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    Fort Wayne Zoo

    4.5 (120 reviews)
    Closed 10:00 am - 3:00 pm, 7:30 PM - 10:00 PM
    Updated 3 weeks ago

    Fort Wayne Zoo Photos

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    Darlene B.

    Wow, I was recently in visiting from out of town, and this zoo came highly recommended from YELP CM Nikki from Indy. This past weekend, happened to be one of the weekends for Wild Zoo Halloween, and it was fun to experience all the children in costume, as I strolled around the zoo. The zoo overall is an affordable experience for families, adults, older people, basically everyone that appreciates animals. Parking is free, and plenty of it....what better way for someone out of town to spend a few hours. The zoo is welcoming, easy to navigate, employees were helpful. A tip, that appeared on the zoo map which was beneficial: after the Capuchin monkeys just go right and your on your way to amazing adventure. The zoo is divided into five sections: Central Zoo, Australian Adventure, African Journey, Asian Track, and the Reef Aquarium. Notable things that stood out for me: were the habitat for the giraffes, and the giraffes exhibit, the red panda, the string rays. Two keys factors that drew my attention to the exhibit were the zoo keepers educating all on lookers about each of the animals, the ability to for a small fee feed giraffes, or pet a string ray, if they let you . Sadly, they kept swimming by my fingers, most have know I was an adult, lol. This has to be one of the best zoo's I've visited for a medium size zoo. The extra added bonus that I never anticipated seeing in a zoo was zoo rides, and zoo experiences. The rides include: Sky Safari, Railroad Train, Crocodile Creek Adventure, Carousel and the experiences were: Gem Mining, and Forest Adventure Play... This should be a stop to experience once if your into something different, love animals, zoos and what they have to offer. Snuck a peek at their new exhibit, next year sometime: Coastal Cove: which will feature Harbor Seal, and California Sea Lion....wishing that too be a successful exhibit.

    Fort Wayne Children's Zoo
    Richard P.

    I've long wanted to check out the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo, however, I don't really frequent Fort Wayne and every time I find myself in the area my timing seems to be off. Fortunately, I finally made it happen. The Fort Wayne Children's Zoo has early roots from 1952 when Fort Wayne's Franke Park had 54 acres added to it in order to establish a nature preserve with animal displays - 4 monkeys, a black bear, three wildcats, mountain goats, raccoons, foxes, porcupines, pheasants, ducks, swans, and an American eagle. In 1962, the success of the nature preserve led to visioning for an actual children's zoo. It opened on July 3, 1965 with 5.5 acres and 18 exhibits. By 1971, the zoo had over a quarter of a million annual visitors and a new exhibit, African Veldt, opened in 1976 and became one of the first zoo exhibits in the nation to have mixed species on an open pasture - this is common practice now. Over the years, it has continued to grow. The zoo continues to be specifically designed with children in mind and now has over 40 developed acres. The zoo is open April 27-November 3rd. General admission for adults (13+) is $22, $20 for children ages 2-12, and free for under 2. Membership includes free admission. If you buy your tickets online, you can typically save. Parking is free. The zoo has some additional rides and experiences that are an added cost - Sky Safari ($4), Z.O.& O Railroad ($4), Crocodile Creek Adventure Ride ($4), Ride Endangered Species Carousel ($4), or a 10-ride Ride Pass for $25. There's also a ride wristband for $10. There's also goat feeding, chicken feeding, giraffe feeding, stingray feeding, and sitatunga feeding (new). Again, while it seems like there's lots of extra expenses it's worth noting that the zoo often offers ways to save. Check the website for info. I had high hopes for accessibility. Generally, kid-oriented spots tend to be more accessible and for the most part that's true here. There are parking options available. If you have doubts, contact guest services and they do offer reasonable accommodation. Wheelchairs, strollers, and wagons are available on a first-come, first-served basis at the main entrance for rental (single stroller, $10; double stroller, $15; wagon, $15; Wheelchair free (ID required and held while chair is in use - 350 lb. capacity). They also have ECV Scooters for $25 (weight capacity of 330 lbs. - photo ID required and age 18+). The zoo is also a certified sensory inclusive facility and is registered with KultureCity. It offers quiet places, sensory bags, and headphones. Staff receive specific training to help guests with sensory needs. I'll also note they print maps of the zoo in English and Spanish. I was honestly pleasantly surprised by how many animals the zoo had. I expected it to be a lot smaller than it was, however, it's pretty impressive. Favorites for me include - banded mongoose, blacktip reef shark, several different types of monkeys, several turtles, and a woma python among others. It's a nice mixture of the familiar and unfamiliar. The zoo cites as its mission "connecting kids and animals, strengthening families, and inspiring people to care." The zoo is operated by the Fort Wayne Zoological Society under a cooperative agreement with the Fort Wayne Parks Dept. It is fully accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. I found the grounds for the most part wheelchair friendly, the employees friendly, and even volunteers well-informed. While I required very little in the way of accommodation, I didn't really have difficulty getting around and enjoyed my time. If you've ever been to Fort Wayne, it's actually Indiana's second largest city and is definitely worth a weekend getaway. I'd say the zoo is worth a visit even if you don't have kids, however, it's even cooler if you do.

