The Cincinnati Zoo is a Must Visit with Your Family

The Cincinnati Zoo is the country’s second oldest zoo and is located near the University of Cincinnati in a quasi-urban-suburban area. It’s a must visit for the whole family!

According to their website, “more than 1.5 million people visit the Zoo annually. The Zoo features more than 500 animal and 3,000 plant species, making it one of the largest Zoo collections in the country.” After our visit, it’s no wonder that so many people visit the incredible Cincinnati Zoo!

We took an impromptu trip to the Zoo on a Saturday afternoon on March. It was (in my opinion) the perfect weather for a hilly heavy walking day with a stroller and kids. I would imagine it gets pretty toasty in the summer so don’t forget your water bottles (these are our favorites).

This post is very long so if you want my recommendation on if you should visit the Cincinnati Zoo, it’s a BIG YES from us.

History of the Cincinnati Zoo

The Zoological Society of Cincinnati was founded in 1873 and officially opened its doors in 1875, which makes the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden the second oldest Zoo in the United States! The oldest Zoo in America is the Philadelphia Zoo, which I’m currently adding to our Family Travel Bucket List.

The Zoo has come a long way from opening its doors, originally only having “eight monkeys, two grizzly bears, three deer, six raccoons, two elk, a buffalo, a hyena, a tiger, an alligator, a circus elephant, and over four hundred birds, including a talking crow.” Now, they boast over 500 species of animals, more than 1,800 animals and 3,000 plant species!

It originally opened in the middle of the city but as development has changed in Cincinnati, it has spread into the neighboring blocks and outer suburbs. In 1987, parts of the Zoo were recognized as National Historic Landmarks including the Elephant House, the Reptile House, and the Passenger Pigeon Memorial.

The Reptile house is American’s oldest surviving zoo building and gives off major Harry Potter vibes from the first movie. IYKYK.

Pricing, Parking, and Location

The Cincinnati Zoo is located at 3400 Vine Street, Cincinnati, OH. It is less than four hours from these nearby cities. This is another reason why it’s so great living in Ohio, it’s super road trip friendly to all these locations with PLENTY to do and enjoy with your family.

• From Columbus: 105 miles – about 1 hour and 30 minutes.
• From Louisville: 103 miles – about 2 hours.
• From Indianapolis: 112 miles – about 1 hour 45 minutes.
• From Cleveland: 247 miles – about 3 hours 30 minutes.
• From Pittsburgh: 287 miles – about 4 hours.
• From Toledo: 197 miles – about 3 hours.
• From Dayton: 50 miles – about 1 hour.
• From Detroit: 259 miles – about 4 hours.
• From Nashville: 277 miles – about 4 hours.

I will say while it’s a super easy drive and really easy to get to the Cincinnati Zoo, I almost drove right by the parking lot! There is only one small sign (that I saw) so just make sure you’re paying attention when you pull up.

Parking for non-members is $10 and you can pay when you get your tickets online or in person. There are also plenty of signs that show you how to pay for it on your phone. When we left there were two parking attendants helping to guide folks as well. You pay when you leave not when you arrive.

Let’s talk admission pricing at the Cincinnati Zoo! There is a variety of pricing options including special discounts, membership options, and more.

We chose to purchase tickets at the ticket booth when we arrived because we have a membership to the Columbus Zoo & Aquarium which is part of the reciprocal program! That means we get 50% off at the Cincinnati Zoo. You can check to see if your zoo is part of the program here.

You cannot use that discount online but you may have other discounts that you can use when you check out. Note that there is a service fee when you order online as well. On a busy day, you might have to wait in line for a few minutes to get your tickets but it only took us about 3 minutes to get through the line. Also, note that under 3 is free!

We actually talked about buying a membership because we loved our trip so much! If we visited 4 times, it would pay for a membership but we aren’t sure if we’ll make it down that many times this year vs. going to visit other places like Indianapolis or Cleveland!

These membership prices are as of March 12, 2023 and they are currently running a membership sale. You can find current membership pricing here on their website. Veterans and active military do get a 10% discount on memberships, just bring your veteran ID to show at the Ticketing Window.

Here are a few perks you get to enjoy with a Cincinnati Zoo membership.

• Free parking! That will save you $10 with each visit.
• Both Gold and Platinum memberships give you guest passes, 1 with gold and 4 with platinum. These are PER visit meaning you can bring 1 or up to 4 guests each time you visit. That’s great for friends from out of town, especially during the holiday season for Festival of Lights.
• Gold and Platinum memberships receive unlimited rides on the train and carousel with their membership.

