DELAWARE Zoos, Aquariums, Safaris, large Nature Centers, etc: 3 Palms Zoo & Education Center, Townsend – Zoo – Small zoo with some rescued native species, domestics, some common exotic birds. Barn Hill Preserve, Frankford – Petting Zoo, Traveling – Tours – Kangaroos, sloths, aardvark, lynx, herps, BOP, etc. A traveling zoo that opened its base facility during Covid. Must watch a presentation first. Satellite facility of Barn Hill Preserve Louisiana. Brandywine Zoo, Wilmington – Zoo – AZA – Very small AZA zoo in the middle of a major master plan that will double its size. Smaller Nature Centers and places with a limited amount of species: Abbott’s Mill Nature Center, Milford – NC – A couple of native species. Baldcypress Nature Center, Laurel – NC – A couple of fish and herps. Trap Pond State Park. Bethany Beach Nature Center, Bethany Beach – NC – A few small native species. Brandywine Creek Nature Center, Wilmington – NC – Not sure if they have live animals. Brandywine Creek State Park. DuPont Nature Center, Milford – NC – Seasonal – Several aquariums of native species. Situated on the water with lots of great bird viewing, horseshoe crabs, etc. Deck is accessible year round. Holly Lake Campsites, Millsboro – Campground, Ungulate – Campground with fallow deer. Howell Mill Nature Center, Camden – NC – Butterflies, a few small herps. Brecknock Park. Killens Pond Nature Center, Felton – NC – Small native species. Killens Pond Nature Center. Lums Pond Nature Center, Bear – NC – A few small native species. Seaside Nature Center, Lewes – NC – Five fish tanks, a touch tank. Cape Henlopen State Park. St. Jones Reserve, Dover – NC – A couple of turtles. Recently remodeled. Natural History Museums and other notable facilities without animals: Delaware Museum of Nature & Science, Greenville – NH Museum – Second largest collection of bird eggs in North America. Formerly Delaware Museum of Natural History (changed name in 2022). Delaware is one of only a couple of states that has no state or national fish hatcheries.
Other placed to add to the checklist. 1. Snake World (Berryville, Arkansas) - Guided tours and over 50 snakes and other herps. 2. Nurtured By Nature (Valley Center, California) - Private tour otter swims. Also has kangaroos, armadillos etc. 3. Woodcock Nature Center (Wilton, Connecticut) - Nature center with some BOPs and herps. Looking forward to Florida. Might be a good idea to divide the state into south and north regions when you do the list. there are after at least 130 places that could qualify
You are missing the following facilities: Alabama: Two By Two Petting Zoo (Enterprise, Alabama) Jubilee Petting Zoo (Opelika, Alabama) Oak Mountain Demonstration Farm (Pelham, Alabama) Tuscaloosa Barnyard (Tuscaloosa, Alabama) California: Montebello Barnyard Zoo (Montebello, California) domestics farm park petting zoo/farm SweetWater Farms (Winchester, California) Ford Farms Petting Zoo & Pony Rides (Lindsay, California) Colorado: Shepperly Farm and Petting Zoo (Cañon City) Lil' Buckaroo's Petting Zoo (Erie, Colorado)
None of these are missing. As I said in the OP, I am not including most places with only domestics, just a few of the better / more interesting ones. There are hundreds of domestic-only petting zoos across the country and they tend to come and go much quicker than other animal facilities do. They also are often mostly traveling zoos that only open their facilities for kids' birthday parties, etc.
Yes, I know. I was overthinking. Only facilities that have rare or heritage breeds or the ones which are interesting enough should be on this list.
