on some paths need to be cleared. Most of the animals were available for viewing. Enjoyed the "meet the keeper" at the lynx cage. She answered all our questions, very knowledgeable. We were very fortunate to see Lucy the elephant. She spends most of her time out of the view of the public.
Visited on
Weekday
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
No

  • Marc D.

The kids really enjoyed the Edmonton Valley Zoo. A number of buildings weren't open when we went, as some animals were under care, which is unfortunate but what can you do. The animals that we did see looked to be in good health. I believe it's priced reasonably well for what you get, but the Calgary Zoo is definitely a better zoo in my opinion. Unfortunately the Calgary Zoo is quite a bit more expensive at over 3x the cost for both adult and child admissions, which also doesn't include parking.

  • Dan Zimmer

Pretty smallish as zoos go, but we found it to be a very pleasant place to spend an afternoon. Plus - they have a red panda! I didn't even know there was such a thing. Something else I've never seen before at a zoo - an elephant (and Indian elephant - a well-behaved old girl) that they allow to roam free within certain areas of the zoo. Great little coffee shop inside the the front gate too!
Visited on
Weekday
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
No

  • Diane Mikkelson

The Valley Zoo is one of my favorite places for outings with my family. The cost of admission is is great value for our family of six for a whole day, and it never fails that there are exhibits of interest to each of us when we go. We took advantage of the free admission on September 29 and we had a blast! Something new or not previously discovered awaits at every visit and it's a pretty cool spot for a picnic too! Looking forward to returning again and again!

  • Rob Ewanuk

Great for a morning or afternoon visit. The Edmonton Valley Zoo has undergone a large renovation in the past few years. It looks really good. It is fun to walk around and see many different animals (some animals we couldn't see because they have hidden themselves in their exhibit). It was also fun that there are Lego animals throughout the zoo. I shared the photos of the Lego sculptures, maybe I missed some. Fun for the entire family!

  • Sherri Vegso

Our visit to the zoo was so fun. Definitely recommend taking the kids here. The Zoo has plenty to see and do. We walked around for hours then stopped at a picnic table to have lunch. Towards the end there's a cute train ride for families. The elephant was out in the open with 2 staff monitoring it, it was so amazing to see it out just eating grass.
Visited on
Weekday
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
No

  • Deepika Singh

I visited the Edmonton Valley Zoo yesterday with my 4 year old. It was our first visit there. We really had a fun time. We were lucky to spot a lot of animals - maybe becoz we went first thing in the morning. My kid really enjoyed his time there. It was so much fun for him. Two highlights for him were to spot the elephant and the train ride.
Visited on
Weekend
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
Not sure

  • Teena Colp

Small zoo. Had a pretty good time. Due to bird flu could not see any of the birds but that is very understandable. Some of the exhibit are small thou. Much work has been done there thou since my last visit. Disappointing that all food sales stalls were closed. Maybe time of yr? But that meant no were to eat at the entire time we were there.
Visited on
Weekday
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
Not sure

  • Taiwo Adedamola Oke

Its was a really nice experience, I saw lots of animals (Tiger, Elephant, camels, zebras etc), however, I didn't get to see a Lion and a polar bear. Birds also weren't on display today. Also, if you are a newcomers in Edmonton, you can take advantage of the the city's Leisure access program (LAP) to get a membership pass (free pass ).
Visited on
Weekend
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
Not sure

  • Rob Anthony

Traveling from saskatoon, we did the basic mall trip. Waterpark and galaxy land but we decided to add this to our last day. What a great choice! The zoo is a great size (not huge like Calgary). They've done a great job with the park as they've created an inviting atmosphere for families with nice walking trails and beautiful exhibits. Definitely will go back.
Visited on
Weekend
Wait time
No wait

  • Santonio Peterson

What an experience, definitely a revamp since i was a kid. Aside from a lot of animals, where hiding or sick witch was sad. Y doughter loved the animals. Greatly appreciated and enjoyed the quality time with the family. I wish they could build larger habitat for the animals and have more activities for the childern for games and electronics studies on each animal exsibt that would benefit everyone.

  • Bee Kind

Honestly I give up on our Edmonton zoo. They either need to shut down or invest some serious money into upgrading. The animals don't seem very happy, i mean considering they are caged in and have no room to live their best lives. The only time my son had fun was when we got on a 30 second train ride. I wish the ride was way longer
Visited on
Weekday
Wait time
No wait

  • Any Liu

Excellent staff. The interpreter was engaging and kept the little one's attention. She answered all their questions patiently and explained animal behaviours between the wild and in the zoo. Highly recommended to book a party if you have any little ones interested in animals.
Visited on
Weekend
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
Yes

  • Andy

Great experience! There was a nice variety of animals, and though not all the animals were out/in view, we still saw the majority of things in the ~2 hours we spent there. Make sure to bring a hat and sunscreen on a sunny day as there's basically no shade except inside buildings.
Visited on
Weekend
Wait time
Up to 10 min
Reservation recommended
Yes

  • Justin

Went to the Zoo for a Photo shoot family cancelled last minute so just took a few pics of the animals instead. Sadly the Red Pandas were not able to leave their building due to an injury. With the bird flu going around the Birds of prey exhibit was closed as well and some of the other exhibits were unreachable due to construction. Tried to make the best of it though.

  • Heresince86

What a great first experience for my daughter and us as well! The zoo is well kept the staff were awesome very interactive and informative got to see almost all of the animals we were even lucky enough to see Lucy hanging out at the train ride loop !! Overall a great experience for the family, it wasn't busy at all which made it even better!!

