About
The Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens is a 116-acre zoo and botanical garden located north of Orlando, Florida in Sanford. As a not-for-profit organization, it is a leader in conservation, providing experiences that inspire actions on behalf of wildlife.
About Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens
I had a wonderful experience at the zoo. You can really get up close with the animals and see some exotic species. Everything from giraffes and rhinos, to otters and reptiles. There are some covered indoor spaces, but most of it is outside, so going during an overcast or cooler day is a good idea. Fun for people of all ages—highly recommended!
I appreciated the effort and educational aspects of the Central Florida Zoo, but as an animal lover, I honestly left feeling a little disappointed. Some of the enclosures felt small and gave more of a ‘caged’ feeling than a natural habitat environment, and several animals didn’t seem very active or enriched during my visit. The zoo also has fewer large animals than I expected. In my opinion, it’s probably best suited for younger children and families looking for a smaller, simple zoo experience. The staff was friendly and the grounds were fairly clean, but I personally hoped for more spacious habitats and a stronger focus on animal enrichment and overall atmosphere.
It was a beautiful day at the zoo. I thought it was going to be bigger but overall it was a good day. The animals were active and really seemed to enjoy the kids. Alot of schools had their field trip today . So arriving early was good. Only thing that was disappointing was that we couldn't ride the train .
We went on mother's day when they had mom's get in free. Was kind of pricey for just one child. Still $20. We went earlier in the day, it did get more and more crowded. It was nice though. Clean, well kept. A child was lost while we were there and they seemed to have a system in place and handled it calmly and you could see staff as we walked around on alert and all communicating.
Have gone here for years and love it! It is a small zoo, not a lot of animals but just enough. The only complaint I had was the reptile room exhibits. I feel like there should be an employee in there to keep everyone in line. People were shoving and pushing just to see one snake. My kid almost got smushed by two adults. Ridiculous. Besides that a great experience.