There's a new certification that I'm adding - IBCCES CAC. This stands for International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards' Certified Autism Center. As an autistic person myself, who is active in the autism community, this is NOT a desirable thing to see! IBCCES works with the organization Autism Speaks, considered by many to be a hate organization. They also heavily support ABA (applied behavior analysis) "therapy", something created by the same person who came up with "gay conversion therapy", with the same goal in mind (to force people to get rid of their autistic traits and be "normal"). Fortunately only a few seem to have this. I'm familiar with one, and before knowing they had this certification, I already had a very unfavorable opinion of the way they treat autism at the facility. Already covered states: Arizona - Arizona Museum of Natural History California - Living Desert Zoo, Santa Barbara Zoo, Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
Now, what you really want to see! Due to this state's number of facilities, I've broken it down differently than other states. I also haven't included any non-animal museums, and just two domestic-only places that focus on Florida heritage breeds. FLORIDA Zoos, Nature Centers, and other places that are multi-focused or mammal or bird focused: Amazing Animals, St. Cloud – Petting Zoo – Tours – Sloths, lemurs, foxes, small felids, herps, parrots. Area 51 Sanctuary, Okeechobee – Rescue – Appointment – Domestics, wallaby, primates, zebra, etc. NOT in Illinois. Arnold’s Wildlife Rehab Center, Okeechobee – CLOSED. Back to Nature Wildlife Refuge, Orlando – Rescue – Native species and rescues, including lemurs. Bearadise Ranch Bear Reserve, Myakka Citty – Carnivore – Tours – Bears. Also do performances at fairs. Bear Creek Feline Center, Panama City – Carnivore – Tours – Initially say they only deal with FL felids (puma, bobcat, jaguarundi), but also have lynx, serval, asian leopard cat, others. Big Cat Habitat Gulf Coast Sanctuary, Sarasota – Zoo – Felids, hybrids, apes, primates, other carnivores, etc. "Wolf pack yoga", fox yoga, lemur yoga. Big Cat Rescue, Tampa – Carnivore – Private – GFAS, BCSA – Currently closed to visitors. Boyett’s Grove & Citrus Attraction, Brooksville – Store, Petting Zoo – Birds, herps, domestics, some exotic mammals. Mini golf, citrus groves. Brevard Zoo, Melbourne – Zoo – AZA - Train goes through bongo, grevy's zebra, marabou stork yards, plus camels, ankole. Guided kayak tours through Africa for $10. KultureCity. **Currently building separate aquarium facility. Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, Tampa – Theme Park, Zoo – AZA, WAZA – Full theme park and zoo. Serengeti is only viewable by train or skyfari. Animals are spread throughout. Busch Wildlife Sanctuary, Jupiter – NC – Large native species center with cougar, black bear, alligator, etc. Captain Jack’s Airboat Tours, Everglades City – Zoo – Alligators, tigers, lions, etc. Airboat tours. Carson Springs Wildlife Foundation, Gainesville – Zoo – Tours – ZAA – Mostly felids, including rare species. Also rhino, warthog, lemurs. Catty Shack Ranch Wildlife Sanctuary, Jacksonville – Carnivore – Mostly felids. Coati, horses. Center for Great Apes, Wauchula – Primates – Tours – GFAS – Tours for members only, at $250 level. Orangs and chimps. Center for the Conservation of Tropical Ungulates, Rum Creek Ranch, Punta Gorda – Ungulate – Private – ZAA – Brad Kelley. Extremely private. Central Florida Animal Reserve, St. Cloud – Carnivore – Tours – Large felids. Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens, Sanford – Zoo – AZA – KultureCity. Conservancy of Southwest Florida Dalton Discovery Center, Naples – NC – Many natives including florida panther, invasive species. CROW Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife, Sanibel Island – Rehab – Native species. Visitor education center, live presentations. Dade City’s Wild Things, Dade City – CLOSED July 2021. Daggerwing Nature Center, Boca Raton – NC – Herps, BOP, opossum. In Burt Aaronson South County Regional Park. Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Bay Lake – Theme Park, Zoo – AZA, WAZA – Full theme park with animals spread throughout most areas. Most of Africa is only accessible by train ride, wagon ride. Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, Lake Buena Vista – Lodge, Zoo – Have 30+ species, including some not at zoo. Partially viewable without staying. Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, Jambo House, Lake Buena Vista – Lodge, Zoo – View lodge species from windows, dining, etc. Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, Kidani Village, Lake Buena Vista – Lodge, Zoo – View lodge species from windows, dining, etc. Emerald Coast Science Center, Fort Walton Beach – Science Museum, live animals – Small domestic species of mammal, herps, parrots, spiders. A few fish tanks. Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge, Navarre – Rehab – Education center has native ambassadors including herps, smaller mammals, BOP. Emerald Coast Zoo, Crestview – Zoo – Feed bears honey, other interactions. Owned by "Rick the Reptile Guy" from A&E's "Wild Transport". Religious. Endangered Animal Rescue Sanctuary (EARS), Citra – Rescue – Tours – Mostly felids, some bears, primates, etc. Everglades Outpost Wildlife Rescue, Homestead – Rescue – Rescue and rehab for native species, with alligator and snake (non-hot) shows. Exotic Animal Experience, Orlando – Petting Zoo – Tours – Kangaroos, sloths, lemurs, small primates, muntjac, etc. Flamingo Gardens, Davie – Zoo – Botanic gardens with black bear, flamingos, NARO, puma, lots of birds, herps. Native species. Florida Exotic Species Preserve, Wesley Chapel – Private – ZAA – Beverly L O’Connor. Florida International Teaching Zoo, Bushnell – Zoo – Tours. Forest Animal Rescue, Silver Springs – Rescue – Tours – “By Peace River Refuge”. Big cats, others. Genesis Zoology Center, Auburndale – Rescue – Private – Primarily felids. Allow volunteers. Giraffe Ranch, Dade City – Safari – Tours – Expensive. Green Cay Nature Center & Wetlands, Boynton Beach – NC, Aquarium – Wetlands exhibits. Gulf Breeze Zoo, Gulf Breeze – Zoo – ZAA – Train to see many animals. Owned by Zoofari Parks/Eric Mogensen, which own/founded VA Safari, AL Safari, bought Gulf Breeze, and are building TX Safari. Hobe Sound Nature Center, Hobe Sound – NC – Definitely have aquariums. Not sure if spotted skunk, other rehab animals are viewable. Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park, Homosassa – NC – Native species like key deer, red wolf, black bear, manatee, plus underwater observatory to view wild manatees and fish. HorsePower for Kids & Animal Sanctuary, Tampa – Petting Zoo – Regular hours. Domestics, sloth, foxes, prairie dogs, etc. Hunsader Farms, Bradenton – Store, Petting Zoo – Farm market with petting zoo, mostly domestics, birds. Jacksonville Zoo & Gardens, Jacksonville – Zoo – AZA – Train goes around most of the perimeter and has multiple stops where you can get on/off. KultureCity. Jungle Adventures, Christmas – Zoo – Alligator park with black bear, puma, tons of other herps and birds, boat tours. Jungle Friends Primate Center, Gainesville – Primates – Private – Currently closed to visitors. Has ASA, GFAS links on home page but isn't listed by either. Hardee County Wildlife Refuge, Zolfo Springs – NC – Native species. Puma recently passed away. Jungle Island, Miami – Zoo – Tours – ZAA – Closed and re-opened as an encounter place, with kangaroos, lemurs, capybara, sloths, flamingos, and giant tortoises. Emphasis is on their Joia Beach restaurant and beach club. Kulaqua Retreat & Conference Center, High Springs – Lodge, Zoo – Groups – Religious lodge / retreat with their own zoo. Have lions and tigers, etc. Lemur Conservation Foundation, Myakka City – Primates – Private – AZAc – Not open to the public. Lion Country Safari, Loxahatchee – Safari – AZA, ZAA – Toddler train, kiddie rides, water park, paddle boats, pontoon boat, mini golf. Lions Tigers & Bears, Arcadia – CLOSED? – Carnivore – Tours – Website no longer works, fb last updated July 2021. Lubee Bat Conservancy, Gainesville – Bats – Tours – AZAc – 12+ species. Focus on conservation vs rescue. McCarthys Wildlife Sanctuary, West Palm Beach – Carnivore – Tours – Big cats, herps, BOP. A LOT of cubs. Monkey Jungle, Miami – Primates – Tours – Currently tours only. Have a gorilla, but mostly smaller primates, macaws. Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Animal Farm, Key West – Petting Zoo – Only open 2nd and 4th Sunday from 1-3pm, otherwise by appointment. Domestics, smaller exotics, lemurs, herps. Moore Exotic Animal Ranch, Riverview – Petting Zoo – Tours – Breeder that does tours. Foxes, primates, herps, genet, mara, kangaroo, etc. MOSH Museum of Science & History, Jacksonville – Museum, Aquarium - Also may have ambassadors of other species (photo is an owl). Museums For All. Museum of Discovery & Science, Fort Lauderdale – Science Museum, live animals – Otters, bats, alligators, herps, aquariums. Museums For All. Myakka Elephant Ranch, Myakka City – Petting Zoo – Tours – Elephants. Mystic Jungle Educational Facility, Live Oak – Carnivore – Tours – Mostly large felids. Claim to be a rescue. Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens, Naples – Zoo – AZA – Have a boat cruise around their primate islands. NGALA Wildlife Preserve, Naples – Event Center – Tours – ZAA – Event center for weddings, etc with zoo. Giraffe, lion, rhino, etc. Expensive. North Florida Wildlife Center, Lamont – Petting Zoo – Tours – Macropods, birds, lemurs, etc. Romelia Farms Wildlife Preserve, Merritt Island – Petting Zoo – Tours – Sloth, tamandua, domestics, etc. Formerly Obloy Family Ranch. Octagon Wildlife Sanctuary, Punta Gorda – Rescue – Currently closed to visitors. Carnivores, primates, macaws. Okeeheelee Nature Center, West Palm Beach – NC – Herps, BOP, whitetail deer. Orlando Science Center, Orlando – Science Museum, live animals – AZAptm – NatureWorks exhibit has native species. Closing 2022 to change into Life exhibit, opening summer 2023. Museums For All. Palm Beach Zoo at Dreher Park, West Palm Beach – Zoo – AZA. Panther Ridge Conservation Center, Loxahatchee – Carnivore – Tours – ZAA. Felids. Variety of tours. Peace River Wildlife Center, Punta Gorda – Rescue – ASA – Now have regular hours. Mostly all sorts of birds but also some native mammals, herps. Petting Zoo Ocala, Ocala – Petting Zoo – Mostly domestics, a raccoon, coati, primates… Polk’s Nature Discovery Center, Lakeland – NC – Live animals. Circle B Bar Reserve. Safari Bob’s – Lantana – Petting Zoo – Tours – Ruppell's fox, genets, lemurs, skunks, bushbabies, night monkeys, etc. Breed. Safari Wilderness, Lakeland – Safari, Lodge – Tours – Drive yourself, ride on a wagon, atv, camel, or kayak. Basic tour is over $100. Glamping tents. Sandoway Discovery Center, Delray Beach – NC – Sharks, aquariums, alligator and crocodile, other herps, nocturnal room with mammals, owls. Formerly J.B. Evans House, Sandoway House. Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo, Gainesville – Zoo – AZA – 10 acres. Key deer. Museums For All. KultureCity. Sarasota Jungle Gardens, Sarasota – Zoo – Lots of shows and interactions. Many birds, herps, muntjac, lemurs, etc. Sawgrass Nature Center & Wildlife Hospital, Coral Springs – NC, Rehab – Variety of native species. Seacrest Wolf Preserve, Chipley – Carnivore – Tours – Gray wolves. Previously allowed camping. Shell Factory & Nature Park, North Fort Myers – Store, Zoo – Large store, fun park, and zoo. Shy Wolf Sanctuary Experience Center, Naples – Carnivore – Tours – Gray wolves. Single Vision, Melrose – Zoo – Tours – Act like they're a rescue but aren't. Felids, primates, reptiles, etc. Lots of USDA citations including knowingly providing false info, cub petting. Smooth Waters Wildlife Park, De Leon Springs – CLOSED? St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park, St. Augustine – Herps – AZA – Also have aviary, lemurs, primates. KultureCity. St. Augustine Wild Reserve, St. Augustine – Carnivore – Tours – Mostly big cats, hybrids, white lions, wolves, also other carnivores, deer. Have cubs. Suncoast Primate Sanctuary Foundation, Palm Harbor – Primates – Primates, herps. Website