  • Christina W

It was a nice way to spent a day here at the zoo. See a lot of animals here but some were not available on the day I visited. Red Panda was cute and we see goat on top of the building walking. There are lego built animal displaying there as well and they all looked amazing.
Visited on
Weekday
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
Yes

  • Tiffany Eileen

Very fun for the whole family, not to mention an affordable day out. We had an enjoyable experience and will definitely be returning to visit again. Sadly, the red panda was still sleeping but we managed to catch a few snaps of it in the tree catching some zzz's.
Visited on
Weekend
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
No

  • Mountain View Restaurant Innisfail

Amazing experience, first time witnessed feeding to a Tiger Our owner’s little daughter Aleesha had super fun. Zookeepers were super informative. Thanks for the fun filled day. Mountain View Family Restaurant Innisfail, Alberta
Visited on
Weekend
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
Not sure

  • Tylar Robideau

Had a heck of a good time, took my 9 year old for her first zoo experience and my first in 30 years, was a lot of fun! My only complaint was no paper maps and the app map I found near unusable so we just winged it. Was great fun otherwise!
Visited on
Weekday
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
Not sure

  • Abhii Max K

Cozy, lovely Friday afternoon visit was a lot of fun, especially seeing Lucy and many other wonderful animals. The zoo is well kept and maintained, and Sandy explained everything nicely for us when we purchased our tickets. Will be back one day!
Visited on
Weekday
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
No

  • Hillary McKay

Clean. It is a cute space for families and it's not over whelming for young kids. A few interactive spaces for kids to enjoy. The mini train, carousel, and rock park are the big hits with my toddlers. We booked our timed entry. Almost no line.
Visited on
Weekend
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
Yes

  • Matt M

It's definitely not the best zoo in Alberta but it is pretty good. The staff is friendly, knowledgeable and offers information about the animals. My favourite animals were the red pandas, they have a nice big area and are playful.
Visited on
Public holiday
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
No

  • Hannah-Lucille Yates

A lot of the exhibits are closed, and the ones that are open aren’t super visible. But it’s still a nice little trip if you have smaller kids and just want to get them out of the house and show them some cool animals.
Visited on
Weekend
Wait time
Up to 10 min
Reservation recommended
Yes

  • Randy Rohrbach

I’ve been to many Zoos in the US and this one in Edmonton was fun and entertaining. Not really an all day Zoo, but there is enough to keep the kiddos entertained. We had lunch there and it was adequate and not overly pricey. The staff is great and can answer any questions.

  • Kirandeep Kaur

It was nice experience but zoo is not that much big and not that much animals but good for family picnic and worth spending time. It can take probably an hour to finish all the zoo sights.
Visited on
Weekday
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
No

  • Mike Ashe

Staff were great. Anyone we came by that was working in any of the exhibits would greet us, then explain the exhibit, and tell us about the animal living there, and some history about them. It's my first visit in over 30 years, and nice to see that the place is growing.

  • Alex Gerashchenko

Personally recommend!!! Amazing zoo and stuff. Their tour program Animals talk is very informative for adults and for kids as well over around zoo locations. Planning your time with family, friends, even alone to walk over here and jump out of your daily routine!)

  • Megan Brun

Quiet day, we did the zoo in an hour and a bit and I’m sure if you had little kids you could stretch it out even longer. Lucky to see Lucy out for a stroll
Visited on
Weekend
Wait time
Up to 10 min
Reservation recommended
Not sure

  • Johnny Stene

Saw so many cool animals but we have animal at home so didn't take any pictures of animal. Instead I took pictures of other things like big water and lego sign since we don't have that at home. Also here's is a picture of a picture :)

  • David Smith

Family always has a really fun time here. Good spot to just get out of the house and walk around very reasonably priced.
Visited on
Weekday
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
Not sure

  • Leah Baiton

Really nice zoo! A little bit confusing to get around at times though and the app kept saying I wasn't in the park so that didn't help. We got to see Lucy the elephant wandering around which was super cool!

  • Heather Scott

Great day with the family. It's a smaller zoo but lots of fun animals, exhibits, and play opportunities for the family.
Visited on
Weekend
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
No

  • Basil K Varghese

The place is not that much good. There don't have much animals. The place is having some good food options.
Visited on
Public holiday
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
No

  • Pavan Jacob

Not much to see , don't get your hopes up if you are expecting exotic animals and the likes. Beautiful space though, staff are friendly . Some interesting food and beverage would be nice !

  • Sally

I'm not sure if it's because of the hot weather, but it seems like the animals are hiding. We haven't seen many species of animals.
Visited on
Weekend
Wait time
No wait

  • Calum Brown

We really enjoyed our day out to Edmonton valley zoo. Lots of friendly staff to tell us all about the animals and our highlight was the red pandas and otters. Well worth the day drip

  • Colleen

Bucket list on seeing a real Elephant ( Lucy). Beautiful zoo grounds and friendly staff.
Visited on
Weekend
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
Not sure

  • Mladen Mladenovic

Wonderful, clean, kid's friendly. It is a perfect place to spend a day with family.
Visited on
Weekday
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
No

  • Jocelyn Brown

This zoo, especially with an annual membership, is a great way to spend a couple hours with your kids or on your own if you just love animals!

  • TIXX Reviews

Meh it was not that great most of the places were closed for construction not worth the money better off going to Calgary zoo so much better

  • Tyler Reeves

Not the biggest zoo out there but still worth a visit. Perfect for 5 years to walk around and not be too much.

  • Lindsay Viscount

This was a great experience. It’s a small zoo but we really enjoyed it.

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