by kellie abrahamson kabrahamson1@aol.com
Over 600,000 people visit the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens each year, but few have gotten the VIP treatment with their unique behind-the-scenes tours. With around 120 acres to explore, there’s plenty to see and the Zoo staff wants to give you a chance to see just about all of it.
You have a couple of options if you want to check out what goes down “backstage” at the Zoo. One way to get a small glimpse is to take advantage of their free Animal Hospital tours, held each weekend at 11 am and 1 pm. Groups meet at the Discovery Center in the Play Park and head over to the Hospital, where nearly all of the over 1,400 animals at the Zoo are treated (the exceptions being the elephants, rhinos, giraffes and Cape buffalo, who simply don’t fit in the facility). Large picture windows allow guests to get a look at the laboratory, the operating room, the receiving area and the radiology room. The building is also outfitted with televisions so that procedures can be filmed and showed to guests while they are happening, should one be in progress while the tour is coming by.
Another way to get a different view of the Zoo is to take a ride on the train. For just $4 for adults and $2 for kids, visitors can hop aboard and go from station to station, learning fun facts about animals and exhibits along the way thanks to the knowledgeable conductors. The tickets are good all day, so you can take the whole tour all at once or disembark at one of the two stops, explore a bit and continue your train ride when ready. This is a particularly appealing option to families with small children, who will thrill at the ride while the grown ups get a chance to learn a little something while taking a well deserved rest. Trains run all day, everyday should the weather cooperate.
The final and arguably best way to see the inner workings of the Jacksonville Zoo is to take a personal Behind-the-Scenes tour with one of the facility’s zookeepers. Groups of 6 or more (the maximum being 15) can get an up-close look at some of the most popular animals and their habitats with this special walking tour. Along the way, your zookeeper guide will talk about each exhibit, sharing their personal experiences with the animals and some of the more interesting facts, and will answer any questions your party has. This unique experience is $25 per person, which includes park admission. Reservations are required at least two weeks in advance and tours are scheduled from noon to 4 pm. Call (904) 757-4463 extension 103 to schedule your tour today!
I’ve been to the Zoo several times over the past few years, but I finally got a chance to take a Behind-the-Scenes tour last week with a friend. We followed the train tracks at the beginning, our zookeeper, Carl, pausing here and there to share stories and explain why habitats are a certain way and where specific animals came from. For the most part, Zookeeper Carl knew each animal by name and a little about their history. Some things I already knew, since my family and I have taken the train ride nearly every time we visit the Zoo (my son’s a train freak), but the big difference here was that Zookeeper Carl had time to go into a lot more detail and could answer any questions that popped into my head. After following the tracks for a while- during which time we learned, among other things, that one of the elephants throws rocks quite accurately, giraffes have 18-inch blue tongues and jaguars can drag 5 gallon buckets through a chain length fence- we headed over to the Animal Hospital, the Education Campus and the future site for the Asian Gardens before finishing up in the Wild Florida area. By the end of our tour, we joked with Zookeeper Carl like we were old friends and knew a lot more about the Zoo and its animals then when we came in.
The Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens is a fun way to spend an afternoon with the family, but to really get the most out of your visit, be sure to take advantage of the Behind-the-Scenes offerings available to you. If you still want more, get the VIP treatment and schedule a personal tour. It’s truly a remarkable experience that you won’t soon forget.
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