Louisville Zoo

Last November, I had the pleasure of visiting the Louisville Zoo. And it is amazing! Low cost, large, with very interesting habitats and animals. It’s almost like a theme park in some places.

Covid Precautions

And they are doing an EXCELLENT job during Covid! They limit daily capacity and use a timed-ticket system so everyone doesn’t come at once. And the path through the zoo is a one-way loop (with exits/shortcuts along the way) that keep traffic flowing in one direction, more or less. I myself did two “loops” through the zoo, one that took about two hours, and another, quicker walk-through. My visit lasted from 9:00 am to lunchtime.

There are several exhibits and experiences closed during Covid, however. Basically, anything indoors is closed, plus a train and tram that normally help move guests around. In fact, between the closed areas and the fact that it was a chilly day, I didn’t see an animal at all until after about 15-20 minutes into the loop! Some animals are only out when it’s above a certain temperature. But ticket prices reflect this, at least. Tickets in the fall and winter are about half as much as they are in the spring and summer.

The Islands

The first section on the one-way route is The Islands, with South Asian theming. There’s a pavilion with orangutans, siamangs, Sumatran tigers, and tapirs – none of which were out during my visit. I think there’s also supposed to be a tortoise nearby as well.

It wasn’t until my second go-round that I saw the tiny penguins that live in this area. These are called blue or fairy penguins and they are delightful! They make a tremendous chatter – when no one is around. As soon as you walk up, they stop talking! They are absolutely adorable.

Also in this area is the HerpAquarium, currently closed. Inside (when it’s open) you’ll find snakes, reptiles, and bats, even a few piranhas. Basically, anything geared to give you the heebie-jeebies. Next to it is a ropes course called the Sky Trail. You can clip in and climb around for $10.50 or for only $5 on a weekday! There’s a toddler version too, for about half the price. It is seasonal, so it was closed on my visit. Also seasonal here is a BBQ stand by the side of a lake.

Next is a little lake area with a pretty bridge and fountain. In the lake, you’ll find black swans, turtles, and probably some Canada geese. The official route goes around the back of the lake and across the bridge, which is a pleasant walk. Or you can cut it short by going past the ropes course.

The last building in the area is called the MetaZoo, which looks like a school group building. There are lots of rooms scattered around that are for group or educational use. But on the side of that building is a fun collection of sculptural tiles. I think they depict endangered species, but I could be wrong on that.

South America

Past the lake, there is a turnoff with “Cats of the Americas” featuring a fluffy-footed lynx and a puma. Inexplicably, there are also bald eagles here!

Back along the main corridor, you’ll find a rangy maned wolf that looks like a really big, really tall fox. Props to the Louisville Zoo – I’ve never seen one of these before!

Next is a sloth exhibit, new to the zoo. At some point soon, you’ll be able to pay ~$95 for a “sloth experience.” I hope for that price, it means you get to hold one! When I stopped by, there was one curled up in a bucket.

A pacing jaguar anchors the far end of the South American corridor. It’s about here that I’m realizing just how close you can get to the animals at the Louisville Zoo. Far enough away that you can’t stick a hand through the fence but close enough to get the feel of how big these animals are. I started to notice this especially with the puma and the jaguar.

Rounding out this area is a flamingo yard and a macaw that wouldn’t quite come out of his little house.

Australia

The Australian section of the park was almost completely closed during my visit. In it, you’ll normally find some wallabies, emus, and kookaburras, plus a lorikeet feeding aviary. A Wild Burger is open seasonally.

Glacier Run

Right next to the Australian area but technically in Glacier Run is an actual little water park! It’s a splash zone with buckets and slides but no standing water. It’s seasonal but when it’s open, it’s free for all guests, no extra admission required! For families with kids, this may be worth the price of admission alone.

Rounding the bend towards Glacier Run proper are a couple of aviaries. One barn holds two snowy owls. Further down, a (currently closed) sea-eagle aviary holds a rare Russian sea eagle plus a red-breasted goose, a magpie, and a mandarin duck.

Rounding the corner into the “town” of Glacier Run is where the Louisville Zoo really shines. Themed as a mining town at the edge of the arctic zone, Glacier Run features a pool with playful sea lions, a massive grizzly bear, and a large polar bear habitat.

It’s with the bears that you really get the feeling of being VERY close to the animals. The grizzly bear is huge! There are thick big panes of glass separating you from the bears but they can definitely see you!

A bit farther on but still in the Glacier Run area are snow leopard and tiger enclosures, both themed toward Asian influences.

