Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium

Pros: Beautiful setting, large habitats for the animals
Cons: Not incredibly accessible to wheelchairs and strollers, more expensive than many other zoos

The Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium is a beautiful zoo located deep in Point Defiance Park right on Puget Sound. Now up front I have to tell my fellow epinionators that this zoo is not the largest you have ever visited when it comes to the number of...

Pros: great exhibits, whales, bears, elephants, meerkats, wolves, great aquarium, lots of different animals
Cons: none!

The Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium is located just outside of downtown Tacoma, Washington, and not to far from the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. It's pretty easy to get there, you just take the Tacoma exit off of I-5 on to highway 16, and then exit 132. Once ...

Pros: Some improvements recently. Kids zone and Wild wonders outdoor theater are added improvements. Aquarium.
Cons: Parts are sad, depressing. Exhibits can't accommodate small crowds well. Some limited sight exhibits.

Zoo & Aquarium Overall grade = C, Aquarium = B-, Facilities = C, Point Defiance Park = A See it at: http://www.pdza.org/ 5/5/06 update at the bottom of this review! This first paragraph is just a slight plug for the overall park since it would be ...

Pros: exciting and educational exhibits
Cons: some areas not stroller friendly

Being a gorgeous day in Washington, we decided to visit the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium. What an experience it was! I dont know who had more fun - my husband and me or our three year old.

The zoo has been advertising that you can see a...

Pros: Very family friendly, great exhibits, constant improvements, special exhibits, plenty of restrooms.
Cons: A bit of a drive for people living outside of Tacoma.

Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium in Tacoma, Washington gives the appearance of being somewhat small. This is but an illusion, for in order to see and spend a reasonable time at each exhibit will require at least a full afternoon, if not an entire day....

Pros: Manageable size, plenty of exhibits, free parking, great summer special events
Cons: Few 'exotic' animals

In the greater Seattle area there are two Zoos to choose from... Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle or Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium in Tacoma. My wholehearted vote goes to that 'little' gem sitting down beyond the Tacoma Dome!

The focus of the...

Pros: Beluga whales, special exhibits
Cons: Small, depressing

As of writing this, there are 3 other Epinions on Pt. Defiance. All glowing about it. Well, here's the other side of the coin. Try not to be too mad, Tacoma. :-)

I was born in San Diego and lived there till I was 10. Going to the zoo was a...

Pros: A full day of excitement
Cons: Can be costly for a family on a budget

During the summer our family tries to go to Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium, it just keeps getting better every year. They seem to have some of the best attractions. My favorite in recent years were the Koala Bears, I had never seen them before, I was...

Pros: variety of animals
Cons: need a ride!

This is the best park in washington for a variety of animals. From polar bears to buluga Whales they have everything.

I enjoy this park for the price is reasonable, (Buy a family pass for $35.00 a year and enjoy the whole year. There park is...

Pros: the aquarium
Cons: the fox exhibit was(?) designed so that most of their habitat was out of viewing area

When I moved to Los Angeles and visited the L.A. Zoo, I was astonished to find there was no aquarium.

[based on comments, I've made some revisions which will hopefully make it more useful to people considering going there]

Having...

Pros: Incredible aquariums, small personable zoo, very clean
Cons: Not all expected zoo animals here, since zoo is so small.

We located to the Tacoma area in mid 1999. We visited this zoo/aquarium in the summer of '99. In November of '99 we received a coupon for a discounted annual zoo membership and right away we sent in for it. Since then, we have gone to the zoo at least...

Pros: Not overly crowded, secluded and the kids loved it!
Cons: Limited number of animals

The Tacoma Zoo was a blast today. We took our two daughters and they loved it. My 7yo complained about the Farm Animals being 'smelly' but the smell was localized to that small area of the zoo and really not a big deal. We used some coupons found on http://zoocoupons.com and saved $8 off admission which was nice. Overall, not as nice as the Seattle Zoo, but also not as crowded. We will definitely be going back again.