Petting Zoos Open
Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park
4.5(11,634)4.5 out of 5 stars, 11634 reviews Phoenix, AZ
About Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park
Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park offers a vast collection of exotic animals, including rare species like white tigers and black jaguars, across a combined zoo, aquarium, and safari park format. Its unique value proposition lies in diverse interactive experiences such as giraffe feeding, a kangaroo walk for up-close encounters, and an animal nursery with potential for seeing cubs. The highly praised sea lion show and opportunities for petting and learning about creatures add to its distinct appeal, with operations extending late into the evening.
What parents should know
Summarized from real visitor reviews.
Best for: Families interested in seeing a very wide variety of exotic and rare animals.Visitors seeking interactive animal experiences such as feeding and petting.Families looking for an all-day (or even multi-day) entertainment experience due to the park's large size.Those who enjoy animal shows, particularly the highly-rated sea lion performance.Parents wanting to show their children baby animals or learn about wildlife.
Why families love it
- Engaging and well-done sea lion show, often cited as a highlight.
- Opportunity to feed giraffes directly.
- Kangaroo walk allows for close, personal interaction with animals.
- Animal nursery, a must-see, with past sightings of black jaguar cubs.
- Petting and interaction areas available in both zoo and aquarium sections.
- Wide variety of exotic animals, including white tigers, black jaguars, huge crocodiles, anacondas, and penguins.
Insider tips
- Bring cash to avoid the 4% surcharge on credit card purchases.
- Check online for coupons or discounts before visiting to reduce admission costs.
- Consider renting a 'rydable' (vehicle) to cover the extensive grounds, especially with young children or if you want to explore the expansion areas without missing animals.
- Visit during spring for a higher chance of seeing baby animals.
- Be prepared for potentially high overall costs if planning to participate in multiple rides or additional experiences beyond general admission.
- On hot days, bring your own water bottles or be prepared for limited cold water refill options.
Good to know before you go
- If on a strict budget, as additional costs for rides/experiences can quickly add up.
- If highly sensitive to animal welfare concerns regarding enclosure sizes and reported animal conditions.
- During peak heat, as cold water refill stations are insufficient and many animals may be less active.
- If expecting solely large, naturalistic animal habitats, as some enclosures are described as small.
- If you prefer to pay by credit card without extra fees.
- Crowds
- One review noted it 'wasn't too busy', suggesting that crowd levels can be manageable and potentially quieter than other large venues, though it likely varies by day and season.
- Value
- High admission at $52 for adults. Most rides and small experiences inside cost an additional $6 per person, quickly escalating the total expense to $100+ per person for a few activities. Credit card purchases incur an additional 4% surcharge, making cash preferable. Online coupons are sometimes available for discounts. While some find the unique experiences (e.g., giraffe feeding, sea lion show) and variety of animals to be valuable, others consider it overpriced, especially compared to alternatives like the Phoenix Zoo.
- Food
- On-site dining options include highly-rated pizza at 'Slice' and 'KC BBQ' offering good food and scenic views.
- Accessibility
- No explicit accessibility features like sensory-friendly hours or staff training for specific disabilities were mentioned.
- Safety
- No specific safety features such as staff monitoring, wristband tracking, or first aid stations were explicitly mentioned in the reviews.
What parents say
"We visited this zoo recently and were honestly disappointed, especially when comparing it to the Phoenix Zoo. General admission for adults is a steep $52, and nearly every activity inside — from rides to small experiences — costs an additional $6 per person. By the time you do a couple of rides or experiences, you’re easily spending $100+ per person. Most of the animals were sleeping during our visit, which made the experience feel even more limited. Another downside: there weren’t enough cold water refill stations, which is a big miss on a hot day — especially for families with kids. That sai"
2 weeks ago
"This zoo is okay. The enclosures are too small for a large majority of these animals and a lot of them aren't taken care of properly. For example, their Russian Tortoise's beak is overgrown and needs to be taken care of - he or she looked so sad. There is a large monitor lizard housed with a leopard tortoise in an enclosure that is too small - these two looked miserable. They're supposed to have one of the largest collections of exotic animals which might be accurate due to the small enclosures. I would even say the big cat enclosures were also small. The leopards looked irritable. The two "
in the last week
"This is a great to visit all week! This place is open all week and closes at 7:30 everyday. Here you can see animals that you never knew existed! Not only you can see them but also learn about them. In both the zoo and aquarium parts there’s (a) place(s) to pet and interact with the creatures! To conclude, if you’re interested in wildlife then this is the place for you!"
in the last week
Reviews sourced from public Google data.
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