ZooTampa: Your Ultimate Guide to the Best Zoo in Tampa FL

ZooTampa, formerly known as Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo, is the only zoo in Tampa FL. However, there are lots of wildlife and animal parks in the area, even if they aren’t called zoos.

For instance, there’s Clearwater Marine Aquarium, Florida Aquarium, Big Cat Rescue, Busch Gardens, and the Primate Center. Still, ZooTampa is a standout among these facilities, AND it also has close partnerships with lots of the local wildlife preserves.

In fact, the zoo often works in conjunction with these local places when they release animals rehabbed at the zoo.

We head to ZooTampa at least once a year. It was featured on Secrets of the Zoo: ZooTampa on National Geographic channel, and even without that, it’s always interesting to see how the zoo changes and grows.

Getting to the Zoo in Tampa FL

ZooTampa is conveniently located less than a mile west of I-275. It’s easy to get to whether you’re coming from the north or the south. Just get off on the Sligh Avenue exit and head west. The zoo is also conveniently located to many of Tampa’s attractions:

• Busch Gardens – 5 miles
• University of South Florida – 5.5 miles
• Florida Aquarium – 5.5 miles
• Port of Tampa – 6 miles
• University of Tampa – 6 miles
• Tampa International Airport – 7 miles
• Raymond James Stadium – 4.5 miles

Visitors to the zoo in Tampa FL can choose from a variety of transportation options if you don’t have a car with you. Uber and Lyft both drop off at the zoo. Public buses drop off just outside the entrance to the zoo.

About ZooTampa

It’s a Monday, and I’m excited about a quiet day with my camera and the animals. I plan the day to start shortly after the zoo opens at 10am and know we won’t spend more than three or four hours there.

It’s a small zoo, only 56 acres. The first time I went in 2012 it was still called Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo. I didn’t realize then how small it is. Coming from Miami and accustomed to ZooMiami’s 700+ acres, I zipped right through ZooTampa in less than two hours that first time. It was…disappointing. I went back once more in 2013 for a Multiple Sclerosis Walk-a-Thon. Since then, however, it’s become one of my favorite places to visit in Tampa.

The zoo in Tampa, Florida, however, houses a lovely collection of animals, focuses on education and conservation, is clean, and has a friendly staff. Despite my initial disappointment that first time, ZooTampa quickly won a special place in my life and holds the hearts of many Tampanians. The zoo holds a lot of fabulous special events; Zoominations made a stop in Tampa for more than a month in 2016. The zoo regularly closes for events such as walk-a-thons, and it also hosts special treats like their Mother’s Day event, ZooBrews, Creatures of the Night, and Christmas in the Wild. The best part, though, is all the conservation, rehab, and educational work done at the zoo.

History of the Zoo in Tampa FL

Tampa’s first zoo housed a bear, an alligator, and several small creatures such as a lizards and squirrels. It was located in what is now Plant Park adjacent to the Henry B. Plant Museum on the University of Tampa campus. The park was originally part of the grounds of Henry Plant’s opulent resort, Tampa Bay Hotel. In 1930, the hotel closed permanently. It was after this that the zoo opened on the grounds.

Tampa Zoo at Lowry Park

By 1957, the zoo in Tampa FL had grown enough to need more land. It was relocated up the Hillsborough River to Lowry Park and became known as Lowry Park Zoo. The zoo shared Lowry Park with Fairyland, a pet project of Mayor Nick Nuccio’s. The attraction combined life-size concrete statues of fairy tale characters with real animals. Visitors crossed the “Rainbow Bridge” to get into the park. Children could ride an elephant; the petting zoo housed sheep, deer, and other animals. The bear and alligator original to the 1930s zoo lived here as well. The zoo expanded at this time to include Suzy the chimp, and in 1960 the biggest attraction, Sheena the elephant, was donated to the zoo.

Over the next decades, animals and attractions were added to the 15-acre park. In the 1960s, a dinosaur overlooked a 36-hole putting course; a real Mississippi stern-wheeler provided tours up and down the Hillsborough River; Sheena the elephant continued to provide rides and other animals performed at scheduled shows; a train wound through the park, and a small roller coaster delighted children.

One of the Worst Zoos in America

By the 1980s, much of Fairyland had fallen into disrepair and this zoo in Tampa FL had a reputation as one of the worst zoos in America. In the 1960s, 1970s, and into the 1980s, zoo animals were kept confined to small cages. In Lowry Park’s case, the public often complained of dirty cages, reeking animals, and the danger humans posed to animals. The public could get close and often threw trash and other objects into the animal cages.

