Jacksonville Zoo and Botanical Gardens Visitor Guide

Jacksonville Zoo and Botanical Gardens, at 370 Zoo Parkway, is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily except Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.

Day-of ticket sales close at 4 p.m. and the last entry is at 4:30 p.m. (Jacksonville Zoo, plan a visit). The FAQ adds that the 4 p.m. cutoff also applies to combo tickets for special events, and that 4:30 p.m. is the last entry for daytime tickets (Jacksonville Zoo FAQ). Last verified: October 18, 2026, by rereading the zoo's visit, FAQ, Spooktacular and construction pages and the City of Jacksonville's fiscal 2024 annual financial report.

On Spooktacular nights in October the zoo closes at 5:00 p.m. and reopens at 6:00 p.m. for the evening event (Jacksonville Zoo, Spooktacular). The visit page still carried a notice on October 18, 2026, that the Zoo Train would not run on Thursday, October 1, a date already past (Jacksonville Zoo, plan a visit).

Jacksonville Zoo general admission ranges from $27.95 to $34.95 for adults and seniors, with children 3 to 12 at $24.95 to $29.95, and prices change by date with peak and non-peak pricing.

Children 2 and under are free. All prices come from the visit page, which says a $10 fee is added to tickets bought at the gate and that the zoo is a cashless facility (Jacksonville Zoo, admission rates). The visit page and the FAQ both say online tickets are required, and the FAQ says credit and debit cards must be used for all purchases (Jacksonville Zoo FAQ), while the visit page still prices a gate purchase with the fee.

Military ID holders get 10% off general admission for everyone in the party, and members of other AZA institutions get 50% off general admission for those their membership covers; both discounts are sold at the Guest Relations window at the entrance (Jacksonville Zoo, available discounts). Groups of 15 or more who visit at the same time on the same day can reserve discounted tickets. A new membership structure took effect October 1, according to the home page (Jacksonville Zoo home page).

The Jacksonville Zoo Total Experience ticket adds the 4D Theater, unlimited train and carousel rides, the Nature Agents adventure and limited animal feedings to general admission.

The times above come from the visit page and its daily Animal Connections schedule, which the zoo says is subject to change without notice; on Saturdays and Sundays the schedule adds penguin feedings at 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. at Tuxedo Coast in Play Park, and on Sundays a cassowary keeper chat at 3:00 p.m. in Australia (Jacksonville Zoo, Total Experience and schedule). Feedings named on the visit page include reticulated giraffes at Giraffe Overlook, lorikeets at Lorikeet Landing and rays at Stingray Bay.

The zoo's pages conflict on buying single attractions. The FAQ says Total Experience tickets are required for the train, carousel, 4D Theater and animal feedings, and that these are unavailable as separate purchases (Jacksonville Zoo FAQ). The visit page says carousel and 4D Theater tickets may be bought individually in the park.

The Jacksonville Zoo is at 370 Zoo Parkway, Jacksonville, FL 32218, and construction on the south side of its parking lot may mean fewer parking spaces.

The construction updates page gives that parking warning and notes loud sounds and smells from equipment (Jacksonville Zoo, construction updates). ADA-compliant parking has ramp access to the main entrance, and wheelchairs and scooters rent first-come, first-served at a booth just inside the main gates, across from the train station, with a valid driver's license held until return (Jacksonville Zoo accessibility).

Guest Relations answers accessibility questions at (904) 757-4463, extension 177 (Jacksonville Zoo accessibility). The train and 4D Theater take wheelchairs, closed captioning in the 4D Theater is available on request, and the carousel is reached by a ramp that staff bring out.

The FAQ lists the items not allowed in the Jacksonville Zoo: coolers or outside food and beverages (school lunches are the stated food exception), roller skates, roller blades, skateboards, wheelies, bicycles, scooters unless medically necessary, and balloons. Pets are not allowed on zoo grounds, though trained service animals as defined by the ADA are welcome, and smoking, including vapes, is allowed only in the parking lot (Jacksonville Zoo FAQ).

The Jacksonville Zoo home page says Manatee River is now open with a new gateway, while the zoo's construction page still describes the $70 million habitat and entrance as a project in progress.

The home page announces the brand-new gateway and manatee habitat under the heading Manatee River Now Open (Jacksonville Zoo home page). The construction updates page lists the J. Wayne and Delores Barr Weaver Manatee River Habitat and VyStar SkyScape Entrance under projects in progress, describing a 330,000-gallon habitat able to rescue and rehabilitate up to 20 manatees, which the zoo says triples its current capacity, and a new entrance with an immersive screen, catering kitchen and gift shop (Jacksonville Zoo, projects in progress). The same page says Wild Florida, next to the new entrance, is being renovated along with the Herp House, so some animals there may be out of view, and that the former squirrel monkey habitat in Play Park is now Sloth Crossing.

The City of Jacksonville has also put money into the zoo. The City of Jacksonville's annual comprehensive financial report for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2024, says the City contributed $5 million in capital improvements as part of a multi-year $25 million campaign for the Jacksonville Zoo, and lists $9,658 thousand in significant commitments for Jacksonville Zoo Improvements at September 30, 2024 (City of Jacksonville, FY2024 ACFR). The same report names improvements to the Jacksonville Zoo among the major projects of the Better Jacksonville Plan, approved by the City in July 2000.

The Jacksonville Zoo and Botanical Gardens says its 122 acres hold more than 2,000 rare and exotic animals and over 1,000 plant specimens, with gardens set among the animal exhibits.

The about page names Land of the Tiger and Primate Forest among its habitats, describes giraffes on the African Savanna and orchids in Asia Gardens, and says the zoo has been an accredited AZA member since 1987 (Jacksonville Zoo, about). The home page gives a different size, more than 100 acres of exhibits and gardens (Jacksonville Zoo home page), so the two figures are quoted here as each page states them.

The gardens page describes several themed spaces at the Jacksonville Zoo (Jacksonville Zoo gardens). Savanna Blooms, a 2 acre garden completed in spring 2005 beneath the Giraffe Overlook, is modeled on a South African oasis with kopje outcrops and a pool of African water lilies. The Gardens at Trout River Plaza center on a fountain topped by an anhinga sculpture, with thirteen living columns, and overlook the Trout River. Riverview Gardens, just beyond the plaza, is planted for pollinators, and the Gardens at Range of the Jaguar use palms, ferns and bromeliads in a neotropical rainforest setting.

Spooktacular, the Jacksonville Zoo's Halloween night event in its 39th year, runs on select October nights starting October 10, with timed entry and advance tickets at $25 for members and $35 for non-members.

The Spooktacular page lists October 10, 15 to 18, 22 to 25 and 29 to 31, timed entry windows of 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. and 7:30 to 9 p.m., and a sensory-friendly night on October 11 (Jacksonville Zoo, Spooktacular). Day-of prices rise to $30 for members and $40 for non-members, children 2 and under are free, tickets are sold online only, and they are nontransferable and nonrefundable. The event goes on rain or shine, safety permitting.

The one-way trail at the Jacksonville Zoo includes a 400-foot light tunnel, the Witches of Trout River, the Skeleton Disco, trick-or-treat stations with goody bags for children, and an optional Scare Zone. The event is presented by VyStar Credit Union (Jacksonville Zoo, Spooktacular).