Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens Reviews

The poor brown bear was pacing back and forth in a 5 foot area (the tree house) just like our previous visits. Incredibly sad for kids. Mine asked me if the bear felt trapped. Please do something to stimulate them if you're going to keep them in such a small area.

There is no petting area just a feeding area and they had already sold all the food then animals were allowed to have before noon. They had some very exciting animals but not very good views of exhibits and many exhibits were smaller than yours expect for the animals they were housing. A lot of space is wasted on a pitiful excuse for a Zipline. Prices are great though. Nice views of porcupines and a very active green mamba in the reptile house.

I've lived in smaller towns with better and bigger zoos. The best part was the reptiles and the bear exhibit but the rest was poor and gross. Needs to be bigger and more updated.

We went on a Thursday, according to the staff weekdays only attract about 15 people a day, making this the prime time to go. On the weekends they estimated 150 to 250 a day. They do not have any place for your belongings, so you have to leave them in the car. We did upland and rainforest. The upland zip lines and challenges (mainly various types of rope and cable bridges) were short but a good warm up for rainforest, which was essentially the same as upland but longer zip lines and challenges. We are usually quicker than the average bear at most activities but the course still took us almost 3 hours.

It was so fun and gave me the thrill I was looking for.

Got there near closing and almost had the park to ourselves. Our kids loved feeding the giraffes, Rafiki and Gage!

No elephant, hippo, tiger, lion etc.. not a good selection of animals, small

Clean, well kept zoo. Animals were out doing animal stuff and the landscaping was beautiful.

Excellent place to visit a day between parks. Of walking a lot less in comparison and there are many animals that you can see at relatively close distance. For an extra $ 5 to feed the giraffe. You will not regret!

This is a nice little zoo. I went there with my friend and had a great time. Not too many animals, but still good for a neighborhood zoo.

We always have a blast at the zoo! So much to see and do, never a dull moment!

Animals were out and about in cool weather. But we miss the loud monkeys that used to be near the front.

There is lots to do here besides visiting the animals. The Zip Lines, Bungee Jump and Walking on Water and the splash zone are all fun and will wear any kid out. Bring lots of cash.
Parking seems limited, even though we got there late in the day when most of the crowd died down, parking was still a hastle. Overall I recommend this zoo to anyone in the area, just try to arrive early as you won't be able to feed the animals after a certain time.

This place needs to be shut down. I have seen animals treated better to ln Mexico. Most of the animals are confined to a little cage that restricts movement only allowing them the opportunity to Pace back and forth this type of zoo should be outlawed no I'm not part of PETA but I was absolutely amazed at the cruelty these animals suffer close this place down move your animals to somewhere where they have room to move around

Very wonderful Zoo for children. Nice variery of animals, great prices, great activities for older kids, educational experience, love the train ride and splash pad

The place is great for an easy going out with the kids. Very well kept and clean. They have water splash pad for the kids, slides swings and off course the animals. We love feeding the giraffe. I have a 9 month old and a 2 year old and they both love it. Their highlight was the train ride right outside the zoo. If you plan to go more than once buy the seasonal ticket.

Baby loves it there great time on cool day. Large water play area for when it hot. I'm Recommending year pass. That's what I buy for my wife and kid. .. well worth .

Very small and 50% of it was under construction. Wasn't worth the 120 bucks I paid for me and my family.

Its a sweet little zoo. The staff are really great - you can tell they enjoy working here. We come every year around Christmas. We went ziplining, saw all the animals, went in a train ride, ate lunch, played giant checkers, fed the goats and llamas, smelled the herbs and flowers and played in the water park (kids are 7 and 9 and still enjoy it even though no pool or slides). Fun for the whole day!

I rarely saw the animals. I think it's over priced for family with no children.

A bit pricey for just seeing lanterns. I would have liked to see some authentic asian performances. Lights were colorful.

The zoo is rather small, but it is perfect for my young family--40, 18 and 2 months. If you arrive when they open at 10, you can see most of it by lunch. They have a splash pad, train ride and rope course as well.

I'm from St. Louis, home of a free and the best zoo in the country. This zoo in sunny florida was pretty cool, I have to say. The animals are all housed outdoors connected by nice wooden walkways through the swamps. Not the greatest variety of inmates, but many of them unique. Great for families. Worth the price of admission? Maybe, but I did enjoy our visit.

Birthday hosts were so friendly and happy. What a great birthday party experience!

Went to the Chinese Lantern festival. It was amazing; a must see. It runs through January12th so by all means, give yourself a treat and go.

