Exploring the Extraordinary Jacksonville Zoo & Gardens with Kids

Elle MacRae — Sat, 13 Jun 2020 19:49:41 +0000

The Jacksonville Zoo & Gardens is one of our favorite hangout spots. The zoo is one of our city’s main attractions, with more than a million visitors checking it out each year. The zoo has over 2,000 animals and just as many plants in its gardens.

What are the highlights of the Jacksonville Zoo?

Our zoo has a ton of great features! Some of our favorite include:

Range of the Jaguar

Since Jax is home to the Jacksonville Jaguars, it’s only fitting that we have an awesome jaguar exhibit! Our city’s favorite cats can usually be found sunning along the edge of the Lost Temple.

Land of the Tiger

This is one of the zoo’s newest upgrades. We love watching the Malayan and Sumatran tigers strut their stuff in their awesome exhibit! We especially love seeing them prowl in the tunnels overhead. This exhibit is at the back of the park so we suggest taking the train if you want to get there quickly for one of the feedings.

Stingray Bay

This is one of the few spots at the zoo where you can get up close and personal with an animal. Once upon a time, you used to have to pay to visit Stingray Bay, but now it is FREE! Visitors are asked to wash their hands and arms (up to their elbows) before approaching the water habitat.

Once you’ve washed up, you’re free to reach in and touch the stingrays.

The Giraffe Overlook

Our favorite thing about this exhibit is being able to come face to face with these beautiful spotted creatures! There is often a line to feed the giraffes, but if you have little ones it is guaranteed to be one of the highlights of their day!

African Forest

The African Forest is home to some of our favorite animals- the primates! In 2018 the Zoo unveiled a brand new upgraded habitat that gives the gorillas, bonobos, and monkeys plenty of space to roam. The habitats have lots of enrichment opportunities and tunnels for the animals to explore.

Where is the Jacksonville Zoo & Gardens located?

The zoo is located just north of the downtown area near the airport and cruise terminal. It is easily accessible from both 95 and 295.

The physical address is:

370 Zoo Parkway, Jacksonville, FL 32218

Our Thoughts on the Jacksonville Zoo & Gardens

The Jacksonville Zoo & Gardens is one of our favorite places to visit. During the summer, we are here at least once a week. We like to visit the zoo when it first opens so that it is not as hot or crowded. If you visit a little later in the day, the zoo has a splash park that offers a reprieve from the hot Florida sun.

You can easily see the entire zoo in a few hours. We often will skip Wild Florida, Australia, and indoor exhibits so that we can be in and out of the zoo in under 3 hours.

The zoo has a train that loops around the park. It has two stops, one near the entrance and one close to the back of the park near the Asian part of the zoo. We sometimes like to take the train to the back of the park and work our way to the front to avoid having to double back.

What is there to do nearby?

If you head east on Zoo Parkway, it turns into Heckscher Drive, home to several beaches. This area is known as the North Florida Keys. We suggest visiting Huguenot Memorial Park, Little Talbot Island State Park, Big Talbot Island State Park, and Fort Clinch State Park. One of our favorite parks, The Jacksonville Arboretum & Gardens is also just 11 miles away. Another one of our favorite parks, Castaway Island Preserve, is less than 20 miles away.

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Updated: 2/19/2021

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