Best Zoos & Aquariums in Phoenix for Kids & Families

5 family-friendly zoos & aquariums with age ratings and parent tips.

Highest rated: Lizards for Kids and More, One of a Kind Petting Zoo, Papago Park. 1 listing is free. 1 listing is indoor. 3 listings are outdoor. Qualified listings include age fit, stroller notes, cost signals, and practical planning tips.

By Kit, KidPaths editor

Reviews family planning details across KidPaths city guides.

This Phoenix page currently has 5 qualified listings in zoos & aquariums that passed KidPaths' listing and photo checks. Start your comparison with Papago Park, Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park, One of a Kind Petting Zoo, then use the age, cost and visit-length notes to narrow the list.

1 option is free. 2 options work indoors or in mixed weather. 2 options have confirmed stroller access. 4 picks fit toddlers and 5 picks fit big kids.

Start near opening, choose the animals your kids care about most and keep an indoor or seated break in reserve. Large campuses can turn one exciting stop into too much walking.

Top Picks

Lizards for Kids and More

5 stars

Almost every kid has a phase where lizards are the most interesting thing on earth, and this is a room built entirely for that phase. Instead of watch

Best for about ages 5 to 15, and specifically for the kid in your house who already knows the difference between a bearded dragon and a leopard gecko. Little kids from 5 up can hold a calm animal with a hand under it and an adult beside them. Big kids and tweens are the core audience, since this is where the questions get good. Reptile-obsessed teens do fine here too. Toddlers and infants are a hard sell, because the whole experience depends on gentle, controlled hands.IndoorWalking in and looking at the animals costs nothing, so a browse is a free stop in Glendale

One of a Kind Petting Zoo

4.8 stars

Touching is the entire point, and kids feel that difference immediately. At a big zoo the animals are behind glass and forty feet away; here a four ye

Best for roughly ages 2 to 9, with 3 to 6 as the bullseye. This is a hands-on farm experience, and the entire value is a small child standing at eye level with an animal they are allowed to touch. Toddlers love it and need close supervision, since a two year old's instinct is to grab. Big kids stay interested through the feeding and the animal handling, then start to drift. Tweens and teens generally treat it as a short novelty stop unless they are the kind of kid who already loves animals, and there is not much here for a non-mobile infant.OutdoorAdmission at a small independent farm is typically the only ticketed line, and it is usually well below what the big Scottsdale attractions charge

Papago Park

4.7 stars

Hole-in-the-Rock is the star: a short, steep scramble up red sandstone that ends inside a giant natural window looking back over the city, and kids fe

3-12FreeOutdoorFree to enter and free to park, so a family of four can spend nothing at all

Phoenix Zoo

4.6 stars

Children can move among four distinct wildlife trails, watch animals from many habitats, use family play and splash areas when operating, and choose o

Best for ages 2 and upOutdoorAt current base prices, two adults and two children ages 3 through 13 total $139

Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park

4.5 stars

Wildlife World has a unique combination that most zoos don't offer: both a zoo with 600+ species of rare and exotic animals AND an aquarium in the sam

Best for ages 2 and upIndoor & Outdoor$100-160 (adults ~$30-35, kids ~$22-28, parking typically free, food adds $25-40)

Age Group

Quick Filters

5 activities

Zoos & AquariumsPartially Free

Lizards for Kids and More

5.0(14)

Ages: Best for about ages 5 to 15, and specifically for the kid in your house who already knows the difference between a bearded dragon and a leopard gecko. Little kids from 5 up can hold a calm animal with a hand under it and an adult beside them. Big kids and tweens are the core audience, since this is where the questions get good. Reptile-obsessed teens do fine here too. Toddlers and infants are a hard sell, because the whole experience depends on gentle, controlled hands.

IndoorRainy Day

Zoos & Aquariums

One of a Kind Petting Zoo

4.8(201)

Ages: Best for roughly ages 2 to 9, with 3 to 6 as the bullseye. This is a hands-on farm experience, and the entire value is a small child standing at eye level with an animal they are allowed to touch. Toddlers love it and need close supervision, since a two year old's instinct is to grab. Big kids stay interested through the feeding and the animal handling, then start to drift. Tweens and teens generally treat it as a short novelty stop unless they are the kind of kid who already loves animals, and there is not much here for a non-mobile infant.

Outdoor