The snow leopard has a cool overhead walkway! On my second trip through the zoo, I spotted him up there. The first time, he was closer but was eating behind a rock, so not a great picture either way. I guess they like the elevation.

The tiger has a bit of a hillside that he can wander around. Again, both habitats allow you to get pretty close to these beautiful animals.

Africa

The rest of the zoo is the African section. First, you come to the gorilla forest, a lush area just to walk around. The gorillas can be indoors or out here. On my visit, they were all indoors because of the cooler temps.

There are also pygmy hippos in this area that I would have loved to see but they were currently off-exhibit.

Next is the big African Outpost restaurant, the only restaurant that stays open year-round. During Covid, it’s mostly grab-and-go items and a few soups. I had a hot chocolate and a sandwich, and it was pretty good!

The restaurant is adjacent to the colobus monkey enclosure. If you sit outside on the patio with your food, you can watch them leap around. They weren’t out and about during my visit but you can go into their house and see them there.

There are also some meerkats nearby and they are as cute as ever!

Next up but currently closed, is the Boma African Petting Zoo. Here is where you can pet a Nigerian dwarf goat or take a pony ride for $6.

The next stretch contains the zebras, lions, and some camels that I think normally are available for rides. You can’t get quite as close to the lions as you can some of the other big cats. Instead, they get a far-off rock outcropping to sit on.

Across the way is the elephant enclosure with new baby elephant Fitz. They were doing some training when I went by and it was pretty cool to see! They’re beautiful animals.

Rounding the corner, you see some addax, bongos, vultures, and cranes. Then the large giraffe yard and house. The indoor portion was closed and usually, there are giraffe feedings you can do for only $3.

Almost at the end of the loop is a rhinoceros, whom I spotted lazily basking in the sun, and some friendly warthogs that ran to the fence whenever I would walk up. I think they must have thought they were getting fed – they were pretty cute.

At the end of the route is a round rock hill for lemurs (none were out) and a colorful carousel. The only currently operating paid attraction in the park, the carousel is carved with lots of unusual animals like polar bears, frogs, gorillas, flamingos, even a butterfly! Cost to ride is $3.50 but an all-day pass is only a dollar more.

Visiting the Louisville Zoo

A ticket for the Louisville Zoo is surprisingly cheap. I’ve definitely paid more for worse zoos! They have a unique price system based on weather, demand, and capacity so it can vary day-to-day. You currently have to purchase online before you visit in order to get a timed-entry ticket and it seems the farther in advance you buy, the cheaper it can be.

Prices in the fall and winter (until March 19) are between $8.75 and $14 for adults, $5.75-$11 for kids 3-11 and seniors 60+. In the spring and summer (March 20-Sept. 19) prices are $14-$24.95 and $9-$19.95 respectively. You also must pay for parking, $6 per car. My early November visit cost me about $15 for both entrance and parking. Weekdays are less expensive than weekends and closer to the middle of the week is even cheaper. Poking around the calendar for early March, for instance, prices are $8.75 on Wednesdays, $9 on Tuesdays and Thursdays, $9.25 on Mondays and Fridays, $10.50 on Sundays, and $11 on Saturdays.

Extra-fee Experiences

When everything is open for the season (or post-pandemic) you can enjoy the African petting zoo, various playgrounds, a tram shuttle, and the splash park as part of your entry ticket.

For an extra fee, you can ride the carousel for $3.50 ($4.50 for multiple rides), feed lorikeets for $2, do the ropes course for $10.50, ride a camel for $7, feed a camel for $3, feed a giraffe for $3, ride a pony for $6, or ride a train for $6.50. All prices are discounted for members (the equivalent to an annual pass, starting at $64 per person/$119 per family.)

Special Events

There are usually tons of special events at the Louisville Zoo, from keeper talks to special guest speakers. These days, most of the events are virtual but they still sound fun. For instance, tomorrow there is “Breakfast with the Bears” and a Polar Bear Scavenger Hunt that might have even been free – registration is already closed, so it’s hard to tell.

But fr0m March 19 – May 30 there is a live evening event called Wild Lights, a huge lantern festival with handmade silk lanterns lit with tens of thousands of LED lights. The whole route through the zoo is dotted with these lanterns, from huge dinosaurs to undersea creatures. If it says anything about the volume of lanterns, there are 70 NEW ones this year so it sounds like there’s a lot of them overall!

Wild Lights starts at 6:30 pm. Prices are $20 per person or $60 for a pack of four tickets. And there seem to be similar events during Halloween and Christmas.

I really enjoyed my visit to the Louisville Zoo! In fact, I might try to find a way to visit the lantern festival next month, if I can work it out. I highly recommend it if you like animals or have kids!