    Zoo photo
    Amy M.

    Best children's zoo I've ever been to, and that's saying a lot, considering we go to a zoo nearly everywhere we travel. It just happens to be in my hometown and I love that.

    Cheetah
    Madi L.

    I love seeing the animals and my favorite zoo animals is cheetah and lions they are fears to conquer their nature

    Sharks
    Charissa H.

    The zoo is a fun activity for 2-3 hours. It's well maintained, and the staff are friendly. I'm fine with not having a whole lot of rides, and I'd want to have more zoo animals instead. It is lacking on good food options. Some of the playground options for the kids seem fun, but the ground it's placed on looks like it'll hurt if they fall down. The only animals I wish they had are pandas and polar bears. I know that's a big ask, so I don't knock them for that. If you want to see all the animals, make sure you come out on a warm day. We were there and it was cloudy and low 60s, and maybe like 10 exhibits had animals inside for warmth. The gift shop could use some more things. They have an abundance of stuffed animals, but they need more clothing, keychains, and other fun things adults can buy. Otherwise, everything else is pretty good. The animals are fun to look at. Oh, and watch out for monkeys trying to pee on you through the gates. Have fun!

    Bird up close
    Diana F.

    This is an extremely affordable zoo for adults ($12) and anyone 2+ was $10 which seemed higher for kiddos. Although in my opinion it was worth it. There was a bunch of stuff closed off like the African safari, a number of other exhibits. Additionally the gift shop was very highly priced for things. The dome animals were by far my favorite. They had lots of cool birds and a zoo keeper talking w us. The sting ray zone was fun, pretty lighting and able to pet the critters. There were peacocks everywhere. The carousel was free, super fun and located near food to help with occupying hungry children while they wait. The fries were great -- super tasty and just crisp enough. The pretzel was okay (:

    Elle J.

    Now this is how a zoo should be! Inviting, interactive, and fun! We honestly had a blast here. The Zoo is in the same area as a park so parking was free! Walking up to the zoo entrance, everything was so colorful and made you want to go inside! We purchased tickets online thinking we could skip waiting in line but there isn't a designated line for online tickets so we had to stand in line anyway luckily it wasn't that long! Once inside, it was magical. My kiddos loved every minute of it! Every exhibit has so much detail put into it! You can tell everything was put together with little people in mind! One our favorite areas was the Kangaroo exhibit! It was cool to be able to walk so close to them and see them roaming doing their own thing! We also enjoyed the free roaming peacocks, the African Area, and the White Pelican exhibit! They are huge! There are concessions throughout the zoo! We grabbed pretzels and slushies which were good and not priced too high! There are also a ton of photo ops around the park! Overall, we had such a great day here and are already looking forward to coming back!

