Reviews of Riverside Park and Ralph Mitchell Zoo (Zoo)

Dillon Roark

If you’re looking for a big zoo, just off US 75, that’s another 300 miles north or a hundred miles south. That said, this is quite the place for a small town. It a big monkey area. That’s my favorite exhibit here. Independence is my favorite Kansas town under 50,000. Now I’ve made like Senator Moran and driven ALL OVER KANSAS, so that’s saying something.

Emily Haverland

The bears are cute but not many animals

Thomas Smart

One of the best small town parks and zoos in America.

Aurora Lee

I went yesterday.. And all of those poor animals looked miserable... I feel so bad for the poor things...

Lesa Cole

The kids always enjoy it

James Atherton

Wonderful Park & Zoo perfect for Children and Families. I highly recommend small train ride, miniature golf course, and taking your time to enjoy the fountain in the park. It is historic, in that the first monkey to go in outer space, the first American monkey, came from the Ralph Mitchell zoo in their collection.

Eleanor B

This was a cool little place. They have a play area for kids. Snowwhite and multiple other characters were scattered around the play area. It was not open but there appears to be a concession stand in the park. It was closes when we were there. It was cold so some of the animals were not on display. Definitely worth a stop if you're in the area. Even better its free

Doc Hester

A very fun and peaceful visit. Will definitely come back.

Sandra Matlock

Fine. No animals out was kinda a big disappointment

Juan Manuel Ruth

Nice place for a walk with the family!

Val King

Very nice fam orented

Don Easter

Good place to let the kids go swimming. Nice Pavilion to do grilling, play area nice park

MayMay Brown

Missed the animals but I guess the weather keeps ALL the animals in hibernation....

Dean Hayse

Really cool little zoo. Zoo is free admission and is a fun walk for kids. The miniature golf, train ride, and merry-go-round all require a ticket but the prices are very affordable.

Frank Weaver

It was good

Tonya Lowery

Always great, but Louis the elephant is sorely missed!

E Wise

The is a very neat park that you wouldn't expect to find in a small town. The train and corrosel was only 25 cents to ride. The zoo is free to get in to. This is a great place to bring the family.

Lynn Kilgore

A great place to spend your carefree time.

Stephen Hull

Everyone was polite. And the facility was clean

ron kissel

This place actually tried to tell me they cleaned the burmese python cage this past thursday 6/14/18. Really? An animal that eats every 2 weeks and you tried to tell me that with 5 piles of feces in the cage. Then you tell me he is shedding, well that is fine, so than use a snake hook to get in there and clean his cage. His last shed was still in the cage also. But they say they just cleaned his cage out. I will be calling the state with proof.

sheri willis

It's a very beautiful park & has lots of things for the whole family.

Jennifer Raad

The carousel is still only 5 cents, the train is a quarter, and the zoo is free! Parents and kids all loved it!

Nicole Johnson

Amazing park and zoo for size of town.

Yardy Williams

A great place to spend time with the family.

Angie Reed

Great place to spend the day with the family' and its free!!

April Elder

Great park and Zoo.

Brind Bennett

We hit this park on our way to Oklahoma just to let the kids stretch their legs. It was their favorite part of the trip. They still talk about wanting to go back even though it's a three hour drive.

Arina Thomsen

Excellent place for families. Carousel, mini train and mini golf course are very cheap and fun. The zoo is free. Playground is newly renovated. There is a beautiful fountain with color lights at night time and tennis court that is free too. In the summer time the waterpark is open to public.

Linda Wilson

Great park.

Tisha Parish

Maybe I'm a bit biased since I spent many many hours here as a kid. But I really enjoyed going back to the zoo and being able to take my husband and 13yr old daughter. They have heard me talk about the "Independence Zoo" for as long as either of them can remember. We went during December, so as expected it was during their off time, but it was still a great experience to share with my family. I was afraid that it might be run down due to many years passing since I have visited, but they have done a great job at keeping it up. Monkey Island is everything I remember it to be and more! I do miss the prairie dog exhibit though! Bonus...this attraction is completely free to visit!! You can't beat that!!!

Zachary Hill

This would be a 2 star if it wasn't free. Not a large nice zoo, but it is nice and you can see a few animals and it's a great place for a picnic. Plenty of playground equipment and a large park on the other side.