This reputation caused the City of Tampa to take a hard look at their zoo. In 1982, Tampa formed the Lowry Park Zoo Association. They closed the zoo, tore it all down, and built a new zoo in it’s current location. The new project cost $20 million. Lowry Park Zoo reopened 6 years later, in 1988, and has worked hard to establish itself as an organization dedicated to the welfare of their animals and to conservation. When it reopened, the zoo featured a free flight aviary, Asian section, primate section, and petting zoo. The following year in 1989, Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo received accreditation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

Two Decades of Growth

In the 1990s and into the 2000s, the zoo experienced considerable growth. First, the Wildlife Center opened featuring the world-renowned manatee hospital. Two free flight aviaries were added. Then came a 10,000 square foot pavilion for meetings, banquets, educational programs, and special exhibits. More specialized exhibits followed, including an insect zoo and a birds of prey amphitheater.

The 2000s saw more expansions with the addition of the Africa realm, Stingray Bay, Wallaroo Station, and behind-the-scenes tours. During these two decades, the zoo in Tampa FL also achieved a few firsts. In 1996 it was the highest attended non-profit zoo in Florida. Classes began at the Florida Environmental Education Center – “The Zoo School” – in 2000, the first childcare center run by a U.S. zoo. In 2009, Parents magazine named Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo the best zoo for kids. And more awards and accolades followed in the years after.

Lowry Park Zoo Becomes ZooTampa

In 2018, the zoo in Tampa FL rebranded as ZooTampa at Lowry Park. The zoo unveiled a new logo at the same time, giving a nod to the past and acknowledging the zoo’s strong ties with Tampa and the Tampa Bay area.

Exploring the Zoo in Tampa FL

We arrived on time to find parking much more full than I expected. Located in the county adjacent to where we live, I didn’t realize this county had a teacher workday that Monday. And the zoo was a great place for families to spend a weekday off of school. We purchased our tickets and made our way through the gate.

LOCAL TIP: Purchase your tickets online to avoid the line at the ticket gate. You can also purchase add-on experiences, such as feeding the giraffes.

The first thing you encounter at the zoo, besides the entrance restaurant and gift shop, is a metal sculpture of a manatee momma and baby placed in the center of a round jumping water play area. Benches line the perimeter, and the different paths lead from this central area. It’s a great place to stop, get your camera out, and make a plan for seeing the zoo.

It’s also where the parrot flyovers happen. We stopped to watch the parrots for a few minutes. The parrot talk starts with these two red macaws. What I didn’t know is that a group of five parrots fly around the center fountains at the end of the parrot talk, and we unwittingly walked into their flight path. I couldn’t get my phone up fast enough to record it, unfortunately. It was fun, though, to have the group fly by so close!

After the Macaw Flyover, everyone seemed to naturally wander down the paths to the Florida and Asia exhibits so we headed in the other direction. Our first stop was the Main Aviary where we saw a number of beautiful birds.

From the main aviary, we meandered by the komodo dragon exhibit where we learned that komodo dragons are considered endangered due to their habitat loss, loss of prey, and hunting…

Beside the komodo dragons, we walked through the free flight aviary, Lorikeet Landing. This is one of my favorite exhibits at the zoo! The brightly-colored lorikeets are so happy and always put a smile on my face. You can purchase food from the dispensers inside the aviary to food the birds.

Primates at ZooTampa at Lowry Park

The primates were next, where we saw a variety of lesser known primates. You won’t find gorillas and chimpanzees here. Instead, ZooTampa has focused on primates that are endangered and not as well known as those others.

Wallaroo Station

From the primates, we strolled past the carousel (closed for maintenance) and the wall of endangered animals to Wallaroo Station, an Australia-themed section of the zoo. In reality, ZooTampa has few Australian animals so this is also a fun family area with a petting zoo, rides, a splash pad, and playground.

LOCAL TIP: Head right at the entrance into Florida and Asia which will bring you past Wallaroo Station at the end of your day, a perfect way for young kids to finish their zoo trip.

Safari Africa at the Zoo in Tampa, Fl

The Africa section is the largest section at the zoo in Tampa, Florida. To access it, one walks through a tunnel on which are drawn African animals along with words in an African language. But before you get to the tunnel, you come by Penguin Beach, the African penguin exhibit. And this is a stop you have to make. After all, penguins are so adorable!

African penguins are one of five penguin species who live in warm weather. This species is native to Southwestern Africa and is suited to climates like Florida’s. We love watching the penguins jump into the water then scoot around their pool. Some penguins stand in groups on the land portion of their exhibit. Others waddle from pool to the group then back to the pool.

Safari Africa features the Expedition Africa Tram Ride, a Beer and Wine Garden, and animals such as rhinos, giraffes, and elephants. The far end of Africa showcases the Ituri Forest, a section that houses okapi, painted dogs, pygmy hippos, and warthogs.

