Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo

Small "zoo" and children's museum in Palo Alto, very conveniently located near playgrounds and restaurants

Tickets are $10 per person (kids over 1 need tickets), so not that expensive! It is pretty small so you can get through most of it in 90minutes to an hour. But, they have a lot of fun activities for the littles. Everything is pretty much the same year-round, so not any special exhibits or anything. I think this is best for kids under 4/5, as there might not be enough to do for the older kiddos.

This is a great option for a fun morning outing with a toddler!

Small but a cute zoo and learning center for young kids. There are different areas kids can play with gadgets where they can also learn about science. There is a dinosaur garden (quite small) but it's a nice place to sit and take a few pictures with some dino buddies.

The zoo itself has a few wildlife on display, primarily a variety of birds. They have bunny rabbits, raccoons, and a really nice fish pond that is transparent on one side and great for viewing their fish collection. There are areas for young children to crawl through and a rope bridge for kids to travel on the second floor.

It's in a nice and safe area right next to a beautiful park. Parking lot on site and overflow street parking is also available.

The activities and play stations are perfectly designed for kids, keeping them engaged and excited. The absolute highlight was the animals. My Littles (ages 1 & 3) were overjoyed and loved being able to interact with them.

The facilities are impeccably maintained, and the staff were incredibly friendly and attentive. Despite the 1.5-hour drive, we will absolutely make the trip again. This place is a must-visit for anyone looking for a fun, educational, and memorable outing!

Very small zoo and museum, but it felt open and clean.

There really aren't many animals. The flamingos and meerkats are really the most exotic animals they have there. It IS super cool that they have a flamingo feeding, but there's a huge line you have to wait through if you want to do that, which may be hard with a young child. And it's only at a specific time each day.

The indoors is also pretty small, but there are enough minor exhibits to entertain a toddler for hours, probably. And as I mentioned previously, it's a nice, clean feeling space, so it's a pleasant place to pass the time and entertain your kiddo.

Tickets are only $10 which is shockingly cheap to me for Palo Alto. If I lived closer, I would definitely get membership so I could go more frequently, especially in the summer, when it's too hot to go to an unshaded park/playground.

Really fun hidden gem with a price of $10 per person. The staff are very friendly. The outside is a little zoo! All of the animals look happy and well cared for. The highlight was definitely feeding the flamingos. The indoor section has a variety of activities as well. I would say this is more geared for kids under 5-6. Our 9 yr old went through the whole place in about 40 minutes but still had a blast. The 2nd time we brought a 3 yr old and she played for almost 3 hrs.

We just happened upon this place and we could not have been happier!
The zoo area has beautiful and interested animals. Dancing parrots and inquisitive raccoons! It also has a fun treehouse above with suspension bridges.
They have an interactive play space and an outdoor dinosaur garden. This was well worth the $10 entry fee.
One last thing our kids ages range from 7-15 and they all had fun!

We stumbled upon this delightful museum and zoo that's conveniently closer than the ones in San Francisco. Perfect for younger kids, especially my three-year-old niece who loves hands-on activities. The junior museum is akin to the Children's Discovery but at a fraction of the cost, making it worthwhile to become a member.

The only challenge is its small size, so purchasing tickets for a time slot in advance is highly recommended. Morning spots are usually booked fast, but afternoons work well.

The museum is vibrant, creative, and kids have a blast. My niece enjoys the zoo outdoors, climbing, and checking out the dinosaurs. The only drawback is limited space and no snack area anywhere on premise. We are told it was because of critters.

However, the nearby playground compensates for a nice break area. There's no souvenir shop or refreshments, but I highly recommend it for young elementary school kids.

Parking is available, though the lot can fill up, but street parking is an option. Overall, a fun and worthwhile place to visit regularly. Be prepare to chase your kids around the zoo and wear comfortable sneakers.

TICKETS: Came here on a Saturday at 10, but they were sold out. So, we had to get tickets for 12:30. That said, be sure to buy your tickets ahead of time (and know that the website was not intuitive to anyone in our group, even those who are software engineers).

Tickets are only $10, but that is also the cost for babies once they are 1 year old.

ANIMALS: Animals are very limited and it's a stretch to call this place a zoo in my opinion. There are raccoons, rabbits, fish, and some flamingos. The most "exotic" animal was a meerkat. There are some areas outdoors where children can "crawl" into small spaces to see animals, making this place all the more toddler friendly.

OTHER: This place is ideal for children who have not really gone to a zoo before or don't have high expectations of seeing animals like tigers or elephants. There are child sized toilets in the bathroom. The park next door, Rinconada park, is one of the nicest parks I've visited. It's a nice way to pass time if you're early for your ticket time.

LAYOUT: Everything is clean, well maintained, and well thought out. The indoor space can keep kids busy for a long time, which kinda makes up for the very small outdoor space. There is also a fun treehouse outdoors for adults and children to explore. Displays are in Spanish as well as English.

BOTTOM LINE: This is a "nice to do", but not a "must do" in my opinion. It's especially good for children who have not yet been to a zoo. Would return but in no rush to do so. This is a good place to spend about 2 hours.

It's a small zoo but packed full of fun. There is a peacock that roams about, a tree house with netting to run around on, you can feed the flamingos, and catch the sloth and bald eagle shows.
There is a small Dinosaur Garden where you can "dig for fossils".
The museum part is in doors and full of interactive things to do and it even has a baby area where they can crawl and play!
Bonus, an awesome playground right next door!

One of my friend recommended this place so thought of giving it a try. Went here on a Saturday morning and guess what it was sold out. We could get a 12:30pm ticket. So plan to purchase your tickets in advance.
The ticket was$10/person and it was priced right. I was surprised how come it is that cheap but they don't have a big space. Limited animals , limited play area. They call it a zoo but they have only birds, racoon and some animals. Its more like an indoor play center + some animals . so right for the price.

They had flamingo feeding session which my daughter loved the most. Flamingos were so pretty.
So def worth trying it out if you don't want to spend crazy amount on entry at other places. but remember its not a zoo and they don't have food / drink shops inside. So we had to doordash food and they have a small place where you can eat food. So come prepared.