We currently have more members and guests that would like to visit the Zoo than can be accommodated by our parking lots. Advance reservations are required for General Admission ticket buyers in order to ensure guests will be able to park at the Zoo and maximize the number of guests who are able to visit throughout the day.

Instead of a set daytime ticket price, general admission prices will now shift to provide more affordable options when the Zoo is less busy. As the name implies, the further you plan ahead, the more you can save on single day tickets. And as part of our commitment to saving you the time and trouble of bargain hunting – single day ticket prices will never go down as a visit date approaches.

Prices shown on the website each day will always be the lowest price moving forward. Ticket prices will not decrease but may increase the closer you get to your preferred visit date. 

Ticket prices change daily and the only way to guarantee the same price per ticket is to make one complete purchase. If you need more tickets after your initial purchase, you will need to pay the adjusted price. 

Yes! We are proud to be a part of Museums for All, which provides deeply discounted admission tickets to guests who utilize SNAP benefits. Qualifying adults can reserve up to two adult, two senior, and four child daytime admission tickets at $0-$5 per ticket.

Please note, at this time Oakland Zoo Museums for All tickets are only available to adults utilizing SNAP benefits. Oakland Zoo Museums for All tickets are not available to guests receiving Medicaid or Medicare, WIC benefits, or children who received P-EBT cards. We understand this may be different from other local organizations that participate in Museums for All or have their own unique access programs for low income individuals.  

For the smoothest entry experience, we recommend using the link below to make a reservation in advance. Please note, there is a $2.00 transaction fee for all online reservations. On popular days, admission sells out ahead of time and guests without reservations are turned away.

If admission tickets are not sold out for the day, Museums for All tickets are available at entry without the $2 transaction fee. Same day ticket availability varies widely and by day of the week/time, so please always call ahead, (510)-632-9525 x100, to confirm if tickets will be available at entry.    

At entry, the qualifying adult will need to present their EBT / SNAP card and matching ID—whether you have made an online reservation or are reserving tickets at the Zoo. If purchasing tickets online, please make sure that the reservation name matches the name on your ID and EBT / SNAP card.

Please note, our Museums for All program offers deeply discounted or free admission for regular daytime operating hours and does not include benefits for special events, like Glowfari.

Visit our Museums for All ticket webstore to make a reservation!

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Yes! Buy ahead and save by calling our guest services team at (510)-632-9525.

Yes! Oakland residents receive a 25% discount on adult tickets, with an additional 15% off child & an additional 10% off senior tickets, made possible by Measure Y. Thank you for your support!  

To receive this discount, use the “Reserve and Buy Tickets” button under General Admission for Nonmembers on our Tickets page and select Oakland Resident Discount Tickets.

At entry, you will need to present both your tickets and verification of your home address. Verification documents need to show your name and an Oakland address; examples include driver’s license, utility bill, other bill, shipping label/packing slip, etc. Additional details and restrictions are listed on the webstore.

There is no Oakland Resident Discount on memberships or special events.

Yes! Teachers receive a 15% discount on daytime admission to the Zoo for themselves and one guest per visit. Teachers from any U.S. region are eligible and tickets must be reserved online, in advance through our website.  

To receive this discount, use the “Reserve and Buy Tickets” button under General Admission for Nonmembers on our Tickets page and select Teacher Discount tickets.

‍*Teachers of TK-12 students, only. Teachers can be from any U.S. state or region, and must present proof of current employment (e.g., teacher staff ID card, verification from school administrator on official letterhead, recent paystub).

Zoo hours change seasonally. For current hours, please visit our Hours and Pricing page.

You can reserve a ticket on this page. Please note, as of January 17, 2024, Oakland Zoo Members and Friends of the Wild no longer need to make reservations to visit during regular daytime hours.

• If you have any questions about your general admission ticket please email info@oaklandzoo.org or call (510) 632-9525. Current office hours are 10am to 4pm daily.

• Members can email membership@oaklandzoo.org or call (510) 632-9525 x160. Current office hours are Monday through Friday from 9am to 4pm.

Admission tickets are non-refundable.

• If you have purchased General Admission tickets, the Zoo may be able to accommodate a one-time ticket transfer to change the date and time of your visit, pending ticket availability. To request a ticket transfer, please fill out our Ticket Transfer Request form at least 48 hours (2 days) in advance of your scheduled visit. Be sure to include your Order Number and three (3) alternate dates and times for your visit. *This form is only for Daytime admission, not for Glowfari.

• Please note that weekday tickets will only be rescheduled for a different weekday, holidays excluded. Weekend tickets can be rescheduled for a different weekend, holiday, or weekday visit.

• With Plan Ahead Pricing, there are no partial refunds for ticket transfers. If General Admission ticket prices are lower on the new visit date compared to the original purchase price, guests will not be refunded the difference.

Yes, however all admission tickets purchases are visit date/time specific. We do not offer admission ticket gift certificates or vouchers that allow the recipient to make their own reservation or visit without making an advance reservation.

To purchase tickets as a gift:

• Find out when the gift recipient would like to visit the Zoo.
• Purchase tickets up to 28 days in advance of the desired visit date.
• Remember with Plan Ahead Pricing, purchasing further in advance will come with savings!
• Share the PDF tickets with the gift recipient.

Visit www.oaklandzoo.org/fow to learn more and to join our closest circle of donors. Annual donations totaling $1,000 or more will allow you to enjoy exclusive Friends of the Wild benefits, such as free transferable daytime admission for any four adults and four children. Alternative ways to give can be found at www.oaklandzoo.org/donate.