Must-Visit Exhibits

Can I say “all of them?” We really loved our visit at the Cincinnati Zoo and felt like each exhibit really added something fun to the trip. Here are our top exhibits according to two adults, a six year old, and a two year old visiting on a temperature day in March.

Also, I think it is worth it to point out the layout of the Cincinnati Zoo a little bit. A lot of the exhibits/habitats are on their own path and can dead end. I actually liked this because it felt unique and separated the zoo up a bit but it can be confusing if you don’t have a map handy or have never been there.

• Roo Valley. The kangaroo habitat is amazing! It’s down a pretty steep hill so just FYI if you’re in a stroller or have little ones. The entrance is at the front of the Zoo and is behind the Beer Garden that also looked to have some delicious food. The red and grey kangaroos were bouncing all over the place and a few even got into a little tussle while we were there. It was pretty crazy to be SO close to them just waltzing around. This area also has Little Blue Penguins but was closed for the winter season.

• Night Hunters. This exhibit is VERY dark, hence the name Night Hunters. Your eyes will adjust just in time to see a huge aardvark which was honestly super cool. Finn’s favorite in here was the Sand Cat which was pretty darn cute. Olivia loved the there was an Ocelot because they are featured in Minecraft.
• Jungle Trails. Olivia LOVED this area! It’s a beautiful trail that has tall tall bamboo on either side of the path which makes you feel like you aren’t in Southern Ohio. While I feel like we didn’t actually see a ton of animals in this area (due to time of year!), there were a few cool indoor areas to wander through. But, Olivia’s favorite was the seven interactive areas like “swing like a Gibbon” and “Balance like a Lemur.”
• Birds of the World. As someone who is vaguely terrified of birds, this habitat area is incredible. When you walk in, you can head into the Tropical Birds area to be very up close and personal with these feathered friends. As you wander through, you’ll get to visit with penguins, puffins, and more.

I couldn’t leave out the world famous exhibit featuring Fiona the hippo! The hippo habitat is all the way through the Africa exhibit and was definitely the busiest place on the day we visited. I would imagine during summer days, it gets VERY crowded here. We opted for the side of the habitat where no-one was standing and had some great views of Fiona and Fritz!

Food at the Cincinnati Zoo

It wouldn’t be a The Beard and The Baker travel post without a recap about the food! We were pleasantly surprised with the food options at the Cincinnati Zoo!

Again, since we went in March, not all the kiosks and such were open. We walked past a few Dippin’ Dots booths that were closed for the season. You can view all of the Cincinnati Zoo food options here on their website.

We ate at the Base Camp Cafe which has air conditioning and an awesome “Africa Deck” that overlooks the Savannah. They offer All-American classics like chicken tenders, LaRosa’s pizza, salads, burgers, and kids meals.

My buffalo chicken wrap was $14 and came with a side of fries. I thought it was delicious – a little heavy on the bleu cheese but really delicious. Joel opted for LaRosa’s pizza because that’s a go-to for him at places in Cincinnati like here and Kings Island.

I’d also like to point out that you can bring in your own food! According to their website, “We do allow coolers, backpacks, umbrellas, strollers, wagons, outside food and drink (with the exception of alcohol).” We brought in a small cooler (this one!) with a few sandwiches, pretzels, cheese sticks, some fruit leather, and our water bottles.

Other Things to Know

We spent about four and a half hours at the Cincinnati Zoo with our kiddos but we could have stayed longer! If you have just one day to visit, I’d recommend getting there at opening and you could easily stay until the doors close.

There are additional attractions including rides and activities that we didn’t take part in during this visit, mostly due to being there in “off-season.” We did take a Train Ride ($4) which was fun! Here is a list of the other fun attractions they offer at the Cincinnati Zoo.

• ScooterPals – $5 to start + $0.35 cents/minute.
• Train- $4
• Carousel – Closed through mid-Spring.
• Kanga’ Klimb – Closed through April. Members: $18| Non Members: $21
• Unlimited Rides Package – $8
• Zoo Adventure Upgrade (Unlimited Rides and a Zoo Key)- $10

We also accidentally skipped the Spaulding Children’s Zoo. It looks amazing, specially with that cute little pig – my favorite animal. There also seems to be a play area in this section but we didn’t stop there so I don’t have any additional specifics beyond their website.

If you want to plus up your Zoo visit, you can enjoy one of their many Behind the Scenes Opportunities like an Elephant Bath, Kickin’ It with the Kangaroos, and Hippo Barn Tours. If you want to enjoy a lower cost activity, here are a few self-guided tours on their website that you can do during your visit!

We had the BEST time at the Cincinnati Zoo and can’t wait to go back. It was a super easy drive from our home in Columbus, Ohio. If you want to see more of our family travels, be sure to follow up on Instagram.