The Topeka Zoo and Conservation Center is a well-regarded mid-size city zoo best known for its Gorilla Encounter, an enclosure where the glass wall inverts the usual arrangement by putting visitors inside while the gorillas roam an open outdoor habitat. The tropical rain forest building is also worth a visit, simulating a humid environment with tropical birds, reptiles, and plants. It's not a destination zoo on the scale of major metropolitan zoos, but genuinely good for two hours, especially with children.
The zoo occupies Gage Park in west Topeka, a large public park that also contains a carousel, a miniature train, a disc golf course, and a rose garden. Combining the zoo with the wider park makes for a full afternoon. The park is free to enter; the zoo has an admission charge but pricing is modest by US zoo standards.