Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens Reviews

It s was okay. It s pretty expensive for the lack of experience. It s about $20 a person. We saw some animals but when they clean the cage they take the animals away. There wasn t that much to see, not a very big zoo.

Probably won t be back, not really worth the money. But it was an okay time.

Petting zoo- can t go up to them, you can only go up to the fence to pet them, and feeding was at 11am and not a second before- literally. Wish we could have had more interaction.

Food court area, very small, not that badly priced.

Only found one bathroom, and it was pretty dirty.

Not sure if they are renovating but it seemed like it.

The staff was friendly overall, but the staff at the petting zoo just sat at a table and watched us feed the animals through the cage.

Kevin
pantoja

So much nicer than when I was a kid. Rhino experience was fun and educational.

Lots to see and do here the staff is both very friendly and and knowledgeable the animals are fantastic to see and watch as well loved seeing the rhinoceros and the giraffes they were my favorite.

Beautiful day...zoo is looking rough,needs updating & animal enclosures need updates & enlarging. Staff is very nice and animals seem well cared for. I understand it takes a bunch of $$ to update.

A nice, relaxed place to see animals. We had a nice time visiting while on vacation.

Exceptional staff from the word, go. Everyone was friendly, helpful and in my case patient! Loved the entire experience! Will be back to help my girlfriends fulfill their bucket list too! Thank you for an amazing adventure!

Great place. Especially for kids. Love the train too

We are somewhat disappointed the selection of animals to view isn't that great. It seemed like every exhibit we went to had a " sorry " sign on it, animals look sad Sunday store close to buy something, The zoo needs a lot of maintenance, better attention for the animals. very hot and they didn't have enough water

This zoo needs a major facelift. Not very interactive, no shows, your lucky if you see most of the animals. It almost looks like they bought that land and then just created cages around the animals to trap them in. Very expensive for what they offer. Jacksonville Zoo was 10 times better.

I got the $55 1-adult annual pass to enjoy an hour here and there wherever my toddler feels like it. I wanted to upgrade my $19 1-day ticket to an annual pass a week later but they couldn't do it because I had to have done it on the same day. They said there was no way to look that far back at the transaction, even though my receipt showed that I paid in cash. The logic there was confusing. My toddler likes the train ride and carousel so it was a better deal to buy the $25 punch card, good for 20 punches than to pay $7 each time we ride both the train and carousel. After a few failed experiences I learned that the train and carousel close at 3:45pm on weekdays and during rain or drizzle. The splash pad closes at 4pm and it was closed for repairs the first couple of times I came so we haven't had the chance to try it yet. Some animals are put away around 4pm so it's best to come early, before they start closing up during open business hours . This might have been because it's either a hot day and they're all panting hard, and/or it was a slow day and there were very few people enjoying the zoo in the afternoon. I've not had a stellar experience because of the mentioned experiences thus far, but my toddler likes it and for the price and close proximity to my house, is good enough with proper planning.

Not a bad zoo if your local. Traveled from Jacksonville for a day trip with the family and wasn't impressed. Kind of pricey for what you get.

Wow!!! it was fun to go to this zoo. My family and my friends had a great time...

Great place to bring your family and spend the day, splash park and good food.

I feel its more of a walk then what you see. Didn't like this zoo at all.

Lots of entertainment for kids bring a change of clothes since there it's a water playground. There's also a zip line and snacks are not allowed but I had mine on my back pack and nobody checked. The place is clean and supervised.

It's something to do. Was fun but was done in 3 hours. The food prices are way to high for a hotdogs. My son enjoyed it. The train ride was his favorite

One of the highlights on our trip to Orlando. The staff was top notch, very helpful, funny and safety oriented. Highly recommended.

Expected to see more animals.Train ride is good for children not adults at $3 per person is to much. Great place for little children.

Our two toddlers had a blast wearing costumes and getting candy. Everything was very safe and clean despite good crowds.

