What better way to spend the day in the Florida sunshine than to spend the day at the best zoo’s in central Florida and the botanical gardens too. Due to their location, each central Florida zoo is a perfect visit for any time of year.
We will go over many different Zoo’s in Central Florida. The rest of the article is divided alphabetically by city, so you can find which ones are closer to the locations you want to go, be it Tampa, Florida or Sanford, Florida. Continue reading to find your next park zoo adventure.
Christmas – Jungle Adventures
If you want to see animals that are native to Florida, look no further than Jungle Adventures. This is one of the perfect family attractions to show kids Floridian animals, such as alligators and black bears.
Animals
Jungle Adventures includes a wild life show, where you can touch a baby alligator and see other small animals. You can also stroll along the 2,000 foot boardwalk to see the many different animals present.
Activities
Admission includes many different attractions. You can watch the Gator Feeding, where the guides hand feed some of the alligators. You can see how Native Americans lived and worked in Florida. One of the best attractions is a gentle Jungle Swamp Cruise, which is an electric boat ride through the swamp.
Kenansville – Wild Florida Safari Drive Thru Park
This drive-through safari zoo offers more than 150 animals, both exotic and those native to Florida. The park itself is over 170 acres in total. With admission to the drive-through safari, you also receive admission to Wild Florida’s Gator Park, which offers alligator demonstrations and feeding shows.
Animals
You can catch glimpses of watusi, wildebeest, bison, white-tailed deer, oryx, and more throughout the park as you drive by. You can opt for a VIP safari tour as well, which includes a tour guide for the driving portion and allows you a hands-on feeding experience with Wild Florida’s two giraffes.
Activities
For additional fees, there are several other activities you can do at Wild Florida. You can book a slot to hold a sloth or to paint with their giraffes. You can also meet and touch African crested porcupines, South American tamaduas, lemurs or capybaras.
Lake Buena Vista – Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park
Disney isn’t just an amusement park. Near Orlando, you can visit Disney’s Animal Kingdom for all kinds of amazing sights and shows. This theme park is one of the best zoos in central Florida with more than 580 acres. Disney has made Animal Kingdom a great nature park to delight children and adults alike.
Animals
Make sure to stop by and see the Affection Section, which is filled with many barnyard buddies to delight your kids. The park has huge sections dedicated to African animals including gorillas, elephants, hogs, lions, meerkats, and many others. It also has a huge Asian section with animals including tigers, gibbons, komodo dragons, among other animals.
Activities
You can catch some of Disney’s live action shows here, such as the Festival of the Lion King and Finding Nemo: The Big Blue . . . and Beyond! There is even a daily kite show, where you can see your favorite characters take flight. If rides are more your thing, be sure to stop by the Kali River Rapids, the Dinosaur vehicle ride, or the Avatar Flight of Passage.
Melbourne – Brevard Zoo
This is more of a small zoo at 75 acres but there is still so much to see. There is a little something for everyone. They have a section dedicated to Florida, where you can see many different animals, from the alligator snapping turtle to the American black bear.
Animals
There is a range range of animals here. If snakes are more of your thing, rest assured you will see stunning yellow eyelash vipers and emerald tree boas, as well as several different species of pythons. You can even see dingoes, which are relatively rare in American zoos. If you want to get up close and person, you can pay a low fee to handfeed lorikeets and cockatiels.
Activities
Unique to Brevard Zoo is the ability to do a kayaking tour throughout a significant portion of the zoo. Another rare activity at Brevard Zoo is the ability to climb a Florida pine tree and then rappel back to the ground. Finally, there is a huge for your kids to cool off in the Indian River Play Lagoon.
Merritt Island – Romelia Farms
This small wildlife preserve is located near Orlando and the ocean. It is only 26-acres but it offers a great, fun trip for your family. This preserve centers around a large petting zoo, but there is more to do here as well. Where else can you possibly pet exotic animals, such as a sloth or anteater? If that sounds interesting to you, this is the place for you.
Animals
You can take a hayride over to their petting zoo. Here you can see a wide variety of both farm and exotic animals. They have parrots, sheep, alpacas, camels, cows, donkeys, lemurs, sloths, and, of course, donkeys available for you to pet.
Activities
Unique to this small zoo is take a guided ride on horseback. Enjoy the horses and the sights of the zoo as you ride throughout the park..
Orlando – Gatorland
Located on Orange Blossom Trail, Gatorland is waiting to introduce you to Florida’s famous alligators. This theme park has over 2,000 American alligators in its 110 acre park. There is the White Gator Swamp where you can gaze upon both albino alligators and the extremely rare leucistic alligators. They even have the Baby Gator Marsh, where the young alligators stay until they are about 18 months old.
Animals
Gatorland has rescued 4 wild cats – 1 serval and 3 bobcats (with 1 of the bobcats cohabitating with the serval). Gatorland has more than just alligators. Gatorland also has Nile, Cuban, and saltwater crocodiles cohabitating with their American alligators.
Activities
You can interact with the three largest tortoises in the world: the Galapagos tortoise, the Aldabra tortoise, and the Sulcata African Spurred Tortoise. For the more adventurous, you can ride 12-foot high, off-road vehicles to see the gators in their more natural habitat.
Sanford – Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens
As in its name, this zoo not only offers a variety of animals, but it also offers several different botanical gardens for those wanting to look at plants in nature. You can visit the butterfly garden for some tranquility or learn about the role of plants for medicine and cooking at the health and wellness garden.
