Main Camp Safari Lodge

The Zoo’s admission facility is 26,000 square feet facility modeled after a safari lodge in Africa.  It houses the ticket gates, Guest Relations and Membership Offices, the Mombasa Import/Export Shop, a 2,500 square foot store that sells animal-themed gifts; and the Main Camp Café, a food kiosk that offers a variety of fast foods. The Lodge also includes spaces that can be rented for private or business events, such as the Samburu Room, a 1,900 square foot indoor facility; Shaba Terrace, a 69,000 square foot space that is located upstairs and is a covered, open air venue used for larger, private or business-related events; and Mt. Kenya Boardroom, used for the Zoo’s Board meetings and can also be rented for meetings.  For more information on the rental facilities click here.

River Valley Aviary

Interact with the Birds of the River Valley in a free-flight aviary.  A two-story enclosure covering 9,000 feet allows birds such as the yellow-billed stork, white-bellied bustard, lesser flamingos and turacos to fly about freely.

Plains of East Africa

Walk along the 1,400-foot boardwalk overlooking the Plains of East Africa and see the animals in their large, open-air environment.

The Nile crocodile exhibit is the first exhibit at the Plains. The Nile crocodile is the largest of African reptiles and can grow 14-16 feet long. Mainly found in sub-Sahara Africa, Nile crocodiles specialize in preying on large mammals.

The Wart Hog exhibit is across from the Nile crocodiles.

A pair of our Saddle-billed Storks are in the area across from the center antelope exhibit.  This rare stork species is the tallest of the African storks. 

The Antelope exhibit is in the center of the loop around the Plains. Home to eastern bongo, impala, and African ground hornbills, the exhibit is spacious and tree-shaded. It is also our new home to a wild breeding colony of the endangered wood stork.

The Cheetah exhibit is a 300-foot long, 50-foot wide area and home to our cheetah. Cheetahs are capable of running 70 miles per hour, the fastest four-legged animal in the world.

White rhinoceros, greater kudu, sitatunga and ostrich inhabit three exhibit areas at the end of the boardwalk. This 2.5-acre exhibit allows plenty of room for the animals to roam.

Cape Buffalo are further along the boardwalk and are one of the most dangerous animals in Africa

Elephant Plaza offers an intimate view of the Elephants in their 275,000-gallon pool. Included in the same area in the reptile building, home to some of the world's deadliest snakes, such as vipers, cobras and mambas. Outside there are vultures, bats, klipspringer and a host of other animals.

Mahali Pa Simba ("Place of the Lion" in Swahili) is the one-acre home to our two male lions.

Colobus Monkeys live in the area in front of the lions. Colobus monkeys, from East Africa, move by leaping from tree to tree and can be seen in action in their lively exhibit.

A Leopard is along the southern end of the boardwalk.

Great Apes

Great Apes allows visitors to take an up-close look at all three kinds of primates. The three primate groups are the apes, monkeys, and the prosimians. Our apes consist of the western lowland gorilla, the bonobo and siamangs. Monkeys are represented by the mandrill. Our prosimians include the ring-tailed lemur, black-and-white ruffed lemur, and the red ruffed lemur.
(photo courtesy of Barry Rabinowitz)

Wild Florida

Wild Florida includes 2.5 acres of natural wetlands consisting of native animals and plants and is home to black bears, otters, red wolves, whooping cranes, bald eagles, bobcats, alligators, Florida panthers, white-tail deer, an owl species and various reptiles and amphibians.

Reptile House at Wild Florida
The Reptile House is home to more than 25 different species of reptiles and amphibians, including the eastern indigo snake, one of several threatened species protected by the State of Florida. The alligators are presently located just north of the reptile house, and are fed every Saturday at 2:15 p.m. during mid April through November.

Australian Adventure

Take a walkabout! The Australian Adventure attraction is the first new major exhibit at the south end of the Zoo since 1995. Animals included in this South Pacific attraction include the cassowary, lorikeets in a free-flight aviary and wallabies.

Range of the Jaguar

In addition to enjoying the breathtaking jaguar exhibit, take the time to walk the winding halls of the captivating Lost Temple to see bushmasters, poison dart frogs, vampire bats, Amazon tree boas, anaconda, pygmy marmosets and more.

