The Gladys Porter Zoo is a visitor oriented zoological and botanical park, dedicated to the preservation of nature through education, conservation and research. The Zoo is open 365 days a year and its hours of operation are 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on the weekends. Regular admission for adults is $9.00 (ages 14 64), $6.00 for children (ages 2 to 13) and seniors 65 and over receive a discounted admission of $7.50. Children 1 and under are free.