Audubon Zoo's Cool Zoo Opens for Summer Season
The temperatures are already getting hot, and Audubon Zoo has a great way to beat the heat and have fun. Audubon’s Cool Zoo and Gator Run lazy river are open on weekends for the rest of May, and will expand to daily operations on May 25, 2024.
Audubon offers two sessions each day for guests to enjoy Cool Zoo, this allows Audubon to manage capacity and clean between sessions, The two sessions are 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. At 1:00 p.m. each day, Cool Zoo will briefly close to allow Audubon staff time to clean all shared equipment and surfaces.
“There’s no better way to cool off after a day of fun at Audubon Zoo than splashing at the Cool Zoo or floating in the Gator Run lazy river,” said Audubon’s Senior Vice President and Managing Director of Uptown Facilities Daine Appleberry. “We’ve already had some very warm days and we are excited to reopen this popular attraction for the summer season.”
Beginning May 25, 2024, the water park will be open daily for guests to enjoy. It will return to weekends-only operation on August 10, 2024, until it closes for the season on Labor Day, Monday, September 2, 2024.
Cool Zoo tickets can be purchased online and at the Zoo front gate. Regular admission to Cool Zoo, including Gator Run, is $10 for Audubon Nature Institute Members and $13 for non-Members, plus Audubon Zoo admission. For more details about the 2024 Cool Zoo season, purchasing tickets, reserving a cabana for your session or having a Cool Zoo birthday party, click here. https://audubonnatureinstitute.org/tickets
Cool Zoo includes visitor favorites: the Gator Run lazy river, offering visitors the option to cool down while floating atop an inner tube along a 750 foot-long course that is three-feet deep and 10-feet wide, the alligator water slide, the spider monkey soaker, water-spitting snakes, and shady spots to relax.
Cool Zoo also features two sand beaches and water cannons that can be used to shower visitors as they float by on Gator Run Rafts for Gator Run are included in the admission price. Anyone under 48 inches will need a life jacket supplied by Audubon Zoo. Cool Zoo also includes amenities, including showers, restrooms, lockers, outdoor seating, a private area for nursing mothers, and the "Gator Bites'' concession stand, serving a menu of pizza and other food and beverage items.
Outside food and drinks are welcomed in Cool Zoo and Gator Run, but the size of coolers and ice chests cannot exceed 28 quarts. Glass containers and disposable straws and lids are not permitted for the safety of our animals. Audubon reserves the right to search coolers.