Saint Louis Zoo

About Saint Louis Zoo

The Saint Louis Zoo sits inside Forest Park in St. Louis, Missouri, next to Highway 40/I-64, at an address of 1 Government Drive. The zoo was founded in 1904 and is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, a distinction the zoo describes as the gold standard for animal care, welfare, veterinary care, scientific advancement, conservation, education and safety. Admission to the Saint Louis Zoo is free, a policy the zoo frames as part of a broader commitment: its public materials state that being "free" means more than waived entrance fees, describing an intent to remain a place free of inequality and intolerance as well.

The zoo's stated mission centers on conserving animals and their habitats through animal management, research, recreation and education, and it organizes its site by animal classification and by the zone in which each species can be found. Its website lists at least 171 species drawn from its own animal-classification pages, ranging alphabetically from addax to zebra, and its work spans everything from its main Forest Park grounds to an off-site wildlife reserve dedicated to red wolf conservation.

History

The Saint Louis Zoo was founded in 1904 and has operated ever since from its Forest Park location alongside Highway 40/I-64. The zoo has built its identity in part around keeping admission free for the public — a policy its own materials trace to founding values around accessibility rather than a later change — while growing into an AZA-accredited institution with a broad research and conservation program, including the Sears Lehmann, Jr. Wildlife Reserve described below.

Exhibits and habitats

Visitors can explore several named zones and attractions across the Zoo's Forest Park campus. The Wild area is home to the Conservation Carousel and, at times, a temporary Dinoroarus dinosaur exhibit. River's Edge takes guests along four continents' worth of habitats and includes a themed gift shop devoted to elephants. Polar Bear Point and Penguin & Puffin Coast give the zoo indoor, climate-controlled spaces for its cold-weather species, while Fragile Forest, near the Wild Train Station, serves as the outdoor home for the zoo's great apes. The historic 1904 Flight Cage and the Bird House hold the zoo's aviary collection, and Reptile Redwood sits in front of the zoo's historic Herpetarium on Historic Hill, near the Red Rocks area.

Paid attractions layered on top of free general admission include Stingrays at Caribbean Cove, a Wild Explorer Virtual Reality experience, and a Sea Lion Show performed at the Sea Lion Arena; these and other paid experiences are bundled into the zoo's Adventure Pass. The Zooline Railroad runs through the grounds as an accessible, ADA-compliant train ride. Shopping is spread across several gift shops, including the Safari Gift Shop near the south entrance, the Treetop Shop at the north entrance, the Wild Outpost between the Wild Train Station and Fragile Forest, and bear- and penguin-themed shops near Polar Bear Point and Penguin & Puffin Coast.

Animal highlights

The Saint Louis Zoo lists at least 171 species on its website, spanning mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish and invertebrates. Among the species named are the Asian elephant, Amur tiger, western lowland gorilla, Sumatran orangutan, cheetah, polar bear, hippopotamus, okapi, Grevy's zebra, black rhinoceros, African wild dog, spotted hyena, red panda, Komodo dragon, King cobra, Humboldt penguin, king penguin, gentoo penguin, bald eagle and Chinese alligator, alongside dozens of smaller reptiles, amphibians, birds and invertebrates such as the Eastern hellbender, poison dart frog, tomato frog and Mexican red-knee tarantula.

Conservation and programs

The zoo's Sears Lehmann, Jr. Wildlife Reserve is a 355-acre natural area in Franklin County, about 40 miles southwest of St. Louis, donated by Peggy Lehmann in honor of her late husband. The reserve includes a 20-acre conservation center dedicated to the American red wolf, one of the world's most endangered wolf species, with fewer than 40 remaining in the wild and roughly 300 living in professional care nationwide. Seven habitats at the reserve support breeding pairs and family packs; the first nine wolves arrived in 2022, the reserve marked its first two successful litters in 2024, and in 2026 three pups born there were successfully fostered into a wild red wolf family in North Carolina — a first for the zoo. Every wolf at the reserve is considered a potential candidate for release into the wild, which is why the property stays closed to the public. The reserve partners with the AZA's Red Wolf Saving Animals From Extinction program and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the zoo has also worked to remove invasive plants such as bush honeysuckle and Eastern red cedar from the property, replacing them with native trees, grasses and flowering perennials.

Planning your visit

General admission to the Saint Louis Zoo is free, though a number of attractions and services require separate payment, bundled into the zoo's Adventure Pass. As listed on the zoo's website, hours vary by season — the zoo posts specific daily hours in the fall shoulder season before settling into a 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily schedule from October through December, with shortened hours on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, and closure on Christmas Day and New Year's Day. The zoo has moved to a fully cashless payment system, though on-site cash-to-card kiosks can convert cash into a prepaid card at no extra fee.

Parking is not free: non-member parking costs $20 per car, while members at different tiers pay $5 or park free depending on their membership level, and all transactions are cashless. Two electric vehicle charging stations are available at no cost in the South Parking Lot, and MetroBus route 90 stops within walking distance of the North Entrance. Strollers, electric convenience vehicles and wheelchairs are available to rent on a first-come, first-served basis, and the zoo offers Equal Access Passes that let guests with disabilities skip continuous waits at select attractions, including the Zooline Railroad and Stingrays at Caribbean Cove. The zoo has earned Sensory Inclusive certification through KultureCity, offers assisted listening devices at the Sea Lion Arena and other venues, and provides audio descriptive services for select areas with advance registration. Family restrooms and lactation rooms are available at multiple points around the grounds. Service animals as defined by the ADA are welcome throughout the zoo, with the exception of the 1904 Flight Cage and the Bird House. For security, the zoo screens guests with a detection system at both entrances and may direct large bags for additional search. As always, confirm current hours, parking costs and attraction pricing on the zoo's official website before your visit.