Candace Kovacs

This place needs shut down. Submitting to PETA....poor animal quality of life.

Tom Holeman

Once you have been there you have seen it all

Matt Gilbert

Love this park

Tony Denney

The kids and family had so much fun here. they even kept the train open so we could all get rides thank you !!!

Juanita Lee

Went for scool trip with my granddaugjter ! Nice for small zoo!

Anne Reustle

This is a great little park! Our family could spend a whole afternoon here! There are several animals to see & a cute little play area for the kids. The park & zoo are free, but there are other very affordable other attractions, too, in the summer.

Scarlet Thompson

What A Nice Park! Lots of things to do for children or just take a nice stroll. Several animals. There is also a carousel and a small train that are reasonably priced. The veterans memorial was my favorite. It was very informative and up to date. Could easily spend an entire day here.

Denise Johnson

Its a great afternoon with the kids. Get to see animals wouldn't normally get too. An than play on some very awesome park equipment. Than if lucky enough spend sometime on carousel little train an mini golf. It great place for all our age range of kids. Toddlers to teen love this place..

Jennifer Barron

Best park around. Free zoo for the kids! Train rides and other activities are cheaply priced great cheap family fun.

charlie wilson

Very small zoo but it's free so you pay for what u get

Robin Shields

Really hot day but enjoyed the zoo!

Jesse Rhodenbaugh

Was a lot of fun for my son but they didnt have the hours updated for winter hours on google so we only got to stay for an hour. Kind of a bummer but will definitely be back this summer.

Jaylene Davis

Fun free family time

Daniel Fossoy

Visited the Lone Chief Cabin for Don And Sheri Elliot's 40 wedding Anniversity. Had an enjoyable time. The Lone Chief Cabin is a good place for gatherings like this.

Steven Fuller

Very pleasant. Good to see such a small town working hard to keep their park in order.

Alessandra Betts

The zoo is free and the train is only 25 cents and the carousel is only 5 cents so its a really cheap fun thing to do they also have the lions den which is like a concessions stand where u can get hotdogs and nachos and chilli and things like that.

Ethan Rankins

I really wish this place had more things than it does. It's really sad to see this zoo die. It NEEDS to be 100% fixed. It needs more animals like Elephants, Giraffes, Lions, Cheetahs, etc. #BringBackTheZoo

Nancy Clark

Nice Well Kept Park and Facilities ! Rest Rooms are Super Clean !!

Steven Mcvey

The are always trying to improve and have added a lot of attractions in the last decade. The memorial to our service members through the conflicts the US have been in over the decades is very nice. They have the zoo, an antique carousel , lots of play area, tennis courts, plants, a building to have events in with plenty of parking.

Joshua Hirschenhofer

The best little zoo in kansas

Sheila Goodwin

We celebrated the 60 year mark since Miss Able was sent, along with Baker, into space. Just went to watch the shenanigans going on on Monkey Island!

Todd VanBuren

The monkies behind the bobcat need a better spot!

Linda Hammer

Rainy weather has caused a lot of overgrowth so couldn't hardly see animals. Great park.

Laci Trussell

We come from Washington State and this was awesome, especially the monkeys

Pascal Van Schijndel

Great fun for the kids and adults.

mike kovacs

Chill, good stopping place

Jeremy Burke

Not very many snails at all

rhoda bryan

Free zoo, great for small children

John Whiteker

Very cool scenery for Kansas. The zoo is free and quite well kept. The water park is quite reasonable and a great place to cool off when Kansas heat cranks up.

Randy Wood

Good park for kids, good place for get togethers like reunions. Close to pool and has it's own minigolf and even a train. Zoo could use some updating but fun for the kids.

Shadow91869 Nightcrew

Best little park and zoo around this area all free except for the train ride mini golf and 5 cent carousel.

Marcus Carlucci

great place to have a play date or birthday, free zoo and free entertainment for the kiddos, we go about twice a year

Carleen's Creations

Great place to enjoy an afternoon with your family.

Sabrina Hartley

It was nice. Kinda stinked that half the zoo was closed but it was still fun

Cole Prather

Great facilities! Everything is very clean an well kept.

V Mabry

This was a very unique and fun place to visit. However it's not the run of the mill type zoo. Small and all outdoors, not a large number of animals but a very nice place for kid's to enjoy.