    Peter P.

    I'm not sure exactly what makes this a "children's zoo" as opposed to just a zoo. They have some unusual animals here, but it's not that big. I guess there's a posting so area, but many zoos have that.

    Waterfall at entry to African section
    Dave C.

    This is one of the best small to mid-size zoos that I've ever visited; and I've been to many of them. With the name, I expected a small petting zoo and figured just over an hour. Well... I spent two hours and had to rush at the end. They have 4 distinct sections. 1.) The central area when you come in that has sea lions, penguins, and a farm where you can pet and feed goats. 2.) An African section that feels remote enough that you don't feel you're in Indiana that has a small play area and giraffe feeding. 3.) An Indonesian section with a carousel. 4.) An Australian section where you can touch stingrays. Much of it is shaded by trees; and gives a feeling of immersion. With small children, could spend 3 hours here!

    Log ride on Crocodile Creek
    Daphne C.

    Besides all the wonderful animal exhibits, there are lots of fun activities for kids. The log ride on Crocodile Creek, Wild animal carousel, Sky Safari, and sting ray encounter, to name a few.

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    2 years ago

    Good zoo for everyone of all ages take the whole family!Will take about 2 hours!Free wheelchairs have for strollers 1 or 2 options!

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    3 years ago

    Great place to take children and relax with family. The nature is incredible and how the animals feel in their habitat

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    3 years ago

    Great for the entire family. One of the nation's best children's zoos. Special events throughout the zoo season.

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    2 years ago

    Beautiful grounds, perfect size for little kids, lots of interesting animals. Love feeding the giraffes and goats and taking a train ride.

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    Page 1 of 3

    Ask the Community - Fort Wayne Zoo

    Review Highlights - Fort Wayne Zoo

    If you have children and you're anywhere near Fort Wayne, you need to visit the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo.

    Mentioned in 8 reviews

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    Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory - Succulents

    Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory

    3.9(44 reviews)
    2.2 mi

    I have to admit that I have a tendency to forget about Fort Wayne, though having had a recent…read morevolunteer for my Tenderness Tour has put the city back on my mind. The Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory was a place I didn't get to spend a lot of time while in the downtown area, but I did enjoy the time I got to spend there. The conservatory has three indoor gardens and 1,000 varieties of plans (and 2,000+ plants). You can see cacti, palms, a chocolate tree and more. The conservatory was started by News-Sentinel publisher Helene Foellinger and Bill Sowers, a Fort Wayne attorney. The two often visited gardens and wanted Fort Wayne to have a similar experience. The conservatory opened in 1983 and houses 24,500 square feet of indoor gardens, four outdoor gardens, and is owned/operated by the Fort Wayne Parks and Rec department with charitable support. Fun fact 1: A beefsteak begonia was the first plant installed. Fun fact 2: In February 2024, the Conservatory had its three millionth visitor. Admission is $7 for adults, $5 for youth (3-17), and free for ages 2 and under. There's a $1 Thursdays deal from 5-8pm and there's no admission fee for the cafe, conservatory shop, or sales garden. There's venue rental available and quite a few classes to take. I generally found things accessible - maybe a bit iffy in a couple spots, but I could generally function just fine. I will say I didn't quite explore everything as I was on a schedule, but for what I experienced I really enjoyed it and could get where I wanted to get.

    Entry fee is $1 on Thursday and Friday in December 2022 so we went thru the holiday display. It is…read morebased on a children's book written by a Fort Wayne resident! It was super court and very well done. There are even lights in the gardens outside. We've been there many times before during the day so it was different to see it at night. We sat up in the top level of the tropical area enjoying the sounds of the waterfall and lights. It was beautiful. Downtown in December is magical. $1 night is a cost effective way for the whole family to enjoy the gardens. Thank you parks and rec!

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    Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory - Butterfly cocoons

    Butterfly cocoons

    Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory - Leaves

    Leaves

    Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory

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    Fort Wayne Zoo - zoos - Updated May 2026

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