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Field Trips
Zoo Field Trips
We’re glad you’re thinking of visiting the Houston Zoo with your students or educational youth group. The Zoo is an outdoor learning laboratory that can complement your classroom lessons in many ways. The resources on this page are provided to help make the best experience for you, your chaperones, and your students.
How to Reserve Your Field Trip
To schedule your Houston Zoo field trip, follow the steps below. If you have questions, please contact our Call Center at 713-533-6550.
Determine the admission rate for your group.
Zoo admission is free for organized school groups Monday-Thursday, 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. for students up to age nineteen from schools within the corporate limits of the City of Houston and Title I classified campuses. Unfortunately, day cares, pre-schools, head starts, home schools, and colleges are not eligible for the free school program. Bus drivers transporting school field trips will be required to purchase a ticket to enter the Zoo.
Choose a date for your visit.
We limit school reservations to 2,500 youth per day to maximize your field trip experience. Late March through most of May are the busiest times for field trips. The Zoo is open every day except December 25.
Choose a program or experience to add to your field trip.
We have TEKS-aligned, interactive classes and assembly programs that include animal artifacts and live animal presentations, as well as giraffe feeding, the Wildlife Carousel and a 4-D Experience, all available to groups as add-ons to their field trip experience.
Download and complete the Field Trip Reservation Request Form.
The form is in Microsoft Excel format. All Field Trip Reservation Request Forms and payment must be received 3 weeks prior to the date of your field trip experience. Field Trip Reservation Request Form (Excel)
Email or fax in the completed Field Trip Reservation Request Form.
Houston Zoo Call Center Agents will process your request and send an email confirmation to you within 2-3 business days of receiving the Field Trip Reservation Request Form. Included in the confirmation will be payment instructions. Your trip is not confirmed until you receive the confirmation email.
Bring our Creature Quests with you to engage the students.
Creature Quests
Remember Chaperone Ratios.
We require at least one (1) chaperone for every ten (10) students at all times for K-12, and at least one (1) chaperone for every five (5) students for pre-school.
Enjoy the Houston Zoo on your selected date!
Don’t forget to check here to find out the daily activities happening at the Zoo, or download the iPhone or Android app to help you plan your trip.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does the bus park?
After dropping students and teachers off at the front entry plaza, bus drivers will proceed to park in the middle parking lot, in front of the Hermann Park Train Station. If parking is not available, there is additional parking along the curb of Hermann Park Dr. adjacent to the Houston Zoo. Here is a detailed map of the Zoo with bus parking locations.
Bus Parking Map
How does my group enter the Zoo?
During the months of March through May, your group will be met by a Field Trip Associate (FTA) as you arrive. The FTA will go over Minding their Zoo Manners with your group, and will then direct you to a colored flag to await entrance to the Zoo. When ready, the FTA will let the group know they may enter. It is best that you distribute all the tickets to the students in advance. After entering, the group should continue past the aquarium to the open space to the left of the circular rose garden, where you can give any final reminders to your group.
What are the rules we should follow while at the Zoo?
We ask that every group at the Zoo please Mind Their Zoo Manners.
- Help us care for our animals. Please do not feed them and do not throw anything at them.
- Enjoy the beauty of our Zoo landscape, but do not climb the trees, play in the flower beds, or pick the flowers.
- As much as we all love animals, please do not bring your pets to the Zoo, and please do not leave them in your vehicle.
- The barricades and fences throughout the Zoo are there to protect you and our animals. Please stay on your side.
- We let the animals run around naked, but please keep yourself covered, including shirts and shoes.
- Please do not smoke anywhere inside the Zoo.
- Glass containers, balls, bikes, inflatable objects, lids, roller blades and shoes, radios/CD players, skates, skateboards, straws and weapons are not allowed on Zoo grounds.
What do we do if it rains on the day of the field trip?
The Zoo is open rain or shine. We have plenty of indoor facilities, and if you dress for the weather, you can still have an amazing experience. If you are a free group, you can change the date of your visit, as long as there is still capacity, to an alternate date for a $25 rescheduling fee. If you are a paid group, your tickets are valid for 3 months from the originally scheduled date of your trip. In either case, you need to call the Call Center at (713) 533-6500 in order to reschedule.
What do we do with our lunches?
You are welcome to bring your lunches to the Zoo, however there is not a location available for storage. We have plenty of picnic and shady areas located throughout the Zoo for your group to eat. We suggest picking a place ahead of time, and communicating that to the chaperones. Also, we appreciate if you remind your students to pick up after themselves. You can locate all the areas on our
Zoo map.
What do we do if we have chaperones that need to pay for tickets?
Please inform your chaperones to
purchase their tickets in advance. If they need to purchase tickets on the day of the field trip, please ask them to do so before you arrive. This way your trip can start as soon as the group arrives.
What is your cancellation policy?
All tickets are non-refundable, and if a group needs to cancel, tickets will be voided. If a group would like to reschedule their field trip, a $25 fee will be assessed. If the group is taking a program (Adventure Class/Assembly Program) and would like to reschedule, the request must be made 21 days prior to the original program date, and a $25 rescheduling fee will be assessed. The Houston Zoo reserves the right to cancel any program due to minimum enrollment, inclement weather, or unforeseen circumstances, in which case a full refund will be issued. Cancellations are official upon receipt of confirmation from the Houston Zoo.
Additional Field trip Links
Teacher Field Trip Advice, Checklist and Map
Chaperone Field Trip Checklist and Map
Creature Quests – A Fun-Filled Journey through the Zoo
Latest news and Today’s Keeper Chat Schedule