Christy Gibson

I grew up in this park. I am now 45 years old and still love it. We have family reunions there and ride the train. So nice and conveniently located next to the swimming pool. We love monkey island. Lots of shade to enjoy a picnic.

Angel Cordray

Awesome park

Jackie Phillips

Nice and quiet

Marcus Habiger

One of the best parks I have ever been to! They have a free Zoo, affordable mini golf, a carousel as well as a miniature train.

SterlingJamie Bryant

Very quaint. Simple but gives such a great experience for the whole family. Has a great variety of exhibits and animals. Great landscaping, and they even let you feed the animals on occasion. The Park is awesome. Very creatively designed. Many facets to the ground plan. Multiple jungle gym sets for kids to play on. There are some features that you won't see anywhere else. Lots of slides. Some antique features of the park have been there for decades and are still being used! This Zoo and Park combo is great for the whole family, and believe it or not, it's all free!

Ben Campbell

Free is good

Richard April Barber

I love this place because its peaceful and quiet there with no one bothering you is my opinion about Riverside Park and Ralph Zoo

Rebekah Rose

Very nice park for Independence. Mini golf, a carousel, a variety of different play sets, the zoo, and a nice little water park.

Hugo Jimenez

Used to be a nice place

Alana Maddock

My husband and I found this park while on a drive. We live over an hour away and I brought 3 of my grandkids today to enjoy the nice park and zoo. We had a picnic lunch and they played at the park for awhile then we went through the zoo. We had such a nice time. The playgrounds are a mix of old and new equipment with quite a large variety. I enjoy the statues around the park. The zoo is small but well kept. I can’t believe this place is so nice in such a small town really away from any big cities. We will return. This is such a pretty little town!

Theresa Ingram

Best place around. Free zoo. Very inexpensive train rides, carousel, and mini golf. Clean park with tons for the kiddos to play on. Great walking trails through the zoo or around the park. Nice ampatheater. Plenty of places to cook out under shady trees and tons of buildings to rent for parties. Plus the fountain.

Jessica Sutton

Wonderful park my daughter loves it. Could use more bathrooms near the kiddie park though! It's a long ways to the bathroom for little ones!

Debra Landy

The scene was very beautiful and the sites we're well lighted and you got to feed the animals loved it

Susan Faler

Beautiful park & zoo! Stellar new Veterans Memorial! Lots of animals, merry-go-round is by donation, putt-putt, mini train rides, concession stand...zoo is free! Home to the first monkey to the Moon- Miss Able. She's now in the Smithsonian!

Dustin Darrow

Great for children, birthday parties, or just a nice walk in the park. The zoo has many different animals and interesting facts about them, playgrounds are safe and fun for everyone, and has great tourist attractions from the " Big Black Train" to the legendary football stadium

Pamela Meyer

I grew up going to this park, it has so much wonderful history to it.. Wish they would keep animals there like they did when I was young. Such an amazing park/zoo

rar65

Great park and excellent venue for the new Memorial Park that was completed. Excellent and deserved homage to our US veterans ans their sacrifices. It is very well worth the stop and visit. I commend the community and support in resurrecting this memorial.

Julie Hernandez

Is free n beautiful park

Callie Hagood

A wonderful place to bring your family. There is something for children of all ages. My boys love to come play here. Some of the features are older but everything is well-maintained. My critiques are: the inconsistency of the surfaces in each play area are not great. They use sand in a couple, rubber tires in another and mulch in another. Also, if you're looking for a place for someone with disabilities, there isn't much here to accommodate that.

xMajorWintersx Gaming

This location is amazing. It's free, has animals of all sorts. On the same location is an amazing park, playground, pool, and splash pad. It really hard to imagine that this small town can afford to keep this open free for so long. I love taking my kids here for an inexpensive day outside. Can't beat free!

Tanna. Wheeler

Loved being there with family. Great day nice place to enjoy the sunshine

Donna Poor

I like that it is FREE, I don't like the animals environments, dirty green water for monkeys & ducks. Small cages for other animals. Drain the water & give fresh.

Mohamed Sako

Visited this site with my family. First of all, it’s free and, that is always great. Most of the animals are native, just a few none native species. It’s very badly maintained for a place that provides such a great service to the community. I don’t know many towns with zoos. The place either needs funding or, more funding. I did enjoy the opportunity to see the few animals they have, up close.

