Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens Reviews

Great paths...animals viewable and wonderful botanticals!

The lady at "Get HARNESSESS here" office was REALLY RUDE! we were waiting on the line for more than 10 minutes. Suddenly she totally ignored us to go and teach some kids the safty tips even though there were more than 3 other employees out there. We were 3 couples with a total of 6. I felt really offended since I felt that we were treated unfairly.

CFZ might not be quite as good as the Brevard zoo. But parking is a HECK of a lot better! People working there were VERY nice and knowledgeable and actually even spoke to us without having to ask multiple times. Have places to sit throughout. Especially like the walkway planks with names throughout the park. And they have annual passes that are a much better value if you can go even three times throughout a year. They also have carousel and train ride passes.

Perfect for toddlers. Lots to do and see - get there early, lots of school groups come during weekdays, hit the splash pad early (bring a swim diaper & towel!). You can't bring food in but there is a big picnic area just outside and they didn't say anything about my toddlers snack & cup. Lots of boardwalk, stroller friendly. We didn't try the food, and some exhibits were closed which was the only disappointment of the day.

This place was a little.... Odd. But the prices weren't horrible and the kids had fun. The staff was friendly and they had several attractions. Loved seeing all the different animals.

Awesome zoo ! Very knowledgeable and helpful zookeepers and staff.

The zoo lacked a variety of animals such as lions ,elephants and so on compared to other states. Being from Michigan, it's no comparison. Upgrade or just close the place down.

Really great place to take the kids. Never gets old seeing smiles and learning taking place.

Today was our first time at The Sanford Zoo and we ABSOLUTELY loved it

Always a fun family day. Not the biggest or most advanced zoo, but still fun. The kids love the splash pad area on a hot day.

A great place to take the grandkids and the winding trails provided nice shade. I also have to rave about the face painter who did an awesome job. The cafe service was tediously slow for some reason so carry in food if possible.

Nice, clean and fresh Zoo to spend the afternoon with the family!

We love this local Zoo, GO VISIT! Feed the giraffe, sit and watch the Rhino, have a Sonny's BBQ sandwich, watch the Hornbill's, talk to the clouded leopard, enjoy. There are folks all over to answer questions, especially the ladies at the giraffe exhibit. Just a quiet low key escape.

Animals were out and visible. Kids loved the feeding area.

I was highly displeased when me family and I visited this zoo. All of the animals seemed to be either highly sedated and or depressed. There was open and unsafe construction around almost every corner. Not to mention the unpleasant attitudes of many of the employees. I would not recommend this zoo to anyone. In all honesty if you want a nice zoo experience go to the Broward zoo.

Small/medium zoo, good for half day trip. Excellent splash pad for kiddos so be sure to bring swim suits and towels!

To much money and not enough animals, my family left very disappointed.

Very small and kinda depressing with very little animals and most are sleeping borrowed or hidden from view. Worst zoo I ever been to.

This Zoo is amazing not only you will go to see many different animals but I will have fun! This is a family place to go anytime.

It is a really small zoo the best things were the rhino and giraffes. It was over priced for how small it was and couldn't see most of the animals very well. For the price we payed they should have included other activities but it doesn't you have to pay separate for everything and at 10am they already ran out of food for the goats and they open at 9am so it's very disappointing.

A great place to take the kids and grandkids check on annual passes if local

The herpatarium is the best part. No, that's not a place where the herp a derps are kept. There's a train and some animal activities for the kiddies. Feed the giraffe but he took my index and middle finger off when I offered him lettice. Three stars for two missing fingers.

Overall it was fun. I was extremely surprised by the price of the giraffe feeding (way less then I thought)

Good place to walk around and see animals although it's better in their own habitat but none the less it was great, not crowded,cheap, and they have a mini train you can ride good for the kids and adults .

Good zoo. Needs work and saw a lot of construction areas. Did not find similar or better than the Jacksonville zoo or Audubon zoo.

Kid friendly, we paid full price admission but most kiosks closed. Train ride not worth it.cardboard animals on route. Goes outside zoo. You don't see anything worthwhile.

My sister and I took our granddaughters to the zoo this past Saturday and were very disappointed in having to pay such a high price to get in to find out you had no regular zoo animals to see . No lions , tigers , chimps or elephants. And then to have to pay to ride the train and the merry go round which we didn't do because of the price . We were both born and raised here in Sanford and we can remember the old zoo . And to us that was a zoo. They did have all the animals I mentioned .
We also couldn't let our granddaughters play on the playground because the equipment was moldy . It is so sad that when you are raised in a town and want to share the same experience with your granddaughters and turns out to be a bad experience it is very Heart breaking .
And as far as the snacks I think you need to get cups with straws built in for the little ones to be able to drink out of .
I will not recommend this zoo to anyone .
Sincerely Terrie Moore
A Unhappy Grandmother

Aside from masks being required outside while socially distanced all was great. Heat and masks outside is just too much.

