Open Daily 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Last entry at 6:00 p.m.
Last entry at 6:00 p.m.
A 4-D Experience starts with the stunning visuals of a 3-D movie, and then adds effects like scents, mists, bubbles, lights, and more to bring movies to life. All movies are between 10-15 minutes of fun!
Get ready for an adventure of mammoth proportions – Ice Age Dawn of the Dinosaurs – The 4-D Experience! Our favorite sub-zero heroes, Manny, Ellie and Diego venture into a mysterious underground world after Sid the sloth stumbles across three abandoned eggs and decides to raise them as his own. Once the eggs hatch, the adventure begins in the lost world of the dinosaurs! Featured in eye-popping 3-D with an all-star voice cast, including Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary and Queen Latifah, Ice Age Dawn of the Dinosaurs delivers more thrills, more chills, and more mammoth-sized laughs for everyone!
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs™& © 2013 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
Join this wild 4-D adventure as grizzly bears emerge from their winter dens in the Alaskan mountains and forage for whatever food they can find. They travel up the west coast of North America to feast on the great salmon run, one of nature’s most amazing events. The salmon is on its annual journey upstream to the mountain streams in which they were born. Their passage is fraught with danger – from raging rapids and waterfalls to hungry grizzly bears. Other predators join the feast, including orcas, Steller sea lions, salmon sharks and the bald eagle. Presented in high definition 3D plus in-theater special effects, this captivating 12-minute show provides insight into the forces of nature, which drive a chain reaction culminating in a spectacular wildlife event. For some animals, it’s a window of opportunity, but for others, it’s the most dangerous time of their lives.
Grizzly Bears™& © 2013 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
Please note: The 4-D Experience contains theatrical lighting, including strobe lights. Please use discretion if your child is easily startled, or if you have medical conditions related to your back. An assistive listening system is available in the 4-D Experience theater. Please ask a theater attendant for a headset prior to seating.
• Strollers are not permitted within the theater, stroller parking is available.
• The Houston Zoo is not responsible for lost or stolen items.
The Houston Zoo’s Wildlife Carousel is located at the entrance to the John P. McGovern Children’s Zoo. The carousel is a unique work of art, hand carved and painted.Many of the exotic animals represented on the carousel can be found in the zoo, such as the okapi, bongo, babirusa and giant eland. Also represented are the only armadillos known to exist as carousel figures!
A portion of the proceeds from the Carousel helps fund the Zoo’s ongoing conservation efforts. Riders of all ages can have fun taking a spin and knowing that they are bringing hope to endangered species and wild habitats around the world!
Tickets: $1.25 members, $2.50 non-members
Zoo guests have a unique opportunity to interact with our our Masai giraffe family at the Giraffe Feeding Platform. Our giraffes are among the most beloved at the Houston Zoo for their charm and obvious curiosity about their visitors!
Make your way up the ramp to the feeding area for a birds-eye view of the giraffes, zebra, and ostriches while you offer a crunchy lettuce leaf snack to your new long-necked pals.
Feedings daily at 11 am and 2 pm* – $5 for giraffe food
*dependent on weather and giraffe participation
Revenue generated from giraffe feeding helps support the care of our giraffes and the other 6,000 animals at the Houston Zoo.
Where are the Koolookamba? Look carefully as you journey through The African Forest. While there is no signage pointing you in the right direction, you will see indications and likely even glimpses of the Koolookamba along the way. There are many hidden images; in essence, a Koolookamba waits around many corners.
Gorilla Tommy has seen many different Koolookamba images. Check all around on walls, buildings, trees and other surfaces. Fact or fiction, this forest creature ignited Gorilla Tommy’s transformation from exploiter of the earth to a protector of the environment. If the Koolookamba is a myth, it’s a myth with a powerful impact.
Gorilla Tommy has seen 29 Koolookamba in The African Forest. Can you find them all?
Before Your Visit: In case you would like a little help with your search, we have provided a slideshow with pictures of each Koolookamba’s location to guide you in the right direction.
Hours: 9-11:45am and 1-3:45pm
Closed major holidays
Have you ever found a mysterious rock, fossil, shell, or bone and thought “wow…this is really cool! I wonder what it is?” Well, you’ll never have to wonder again.
Just visit the Naturally Wild Swap Shop: it’s a place to bring items you have found in nature and trade them for natural items in our collection.
How It Works:
1. Find a natural item you are interested in or would like to know more about.
2. Learn all you can about your item.
3. Bring your item to the Swap Shop and discuss what you learned with our Naturalist.
4. Earn points for your item and for your knowledge about the item.
5. Trade your points for something in our collection or save them for later.
You Can Earn Points For:
1. Knowledge – What do you know about your item? Have you learned something interesting about your item?
2. Quality – Is your item clean? Is it in good condition?
3. Effort – What did you do to find your item? How much time did you spend researching and learning about it?
The Water Play Park, free with your Zoo admission, is more than 13,500 square feet of family fun. This summer oasis has 37 different water play features, from a friendly and colorful sea serpent to a tall ‘fill and spill’ water tree, and a variety of ‘water weavers’, fountains, jets and misters. The design also incorporates private changing stalls and a seating wall allowing families to monitor their children and watch the fun. An advanced filtration system allows us to maintain excellent water quality while conserving water and energy.
The Water Play Park is also notable for its ‘green’ design. The Park’s water features are only activated when a guest steps on one of two touch sensors. When left untouched, the Park remains in ‘sleep’ mode until a guest activates the sensor, conserving both water and electricity.
The Water Play Park is now open for the season. It will be open every day if the weather is above 70 degrees.