Open today from:
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Purchase tickets or
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Join us to protect &
preserve wildlife
Rescue, rehabilitate and care for animals; create exceptional personalized experiences that connect people with wildlife and each other in fun, immersive ways.
Everyone we touch is motivated to join us in taking action to protect and preserve wildlife.
Voted Tampa’s Best Family Attraction and 11-time winner of TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Award, ZooTampa offers unforgettable adventures for all ages. Enjoy an amazing, lush tropical setting with naturalistic habitats that provide up-close connections with animals from around the world.
The Zoo originated in the 1930’s as a municipal department with a small number of Florida native species. It grew gradually throughout the next four decades, but struggled to meet the developing professional standards of modern zoos.
In 1982, community leaders created the Lowry Park Zoo Association to take over management of the Zoo for the City of Tampa with the goal of creating a world-class zoo through a public-private partnership. The Association then became the Lowry Park Zoological Society of Tampa, Inc., as it remains today. Working with a national zoo designer, the Society was able to create a modern, 24-acre facility that opened to the public in 1988 and shortly after earned Accreditation by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).
ZooTampa has now grown to what now encompasses 56 acres of naturalistic animal exhibits in a lush, tropical garden setting. The Zoo offers popular educational programming, fun recreational amenities, up-close animal encounters and engaging seasonal events for which it has won accolades as one of the country’s most family-friendly zoos.
WILDLIFE HABITATS
The Zoo emphasizes endangered, threatened and vulnerable species from climates similar to that of the Tampa Bay region, with park areas devoted to Asia, Africa, Australia and Florida. Our animal habitats balance support for the maximum well-being of the animals with the importance of engaging our guests and inspiring them to protect and preserve wildlife. Random animal encounters, behind-the-scene tours, and other special personalized experiences expand the Zoo’s opportunities to provide unforgettable natural connections.
EDUCATION
ZooTampa at Lowry Park’s Education Department supports the Zoo’s mission with entertaining and educational programming designed to inspire guests with respect and appreciation for the natural world so that they leave the Zoo motivated and empowered to take positive conservation action. Our programs can be formal or informal, on-site or off-site, and tailored by age group and interest. The Zoo’s Florida Environmental Education Center, or “Zoo School,” — a year-round, full-time, licensed childcare center that enrolls children ages one through five — was the first full-time, licensed childcare center operated by a U.S. zoo. Since 1988, ZooTampa has educated more than 1.8 million school-aged children throughout Tampa Bay, increasing awareness about wildlife and the ways in which students can contribute to their preservation.
Open today from:
9:30 AM – 5:00 PM
1. Please make one field trip per reservation order. Complete one and start a new one if you have multiple days you are booking.
2. Headcount can be approximate. Please include children and adults in your headcount. Please do not include pass holders in your headcount for a ticket.
3. On the ticket page, choose the correct grade level (to the left of your screen) to receive the correct chaperone ratio.
4. On the ticket page, when on the calendar section, the number of tickets available will appear in the top right corner for each particular day. Tickets available include children and adults. If you have more people than tickets available, please choose another day.
5. Anyone that is ordering lunch, even pass holders and adults that receive free chaperone tickets, do need to pay for a lunch IF they are ordering one. Free chaperone tickets and pass holders are for admission only.
6. Payment does not need to be paid at the time of registration. Choose the pay upon arrival option if you would like one person to pay for your entire trip on the day of your visit.
7. The prices of adult and children’s tickets are different.
8. You will receive a confirmation number and confirmation letter via email when your trip is confirmed. If you do not, please contact Jamie.Elkington@Zootampa.org right away.
ZooTampa at Lowry Park offers a variety of delicious food for guests at several restaurants and concession stands throughout, but we understand that guests may need to bring outside food for special dietary needs. Acceptable and prohibited food items are listed below. For the convenience of our guests, there is a picnic area located outside the park near the main parking lot.
For the safety of our animals, guests and employees, the following items are not permitted to be brought into ZooTampa:
The following items are also prohibited to avoid blocking of walkways and/or trip hazards:
Please leave any unnecessary articles secured within your vehicle to expedite your entry into the park.
We reserve the right to deny entry to anyone not observing Zoo Rules.
With a new Pay For A Day, Rest of Year Free ticket – for a limited time – you get unlimited admission through December 31, 2023 including access to our seasonal event series. Some blockout dates apply — see below for details. Not valid with any other discounts.
When does my Pay For A Day ticket expire?
For a limited time, new Pay for a Day, Rest of Year Free tickets are valid from the day of purchase until 12/31/2023 Pay for a Day, Rest of Year Free tickets which were purchased prior to October 1st, 2022 are valid until 12/31/2022.
What are the blockout dates?
3/11/23 – 3/19/23
11/24/23 – 11/26/23
12/26/23 – 12/31/23
Can I purchase a Pay For A Day ticket on a blockout date?
Yes! You can purchase a Pay for a Day, Rest of Year Free ticket for first-time use on a listed blockout date and have full access to the park on that day. Blockout dates apply to repeat visitation.
Can I use my Pay For A Day ticket on blockout dates?
If you already have your Pay for a Day, Rest of Year Free ticket and wish to visit during a listed blockout date, please stop by the Zoo’s ticketing windows for alternate options:
