HomeSan Jose, CA5 Best Aquarium/Zoos in San Jose 🥇

5 Best Aquarium/Zoos in San Jose 🥇

Below is a list of the top and leading Aquarium/Zoos in San Jose. To help you find the best Aquarium/Zoos located near you in San Jose, we put together our own list based on this rating points list.

San Jose’s Best Aquarium/Zoos:

The top-rated Aquarium/Zoos in San Jose are:

  • Happy Hollow Park & Zoo – connects people to nature through play.
  • Oakland Zoo – to inspire respect for and stewardship of the natural world, while providing a quality visitor experience.
  • CuriOdyssey – an outdoor zoo and museum for Bay Area families where you’ll meet wildlife up-close.
  • Monterey Bay Aquarium – our mission is to inspire the conservation of the ocean.
  • Aquarium of the Bay – our passion and our work are locally-focused, but have a broad impact that touches upon every major challenge facing our global environment.

Happy Hollow Park & Zoo

5 Best Aquarium/Zoos in San Jose

Happy Hollow Park & Zoo is a branch of San Jose’s Parks, Recreation, and Neighborhood Services Department that caters to thousands of visitors every year. The 16-acre park originally opened its doors back in 1961. In 2008, the park was closed for major renovations and opened again in 2010. Besides its zoo, Happy Hollow Park and Zoo have an education center with year-round classes for children and adults, it has rides like a roller coaster and a carousel, a puppet theater, and an animal hospital that has an indoor and outdoor quarantine, radiology, and surgery. Its exhibits are divided into its petting zoo, a parallel play area for kids that is next to the endangered lemurs, and the Fossa exhibit.

Products/Services:
Virtual education, classes, camps, zoo, park, rides, entertainment, conservation

LOCATION:
Address: 748 Story Road, San José, CA 95112
Phone: (408) 794-6400
Website: happyhollow.org

REVIEWS:
I love this place! It is great for kids and family. You can spend so much great time with your family, it has a min zoo, roller coasters, a petting zoo, and faces paints. This place is so fun so I would suggest you try it if you have not yet. – Layla Brown

Oakland Zoo

The Best Aquarium/Zoos in San Jose

Oakland Zoo is a zoo near the Grass Valley community of Oakland. Opened in 1922, the Conservation Society of California runs and operates the zoo that is dedicated to wildlife conservation. The zoo is home to over 850 exotic and native species and is recognized across the globe for its amazing animal care, specifically its care program for the zoo’s elephants. In 2018, Oakland Zoo opened the California Trail, which highlights the state’s beautiful native flora and fauna. If you live in Oakland, San Jose, or in the general bay area and want to experience nature without going out of state, drop by Oakland zoo and bask in nature’s glory.

Products/Services:
Adventure landing, animal webcams, global conservation, zoo camps, teen programs, school programs

LOCATION:
Address: 9777 Golf Links Road Oakland, CA 94605
Phone: (510) 632-9525
Website: oaklandzoo.org

REVIEWS:
Awesome place very clean all animals were out and about a great time recommends it to anyone who comes to Oakland. – Bill Fort

CuriOdyssey

Best Aquarium/Zoos in San Jose

CuriOdyssey is a zoo and museum for kids and families where they can experience up close and personal wild animals. The kid-friendly establishment is home to over a hundred rescued animals that are mostly native to California. These animals could not survive in the wild that is why the park’s custom-made exhibits and enclosures make sure that these creatures feel at home and comfortable. CuriOdyssey is part of the Coyote Point Recreation Area that looks over San Francisco Bay. They also participate in the Museums for All program that provides free admission and discounted fees to qualified families.

Products/Services:
Animals, exhibits, camps and classes, schools and groups

LOCATION:
Address: 1651 Coyote Point Drive San Mateo, CA 94401
Phone: (650) 342-7755
Website: curiodyssey.org

REVIEWS:
This was a fantastic outing for our family with three kiddos under ten. They have done a very nice job of making the facilities accessible and comfortable during these crazy Covid times, the whole still keeping it safe. To see my kids, smile outdoors? Great time! – Tony Watts

Monterey Bay Aquarium

San Jose Best Aquarium/Zoos

Monterey Bay Aquarium is a non-profit public aquarium located in Monterey that is popular for its regional focus on habitats found in Monterey Bay. The aquarium is also the very first exhibit to showcase a live kelp forest when it first opened its doors in 1984. For 37 years the aquarium has dedicated round-the-clock care for its animals and maintains its state-of-the-art life support technology. Their biologists have also pioneered successful animal husbandry of jellyfish and are also the very first aquarium to display a living great white shark.

Products/Services:
Habitats live cams, volunteer, membership, field trips

LOCATION:
Address: 886 Cannery Row Monterey, CA 93940
Phone: (831) 648-4800
Website: montereybayaquarium.org

REVIEWS:
Arguably one of the biggest and best aquariums/research facilities out there, Monterey Bay Aquarium does not disappoint and the displays are absolutely beautiful. Very informative too, you learn a lot here and you can great views of the bay. Great to come back here after all these years! – John-Andrew Zacharakis

Aquarium of the Bay

San Jose's Best Aquarium/Zoos

Aquarium of the Bay‘s mission is to help with the conservation of the fragile ecosystems located in the bay area. The aquarium partners with the Bay Institute to help protect and restore San Francisco Bay. The staff at Aquarium of the Bay are very passionate about offering a fun, entertaining, educational, and unforgettable experience for its visitors. The aquarium is housed in a 50,000 square foot facility in the heart of San Francisco’s cultural center. If you want to experience the sea up close and want to learn about conservational endeavors for the bay area, drop by the Aquarium of the Bay today.

Products/Services:
Daily programs, sea lion center, events, volunteers, memberships

LOCATION:
Address: PIER 39 Embarcadero & Beach St. San Francisco, CA 94133
Phone: (415) 623-5300
Website: aquariumofthebay.org

REVIEWS:
It was an incredible experience for me and with my friends. I do really recommend tourists, just go hang out yourself or your friends and family. Takes awesome photos to have good memories. If you were interested to explore San Francisco even though if you’re living there. – Hermès Espinoza