The Edmonton Valley Zoo

An Edmonton Parent's Experience

Every time I take my daughter to the Edmonton Valley Zoo we have a great time. There is something about being outside and seeing the animals that always puts a smile on her face. At the end of the day, that's what matters most, seeing your children enjoying themselves.

The nice thing is that you'll probably enjoy yourself too, I usually do, even if I'm not a fan of seeing animals in cages. At the very least you'll learn something new since the Edmonton Valley Zoo is also full of lots of facts and info about the animals and the Zoo's efforts towards conservation. That kinda makes it for me, to know that they do their best to preserve species and support other organizations in doing so.

Zoo Size

The Zoo is not massive, although the littles might feel differently. This is a blessing if you just want a quick afternoon out. I average about 1 ‐ 2 hours walking my child in a stroller through the zoo. That includes stopping and seeing everything we can. You can expect to make the trip a bit quicker in winter, and you can always stretch it out with a picnic in the summer (or winter too, if you enjoy winter picnics).

Hours

The Zoo hours are Monday to Friday, 9AM to 5PM, but plan to be there by 4PM, when they stop accepting admissions. The Zoo is also open during winter time! While I personally haven't visited in winter, I plan to now that my child is a little older to keep her busy on a nicer winter day. Here in Alberta we can easily get stuck indoors and our children feel the result of that, so I appreciate that the Zoo remains open year round.

Price Review

I do think the price is worth the visit, in particular, the membership rates. It's an affordable afternoon out which makes a trip to the zoo that much more appealing. It's also just a great place to hang out, it's not overly stimulating but you are walking around and so kids do get their exercise. It's a place I find relaxing to visit. Sometimes the relaxing afternoon out trumps those kinds of attractions which take a lot of energy out both of you and the kiddos. That's an added benefit of the membership price, I made it to the zoo more than enough times in the year when my daughter was only 1 to make it worth the purchase.