Tickets Now on Sale for Cool Zoo at Audubon Zoo
Tickets are now on sale for Cool Zoo and the Gator Run lazy river, Audubon Zoo's popular water attractions. They open for the 2021 season on Wednesday, June 16.
Regular admission to Cool Zoo, which includes Gator Run, is $8 for Audubon Nature Institute Members and $10 for non-Members in addition to Audubon Zoo admission. Cool Zoo tickets must be purchased online. For more details about tickets, cabana rentals, and the 2021 season schedule click HERE.
“Unlike in years past, Audubon will offer two sessions each day for guests to enjoy Cool Zoo,” said Audubon Nature Institute Vice President of Guest Services Daine Appleberry. “These two daily sessions allow our team to manage capacity limitations, provide room for physical distancing, and comply with CDC guidelines.”
The two sessions are 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. and 2-5 p.m. Cool Zoo will close at 1 p.m. each day to allow Audubon staff ample time to clean all shared equipment and surfaces between sessions.
Even with some operational changes, Cool Zoo still includes all its visitor-favorite features: the alligator water slide, the spider monkey soaker, water-spitting snakes, and shady spots for grownups. Back for its sixth year, the Gator Run lazy river offers Zoo visitors the option to cool down by floating atop an inner tube along a course that measures 750 feet in length. Three-feet-deep and 10-feet-wide, the lazy river features two sand beaches as well as water cannons that can be used to shower visitors as they float by.
Gator Run includes showers, restrooms, lockers, outdoor seating, a private area for nursing mothers, and the "Gator Bites'' concession stand.
Rafts for Gator Run are included in the Cool Zoo admission price. Anyone under 48 inches tall will need a life jacket supplied by Audubon Zoo.
Outside food and drinks are welcomed in Cool Zoo and Gator Run, but cooler and ice chest sizes cannot exceed 28 quarts. Glass containers and disposable straws and lids are not permitted in the Zoo for the safety of our animals. Audubon reserves the right to search coolers.
Appleberry added, “We are very excited to welcome our guests back to Cool Zoo and once again offer them a way to stay cool while visiting the Zoo.”
Starting August 7, the water park will return to weekends only through Labor Day, September 6, when the water park will close for the 2021 season.
Audubon Nature Institute operates a family of museums, parks and research facilities dedicated to celebrating the wonders of nature. Through innovative live animal exhibits, education programs, and scientific discovery, Audubon makes a meaningful contribution to preserving wildlife for the future. Audubon Nature Institute flagships include Audubon Park, Audubon Zoo, Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, Entergy Giant Screen Theater, Audubon Butterfly Garden and Insectarium, Audubon Louisiana Nature Center, Freeport-McMoRan Audubon Species Survival Center, Woldenberg Riverfront Park and Audubon Wilderness Park. Ron Forman is President and CEO of Audubon Nature Institute.