Gayle Fossoy

Free zoo. Open hours vary according to season. Call ahead. Dogs are not allowed in the zoo. Monkey Island. 3 big black bears. Female mountain lion. Snakes, birds, burro....Beware of the swan in the pond. He will bite.

Stacy Gertner

Such a wonderful place to enjoy with kids of all ages!

jeff coates

The lions den isnt there anymore & the new place is ridiculous on prices, plus they constantly do repairs but cant do repairs to the windows for the animals on the ramp area.

Jessica foster

My children really enjoy the park and walking to the zoo after.

Carolyn Torrance

Best park, best staff, in the best town!

Jennifer Spence

Amazing photo ops at the park, a wonderful [and free!] zoo, and a super fun public water park make this a great field trip or family fun destination.

William Turinetti

Love the new and old playground equipment. Wish I could have gotten on a cooler day.

Dawn Martin

Very nice park and fun walk around zoo..kinda small but nice

Kristina Sirimarco

Small but super cute. :)

sara morrow

A sweet sad little zoo. The kids always have a great time even if it hot since it's so small. The play ground next to it is also cool.

Alisha Smith

Currently only the upper half of the zoo is available because of flooding. I was also sad to see that there was trash, leaves, etc. floating in the duck/goose/swan pond... disappointing.

Jamie Ciesla

Adorable animals and plenty of playground equipment for the kids!

Megan Bucher

Always a great place to take the kids. Lots of things to do and most if it is pretty safe

Greg Montgomery

Best park on earth. Never let go of the giat slides. PLEASE.

wes rob

Good zoo Has lots of animals for the size of town

Cal Graves

It looked neat but by the time I got there, at 6pm, it was closed... So, I just moseyed around the outside fence looking in at the animals, and at the same got a good walk in!

Troy Harrison

Excellent for a totally free zoo

Brandi Wadkins

Best little zoo in Kansas.

Lindsay Haley

Check out the super cheap carousel and train 5cents!

Debbie Thuston

Pretty park, lots to do for all ages, very well kept

Michelle Fischer

I absolutely loved this place! My family and I visited here while we were visiting family. I am shocked that it's all completely free. Coming from Michigan not even parking is free. The zoo has beautiful views as you walk through the trails and the animals were all out to see. The pond with ducks and swan was my favorite. My kids enjoyed the park. Overall definitely worth the trip if your in the area.

Kelvin Lopez

Great place for kids

Christopher G. Callahan

Come here in the early morning and you will find it very relaxing and calm. The animals are just kicking back having there breakfast. Great place to come. Enejoy!!!

John Horine

Even though half the park was closed due to all the recent rain it's still a diamond in the rough in Independence.

Teri Ogden

I've been coming to this park for as long as I can remember. We have our family reunion here and just love this park.

Torey Smart-DeWitt

I love this place. The park is very nice and has cheap mini golf, train rides, and a carousel. The zoo is good for being free. The bears have a very nice enclosure and so do the monkeys.

lebron ropp

This is a wonderful place for everyone! We love coming here! Everything is so nice and such care is taken to keep it that way. We love the park, train ride, putt putt, carousel, zoo and the concession stand run by the Lions Club. The addition of The Veterans Freedom Square is outstanding!

Manda Mayfield

Love this little zoo!!! Perfect Mother’s Day our ❤️

Chandice Horine

Even though it was a rainy day, my family and I walked through and had a wonderful time!

Stacy L.

It's a beautiful little place and worth the visit. They have spider monkeys, some swans and ducks, raccoons, a red fox and a few other critters. They have a beautiful butterfly garden that is filled with species I've never seen. The waterways and ponds ate in dire need of cleaning as we seen ample amounts of plastic in the form of bottles and wrappers floating around. Very sad to see. Admission is FREE!

Chuck Barnhart

Very well cared for park. They still have the Monkey Island. Nice place to visit.

Kyla Hershey-Wilson

The zoo animals seemed unkempt and very sad. It was still nice to visit them. The rest of the park seemed nice, though.

Olivia Friend

Wonderful zoo! The animals are well cared for and beautiful and I love that it is free to visit

Arias G.

Great place for kids ...

Restaurant Critic

Nice park and zoo. It's also free. Well maintained and a great experience for young and old.

