FAQ

Advance online tickets are required. Tickets can be scanned from your phone. 

All-inclusive Total Experience tickets are required for the train, carousel, 4-D Theater, and animal feedings. These experiences are unavailable for à la carte purchases.

Please view our Offers page for discounts.

Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens strives to accommodate all people by having ADA accessible pathways, exhibits, and facilities. ADA compliant parking spots are available with ramps to the main entrance to the Zoo.

Manual wheelchairs and power chairs are available for rent within the Zoo at a first come, first serve basis. Personal wheelchairs and ECV's are allowed within the Zoo.

We welcome guests with disabilities who choose to bring their trained service animal, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), into the Zoo and Gardens.

If you have any additional questions regarding ADA accesibility, please contact Guest Services at 904-757-4463 ext. 177

The Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens has partnered with KultureCity to become certified as a sensory inclusive organization with designated quiet zones throughout our park. 

Credit and debit cards must be used for all purchases. We are unable to accept cash on-site.

Coolers or outside food and beverage are only allowed within Picnic Grove near Main Camp. They are prohibited in all other areas inside the Zoo and Gardens.

Water bottles ARE allowed.

Professional Cameras and bags are permitted at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens.

Larger equipment like reflectors are not allowed without prior approval from our Marketing Department.

Commercial photographers must contact Marketing prior to taking pictures that are to be sold.

Marketing can be reached at marketing@jacksonvillezoo.org.

Prohibited items include:

• Coolers or outside food and beverages
• Roller skates, roller blades, skateboards, wheelies, and bicycles
• Scooters, unless medically necessary
• Balloons

Note: Personal music players must not be amplified.

1. Please do not feed the animals. Zoo animals are on special diets and human food might upset their stomachs.
2. Exhibit barriers and fences are for your protection. Do not climb, stand on, or breach barriers or railings.
3. Do not roughhouse or shout. Loud noises can startle the animals.
4. Help us keep the animals healthy. Please do not throw anything into an animal’s exhibit, or tap on the exhibit glass.
5. Proper attire, including shirt and shoes, must be worn at all times.
6. Please leave the flowers for all to enjoy.
7. Distribution of any advertisement, circular or handbill, or solicitations of funds are not allowed on Zoo grounds.

Due to the high volume of requests, the Jacksonville Zoo & Gardens has guidelines which must be followed in order to qualify for a donation.

1. All requests must be submitted to us in writing a minimum of one month in advance of the desired deadline date in order for us to make a donation. They may mail, fax or email their requests, but they must be on the organization’s letterhead that is requesting the donation.
2. All donation requests should be directed to the Marketing Assistant.
3. Donation requests can only be approved to other non-profit organizations, churches and schools, a 501c3 or 301c3 organization (including church schools and private schools as well as public schools) for fundraising events benefiting the community, families or children.
4. Each non-profit organization can receive only one donation per fiscal year.
5.  The following groups are not eligible to receive donations: for-profit organizations; individuals or individual families; and political parties.
6. We will donate one family four-pack for each qualified request. We do NOT donate Zoo memberships.

Letters of request can be emailed to info@jacksonvillezoo.org, faxed to 904-757-4315 or mailed to:

Ticket Request

370 Zoo Parkway
Jacksonville, FL 32218

Lost an item? Visit our Guest Relations Office located at the Front Gate.

If you've already left the Zoo, please give us a call at (904) 757-4463 and we can check our Lost and Found for your item.

Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens does not offer pet boarding on site, however, we partner with Pet Paradise Jacksonville Airport location. Located 15 minutes north of the Zoo, just off of 1-95, Pet Paradise’s state-of-the-art resorts offer upscale pet boarding and day camp services. The location also offers professional grooming and luxury upgrades for your pet’s stay provided by trained staff.

Pet Paradise will give a 20% discount to those who present their Jacksonville Zoo and Garden’s receipt upon pick up of their pet. Please visit their website for more boarding information and rates.

We ask that you do not feed or interact with any of the resident wildlife at the Zoo. Squirrels, snakes, birds and other wild animals prefer to be left alone and/or can be dangerous.

We welcome guests with disabilities who choose to bring their trained service animal, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), into the Zoo and Gardens. The care and supervision of a service animal is solely the responsibility of his or her owner. Service animals must remain properly leashed at all times.

Dogs whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support or therapy dogs that provide a service to others do not qualify as “service animals” under the ADA. Service animals are working animals, not pets. Pets are not allowed on Zoo grounds.

Service animals may only be excluded from the Zoo when that animal’s behavior poses a direct threat to the health or safety of others. Examples are vicious behavior towards other guests, a dog that is out of control and the handler cannot or does not regain control, or if the dog is not housebroken.

Smoking is prohibited on Zoo grounds. This includes vapes and e-cigs. Guests are permitted to smoke in the parking lot.

Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens only accepts animals of certain species into our wildlife rehabilitation program. These animals are gopher tortoises, wood storks, shore birds and birds of prey. If you are concerned about one of these animals during business hours, please call the Zoo at (904) 757-4463 and dial "0." The receptionist will connect you with the appropriate staff. 

However, we recommend contacting the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s 24-hour line at 888-404-3922 for a list of wildlife rehabilitators in your area. If you are concerned about injured or orphaned wildlife in Georgia, please contact Georgia’s Department of Natural Resources 24 hour line at 800-241-4113. You can find more resources here for your area. 

An inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public place where people are present. Guests voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19 by entering. Please follow CDC recommendations and stay home if you experience the following:

• You are feeling ill or have symptoms of COVID-19
• You have been exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19

We urge you to review information from the CDC if you have any other questions. Additionally, the Florida Department of Health has a dedicated call center for COVID-19 questions and concerns. The phone number is 866-779-6121, or email COVID-19@flhealth.gov.