Animals
Beyond plants and flowers in nature, Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens offers a wide range of birds, from the adorable eastern screech owl to the cooky Guira cuckoo to the majestic bald eagle. Fans of wild cats will love this zoo as well since this zoo has clouded leopards, servals, amur leopards, and cougars.
Activities
Children can cool off in the hot Florida sun by splashing around in the Wharton-Smith Tropical Splash Ground. More adventurous teenagers and adults can take part in the Seminole Aerial Adventures Zipline courses during your trip to the zoo.
St Cloud – Reptile World Serpentarium
This unique zoo opened in 1972. This zoo has over 80 different species of snakes, as well as many other types of reptiles. Some of the truly unique things at this Serpentarium is their 13-foot King Cobra and a 14-foot alligator.
Animals
Reptile World Serpentarium has many non venomous creatures for you to observe. They also have venomous species for you to look at, including the African Green Mamba, Eastern Coral Snake, water moccasins, and many different species of rattlesnakes.
Activities
Unique to the Reptile World Serpentarium is the venom extraction show, which is open to the public. Their focus on venomous snake provides education on the snakes that make people afraid. You can also feed the turtles, watch a snake eating, hold nonvenomous snakes, or hold a baby alligator.
St Cloud – Amazing Animals Inc
What started as a rescue is now a facility for over 100 exotic, rescued animals. They seek to provide education to the public about wild animals. This small rescue is the perfect zoo escape near St Cloud.
This zoo is only open via tour, so you must schedule in advance. The tours are private, though, so you can join an intimate zoo setting with just your family or group.
Animals
Amazing Animals Inc has many small, exotic animals for you to see. You can be charmed by the fennec fox or watch the silly antics of lemurs. They have adorable capybaras and little kinkajous for you to enjoy watching.
Activities
If you want to surround yourself with nature and the outdoors, Amazing Animals Inc offers Sloth Yoga. If you are there during Christmas time, you can enjoy their Christmas in the Cloud celebration, complete with petting zoo, inflatables, Santa, and Mrs. Claus. Amazing Animals Inc also offers touring shows where they will come to an event you have, bringing their 3-banded armadillo, Amazon parrot, snakes, lizards, and tortoises.
Tampa – ZooTampa at Lowry Park
Enjoy a gentle safari ride through Wild Africa at ZooTampa at Lowry Park. This large zoo offers you the ability to look at different animals, cool off in the splash pad, and catch a bite to eat at either Macaw’s Landing Cafe or Boomer’s Cafe.
Animals
This zoo has several different aviaries for you to see many different species of birds: the main aviary, the Lorikeet Landing, the Sulawesi Aviary, the Hornbill Aviary, and the Florida Aviary. Kids who love birds will love feeding the lorikeets will land on you as they seek nectar from the cup. Then you can head over to watch the funny antics of the African Painted Dogs.
Activities
Board the Roaring Springs boat with your family and enjoy a 3-story drop on the water, where the water will drench you. For the littler kids, there are more gentle rides, such as the Boomer’s FLyin’ Bananas airplanes, the small train, and the kiddie coaster.
Tarpon Springs – Tarpon Springs Aquarium and Animal Sanctuary
This aquarium and animal sanctuary is located near Tampa, Florida. Since 1990, this family-owned aquarium has been adored by visitors from all around central Florida.
Animals
This aquarium and animal sanctuary offers aquatic creatures and reptiles for you to see. Some of the sharks you can see here are the lemon shark, nurse shark, and the white spotted bamboo shark. They also have three different types of stingrays for you to watch: the cownose stingray, the southern stingray, and the Atlantic stingray. You can be mesmerized by many different animals, even down to the tiny hermit crab and the ever cool horseshoe crab.
Activities
You can watch the alligator show, in which an alligator is handfed and then you have the chance to safely pet a small alligator. You can also watch a scuba diver feed some of the large fish. Finally, there is an up close reptile encounter, where you can meet different snakes, lizards, and tortoises, and then take a picture with a python at the end.
Visitors will delight in the nice touch pool near the beginning of the aquarium. Here, adults and children will delight in lightly touching many different animals, including hermit crabs, sea urchins, diamond-back terrapin turtles, and horseshoe crabs. Later you can also touch and feed stingrays. In a separate area, you can feed young nurse sharks.
Helpful Florida Information
- Where Exactly is Orlando in Florida
- Clear Water Beaches in Florida
- Things To Do in Melbourne Florida
- The Florida Keys
- Florida Hurricane Season Information
- The Best Aquariums to Visit in Florida
Zoo’s in Central Florida – Conclusion
Now you know about some of the best zoos and botanical gardens in central Florida. Whether your party or family consists of adults or children, you now have several different locations to choose from. Whether you want to be more adventurous and go ziplining or you want to relax in the tranquility of nature in a botanical garden, you can find something that suits your interest. Many of these zoos offer amazing animal encounters, from yoga with sloths to horseback riding to feeding young nurse sharks with tongs to painting with a giraffe. You are on your way to wonderful, day trip to one of the best zoos in central Florida.
More Helpful Articles About Florida
Take a look at some of our other articles about Florida and Orlando before your next vacation:
How Many Florida Keys Are There?
How Far is Kissimmee from Disney World?
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