A special thank you to Visit Seminole for providing me access to experience the Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens near Orlando. Opinions expressed are that of my own.
While on a recent media trip to the Seminole County/ Orlando area, I was fortunate enough to be given a behind the scenes tour of The Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens.
This wildlife enclosure is actually located in the neighboring town of Sanford, and is open daily from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
As soon as our group arrived, I was immediately introduced to an adorable hedge hog, an interesting iguana, and a very friendly parrot.
Visit centralfloridazoo.org/animalsandexhibits to see which other animals are available at the zoo.
Next, we headed over to check out the Aldabra Tortoise enclosure.
We were not only able to go into her home, but I was also able to touch her shell and feed her a couple bananas. VERY COOL!
Check out the video below showing the Aldabra Tortoise.
We then paid a visit to the Rhinos!
Just when I thought I couldn’t get any closer to that large of a land mammal, there I was right next to one and touching it (fence in between of course).
The big joke of course was the fact that I got to feel in between its plates of skin and touch “Rhino” sweat.
My kids were pretty impressed, now I can mark that off of my bucket list.
After this, I headed over to feed the Giraffes. Apparently they like sweet potatoes and have a rather large tongue.
You can also feed the Giraffes weekdays and weekends from 10 am to 3 pm for a $5 fee.
While visiting, I also got a little education on these tall mammals.
Did you know that Giraffes have built-in sunscreen on their tongues? Since they spend most of their days out foraging for food, their tongues are dark to prevent sunburn.
Although we visited just for a short time, I can tell you that the The Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens has plenty to offer families for the entire day.
They also have a really cool kids play area, hands on Barnyard Buddies, Keeper Chats, a Train, as well as Camel Rides and Rhinoceros Encounters.
Picnic tables are located outside the Zoo’s main entrance, allowing you to also bring your lunch for the day. In addition, ZoomAir is also located on the premises for ziplining and tree top adventures.
Have you ever visited the Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens? What was your favorite part?
Admission at the Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens is $16.50 for adults, $13.95 for Seniors 60+, $11.95 for Children 3-12, and Children 2 and under are FREE. They also offer Annual Passes, Birthday Party Options, and group rates for large groups and school field trips.
To learn more about this attraction, visit centralfloridazoo.org. You can also find them on Facebook at facebook.com/CentralFloridaZoo and Twitter at twitter.com/Centralflzoo.
FFM
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