Central Florida Zoo

Hello again zoo lovers! We have a few more zoos to review this year and thought we would get started with the Central Florida Zoo.

Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens

Sanford, FL

Website

Hours: 9 AM-5 PM

Admission: $16.50

Date of Visit: March 2015

Highlights: The Indian Rhino exhibit was awesome and even better than the one at Lowry Park. You were able to get closer and view them quite well. The black leopard exhibit was something I had never seen before which is always awesome. It was a special part of the zoo. Likewise, the crocodile monitor was something I had never seen before and really neat. I just wish we got a better picture of it for you, but it was difficult with the glass. They had a neat butterfly garden for the kids to look at and a cool playground for them as well.

Disappointments: Outside of the highlights and the cool animals in the pictures below, this zoo really lacked something. I was surprisingly underwhelmed. The zoo also didn't have the animals separated by continent like most zoos and just had a confusing layout in general.

Additional Tips: This zoo is actually about 45 minutes outside of Orlando. It is not actually in Orlando, do not be confused by Central Florida Zoo. It is in Sanford and not Orlando. 

Pictures

Gila Monster

Cool Iguana

Indian Rhino

Another Indian Rhino

Snake

Butterfly from the Butterfly Garden

Not the best quality because of the glass, but a cool caiman swimming towards us.

Really cool bird by the entrance

Camel

Porcupine

Crocodile Monitor

And the highlight of the visit, this beautiful black leopard. This zoo is also where we learned about why some leopards are black (similar to albino alligators) and that there is no such thing as a black panther.

Final Rating: 

3 out of 5 elephants

This zoo had it's highlights, but a confusing layout and a surprising lack of cool animals would have had this at a below average zoo. The Indian Rhino exhibit (which is the best of its kind) and the black leopard exhibit (which is incredibly rare) really saved this zoos rating. If you have never seen these animals, it is worth it just for them, but we will be spending our time at other zoos/attractions. There is so much to do in Florida, and you can do much better than this place. It disappointed me overall, but had some 1 of a kind cool stuff also.

Stay tuned for our next review on a much more pleasant zoo experience in a few weeks.

-Noland