The Learning Zoo

About The Learning Zoo

The Learning Zoo is a small, hands-on zoo at 15428 Delores Ln in Conroe, Texas, off FM 1488 and Highway 242 and, as its website puts it, minutes from The Woodlands. Its stated mission is to encourage conservation, foster respect and appreciation for nature, and educate the community through personal encounters with wildlife. The website says the zoo is a licensed USDA Animal Exhibitor and carries general liability insurance. It is not accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

The zoo offers open hours for the general public, private VIP animal experiences, field trips, school visits and birthday parties. Its layout, as described across the website, includes a Petting Zoo, a Reptile House, a walk-in bird aviary and a Tortoise Feeding Yard, also called the Tortoise Gardens, along with an outdoor party garden.

Exhibits and habitats

The animals page on the zoo's website lists White's tree frogs, an African pygmy hedgehog, black-tailed prairie dogs, Nigerian dwarf goats, miniature zebu, a sun conure, Indian peafowl, an axolotl, a tiger salamander and Grand Cayman blue iguanas. Other pages mention pythons, tortoises, parakeets, tarantulas and parrots among the animals visitors meet.

During open hours, visitors move at their own pace, feeding tortoises, brushing and petting the goats in the Petting Zoo, walking through the aviary and visiting the Reptile House. The General Admission page says visitors can have their picture taken with a python, and that special animal meet-and-greets take place through the day at 10:30, 11:30, 12:30 and 1:30. Feed packs for the tortoises, petting zoo animals and aviary birds are sold on site, and outside food for the animals is not allowed.

Conservation and programs

Zookeeper for a Day. Participants join a zookeeper on a weekday morning from 9 a.m. to noon, preparing meals of fruit, vegetables, hay, fish or eggs, setting out puzzle feeders and other enrichment, and cleaning enclosures. It is open to ages 9 and up, and children under 16 need a parent or guardian on site.

VIP Experience. Groups of up to six get an hour and a half of private access to a zookeeper and the ambassador animals, including feeding, a meet-and-greet with a large lizard and photos with a python. VIP Experiences run Monday through Friday at 10 a.m. or 1 p.m. and require a reservation.

Schools. Field trips at the zoo last an hour and a half and include a 30-minute Reptile Encounter with four animals, time in the Petting Zoo, Tortoise Gardens and aviary, and animal feed. They run on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and some Thursdays during the school year, with a maximum of 60 students at a time. School Safaris bring a zookeeper and four ambassador animals to a classroom for two 30-minute shows, for Pre-K and older.

Events. Homeschool Days during the school year each have a theme, with activities for ages 5 to 11, a craft and a scavenger hunt. Toddler Time, held from August through May, is for children 5 and under. Mommy and Me events pair a zoo visit with a themed activity. Tickets for these events must be bought in advance.

Parties. Onsite birthday parties use the outdoor party garden on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to noon or 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. and include a reptile show with four ambassador animals. The zoo also offers parties at the family's own location. Supporters can donate through a wish list linked from the homepage.

Planning your visit

As listed on the zoo's website, during the school year The Learning Zoo is open to the public on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tickets are required for every guest over 12 months old and are cheaper when bought online in advance; ticket details are on the zoo's website. Memberships are also offered.

Outside pets are not allowed inside the zoo, other than trained service animals, and shoes must be worn at all times. The Toddler Time page notes that there is no changing table on site. The zoo lists a phone number of 936-244-0399 and an email address of thelearningzootx@gmail.com.