The zoo seemed a little sparse when I first arrived, but I was happy with the variety of animals I was able to see. (I also purposely visited during a time when no one would be there, so I don t know what the zoo is like when it s lively.) There s also real food options (I believe there s a Sonny s BBQ restaurant area), and a splash zone (it was closed when I was visiting) as well as a train for kids. There s zip lining, an obstacle course, and you can feed giraffes (for an extra fee). All of the employees were super friendly and knowledgeable.

Cute little zoo with a tree walk and carousel. You might want to plan something else to go with it since it's not very big.

Great place for the younger kids. Not much walking. A lot of animal encounters.

Not alot of animals the orders qasnt there lil expensive but just love it

Had a wonderful time. The park is beautiful and well maintained. The animals looked healthy and content. Lots of activities for kids and adults. Staff very friendly. Will definitely go back.

Smaller than the Jacksonville Zoo but the animals seems well taken care of. Would have liked the train ride to actually go by some actual animal exhibits.

Animals are always fun to visit, but the kids had a BLAST on the zip lines. Of course, now they want zip lines at home!

We had a great time. Bring a suit for the kids the splash park was a perfect spot to cool off.

ZoomAir zip lines the grand kids loved about 4 hour of good outdoor fun

I had my 8th birthday party at this Zoo, attended Zoo Day Camp and have been making memories here for the past several decades. It s a small zoo- but it s really a lovely afternoon out. There s a wide array of animals. The staff seems knowledgeable and caring. I know they had to close down due to the pandemic - but read that they just recently reopened following CDC guidelines. I plan on going with my significant other soon for some much needed entertainment! The animals are simply precious- especially the monkeys!

The worst $39 (for 2) it shouldn't be called ZOO!! its more of exotic animal, we spend longer time on line to get in than the time in there, first time i go to a zoo that doesn't have elephants! Tigers? Lions?? And they have the in the entrance advertising , false advertising! Very disappointed

The Zoo is very clean, the grounds are beautiful the staff was very friendly. I'm not a fan of Zoos unless the animals can get out of their cages and run. I'd really like to see the Bald Eagles released.

Very pricey, extra money for all activities. Picnic area only for purchases on site.

It's a great place for a day trip. Nice to relax and walk around and see interesting animals from around the world.

Animal enclosures appeared spacious and the staff was friendly

Always a better fun to walk through and visit. The obstacle course seems absolutly amazing but our kids were a little too young and small to get on. But they had fun having a look at the animals. Feeding the giraffe was highlight of our visit our kids absolutely loved it.

Zoo needs to be fixed up. Cheetahs in small enclosures when they need space to run, waiting on the feeding encounters for the entertainment of the public while they stay hungry until then. The monkeys outside hugging on one another for warmth when there s no heaters for them in the winter. Saw a black bear walking and with every other step would limp. It s so run down and dirty. I understand funds can be hard but these are living animals meant for the wild that need to be kept up with THEIR standards. Horrible experience that left me in tears.

Not a bad smaller zoo. Most of the pathway throughout the exhibits were treated wood decking all of which could have used a good pressure washing. Many of the older benches were very low making it harder for folks with knee problems to get up.
The small gauge train is kinda neat for the smaller crowd. Not a large assortment of animals, but not bad for the size of the park. Prices are reasonable with senior and military discounts.

Animals amazing even though most of it was closed kids had a great tjme

I liked it a lot but I think what should see more animals

What beautiful animals, very well cared for. Undoubtedly a good tourist site

Asian lantern festival at Central Florida zoo... Gorgeous!

the people here are so nice and welcoming i will come again

Very small with less animals than I recall from years past.

It's okay. Mostly animals are sleeping. It's a small place

This zoo offers many different animals and activities. Definitely a must for any local or someone passing through. Splash pad open pretty much year round and a playground is always available.

Wonderful little zoo
Lots of animals to see
Great place to take kids and grandkids!

Love our little zoo in Sanford. The staff is putting a lot of effort into creating a good home for the animals and a fun experience for the visitors. Love the after hour events!

Small fo a zoo, most of animals were not active. Person running the bear exhibit could use some refreshing education on bears. So could person in snake habitat, there are not any poisonous snakes in the world, snakes ate venomous, not poisonous.

It's nice place to take the family. Try the train ride.

It is a very pleasant experience, it is not a huge zoo, but it is nestled in natural Florida scenery. It is a beautiful walk and educational. I highly recommend it.

It was pretty decent place to have good time with kids and family.. Could have be little bigger...train ride is fun though

My husband and I found this zoo and we were so glad we did. The enclosures are top notch and not all the same. We loved the layout also. Wonderful for children. Great value.

I'm only giving it 4 stars because I've been to some much nicer zoos. It's gotten alot bigger and animal areas are becoming more natural. They have a nice boardwalk and a snake house. They are lacking a walk through aviary.

Is a good place for kids to enjoy some animals but it needs more animals and more attention

Really great family friendly place with nice staff members and social distancing possibilities.

Nice relaxed small zoo...well kept, nice staff and a beautiful setting...