The Gladys Porter Zoo is a local institution, set in Dean Porter Park near several of the city's museums. It is small enough to handle in a relaxed half day, with shaded paths, tropical planting, and a better animal collection than its size suggests.
Families come for the reptiles, big cats, and primates, but birders should not dismiss it either. The zoo sits in a region where wildlife watching is serious business, and the landscaping makes the whole place feel more like a garden than a concrete menagerie.