sucks. Mostly apes. Tallahassee Museum, Tallahassee – Zoo, Museum – Native species including bears, wolf, puma, herps, etc. Domestics. Tallahassee Museum of History & Natural Science. Tree Hill Nature Center, Jacksonville – NC – Small mammals, herps. Tree Top Exotics, Palm City – Zoo – Tours –Primate breeder that does encounters. Also have genets, foxes, other popular exotics pets. Two Tails Ranch / All About Elephants, Williston – Petting Zoo – ZAA – Elephants. Uncle Donald’s Farm, Lady Lake – Petting Zoo – Deer, alligator, BOP, some exotics, domestics. Welaka National Fish Hatchery, Welaka – Hatchery – USFWS – Visitor center. Eastern indigo snake, Florida grasshopper sparrow, bowfin, bluegill, redear sunfish, largemouth bass. Wellington Conservation Center, Wellington – Petting Zoo – Tours – Pale fox, wild boar, capybara, sloth, lemurs, tamandua, etc. White Oak Conservation center, Yulee – Zoo – Tours – AZAc – Expensive tours. Conservation center with ungulates, cheetahs, birds. Wild Florida Airboats & Gator Park, Kenansville – Safari – Safari, alligator farm, airboat tours. Greatly expanding. Wild@heart Wildlife Center, Okeechobee – Zoo – Still open? Most recent post anywhere is late 2021. Awful looking place. Big cats. Wildlife Survival Sanctuary, Spring Hill – Carnivore – Tours – Mostly big cats. A few primates, herps, domestics. Wooten’s Animal Sanctuary, Ochopee – Zoo – Not remotely a sanctuary. Mainly airboat tours. Tigers and lions, otters, alligators. Xtreme Exotics, Jacksonville – Store, Zoo – Herp and exotic store, traveling show. New zoo open. Zoo Miami, Miami – Zoo – AZA, WAZA – Tram, river ride, paddle boats. Monorail closed April 2022. ZooTampa at Lowry Park, Tampa – Zoo, Aquarium – AZA, WAZA – Several rides, including coasters, tiny train. Wagon ride to see safari area. ZooWorld Zoological & Botanical Conservatory, Panama City Beach – Zoo – ZAA – Expanding. ZWF Miami, Miami – Zoo – Tours – LOTS of cub petting (currently $200 for puma cubs). Hybrids. Wildlife Management Services (USDA). Aquariums of all sizes: Anne Kolb Nature Center, Hollywood – NC, Aquarium – A few fish tanks. Aquatica, Orlando – Theme Park, Aquarium – Large water park with Commerson’s dolphins, fish. Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum, Sanibel – Aquarium, Museum – AZA, AAM – GPO and other octopods, cuttlefish, sea hare, lots of mollusks, Scaphella junonia. Lots of shells. Bishop Museum of Science & Nature, Bradenton – Museum, Aquarium – AAM – Manatees. Smithsonian Affiliate. Museums For All. Formerly South Florida Museum, Parker Manatee Aquarium. Clearwater Marine Aquarium, Clearwater – Aquarium – Rough-toothed dolphins, bottlenose. A lot of rescues. Was home to Winter the dolphin. Dolphin boat tour. Cox Science Center & Aquarium, West Palm Beach – Science Museum, Aquarium – AZAptm – 10,000 gallon Aquariums of the Atlantic, exhibit on the everglades. Also have mini golf, trail. Previously known as South Florida Science Center & Aquarium. Museums For All. Discovery Cove, Orlando – Theme Park, Aquarium - AZA, AMMPA, IMATA, IBCCES CAC – Theme park centered around animal interactions. Bottlenose, sharks, otters, etc. Dolphin Connection, Duck Key – Aquarium – AMMPA, IMATA – Only bottlenose. Dolphin Research Center, Grass Key – Aquarium – AMMPA, IMATA – Bottlenose, sea lions, a few others. Dolphins Plus Bayside, Key Largo – Aquarium – AMMPA, IMATA – Bottlenose, touch tank. Dolphins Plus Marine Mammal Responder, Key Largo – Aquarium – Bottlenose. Environmental Learning Center, Vero Beach – NC, Aquarium – Small touch tanks. Florida Aquarium, Tampa – Aquarium – AZA – No marine mammals. Otters, Madagascar section. Boat cruise to see dolphins. Florida Keys Aquarium Encounters, Marathon – Aquarium – No mammals. Touch a giant isopod. Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center, Key West – Aquarium – Part of Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Florida Oceanographic Coastal Center, Stuart – Aquarium – Sharks, rays, sea turtles. Florida Oceanographic Society. Frost Museum of Science / Miami Aquarium, Miami – Science Museum, Aquarium – 40+ aquarium tanks, massive multi-story hammerhead tank. Smithsonian Affiliate. Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science. Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center, Kissimmee – Lodge, Aquarium – Large resort, water park, etc. with massive courtyard that has fish, flamingos. Gulf Specimen Aquarium, Panacea – Aquarium – Small aquarium that is part of a breeding facility, mostly for non-fish aquatic stuff, weird fish. Gulf World Marine Park, Panama City Beach – Aquarium - AZAptm, AMMPA, IMATA – Rough-toothed dolphins, bottlenose, pinnipeds, etc. Lots of experiences. Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park, Fort Walton Beach – Aquarium – AMMPA, IMATA – Lots of encounters. Building giant new bottlenose exhibit 2022. Dolphins, pinnipeds, etc. Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, Boca Raton – Aquarium, NC – Sea turtle rehab facility, outdoor aquariums. IMAG History & Science Center, Fort Myers – Museum, Aquarium – Aquariums, 30+ herps. Imaginarium Science Center. Museums For All. Island Dolphin Care, Key Largo – Aquarium – Tours – Focused more on human therapy than general interactions. John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, Key Largo – NC, Aquarium – 30,000 gallon main tank, plus smaller tanks. Key West Aquarium, Key West – Aquarium – Sea turtles, sharks, touch tanks. Loggerhead Marinelife Center, Juno Beach – Aquarium – Currently expanding. Don’t always have turtles in, but they’re always open. MacArthur Beach State Park Nature Center, North Palm Beach – NC, Aquarium – Mostly aquatic species, including sea turtles. Manatee Lagoon, West Palm Beach – Aquarium – Manatee information/education center with a few fish tanks, gift shop. Florida Power & Light Company. Manatee Observation and Education Center, Fort Pierce – Aquarium – Manatee information and kayak, boat tours. Various fish tanks (largest is 800 gallons), a few herps. Manatee Viewing Center, Tampa Electric, Apollo Beach – Aquarium – Open Nov-April. Wild manatees, next to power station (warm water). Visitor center, gift shop, ray touch tank. Marine Science Center, Ponce Inlet – Aquarium, Birds – Rescue and rehab facility with native tanks and herps, gulls, BOP. Marineland Dolphin Adventure, St. Augustine – Aquarium – AZA, AMMPA, IMATA – Dolphins. In town of Marineland, named after park. Been around 80+ years. Miami Seaquarium, Miami – Aquarium – AZAptm, AMMPA, IMATA – Many mammals, including one orca (bts), bottlenose, pinnipeds, manatee rescue, etc. Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium, Sarasota – Aquarium – AZA – Manatees, otters, sharks. Mostly native species. Boat cruises. Ocean Discovery Visitors Center, Fort Pierce – Aquarium – Part of Florida Atlantic University's Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute. Exhibits focus on current research, approx. 1,000 gallons in tanks. Ostego Bay Foundation Marine Science Center, Fort Myers Beach – Aquarium – Very small aquarium. River Center, Loxahatchee River Center, Jupiter – Aquarium – 6,000 gallons total. Website says takes 30-60 minutes. Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center, Naples – Aquarium, NC – Part of Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. Rumfish Grill, RumFish Beach Resort, St. Pete Beach – Restaurant, Lodge, Aquarium – 33,000 gallon fish tank in restaurant, resort has touch tanks. Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation Nature Center, Sanibel – NC, Aquarium – Touch tank with rays, crabs, etc. Turtles. Science Center of Pinellas County / Science and Technology Education Innovation Center, St. Petersburg – CLOSED – Currently closed for several years, re-opening under second name? Had aquariums. SEA LIFE Orlando Aquarium, Orlando – Aquarium – AZA – Ferris wheel. SeaQuest Fort Lauderdale, Fort Lauderdale – CLOSED. Seas with Nemo & Friends, Lake Buena Vista – Theme Park, Aquarium – AZA, AMMPA – Part of EPCOT. Small aquarium that has dolphins, manatees. SeaWorld Orlando, Orlando – Theme Park, Aquarium – AZA, WAZA, AMMPA, IMATA – Full theme park and aquarium, with