The Los Angeles Zoo turns 60 this fall, and it is celebrating with a price straight from its opening year. For three days only, November 27-29, 2026, general admission is $19.66 — a cheerful nod to 1966, when the Zoo welcomed its first guests in Griffith Park on November 28 of that year.
Six decades later, the Zoo at 5333 Zoo Drive has grown from a local attraction into a powerhouse for global species recovery, protecting more than 50 endangered species. Its story includes joining the California condor rescue in 1982, when the world’s last 22 wild condors were brought into managed care, opening the Chimpanzees of the Mahale Mountains habitat in 1998, the 12,000-square-foot LAIR for rare reptiles and amphibians in 2012, and Rainforest of the Americas in 2014.
The anniversary weekend is a lovely excuse for families to revisit favorite animals, stroll the grounds in Griffith Park and celebrate a Los Angeles institution that keeps connecting the community with wildlife and conservation. The Zoo is shown on its official site as open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., so arrive early, bring the camera and make a day of six decades of wild Los Angeles history.
Photo: John Salatas, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