Nice zoo - the family had a good time. Not too expensive or crowded.

Nice variety of exhibits and well kept. Definitely geared primarily for young children though, 8 and below.

Small zoo but it's the best we've got so I'll take it. The kids had a good time and it still made for a good educational experience. Every child should get to go atleast once

ABSOLUTELY love this zoo. It's not too big. Clean, wonderful staff. The extra fun stuff is great too. Splash pad, sling bounce etc., Well worth it.

A nice zoo with a good variety of animals. Would have rated 3.5 stars. Although I personally think the admission price is higher than it should be. $52 for 1 adult and 2 FL seniors. Good for about a 2 hour outing. Having my daughter feed the giraffe was definitely the highlight.

Tiny zoo missing many of the animals you'd expect to see during a trip to a normal zoo. The layout was also strange with miandering trails that sometimes dead end without warning. The staff we interacted with were all very nice and informative but I think this zoo overall needs some work to be worth the $20 entry fee.

Animals taken of and a variety of animals from other countries

I guess they were short-staffed because there was only 1 person at the ticket booth. Line was kind of long in the sun. Other than that it was nice, clean and peaceful. They have added several new animals since we were there a few years ago. We really enjoyed it.

Great annual pass prices! Lots of animals and the splash pad is a lot of fun for kids. Advice- don t do after a storm. Much of the zoo is dirt paths and it s built in a swamp as it is so it s just a muddy, partially flooded mess even after a light rain.

My best friend took my daughter and I to the zoo while visiting Orlando during the spring of 2019. My daughter absolutely loved it. We first got on the merry go round and then went on the train... It was super cute. So many reptiles, loved the hippo and girraffee. I took lots of videos and pics... The trail and walk way was very nice as you scroll through looking at different types of bears and such... I even appreciated the playground within for kids. I think they also have a water area, but i didnt come prepared to enjoy that section... Overall, It was nice day out at this zoo :-) #ayterrell

Went for a birthday party. We all had a great time.

The zoo is looking aged and run down. The paths lead to dead ends and could be laid out more efficiently.

GREAT for kids! Water park, play areas, interesting animals - and the place is kept up really well. Buy some food and let the kids feed animals in the kids zoo area..

An amazing place to bring the kiddos and have lots of fun!

I thought there were more variety of animals but it was very limited. Some animals had no partners, they looked so lonely. Had fun still

Zoo camp is incredible and the zoo is educational and amazing

A great place for the family. Small enough to get around easily. Good times

This may be a small zoo but it more than makes up for it with how close you can get to the animals. You will love the scenery throughout the park as well. Everyone is really nice and eager to assist you when needed. If you are in the area and have the ability to go you really should make the track.

for 11 dollars isn't a lot. Not Many animals to really see. Also it was around 98, it was Hot !, and it looks like the animals were hot as can be. I felt bad for them. Hot water and some animals didn't even have a pool or something so they can get in and cool off and I remeber seeing this amphibian and it looked stuck. Not satisified.

Love this place is small but plenty to entertainment for the whole family. Water park area n kids must try the bubble water pool. My grandson 4 yrs old loved it.

This zoo is barely a zoo, it s more botanical garden, They had more fake animals then real animals, waste of money. Came for my sons birthday and was very disappointed with how small it was. Only reason I m giving it 2 stars is because the only thing I enjoyed was the snake Exhibit & the giraffes

Admission was way overpriced. I was very disappointed. The cages and enclosures was way to small for the animals. A very small selection of animals and the birds and Eagles looked pitiful.

Look in advance what is closed and what shows are on

Went to the zoo today and was the same as always. We bought a season pass last time we visited, so now when we go for an hour I don't feel like I've wasted my money. An hour is all you can really do by thev way once you've been there recently. They do have a splash pad open for the kids though so that's a great time waster if you need it. It's always clean and well maintained. Not trying to knock on the zoo it's great for what it is, that's why we buy the pass and donate. Just don't expect a new thing everytime you visit.