many marine mammals. Silver Springs State Park, Silver Springs – NC – Glass bottom boats to see manatees, fish. St. Augustine Aquarium, St. Augustine – Aquarium – Tours – All outdoors? Confusing website. St. Lucie County Aquarium, Fort Pierce – Aquarium – Home to Smithsonian Marine Ecosystems Exhibit. Tampa Bay Watch Discovery Center, St. Petersburg – Aquarium – Located on the pier. Seahorses, terrapins, mangrove species. Previously called Pier Aquarium (website is now a p*rn site). Tarpon Springs Aquarium, Tarpon Springs – Aquarium – Aquarium, herps. Theater of the Sea, Islamorada – Aquarium – AMMPA, IMATA – Bottlenose, pinnipeds, go in a lagoon with nurse sharks. Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg – Stadium, Aquarium – Seasonal – The Tampa Bay Rays MLB team has a 35 ft, 10,000 gallon ray touch tank in the outfield. Open during home games. Turtle Hospital, Marathon – Herps – Tours – Rescue and rehab facility with daily presentations, tours. Bird, Herp, or Invert focused facilities: Alligator Attraction & Wildlife Learning Center, Madeira Beach – Rescue – Mostly herps, but also small mammals, fish. Audubon Center for Birds of Prey, Maitland – Birds – Rescued BOP. Butterfly World, Coconut Creek – Insects – Butterflies and other insects, some birds. $32. Calusa Nature Center & Planetarium, Fort Myers – NC – Raptor aviary, herps including alligators. Museums For All. Croc Encounters Reptile Park & Alligator Farm, Tampa – Herps – Tours – Only have lots of herps. Everglades Alligator Farm, Homestead – Herps – Alligators, a few other herps. Airboat rides. Everglades Holiday Park Airboat Tours, Fort Lauderdale – Herps – Alligators, airboat tours, a few other species for interactions (photos show a skunk, ball python). Everglades Safari Park, Miami – Herps – Alligators, a few other herps. Airboat rides. Everglades Wonder Gardens, Bonita Springs – Rescue – 300+ herps and birds. Florida Iguana & Tortoise Breeders, Southwest Ranches – Herps – Private – ZAA – Breed a bunch of iguanas, mostly giant tortoises. Florida Museum of Natural History, Gainesville – NH Museum, live animals – AAM – Butterfly garden, also has birds. University of Florida. Gator Golf Adventure Park, Orlando – Herps – Mini golf course with gator wrestling, other herps. Gatorama, Palmdale – Zoo – Other species of croc, cougar, bobcat, domestics, etc. Gatorland, Orlando – Zoo – “Alligator capital of the world”. Also have other croc species, cougar, a few others. Gatorworld Parks of Florida, Wildwood – CLOSED. May reopen if someone buys it. Golf N Gator, Cape Canaveral – Herps – Mini golf course with 30 alligators, some other herps, birds. Iguanaland, Punta Gorda – Herps – Huge new place that recently opened. Key West Butterfly & Nature Conservatory, Key West – Insects – Also have some birds, flamingos. Laura Quinn Wild Bird Sanctuary, Key Largo – Birds – 90+ birds, 40+ species. Open dawn to dusk every day. Marathon Wild Bird Center, Marathon – Birds – Private – Rescue and rehab. No visits, but allow volunteers and do outreach stuff with ambassadors. Sometimes birds can be seen in the outdoor flight cage. Part of Crane Point Museum, Nature Center, and Historic Site. McGough Nature Park, Largo – NC – 20+ BOP, lots of wild turtles. George C. McGough Nature Park, Narrows Environmental Education Center. Miami Dade College Environmental Center, Kendall Campus, Kendall – NC – Herps. Moccasin Lake Raptor Sanctuary, Clearwater – Birds – Rescue and rehab. In Moccasin Lake Nature Park. Natural Encounters, Winter Haven – Birds – Private – AZAc – Breed and raise many bird species for zoos, shows. Pelican Harbor Seabird Station, Miami – Birds – Tours. Reptile Discovery Center, DeLand – Herps – Also home to Medtoxin Venom Laboratories. Reptile World Serpentarium, St. Cloud – Herps – Another venom lab. Save Our Seabirds, Sarasota – Birds – Rescue and rehab. Open every day with regular hours. Sawgrass Recreation Park, Weston – Herps – Mostly alligators, a few herps and peafowl. Airboat tours. Scales, Tails, and Teeth Wildlife Park, Marion City – Traveling? Herps? – Not open yet? Jimmy