Head to Jacksonville Zoo, and bring your camera with you. You won’t want miss the amazing animals, scenery and so much more. You’ll arrive to beautiful African music playing, and quickly walk toward majestic elephants and giraffes roaming free in their huge enclosures. For us, the highlight of the day was feeding the stingrays thanks to our VIP Experience Ticket. Keep scrolling to see why you need to take your crew to this gorgeous zoo.
We stopped to say hi to the giraffes and feed them too. They are spectacular animals, and my kids loved watching them eat the branches the friendly zoo staff gave us. I stopped and stared as they ran in what seemed like slow motion.
After that, we rode around the zoo on the train (unlimited rides are included in your VIP ticket price) to feed the stingrays. I’ll admit, I couldn’t do it, but my 4-year-old daughter couldn’t get enough. She loved watching them swim over her hand and suck up the tiny fish as they passed by. Her squeals of delight were just the absolute cutest. Of course, we had to take a souvenir stingray sticker home from the gift shop.
We ended our day at the lorikeet enclosure where we were given tiny paper cups full of nectar. Only one chirping bird wanted what we were offering. I think we’ll have to head there earlier in the day next time. The kids still loved walking around and watching the colorful birds fly around.
We went on a gorgeous 70-degree day, but I imagine it get really hot on summer days. The train is a nice break from the walking and the weather. We walked around 10,000 steps, and my 4, 4 and 3-year-olds walked with us the whole day, but you might want to pack the stroller if you little ones need it.
Throughout the day, we rode the beautiful carousel multiple times. It was so much for my kids, and the staff were very particular about social distancing and safety. On that note, we felt very safe during our visit. There are handwashing stations in all of the “touch” areas, and sanitizer is readily available. It was about 50/50 with masks but we didn’t have any issues distancing. I’m sure the reserved timeslots helped with that.
Young and old alike will love their visit to the Jacksonville Zoo. Feel free to leave a comment below if you have any questions before your visit.
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