Great zoo with lots of animals to see and very friendly staff. Zip line courses are a bonus!

I lost $60.00 for no reason and I will rather go to the one in Jacksonville it was wasted of time and it was an hour from where I live and we had to wake up at 6:30 so we could get there in time and there's no lions,tigers,gorillas,or bears since 3 months ago they said they will put it on April 9 lets see.And you have to pay extra money for other rides.And the animals looked sad.I didn't come to see the people clean the cages I came too see the animals .it was really a waste of time...

Stood in line to buy tickets and nobody else in line had on face coverings....we left!

We love visiting this zoo! Lots to do including feeding the giraffes! What a fun and unique experience! The splash park is awesome too, especially on a hot day : )

Very nice not crowded was able to see animals up close.

Awesome Zoo to bring the little ones. On a Friday wasn't crowded. Everything was clean, the splash zone was great.

This is a great little zoo especially for children. Unfortunately for us, it was not particularly disability friendly. There were not enough handicapped parking spots so we had to park quite a distance away. It is particularly difficult to push a wheelchair through an unpaved lot. The pathway through the park was better for the wheelchair. The carousel and train are not accessible. The exhibits were well maintained and the splash pad was nice and provides a great shady area for adults to relax while younger ones enjoy the water. Changing rooms are adjacent. Lots of picnic benches and play areas as well

It's a great little zoo. They have really kept it up and energized throughout the years. The animals are always fun to see but they have added a lot of other things to do like a Zipline course. It's a good place to come for the day and let the kids run around and see some cool animals.

Not bad for a 1st time experience there. Great for the little ones

Great for a family day out. The pricing is very affordable. It's not a huge zoo, almost all the animals there are indigenous to central Florida excluding just a few. You can probably tour the main part of the zoo in 40mins but I'd recommend hanging around & taking the time to read the info posted about each animal. It's very informative for children & adults alike. Arrive early if you're interested in participating in animal feedings, they post the feeding times at each animal exhibit that participates. There is one restaurant on site (sonny's BBQ) along with snack kiosks. If you want to take a break from animal viewing, there's also a ropes course, a mini railway system which takes you throughout the property and picnic areas.

Awesome Zoo! It was a great experience and every year when we vacation we will be back for sure!

Virtually no animals were out to see nor to pet. We were told it was because it was hot. So after paying more than $50 we left with disappointed adults and children They should warn us before we go in. I companied to the manager and basically he implied "tough s---."

Always improving the experience and adding new attractions. Amazing atmosphere and very welcoming staff. Bring your kiddos bathing suit when weather permits, the splash pad is awesome.

This was a pretty average zoo. They do have some hands on activities, but not as much for really young kids as other zoo we've been too. The reason I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 3 is because they have a pretty large playground on site, which (unlike the splash pad, giraffe feeding, and rhino encounter) was something for young kids that I hadn't seen at a zoo before. All in all, a fun day trip if you're already in the area.

One of the best attractions for nature lovers in Central Florida!

Nice zoo, but we prefer to not see metal cages. Pittsburgh Zoo doesnt have that so I got spoiled by their awesome zoo.

I love the zoo sooo much! Such an amazing place to go if you love animals!!

My family visited the zoo today, and I can't express what a lovely express experience it was. The zoo is as much a park showing off the best of Florida as it is an animal exhibit, and my family was never at a loss for a beautiful meadow or wild animal to view.

I also want to say that I was quite pleased to see a zoo manager confront two people who weren't wearing masks. Despite a lot of anger from these grown children, she stood her ground, looking out for the well-being of the rest of the zoo attendees. For that, I cannot thank her enough.

What a gem. So easy to walk around. Will go back soon.

Good little zoo. Don't plan to make a full day of it as it probably won't take that long, but enjoyable nevertheless.