Friends of the Wild membership cards are sent digitally and should be received by email from “Oakland Zoo” within 2 weeks of us receiving your qualifying donation, depending on how the gift was made. For online donations, you will receive a confirmation email at the time of your gift. This will show that you have donated at the Friends of the Wild level and are therefore entitled to use the benefits immediately. When a donation confirmation or digital card email has not been received, we recommend checking the spam, junk, or promotions folders, as they sometimes get sent there.

As a Friends of the Wild donor, with your permission, your guests may visit the Zoo in your absence without needing to show ID. However, please make sure your guests always bring proof of current Friends of the Wild membership, such as your membership card, a donation confirmation, or Friends of the Wild welcome email as proof of current membership. This will allow the entrance staff to verify your membership status and record your guests’ admission accurately. For all other questions about Friends of the Wild level memberships, please email impact@oaklandzoo.org, or call (510) 746-7158.

If you want to share your digital membership card with a guest, you can do so through the virtual wallet app. You may also send a screenshot of your digital card with QR code to your guest via text message. They can then present the picture to the cashier for entry. We kindly request that Friends of the Wild keep track of who is using their membership and when, since free daytime admission is limited to any four adults and four children per day. More helpful tips on digital cards, including how to share, can be found here.

Yes. Guests may enter any time after their reserved ticket time on the same day. There’s no need to worry if you are going to arrive more than 30 minutes after your ticket time as long as you arrive before last entry (varies seasonally).

Please fill out this form to submit details and a description of your lost item to Lost and Found Services.

Attendance is currently limited, so please be aware that you may not be able to secure your first choice of date and time. Daytime admission tickets go on sale 28 days (four weeks) in advance on a rolling basis.

Yes! In honor of their service, Oakland Zoo is pleased to offer active-duty military personnel, spouses of active-duty military personnel, and veterans a discount on daytime admission.  

To receive this discount, use the “Reserve and Buy Tickets” button under General Admission for Nonmembers on our Tickets page and select Military & Veteran Discount Tickets. Proof of active duty or veteran status required at entry, see the webstore for additional details and restrictions.

There is no Military/Veteran discount on memberships or special events.

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Discount admission is available for qualifying groups of 12 or more individuals when a reservation is made at least 2 weeks in advance. Restrictions apply. Visit our School and Community Group Reservations page from more details.

Yes. Be sure to visit the Main Entrance Membership windows before closing (see Zoo hours) to request your upgrade. If you visited the zoo within the last 7 days and did not upgrade during your visit, please use this form to submit your upgrade request. Terms & conditions apply.

If you are a current member and would like to upgrade to a higher membership level, please email membership@oaklandzoo.org  with the details of your request.

A confirmation email with tickets attached is sent automatically when a reservation is completed online. Some email providers will filter the confirmation into a spam or junk folder. Please search for an email from oaklandzoo@oaklandzoo.org.

If your search does not work, please send a request to resend your tickets to tickets@oaklandzoo.org. Be sure to provide your name, Order Number, and the date and time of your purchase. These details will help us find your reservation.

Your membership number is 12 digits long and starts with 501. You can find this number on the following:

• Your membership card above your name
• Underneath the bar code on the Temporary Pass PDF that is attached to online confirmation emails
• On the reply form of renewals sent by mail, or on any renewal email

A Pass Validation error means the number entered is not found in our database. If you’ve been using copy/paste to enter your membership number, try typing the 12 digit number instead.

Some members have found that copy/paste is adding a space at the end of the 12 digits, which causes the error. If manually typing the number doesn’t work or you do not have a 12 digit number starting with 501, please contact the Membership Department to confirm your membership number (membership@oaklandzoo.org or 510-632-9525 x160.)

For Individual – Family Deluxe level memberships, digital cards are typically distributed 2-4 weeks after purchase. This digital card will be sent via email for your smartphone wallet.

In the meantime, you can use a Temporary Pass PDF from an online confirmation email or a copy of any email from membership@oaklandzoo.org that includes your membership details to verify your membership status at entry.

In the event the Zoo closes due to weather, you will receive an email advising you of the closure. You do not need to contact us to cancel or refund your reservation(s). We will automatically process a refund to your original form of payment. If you would like reschedule, please visit our website to make a new reservation (subject to availability).

If you received a guest pass after August 1, 2021 please follow the instructions printed on the pass to redeem. If you received a pass before July 30, 2021, please contact tickets@oaklandzoo.org to see if you guest pass is eligible for redemption.

Please contact tickets@oaklandzoo.org for more information on how to utilize your Groupon.

Please contact tickets@oaklandzoo.org for more information on how to utilize your Zoo to Community family voucher.

Yes! Oakland Zoo participates in the AZA reciprocal membership program, giving 50% off daytime admission to members of partner organizations including San Francisco Zoo, Happy Hollow Zoo, CuriOdyssey, and Lindsay Wildlife Experience. For a full list of partners, please see our Reciprocity List.

To receive the discount, use the “Reserve and Buy Tickets” button under General Admission for Nonmembers on our Tickets page and select Reciprocal Member Tickets. Proof of active membership at your home zoo/aquarium required at entry, see the webstore for additional details and restrictions.

There are no reciprocal benefits for Oakland Zoo memberships or special events.

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The answer depends on timing. On busy days (like weekends and holidays), the upper parking lots fill and all arriving cars are directed to park in our lower parking lots and lawn parking areas. When this happens, guests are only able to access the Rides Area by walking through the Zoo, which requires a membership or tickets for entry. On less busy days, when there is plenty of parking in the upper parking lots, guests may be able to access the Rides Area without a membership or Zoo ticket. You are welcome to call our mainline (510-632-9525 x100) to inquire about parking availability between 9am-4pm daily.