Parks & nature / Royal Oak
Detroit Zoo
A spacious zoo visit in Royal Oak, with conservation stories and distinctive habitats.
01 / The story of this place
Make time for these
Detroit Zoo lies outside the city in the Royal Oak and Huntington Woods area. Different habitats and animal groups are spread across a large campus, with Arctic and penguin exhibits among its best-known features. Interpretation brings conservation and animal care into the visit. Treat it as a separate outing rather than a quick downtown stop.
- Arctic exhibits
- Penguins and conservation stories
- An extended outdoor family outing
Famous Detroiters
Famous people tied to this place 2
Lexicon entries for the people who lived, worked, performed or liked to spend time here.
- Horace Rackham 1858–1933 · lawyer, original Ford Motor Company shareholder, philanthropist
Memorial
The zoo he helped create; its Rackham Memorial Fountain bears his name.
- Sonny Eliot 1920–2012 · TV weatherman, comedian, broadcaster
Worked here
Eliot's children's show At the Zoo was filmed here for 17 years.
A closer look
Photos were taken at different times; images are resized and cropped on cards.
Is this your venue? Update this page for free ↗
¼ · Stay
Sleep right around the corner
Sources & fact check · Checked: 2026-09-24
An independently written bilingual guide. This collection is not an attendance-based ranking.
Historical background: Wikipedia and its contributors; article licenses and revision histories are available on the source pages.
03 / Events
Events at this place
Published events automatically linked from our event guide. Times are local to the venue.
Oct 9, 2026, 3:00 PMZoo Boo: Halloween weekends at the Detroit Zoo
The Detroit Zoological Society's merry-not-scary Zoo Boo fills the Detroit Zoo in Royal Oak with trick-or-treat stations, live entertainment and costumed characters on October 3–4, 9–11, 16–18 and 23–25, from 3 to 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $21–$25 ($27 at the gate) through the zoo's webstore.
Oct 10, 2026, 3:00 PMZoo Boo: Halloween weekends at the Detroit Zoo
The Detroit Zoological Society's merry-not-scary Zoo Boo fills the Detroit Zoo in Royal Oak with trick-or-treat stations, live entertainment and costumed characters on October 3–4, 9–11, 16–18 and 23–25, from 3 to 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $21–$25 ($27 at the gate) through the zoo's webstore.
Oct 11, 2026, 3:00 PMZoo Boo: Halloween weekends at the Detroit Zoo
The Detroit Zoological Society's merry-not-scary Zoo Boo fills the Detroit Zoo in Royal Oak with trick-or-treat stations, live entertainment and costumed characters on October 3–4, 9–11, 16–18 and 23–25, from 3 to 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $21–$25 ($27 at the gate) through the zoo's webstore.
Oct 16, 2026, 3:00 PMZoo Boo: Halloween weekends at the Detroit Zoo
The Detroit Zoological Society's merry-not-scary Zoo Boo fills the Detroit Zoo in Royal Oak with trick-or-treat stations, live entertainment and costumed characters on October 3–4, 9–11, 16–18 and 23–25, from 3 to 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $21–$25 ($27 at the gate) through the zoo's webstore.
Oct 17, 2026, 3:00 PMZoo Boo: Halloween weekends at the Detroit Zoo
The Detroit Zoological Society's merry-not-scary Zoo Boo fills the Detroit Zoo in Royal Oak with trick-or-treat stations, live entertainment and costumed characters on October 3–4, 9–11, 16–18 and 23–25, from 3 to 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $21–$25 ($27 at the gate) through the zoo's webstore.
Oct 18, 2026, 3:00 PMZoo Boo: Halloween weekends at the Detroit Zoo
The Detroit Zoological Society's merry-not-scary Zoo Boo fills the Detroit Zoo in Royal Oak with trick-or-treat stations, live entertainment and costumed characters on October 3–4, 9–11, 16–18 and 23–25, from 3 to 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $21–$25 ($27 at the gate) through the zoo's webstore.
Oct 23, 2026, 3:00 PMZoo Boo: Halloween weekends at the Detroit Zoo
The Detroit Zoological Society's merry-not-scary Zoo Boo fills the Detroit Zoo in Royal Oak with trick-or-treat stations, live entertainment and costumed characters on October 3–4, 9–11, 16–18 and 23–25, from 3 to 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $21–$25 ($27 at the gate) through the zoo's webstore.
Oct 24, 2026, 3:00 PMZoo Boo: Halloween weekends at the Detroit Zoo
The Detroit Zoological Society's merry-not-scary Zoo Boo fills the Detroit Zoo in Royal Oak with trick-or-treat stations, live entertainment and costumed characters on October 3–4, 9–11, 16–18 and 23–25, from 3 to 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $21–$25 ($27 at the gate) through the zoo's webstore.
Oct 25, 2026, 3:00 PMZoo Boo: Halloween weekends at the Detroit Zoo
The Detroit Zoological Society's merry-not-scary Zoo Boo fills the Detroit Zoo in Royal Oak with trick-or-treat stations, live entertainment and costumed characters on October 3–4, 9–11, 16–18 and 23–25, from 3 to 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $21–$25 ($27 at the gate) through the zoo's webstore.
Keep exploring
See all places ↗
Parks & nature
Detroit Riverwalk
Water, skyline views, and room to move: one of Detroit’s best settings for an unhurried walk.
Parks & nature
Belle Isle Park
An island of green between Detroit and Canada, with skyline views and attractions of its own.
Parks & nature
Belle Isle Aquarium
An aquatic world beneath green glass tiles in one of Detroit’s most distinctive small buildings.