Riffle, Gator Boys. Science & Discovery Center of Northwest Florida, Panama City – Science Museum, live animals – Herps. Seaside Seabird Sanctuary, Indian Shores – Birds – 100+ birds. Sunken Gardens, St. Petersburg – Birds – Flamingos. Uncle Sandy’s Macaw Bird Park, Pensacola – Birds – Bird rescue with regular visiting hours. Better places to see domestics: Crowley Museum and Nature Center, Sarasota – Petting Zoo – LH type facility with nature trails, heritage domestics. Florida Agricultural Museum, Palm Coast – Museum, Petting Zoo – Lots of domestics, horseback riding. State fish hatcheries: Florida Freshwater Fish Hatcheries--Stocking Programs
Great list! Here are some updated info on a few places you listed. Captain Jack's I'm 99% sure doesn't have captive animals. It's just an airboat ride and afterwards you can see the animals at the nearby Wooten's Animal Sanctuary, which is the same owners. No more opossum currently. Yes, they have an Eastern Spotted Skunk. Also a few native and non-native herps, some fish and a Barred Owl and Red-tailed Hawk visiting ambassadors. No deer but they do have an opossum. No more crocodiles and their only mammal, an opossum, passed away recently. Also now has a very small herp room. Some mammals and birds as well. Currently called The Wonder Gardens. -- Also, here are places you don't have listed. Most should qualify for the checklist. Animal EDventure Park & Safari (Boynton Beach) - has a number of exotics that you can interact with. Normally private tour except Sat & Sun when anyone can visit. C.A.R.E. Foundation (Apopka) - private tour and has a variety of rescue animals, including big cats. Chase Sanctuary (Webster) - private tour facility with primates and other exotics. Elmira’s Wildlife Sanctuary (Wimauma) - private tour facility with big cats, bears and other rescue animals. Gator Park (Miami) - another alligator farm with a small number of other herps. Yes, Gator Park is the actual name of the place. HAPPI Farms (Davie) - mostly a domestic-only rescue sanctuary (with emus) but have recently expanded to include herps and other small animals like degu, hedgehog, bobwhite etc. Might qualify? Kowiachobee Animal Preserve (Naples) - private tour facility with big cats, primates etc. Rescues. Mandalay Farms (Jupiter) - a farm with a very expensive private tour that has exotic animal encounters. Notable species include Black-tailed Hairy Dwarf Porcupine. Ocala Discovery Center (Ocala) - science center with some live animals. Ocala Wildlife Sanctuary (Ocala) - private tour rescue facility with BOPs. Secret Woods Nature Center (Ft Lauderdale) - very small nature center with around 4 species of reptiles. Tampa Bay Raptor Rescue (Clearwater) - has rescued BOPs. Treasure Coast Wildlife Center (Palm City) - has BOPs and a few other birds and reptiles. Open to public 4 days a week.
I didn't know that! I think I'm still going to keep it listed, just add in the notes that it's part of Wooten's. I know they have them, I just couldn't find if they were visible or not. A lot of places keep rehab animals off view, understandably. I'll go through these, thanks. Not as many as I was expecting. I guess Edventures moved back to Florida? They started in Florida, closed that and moved to NC, then that one closed. Alligator farms seem to chose the worst names.
Yeah, they have a female skunk named Sandy on display and I was lucky enough to see her getting fed (have a photo of her in gallery as well). She also has a brother over at Busch Wildlife Sanctuary that's never out. I don't think this place is the same as the closed Safari Edventures/Farmony Edventures from FL/NC, they apparently were only in business for 10 years. Here's their website. Interestingly, there is a also a NEW Edventures in North Carolina now as well, called Animal Ed.ventures Sanctuary, I guess changing the A to E really brings the crowds!
Glad to hear about the skunk One of my favorite species that I haven't seen. Wtf is with places using that name?!
Kidani Village and Jambo House are separate buildings, they are just on the same property about half a mile apart.
