The Houston Zoo is better than you think, maybe you’ve heard people say that it’s small, or that there isn’t enough variety, or maybe that it is disorganized. To an extent some of these are true, it has some glaring flaws and definitely isn’t the greatest zoo of all time, but, it’s not as bad as everyone says, it is still enjoyable to go look at the animals. 

The biggest problem at the zoo is how nonlinear it is; you end up having to backtrack through exhibits to see everything, the maps are also few and far between so it can be hard to navigate, and with over 600 different species, it is very likely you’ll miss a few unless you really know the layout, there isn’t really any consistent flow to the place, as of 2022 the first exhibit your likely to see is the reptile house, because it’s the closest to the entrance, from there that leads out to a few different areas, but the most visible is the elephant exhibit. From the elephant enclosures you can stay left and see the savannah animals, like Bongos, or go see the big and small cats, which of course most people would rather see lions and leopards, then then the admittedly majestic bongo, which just simply fails to catch the average zoo goers attention, thus skipping a whole section including zebras, the adorable pygmy hippo, and more.

The zoo is a wonderful place with wonderful goals of conservation and wonderful exhibits, it just falls flat o

n its face when it comes to its organization. There is a lot of room for improvement,  but overall it is a great experience to just go and see the animals.