Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo

Tampa Zoo

One thing that we like to usually do in a new city is go to the zoo. We love animals and enjoy watching them play and learning all about them. Since we didn’t have a big trip planned over the Memorial day weekend, we decided to do some short day trips instead and picked to go to the Tampa Zoo on a Saturday. (Yeah, I know, this blog post is late.)

After entering the zoo, the parking situation was a little bit nightmarish. There were signs that said “Zoo Parking” that seemed to be leading us away from the zoo while driving past what looked like a parking lot. It turned out that the signs were for the overflow parking which was a 10 min walk to the main entrance. Learn from our mistake and just park where ever you want. To buy the tickets, there was a short 15 minute line. We opted to get just the day passes for $25/each. [Parking = FREE,  Day Pass = $25/each]

Our first stop in the zoo was the information booth. (Pro-tip: Don’t skip the info booth!) Just as the name implies, the info booth is full of invaluable information to help you plan your day. We were informed to head to the back of the park and work our way forward. This is opposite of what most people do (meaning we would avoid some of the crowd). More importantly though, the back (Safari Africa) is best to visit in the morning when it is cooler. There isn’t much shade!

Safaria Africa

So, that is what we did, and we got there just in time to see trainers working with the elephants. The male elephant is kept separate from the females and babies, so we got to see the male alone first. The trainer threw an assortment of fruit and vegetables into a pond, and the elephant plunged after them. Up next were the babies! So freaking adorable! We could have watched them all day, but we did actually want to see some other animals too.

Tampa Zoo, elephant playing in the water

Tampa Zoo, Elephants in the field on a hot day

The Safari Africa area also has some birds, tortoises, meerkats, hippos, etc., so check them out too. I know you wouldn’t want to miss the chance to get a good chuckle out of some goofy looking birds! There is also a guided safari train, but I recommend you save that adventure for the end of the day. The lines were long at this point in the day, and for us, is was a low priority. When we came back right before closing, there was zero wait.

Tampa Zoo, Funny looking bird

Gator Falls

By the time we managed to pull ourselves away from Safari Africa, we were dripping in sweat. (I’m so happy we did this part in the morning because I can’t imagine how hot it is in the middle of the afternoon.) Luckily for us, Gator Falls was next! It is flume ride, and though the line was a bit long, it was worth it. The ride drenched us in water and kept us nice and cool for the next hour or so while we dried off.

Tampa Zoo flume ride

Florida Wildlife Center

After Gator Falls, we walked along the Florida Boardwalk towards the manatees for another trainer presentation. Along the way we saw some Florida wildlife including flamingos and gators. Hopefully I will only see gators in the Tampa Zoo and not in the Florida wild!

Tampa Zoo flamingos

Tampa Zoo, Alligators lazing around

Seeing the manatees was my favorite part of the Tampa Zoo. It isn’t just an ordinary exhibit either. It is actually a manatee hospital, and all the manatee here are being treated for injuries or diseases. The trainer was very informative explaining how Tampa Zoo takes care of these beautiful creatures and how they release them back into the wild. We were in for a treat too because they had a baby manatee. Adorbs!

Tampa Zoo, Manatee talk with baby manatee

There is also a viewing area below the water level, so check that out too. It is amazing to watch the manatees hold the lettuce/cabbage with their little flippers.

Tampa Zoo, Manatee eating underwater

The underwater manatee viewing area continues into an aquarium/reptile center where you can learn about Florida fish, turtles, snakes, etc. The fish were fun to watch, but you better believe I high-tailed it with my eyes closed through the snake section.

Tampa Zoo, fish

Asian Gardens

The path then wraps around to the Asian Gardens, and we came across gharials. Nisheet got a big kick out of this exhibit because these are the crocodiles he grew up around. They aren’t as dangerous to humans as the crocodiles we normally think of because their jaws aren’t big or very strong. They are known as fish eating crocodiles. Notice in the picture below that even turtles are afraid of them.

Tampa Zoo, Gharial

Another top moment of the day came up next. Trainers brought 2 clouded leopard cubs out to play. They were so cute running around and wrestling with each other. We stood and watched for way too long because we all-too-soon realized we had to skedaddle or we wouldn’t be able to see the rest of the animals at the zoo.

Primate World

The primate world was next and offered a glimpse at even more zoo babies. The baby orangutan evidently didn’t want anything to do with nap time. While his parents were dozing on and off, he was trying to climb the ropes. He didn’t get very far, but it was darn cute to watch him try.

There were of course other primates in the area that we saw too. It was getting late in the afternoon though and they weren’t very active in the heat.

Tampa Zoo, baby

Wallaroo Station

The last area on our agenda was the Wallaroo Station. We didn’t spend much time in this area though because it is mostly just a large playground for kids. There are lots of fountains and such, and there is also a food court area. We did stop by to see the sleepy kola though.

Tampa Zoo Packing List

  • Water
  • Hat
  • Sunscreen
  • Camera
  • Quick drying clothes + sandals (log flume, fountains)
  • Souvenir popcorn bucket (if you bought one previously, its only 99 cents for refills)