Cities/Baltimore/The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore

The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore

4.4(8.5K)google

3.7(252)yelp

Adult $33·Senior(65+) $28·Infant(0-1y) FreeUSD

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Overview

The Maryland Zoo—also known as The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore and formerly as The Baltimore City Zoo or the Baltimore Zoo—is a 135-acre park located in historic Druid Hill Park in the northwestern area of the City of Baltimore, Maryland, with the postal address of 1876 Mansion House Drive. Druid Hill was opened in 1876 as the first major park purchase by the City under Mayor Thomas Swann (1809-1883), (and later as 33rd Governor of Maryland, 1866-1869) and was later designed by famed nationally-known landscaper Frederick Law Olmsted (1822-1903). Additional work on various park buildings was contributed by future Baltimore City Hall architect George A. Frederick (1842-1924), and Park Commissioner John H.B. Latrobe (son of earlier famed British-American architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe (1764-1820), who also was an accomplished lawyer, author, artist, amateur architect and civic leader.

Practical Info

1 Safari Pl, Baltimore, MD 21217, USA

Every day10:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Suggested Duration3-5 hours

Best TimeSpring (April to May) and autumn (September to October) are exceptional. Plan to arrive at 10:00 AM right as gates open; during these cooler hours, the animals in the African Journey and Maryland Wilderness habitats are highly energetic, and you will miss the midday school group rushes.

Getting ThereNestled beautifully within Druid Hill Park. To arrive via public transit, take the Metro SubwayLink to Mondawmin Station. From there, transfer directly to the MTA LocalLink Route 85 bus, which drops passengers off right at the main entrance gate of the zoo.

(410) 396-7102

marylandzoo.org/

Travel Tips

Located within Druid Hill Park, the main zoo entrance requires a 10-minute walk from the parking lots; renting an Electric Convenience Vehicle (ECV) at the front gate is highly recommended for seniors.
All animal pavilions close promptly at 4:00 PM; exclusive giraffe and penguin feeding interactions only run from 10:30 AM to 1:30 PM daily, necessitating early arrival to secure limited slots.

Photo Tips

Best Light2:00 PM during the official feeding show is the prime time for underwater Penguin Coast photography; high-lumen pool lights activate, and a shutter speed above 1/500s is needed to freeze action.

Reviews

Positive

Set in a lush, historic park; the African Journey exhibit is fantastic, offering wide-open, natural landscapes where you can get incredibly close to giraffes and elephants.
Superb interactive fun; guests can hand-feed lettuce to the giraffes and kids can ride a vintage train and carousel, providing a highly entertaining family day.
The staff and zookeepers are exceptionally kind and patient, routinely engaging with young children to teach them about animal behaviors and wildlife conservation.
The general admission is reasonably priced, and the layout features ample shaded benches, frequent clean restrooms, and smooth ADA-compliant walking paths.

Heads up

The zoo grounds are massive and spread out, meaning animal enclosures are far apart, requiring exhausting walks if you don't pay extra for the tram shuttle.
In-park concessions are overpriced with low-value fast food, and individual interactive attractions like the carousel and train rides all require separate fees.
During hot summer afternoons, many animals retreat to shaded indoor dens out of sight, leaving several large outdoor viewports empty and disappointing.
While main paths are fine, older perimeter trails suffer from faded directional signs and a lack of multilingual options, causing foreign tourists to double back.