Catch sight of howler monkeys, giant anteaters, capybaras and tapirs coexisting in the River's Edge exhibit.

As an Inca tern flies overhead in the Emerald Forest Aviary, a pudu, the smallest deer species, might dart across your path. Look for a red-capped cardinal perched above you or a sunbittern sunning itself on a low branch.  While in the aviary, you'll have an opportunity to see the largest freshwater fish, the arapaima, which can grow up to 15 feet in length and can weigh up to 400 pounds.

Giraffe Overlook

Take a stroll across the elevated viewing platform and get eye-to-eye with a giraffe.  The covered boardwalk gives guests a breathtaking view across a replica of the African Savanna.  Giraffe and greater kudu walk and graze freely in this 2.5 acre exhibit, adjacent to the new Savanna Blooms botanical garden.
(photo courtesy of Barry Rabinowitz)

Play Park and Splash Ground

The Splash Ground is now open.

The new, $6.7 million Play Park occupies 2.5 acres in the center of the Zoo across from the Range of the Jaguar and adjacent to the Trout River Grill.

Climb, jump, and get wet in the 4,000 square foot Splash Ground and Plaza.  Find your way through two mazes and discover and create in the Discovery Building.  Climb a tree house or rock climb in Forest Play area or set up camp in the Adventure Camp area.  Watch the otters through a tunnel window as they swim overhead.  Groom and pet the pygmy goats in the Animal Care Area and enjoy ice cream, cold drinks and food from the Play Park Cafe. 

To see a map of Play Park, click here.

Botanical Garden Concept Plan: Setting a New Standard

For decades, Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens has given Jacksonville and Northeast Florida residents a place to love animals. Now our mission is to offer our community a public place to love plants, while setting a new standard for zoos in the process.  We are in the process of building a first-of-its-kind botanical garden inside our Zoo that, unlike other zoos, is separate from the adjuncts to animals.

Unlike most other growing and culturally-rich cities, Jacksonville cannot list a botanical garden as one of its cultural treasures.  Beyond filling an educational need, botanical gardens benefit their communities in many ways.  They become tourist attractions, benefit the green industry, serve as an employer and pump millions of construction dollars and salaries into the regional economy.

Over the past 400 years botanical gardens evolved from a menagerie of medicinal plants to entering the 21st century with a strong focus on the concept of environmental sustainability.  While some zoos have enhanced the natural habitat of their animal collection, none to our knowledge have committed to the idea of combining a zoo and botanical garden.  This combination will only serve to strengthen each institution’s ability to foster a clear vision of sustainable conservation of our natural resources. 

With the help of a nationally-renowned botanical garden design firm, the Zoo developed three major garden zones in its Botanical Garden Concept Plan:

The Garden Path: Visitors will begin their garden journey at the Main Camp and will be greeted with a celebratory display of striking foliage and flowering plants.  They will be drawn toward the Garden Path by drifts of colorful bloom swirling through ribbons of contrasting foliage and textures in the distance.  Throughout the Zoo, the Garden Path will be a linear garden that links garden destinations.

Themed Pocket Gardens:  distinct and unique garden jewels of horticultural display that immerse the visitor into strongly themed forecourts to the animal exhibits that follow.  Each garden is about one half acre in size.

The Primary Gardens: In Jacksonville, visitors to the Zoo have, over the years, recognized the unique relationship the Zoo shares with the Trout River.  The beautiful native water-edge plants and spectacular panoramic views over the River set this are aside as something quite special.  Recognizing this potential, we selected this area as the home for the Primary Gardens will cover approximately twelve acres.

The Gardens at Trout River Plaza

The new garden space features a partially-walled botanical garden plaza that will serve as a gathering and event space and offers a beautiful view of the Trout River.  Central to the plaza is a celebratory fountain with a spill bowl topped by a basking anhinga bird sculpture. The fountain is surrounded by pebble mosaic paving that features a menagerie of animals of the Trout River.  Springing from lush garden beds, thirteen Grecian-style “living” columns topped with overflowing flowering urns giving the Gardens a classical look.  A planted trellis, lush and cool with colorful and fragrant vines, along with a number of large shade trees and themed lights all create a special area that can be enjoyed for private parties after hours. The Grand Opening was held September 2007.