Mrs Rat and I took our 4 grandkids (twins 8, 10 and 12teen) to the zoo last friday and had a good time. I lived in San Antonio for a while and we used to go to the zoo there but I think that the Brownsville zoo really holds its own just fine. It is a great outing and the kids had a ball. I am sure that if we lived in Brownsville instead of Edinburg, we would go a lot more often.

One thing that detracts from the trip was the cost to get in. For Mrs Rat and I and four grandkids it was $42. You can buy a year pass for not much more and I think I'll do that next time.

Incidentally we stopped by the Bass Pro Shop in Harlingen on the way back and had dinner in the restrauant(sp?) It was fine, and the kids enjoyed wandering around the place and checking out the cool boats.

They said that their dad really wanted a boat. They voted to each work at my house and earn $200 to help ther dad get a boat. (They figured their mom could kick in the rest!) :-)

I was recently at the zoo and thought it was extremely run down and super trashy. We also had a bad run-in with the "hired-help" near the giraffes as my dad tried to get close to take a picture (where you pay 5 bucks or whatever and get to feed them), and the guy tried to grab my dad's camera and pushed him away.

All in all its really gone way downhill IMO.

Sorry you had a bad experience. Everything seemed in pretty good order while we were there.

We took our son about a year ago and had a great experience. I took a vacation day and went on a Tuesday or Wednesday, and during the school year. We got there when it opened, so it was dead and we had the place literally to ourselves a majority of our visit. Sure the place could use some paint in some places, but I know they're working hard with what funding they've got. My son liked the kid's area with the giant tree slide and water squirters. He enjoyed the butterfly garden next to it, and I know those are relatively new additions. I also know they're working on rebuilding the herpetology exhibit with help from a donation from a resident in Brownsville. I'd go more often to support them if it wasn't such a long trip.

I went to Gladys Porter probably 7 years ago. Thought it was pretty nice considering what I was expecting for the area. Would definately go back if I'm in the area.

Was just there mid December and it was great, there was some construction, but overall it was a lot of fun and enjoyed the exhibits.

dam

Great zoo. My fiance who is from Brownsville also said the hard freeze a couple of years ago froze back a lot of the vegetation that used to cover the zoo. it will take a couple more years to come back from that freeze

I used to go all of the time when my kids were little. Getting there when it opens makes for a fun day.

i go to gladys porter all the time and it really is improving. they tackle projects every couple of years, but modernizing that zoo takes a boatload of cash. in the last decade or so they've revamped the gorilla exhibit, the zebra/ostrich area (still sucks though), the aviary, and a few minor things. new laws/restrictions are shaping the zoo too. who remembers the polar bears? we'll probably never see elephants there again. the same goes for the jaguar exhibit. the zoo has potential but i doubt the money is there.

In its day, I'd put the Gladys Porter zoo up there with the San Diego zoo. Yup. I wrote that and am completely serious. It really went downhill in the 90s but they're doing their best to bring it back.

Not only do I remember the polar bears, but I remember the seals swimming endless laps in the most that surrounds the gorilla exhibit.

This thread makes me sad about what's happened to the valley over the past 15-20 years or so

Used to be a top 10 in the US, no?

I still love it.