Aquaman 77

This place is absolutely amazing. There is something for everyone here. And it costs practically nothing with a family of 7 we had a blast and spent only 10 dollars

Dennis chick

Kids enjoyed the animals

jfoxvii

This is a wonderful location and is free to boot. The grounds are large and well-maintained, including monkeys, and [mountain] lions, and bears, oh my! Accessible, free parking, and picnic and play-areas. Plus, it is located right next to another city park area with multiple attractions including a mini train which you ride for 25 cents per ticket and 18-hole putt-putt course. For 20 dollars and a picnic lunch your family can have a great outing in Independence at this place.

Cecilia Veenstra

Absolutely love this place. They have a train to ride on. A little golf place. A carousel that takes donations of 5 cents. The park. And the zoo. It's not a very big one but it's a great place to take the kids too, and it ends at a great park for little little kids.

Van Hodges

The zoo was fun for the kids and they really enjoyed seeing the monkey's playing and climbing. Not much can be expected from a small town zoo that doesn't charge admission but it was clean and well taken care of. They have a small playground that my kids had fun playing on. They a refreshment stand with food and drinks with generous prices. Not a bad way to spend an hour or two.

Rebecca Carbone

Awesome place

Jeremy Johnson

What a great park. The number of amenities is pretty incredible, and they're all super reasonably priced. It's easy to make an afternoon--or day--of the park. It's great to see a city invest in its public facilities.

Ashley D

Love taking my kids here. Logs of great events as well. Worth the drive for us and we visit multiple times a year.

Alicia Smart

The best park/zoo in SE KS...grew up here, raised our kids to enjoy and L

Drew Hartfield

Lots of Pokestops

Scott Mackey

It's a wonderful place to go spend time with family and friends

Zachary Haddock

This is a great place to go and for only the price of some food and gasoline if needed!

Roy McGonigal III

Was hot and humid critters were not very active caracell was a great feature park was clean and patroled by sheriff

Angel Rivera

Absolutely amazing! We live in Missouri and every time we go to visit family in Texas we stop here to stretch and walk this beautiful park. Although a small zoo the layout and landscape is beautiful. And they have very nice parks in and around the zoo. We have a hard time getting back into the car after have such a nice and relaxing walk around the zoo. We usually stay about 1-2 hours. Will recommend this park to anyone and to top it off the zoo is FREE!

Christina Daniels

Not many animals. And it's owergrown

Josiah Reed

One of the best parks I've ever been too. My neice and nephew loved the playground.

Karrie Jo Foulk-johanson

Great place to take the family!

Jeanette Weiser

It's one of the few free zoos. Both walk through and drive through options

linda jones

Disappointed that they only had a few exhibits. No place to get something to drink. Probably will not be going back.

Karen Trollope

I always enjoy going to Riverside Park. While I was there I walked and enjoyed the beautiful sites.

Jesse McColm

We were pleasently surprised by the zoo! It has a lot to offer and it is free. Our kids loved seeing the animals and getting to play in the little kiddie area. We will be returning!

Glenn Dent

I stop by to visit the eagle whenever I'm passing through Independence. I've named her Wanbli,(the Lakota word for eagle). She's such a beautiful bird. I also like seeing the buffalo. For southeastern Kansas this place is a true gem. Way to go Independence.

Jason Brown

The only reason I'm not going with 5 stars is due to the amount of enclosures that were empty. For all the fun my lil'l one had it's worth a 10 since the only thing it cost was the drive from Joplin. I'll certainly be back and recommend this amazing park/zoo to everyone.

michael waggoner

This is a great place to bring the family. The young and old will enjoy it

Travis Goad

One of the best places to picnic or just enjoy a great day with your family..

Jerry Gammill

Beautiful place, very good place to spend some time with family and see some neat animals. Plus the swan was fun, every time we would go near it's pond he was there to greet us ( looking for treats!)

Selena Perkins

Not a bad zoo for a small town. I has visited the zoo several times in the winter time so not all about animals was out yet.

Sweet Heart

I've never seen a FREE zoo before. I love the peacocks.

Kindofanerd

Not as many animals this year and cigarette butts everywhere can't access a good view point of bears due to construction block offs!

Brandi barnes

I love this place, my family and I come here every year! I love the train ride also!

maria norris

I would go again and again love it here. Park stay clean and love the animals.

Annette Jones

My family has had our family reunion at this park almost every year for as long as I can remember. Love this place lots of great memories.