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Spring Break Traffic Can Be A Bear!
We can promise you a “naturally wild” experience each time you visit the Houston Zoo. For Spring Break we’ve got some tips that can make your trip to the Zoo a bit more tame.
The Houston Zoo is a popular destination throughout the month of March, and especially so during Spring Break!
This year Spring Break (March 12 – 21) coincides with the last week of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.
That means Zoo guests and visitors to other attractions in Hermann Park can expect especially heavy traffic in and around the Park.
Parking is limited in Hermann Park. To beat the traffic jams and the parking challenges, please consider carpooling or riding METRO’s bus system or METRORail.
Save $2 off and adult Zoo Admission and $1 off a child’s admission when you present your METRO Q Card or any METRO bus or METRORail ticket at the Zoo admission booth (one offer per person).
For our guests whose Spring Break plans must include travel by car, off-site parking is available just a short walk away at Memorial Hermann Medical Plaza, 6400 Fannin. The garage charges for parking. Special rates apply on weekends. Just look for the signs at the garage entrances on Main and Fannin just south of Cambridge Street (formerly N. MacGregor).
RIDE METRO
METRORail and METRO’s bus system are good alternatives to navigating Spring Break traffic in search of a parking spot.
So, where to park to catch the train?
During Spring Break we suggest catching METRORail from the following stations in the downtown area. These 4 locations are near surface parking lots:Preston Street Station
Main Street Square Station
Bell Street Station
METRO’s Downtown Transit Center Station
RIDING METRORAIL
Two METRORail stations serve the Zoo and Hermann Park: Hermann Park/Rice U Station at Fannin and Sunset, or the Memorial Hermann Hospital/Houston Zoo Station on Fannin between Cambridge (formerly North MacGregor) and Ross Sterling.
* From the Hermann Park/Rice U station enter Hermann Park and turn left down the gravel path to the Park’s Reflection Pool. Turning right, walk along the Reflection Pool to McGovern Lake. Turn left at the lake and follow the path to the Zoo’s front plaza.
* From Memorial Hermann Hospital/Houston Zoo Station, walk to Cambridge, cross the street and turn right. The Houston Zoo’s West Gate entrance is approximately 2 blocks away, across the street from Ben Taub Hospital at Ben Taub Loop and Cambridge.
For more information on the METRORail system, including a map, schedule and fares, visit www.ridemetro.org or call METROLine at 713.635.4000.
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METRO BUS ROUTES THAT SERVE THE ZOO AND HERMANN PARK
Below are some of the METRO bus routes that serve the Houston Zoo, Hermann Park, and the Texas Medical Center. For more METRO bus route information, visit http://www.ridemetro.org/Schedules_and_Maps/bus_routes.asp
1 Hospital
2 Bellaire
4 Beechnut
8 South Main
34 Montrose Crosstown
26/27 Inner/Outer Loop
CARPOOL
Share the ride reduce your carbon footprint! Park on level 6 and above at Memorial Hermann Medical Plaza, 6400 Fannin. Three garage entrances offer access from either Fannin or Main Street. If you are visiting the Zoo during the week, please park on level 7. You will need to take the elevators to Level One to gain access to the street. The Zoo’s West entry is located on Cambridge across from Ben Taub Hospital, a short 7-minute walk from the garage.
Parking rates are as follows:
Weekday Rates:
| 1 hr to 1 hr & 20 min. | $7.00 |
| 1 hr & 21 min. to 1 hr & 40 min. | $8.00 |
| 1 hr & 41 min. to 2 hrs. | $9.00 |
| 2 hrs. to 2 hrs. & 20 min. | $10.00 |
| 2 hrs. & 20 min to 2 hrs. & 40 min. | $11.00 |
| 2 hrs. & 41 min. to 24 hrs | $12.00 |
| 7 hrs. & 1 min to 24 hrs. |
$13.00
|
LOST TICKET - $13.00
Evening and Weekend Rates
(in after 5PM and out by 8AM, M-F; All Day Sat and Sun)
Graduated as above to maximum of $7.00
Valet Rates
(Open M-F, 7AM until 6PM)
0 to 1 Hr $10.00
1 Hr to 24 Hrs. $15.00