True to entertainment in this day (and a zoo, for all of it’s educational and conservation missions, still must entertain to keep people coming back) ZooTampa creates atmosphere with the buildings and details in the different sections. And in Africa it’s very evident with the use of color, architectural details, and textures.

We walked through all of Africa, taking the time to watch them all as they ate or slept or played in the water. For early March, the day was hot, in the high 80s. And the animals felt it as much as the visitors did.

After seeing the animals, we headed back to the restaurant for lunch, indulging in the cool air conditioner, greasy food, and refreshing drinks. Each section of the zoo in Tampa has places to eat so you can conveniently find food when hunger hits.

Expedition Africa Tram Ride

The Expedition Africa Tram Ride takes visitors behind the scenes to see where the animals live when they aren’t out on their exhibits. The ride takes about 15 minutes. It’s a good way to learn more about the animals and see the ones which are not out on exhibit or which are hanging out towards the back of their exhibits away from the public.

LOCAL TIP: Take the tram ride. It provides 15 minutes to get off your feet and relax and a chance for children to rest.

Florida Boardwalk and Manatee Mangrove

We exited Africa, checked back in on the penguins, then headed in the Florida portion of the zoo. Coming from Africa, the first thing you see is the newest ride at the zoo, a water ride called Roaring Springs. We hung out there for a little while to watch people get wet, both the riders and the people watching on the splash platform.

Florida Boardwalk aims to show indigenous Florida animals and educate the public about our favorite animals, including endangered species such as the Florida panther, alligators, and manatees.

Stingray Bay at ZooTampa

Love to interact with animals? Stingray Bay offers the opportunity to touch and feed stingrays. The touch tank shows off several species of stingray and also has a section separated for the young stingrays.

If you’ve never touched a stingray, you definitely want to do this. It’s fun for kids and adults. The rays aren’t rough or slimy. They’re smooth, almost silky, and if you watch long enough, you can even see the personality of each ray.

Manatee Center

This is another of my favorite parts of the zoo. While the manatees are cool, I absolutely love that you have to walk through the fish and reptile part of the exhibit to get in or out of Manatee Mangrove. This means visitors can see and learn about our estuaries and marine ecosystems which are some of the most endangered places in Florida. In here, see native fish, snakes, and seahorses.

Asia

The Asia section is one of the smallest at the zoo, along with the primates. The komodo dragon and lorikeet we saw at the beginning are part of the Asia exhibits. We also saw a tapir, tiger, sun bear, Indian rhino, cloud leopard, and the Asian Aviary.

The cloud leopard is new to the zoo, and honestly, looked rather sad. I do hope he ends up with a bigger exhibit soon. The ghiaral hanging out with the turtles gave me a giggle. And aviary held a bunch of really interesting (and photogenic) birds.

FAQs About the Zoo in Tampa, Fl

How much is the zoo in Tampa, FL?

Advanced purchase tickets will save you $3 per person and can be purchased up till midnight the night before the day of attendance. Adults 12+ are $45.95 and children 3-11 are $35.95

Pay for a Day tickets are regular price and give you free access to the zoo for the rest of the year. Adults are $39.95 and children are $29.95. Pay for a Day includes access to events such as Creatures of the Night and Christmas in the Wild. There are, however, some black out dates.

CityPass ticket gives you access to five of Tampa’s top attractions. Adults 12+ are $144/2 adults and children 3-11 are $129 each. CityPass saves you approximately 52% on the cost of all of these tickets if you were to purchase individually. CityPass provides access to:

• ZooTampa
• Busch Gardens Tampa
• Florida Aquarium
• Clearwater Marine Aquarium OR Chihuly Glass Collection
• Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) OR The Tropics Boat Tour

For the most up-to-date pricing, please visit the ZooTampa website.

Zooquarium tickets provide access to ZooTampa and The Florida Aquarium for $85. Both attractions must be seen in the same day. Get the details here.

LOCAL TIP: Pay for a Day tickets are great for local residents. If you are vacationing in Tampa for a few days, splurge on the CityPass to save on local attractions.

Can you bring food or water into the Tampa zoo?

Visitors to the zoo in Tampa, Fl can bring food for special dietary needs, such as baby food or formula. Water bottles of 20 ounces or less are also allowed in the zoo.

Is parking free at the zoo in Tampa?

Yes, parking is free! Zoo members receive preferred parking, subject to availability.

When is ZooTampa open?

The zoo is open seven days a week from 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM though the hours are extended for special events. The zoo is closed on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.

Is the Tampa zoo pet friendly?

Pets are not allowed into the zoo in Tampa, FL, and it currently does not have any boarding facilities.

Get all of the zoo rules here and the zoo FAQs here.

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