Gorilla World
Explore the world of the endangered gorilla. Gorilla World will immerse you in a simulated African jungle. This outdoor exhibit space features several viewing spots giving you the opportunity to see gorilla’s from multiple angles. Be sure to visit the Gorilla Wild Research Station to find out fun facts about the primates.
Rhino Reserve
Witness the grandeur and grace of species from the continents of Africa and Asia in Rhino Reserve. Follow a path that encircles several open-air animal yards that are home to a variety of hoofed mammals and wetland birds that often live in the Eastern hemisphere. Rhinos, flamingos and zebras are just a few of the unique animals you might come across.
Giraffe Ridge
Come face-to-face with the world’s tallest animals in Giraffe Ridge. This 27,000 square-foot exhibit features an elevated viewing platform that provides an amazing interactive experience with the giraffes at the Zoo.
Meerkats
Get up close views of the Cincinnati Zoo’s meerkats as they pop out of their holes to scan their surroundings. Meerkats gives you the chance to come eye-to-eye with these charismatic creatures from a pop up bubble in the ground.
Hippo Cove
Meet hippos like Henry, a 34-year-old male hippopotamus from Dickerson Park Zoo and Bibi, a 17-year-old female hippopotamus from the St. Louis Zoo in Hippo Cove. Highlights of the exhibit include an underwater viewing area and an interactive station where you can explore more about hippos.
Painted Dog Valley
Discover one of the Zoo’s most attractive exhibits, Painted Dog Valley, boasting beautiful trees, a babbling brook, rolling topography and four African painted dogs. Meet female Imara and her painted dog pup Lucy as well as the two males Kwasi and Masi.
Kroger Lords of the Artic
Kroger Lords of the Artic is home to polar bears Little One and Berit. Watch the polar bears from an underwater viewing area. Interactive signage will engage you in an exploration of how a polar bear is like a snowshoe, magician and wet suit.
Night Hunters
Take a journey through the wild at night. In Night Hunters you will encounter a variety of cats like the clouded leopard, Pallas’ cats, sand cat, fishing cat, caracal cat and the black-footed cat. Other nocturnal predators including the Eurasian eagle-owl, potto, vampire bats, fennec fox, aardvark and Burmese python can also be found in this exhibit.
Gibbon Islands
Meet the gibbons that live at the Cincinnati Zoo. Constructed in 1974, Gibbon Islands offers you the opportunity to see the aerial acrobatics and hear the melodic music gibbons are renowned for. Walk across a wooden bridge and watch as the Zoo’s gibbons play on a giant jungle gym set amid lushly landscaped islands and sing their hooting call.
Elephant Reserve
Don’t miss one of the Zoo’s most popular exhibits, Elephant Reserve. Designed to resemble the Taj Mahal, the exhibit features six different viewpoints that illustrate values concerning wildlife and wild places. The Zoo’s Asian elephant also lives here.
Dragons
The Zoo’s Dragons exhibit is home to the Komodo dragon, the largest of all the monitor lizard species. The longest, smallest and some of the most colourful monitor lizards in the world also live in the Dragons exhibit.
Reptile House
The Reptile House hosts 35 reptile species, including snakes, lizards, turtles and alligators from around the world. Displays will not only introduce you to a diversity of reptile species, but educate and implore you to value reptiles for more than their skin.
Jungle Trails
Wander the Zoo’s Jungle Trails and meet its favorite primates along the way. You might run into orangutans Henry and Lana, white-handed gibbons Hosen, Connie and Posslim and bonobos Zanga, Vernon and their family.
World of the Insects
The World of the Insects exhibit was established in 1978 and has made many significant achievements in husbandry, breeding and display of particular species. See the bullet ant, Peruvian fire stick and giant water bug.
Wolf Woods
Learn about the conservation efforts that are restoring North American habitats and species that inhabit them. As you stroll the Wolf Woods trail you will discover the conservation stories of the Ohio woodlands and its species including the North American river otter. Additional displays in the exhibit focus on the conservation of the Mexican gray wolf, native to the southwestern United States.
Wings of the World
Wings of the World welcomes you to a celebration of flight. Discover a variety of birds like songbirds and puffins as they fly about uniquely decorated aviaries that bring to life rainforest, grassland and wetland habitats.
Wildlife Canyon
Meet and learn about rare and unusual hoofed mammals in Wildlife Canyon. Among the animals that live in Wildlife Canyon are camels, capybara and Visayan warty pigs.
Wetlands Trails and Swan Lake
Observe the native species and learn about the importance of wetlands in Wetlands Trails and Swan Lake. As you wander the boardwalk you will see turtles, waterfowl, frogs and birds. Interactive stations along the way offer a closer look at the native species of wetlands.
Passenger Pigeon Memorial
Located in one of the last remaining Japanese pagoda-style buildings, the Passenger Pigeon Memorial pays tribute to Martha, the last known passenger pigeon who died at the Zoo in 1914. Additional displays in this exhibit explore how passenger pigeons, once the most numerous bird on Earth, were hunted to extinction and serves as a reminder of the tragedy of extinction.
Garden Exhibits
Edible Gardens and Aquaponics
Discover how easily and compactly a productive vegetable garden can be built. The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden’s Edible Gardens and Aquaponics features raised vegetable beds, which rotate between legumes (beans and peas), cole crops (kale, cabbage, cauliflower), tomatoes, peppers, and more. Vertical window boxes display a rich diversity of nutritious lettuces, other greens, and herbs. A small orchard of trees and assorted berries provide fruit. Don’t miss the Zoo’s aquaponics system, designed to demonstrate how people can build their own family-scale, aquaponic garden from materials available at local hardware or landscaping stores.
Polinator Garden
Located near the Insect House is the Polinator Garden. Colorful and fun high nectar, long blooming perennials, subshrubs and butterfly host plants are plentiful in this exhibit. Look closely for hummingbirds, butterflies, moths and other pollinating insects that live there.
Green Garden
Discover what it means to “Go Green.” The Green Garden is a demonstration garden that explores all aspects of the definition, from plants to gardens, solar panels to pervious and windmills. You can see sustainability in action as you explore a small rain garden and a collection of low input plants.
Shopping and Dining
Shopping at the Cincinnati Zoo Shop
If time permits, stop by the Cincinnati Zoo Shop. A wide selection of items unique to the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden are available for purchase such as t-shirts, plush toys and trinkets.
Dining at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden
Concession stands and restaurants are located throughout the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden. Enjoy all American fare from Base Camp Café, barbeque from Cincy’s Smokehouse BBQ, or Italian at LaRosa’s. Satisfy your sweet tooth at Savannah Soft Serve, the Funnel Cake Factory, or Edy’s. Quench your thirst at the Outpost.
- Stop by the Welcome Center to see daily updates about animal feeding times, special encounters and other tips to help you make the most of your visit to the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden.
- Animals you see on your visit to the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden may depend on the weather. Animals are given access to their indoor area and choose whether or not they would like to go inside when the weather is rainy/ cold.
- The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden is ADA compliant. Wheelchairs are available for rent from the Welcome Center on a first-come, first-served basis.