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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 16 – 20) 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.
RIDE METRO
METRORail and METRO’s bus system are good alternatives to navigating Spring Break traffic in search of a parking spot.
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
RIDE METRORAIL
From the south, you can catch METRORail at the Fannin South Park & Ride lot located at 1604 West Bellfort (between Knight and Fannin). Or you can park downtown and catch METRORail at any of the downtown rail stations.
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 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 North MacGregor, cross the street and turn right. The Houston Zoo’s Medical Center Gate entrance is approximately a block away, across the street from Ben Taub Hospital.
For more information on the METRORail system, including a map, schedule and fares, visit www.ridemetro.org or call METROLine at 713.635.4000.
Carpool
Share the ride reduce your carbon footprint! Park on level 7 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 Medical Center Gate is located on North MacGregor 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. $5.00
1 hr & 21 min. to 1 hr & 40 min. $6.00
1 hr & 41 min. to 2 hrs. $7.00
2 hrs. to 2 hrs. & 20 min. $8.00
2 hrs. & 20 min to 2 hrs. & 40 min $9.00
2 hrs. & 41 min. to 24 hrs. $10.00
Lost ticket $10.00
Evening and Weekend Rates
(in after 5PM and out by 8AM, M-F; All Day Sat and Sun)
Flat Rate $6.00
Valet Rates
(Open M-F, 7AM until 6PM)
0 1 Hr $10.00
1 Hr to 24 Hrs. $15.00
