Dallas Zoo and Fort Worth Zoo: 2026 Visitor Guide, Tickets & Seasonal Events

Why Dallas Zoo and Fort Worth Zoo Deserve a Spot on Your 2026 Calendar

The Metroplex is home to two of the most respected zoos in the country, and they sit less than 35 miles apart. Dallas Zoo anchors the Oak Cliff side of Dallas with its sprawling African-themed habitats, while Fort Worth Zoo, tucked into the Cultural District, consistently ranks among the top zoos in the United States for exhibit design and animal welfare. Whether you're a DFW local planning a weekend outing, a new resident scoping out family attractions, or a visitor mapping out a Texas trip, this guide breaks down hours, tickets, must-see exhibits, and the seasonal events worth building a whole day around in 2026.

Dallas Zoo 2026 Visitor Guide

Getting There & Hours

Dallas Zoo sits at 650 South R.L. Thornton Freeway in Oak Cliff, and it's one of the rare DFW attractions with its own dedicated transit stop, the Dallas Zoo Station on DART's Red Line drops you directly at the front gate, which is worth considering if you're trying to dodge I-35E traffic on a weekend. The zoo typically opens at 9 a.m. daily, with closing times shifting seasonally between 4 p.m. in the cooler months and 5 p.m. during the summer stretch. Arriving right at opening is the move if you want animal activity before the Texas heat sends everyone into the shade by early afternoon.

2026 Ticket Pricing & Membership

General admission at Dallas Zoo typically runs in the mid-$20s for adults, with reduced rates for children ages 2-12 and seniors, and kids under 2 admitted free. Parking is a separate fee collected on-site. If you're planning more than two visits in a year, an annual membership usually pays for itself and often includes reciprocal admission benefits at other accredited zoos and aquariums around the country, handy if your family travels. Because pricing adjusts from season to season, it's worth double-checking exact rates on the zoo's official ticketing page before you head out, especially if you're buying for a large group.

Must-See Exhibits at Dallas Zoo

Giants of the Savanna is the exhibit most first-time visitors talk about, a multi-species African habitat where giraffes, zebras, and ostriches share sightlines across an open plain, giving you a rare chance to watch different species interact naturally. Simmons Safari Base Camp offers up-close giraffe feeding opportunities for an additional fee, which is consistently the highlight for younger kids. ZooNorth houses the primate collection and the Lacerte Family Children's Zoo, where hands-on animal encounters make it the go-to zone for toddlers and early elementary-age kids who need more interactive stops than pure viewing.

Seasonal Events at Dallas Zoo in 2026

Dallas Zoo leans into its calendar of themed weekends. Its Halloween season event brings trick-or-treat stations throughout the grounds and costume-friendly daytime hours geared toward families with younger children who want the holiday experience without the scarier nighttime haunts. Summer months bring extended evening hours on select dates, letting visitors avoid the worst of the midday heat while animals are often more active in the cooler evening air. If you're building out a broader fall itinerary around Halloween, it's worth cross-referencing DFWPulse's early guide to Halloween 2026 haunted houses and pumpkin patches and the roundup of the best pumpkin patches and fall festivals in DFW to fill out the rest of your weekend.

Fort Worth Zoo 2026 Visitor Guide

Getting There & Hours

Fort Worth Zoo is located at 1989 Colonial Parkway, right in the Cultural District alongside the Fort Worth Botanic Garden and Trinity Park. This location matters for trip planning, it puts the zoo within a five-minute drive of the Kimbell Art Museum and the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, making it easy to combine a morning at the zoo with an afternoon of art if you're spending a full day in that part of the city. Standard hours run 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. most of the year, with extended summer hours on select days. On-site parking is available for a flat fee.

2026 Ticket Pricing & Membership

Fort Worth Zoo's general admission tends to run slightly lower than Dallas Zoo's, typically landing in the high teens to low $20s for adults, with discounted child and senior pricing. As with Dallas Zoo, annual memberships are available and frequently include reciprocal privileges at partner zoos nationwide. Because both zoos periodically adjust pricing tiers and add timed-entry requirements during peak season, checking each zoo's official site the week of your visit is the safest way to avoid surprises at the gate.

Must-See Exhibits at Fort Worth Zoo

Elephant Springs is the zoo's signature habitat, a multi-acre space shared by Asian elephants, southern white rhinos, and reticulated giraffes, designed to mimic the mixed-species watering holes you'd see on an actual African or Asian savanna. Predators of Asia showcases tigers and red pandas in naturalistic, densely planted enclosures. The Museum of Living Art, known locally as MOLA, is one of the more underrated stops in the entire Metroplex, a herpetarium that's been recognized nationally for its reptile and amphibian collection, including komodo dragons and an impressive venomous snake gallery that reptile-curious kids tend to remember long after the visit.

Seasonal Events at Fort Worth Zoo in 2026

Fort Worth Zoo runs its own Halloween-season programming with trick-or-treat trails and daytime costume hours aimed squarely at families with young kids, plus summer camp sessions for school-age children during June and July that combine animal education with hands-on activities. Because the zoo sits inside the Cultural District, its seasonal events pair naturally with whatever else is happening nearby that week, check DFWPulse's Fort Worth events guide for live music, theater, and more to see what else is on the calendar before you commit to a date.

Dallas Zoo vs. Fort Worth Zoo: Which One Should You Visit First?

If you only have time for one zoo this year, the decision usually comes down to what else is on your itinerary. Families staying in Oak Cliff or planning a Bishop Arts District afternoon should lean toward Dallas Zoo, since the neighborhoods sit close enough together to combine a morning at the zoo with lunch and shopping, DFWPulse's Bishop Arts District guide covers the boutiques and restaurants worth adding to that day. Families basing their trip around Fort Worth's Cultural District should go with Fort Worth Zoo and pair it with a museum stop, DFWPulse's comparison of the Kimbell Art Museum and the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth lays out which one fits your group better, and both are a short drive from the zoo entrance.

In terms of pure exhibit design, Fort Worth Zoo's Elephant Springs habitat and MOLA herpetarium give it a slight edge for reptile enthusiasts and multi-species savanna viewing, while Dallas Zoo's Giants of the Savanna and giraffe feeding at Simmons Safari Base Camp make it the stronger pick for families prioritizing hands-on animal encounters. Neither zoo is a letdown, the real deciding factor is which side of the Metroplex you're already spending your day in.

Planning a Full Day Around Either Zoo

Both zoos are large enough that a full loop, including feeding experiences and a food break, takes most families three to four hours. Strollers and wagons are allowed at both locations and can be rented on-site if you don't want to haul your own from the car. Summer visits are best tackled early, arrive at opening, hit the outdoor savanna and safari exhibits first while animals are most active, then shift toward shaded, indoor exhibits like MOLA at Fort Worth Zoo or the primate buildings at Dallas Zoo's ZooNorth once the midday sun sets in.

If you're relocating to the area and trying to figure out which suburb puts you closest to family attractions like these zoos, DFWPulse's guide to family-friendly DFW neighborhoods for out-of-state movers breaks down commute times and school districts near both Oak Cliff and the Fort Worth Cultural District. And if your visit lines up with the holidays, both zoos tend to layer in extra family programming around Thanksgiving week, worth checking DFWPulse's Thanksgiving week 2026 guide to see what else is happening around town that same week so you can turn a zoo trip into a full weekend of activities.

If you'd like to stay up to date on events around DFW, bookmark DFWPulse and check back often, we keep the calendar fresh so you never miss what's happening in your city.