The staff on the snake place. Specifically the woman that was feeding the snakes today in the afternoon she was very rude and unpleasant. The place had no tour guide and was boring in general. Im never going to that place again!

We had the Best time it was very hot but the animals are so beautiful and cool

Loved it. Different shows, so you would want to get there for the different times they happen. Loved the cheetahs. Worth the money to me. I missed the shows and still enjoyed myself. (I really like animals though). Zip line there also for about 7 dollars about.

Lack of animals. If not for the Asian lantern creatures would have had a hard time spending an hour here

One of the smaller city zoos I've visited in the United States. The Botanical Gardens were marvelous during my Summer visit. Sadly, due to the extreme heat a majority of the habits were unoccupied.

Nice zoo in a nice quite location. Don't follow GPS though as you'll end up in a parking lot for a manufacturing company

The day we went almost all activities were csncelled so thats a down. However the aninals were really nice , they were really well treated. Good enviroment for kids. Bring clothes for a splash on water area. The food stablishments around the zoo were closed, only the main one open and ice cream shops were closed as well. With all of this cant deny this place was beautiful and extremely relaxing. Recommended mostly weekends ...

I have mixed feelings. I love seeing the animals but I feel sorry for them.

Ideal for children, it is not very big so the tour is done quickly, or the food is highly recommended, I would recommend that when you leave the zoo you visit Mount Dora, where you have several restaurant options and the place has very nice views

Awesome, friendly service. The lanterns were beautiful!!! Great place for family outings!!

Fun for the kids to run around and play and also learn and encounter different animals.

1 snack bar closed. Very limited menu
Train ride home about 2 minutes ago and not thru the park.

Good variety and family oriented environment. Good to bring the whole family.

I don't believe caging animals for profit is a worth while cause.

It is a small zoo with a variety of activities like the ropes courses but limited on the animals.

I've been coming here since I was a kid. Not the biggest zoo but my 4 year old loves coming. We have had seasonal passes for several years in a row. The new Black bear exhibit is interesting for the educational purposes to help residential issues with bears. Feeding the Giraffe is fun as well!

Surprisingly really fun and lots to do with young kids. Glad we got the annual passes again!

The zoo may be small but it was amazing, they have many animals and plants.

Beautiful. Love the splash pad.y grandchildren loved it.

A very nice location and nestled amongst many trees. Food and drink prices aren't too bad and certainly not Disneyesque. We went on President's Day when the kids are off school and many adults have the day off as well. So, it was disappointing to see the Jungle Grille long lunch wait lines going outside the door because only one of the two windows was open, poor planning. Also inside the Jungle Grille, there are two menus, one has Gatorade at $3, the other menu has it at $4, not sure which one is correct, but needs fixing.

Not huge, worth spending some time here but doesnt have a ton of stuff. Some nice cats though.

Very kid friendly, new bear exhibit is great, reptile house is lovely.

Great place for kids..don't forget the splash park..Bring clothes lol

The animals in prison made me sad... They do ha e nice water spouts for kids to play in tho...

Not too big not too small. Good education program with Keeper talks throughout zoo. Pretty environment. Would like to see more animals though.

Really great place for small children. In all fairness I am impressed they do so much with so little. I only wish they had more funding so that it become a really great zoo.

A smaller zoo, but the environment is mesmerizing, and the animals are all an absolute joy to observe.

Great place to go for family can't complain on anything the customer service is amazing you have a great time

There were more fake animals than real ones
I did like the animal feeding

Friendly staff, visually appealing, clean, fun splash pad, giraffe feeding & meet rhino experiences.

It was awesome lots of different animals and species!

My 10 month old son and I went for the first time and we both had a blast here! He absolutely loved the water park!!

Nice zoo with many additional entertainment options

Went thursday 8/6/20
Was disappointed the train was not running the children zoo only had goats couldn't feed the giraffe and the Rhino wasn't out

Loved it, had an amazing time with my husband and daughter. It wasn't that hot so the animals were out and we got some great pics. I would definitely come back. I have other great shots, sadly, they are on my canon!

It's a great little zoo. We made it through with a 7 and 10 year old in about 2 hours.

One of the most heartbreaking experiences ever.
The animals and birds are mostly kept in the small cages and enclosures, which are far too small for their needs.
We felt especially sorry for their cougar, which is situated next to the noisy train line and has a very small pen.
When we went there we didn't expect that developed country like USA to be keeping animals and bir6in such condition.
Even in much smaller zoos that we have visited in the UK their conditions are much better.
I would hope that people in charge in this zoo would read this and take appropriate actions although I doubt it.