Naples, Florida Zoo Review

The Naples Zoo located on 1590 Goodlette-Frank Road in Naples Florida is a non-profit charitable institution and is worth the trip. Dr. Henry Nehrling an early conservationist founded this area as a botanical garden in 1919. In 1954, Julius Fleischmann restored and expanded the original garden. Two explorers as well as, educators Larry and Nancy Jane Tetzlaff, who are known as Jungle Larry and Safari Jane brought in rare animals in 1969. The zoo presently is under a Board of Directors who carry on it mission of preservation of these wondrous animals and plants. The zoo is easily found and has plenty of parking space. No food allowed but you can bring your own drink as long as it fits in a purse or bag. There is an entrance fee of $18.75 for adults, one dollar off if you are a senior and $10.75 for children three and older. They do have membership packages that are a deal if you plan on visiting the zoo several times. There is a location where you can rent wheelchairs and strollers for an additional fee.

Bring your walking shoes because this is a 0.8 mile or 1.3 kilometer walk. Doesn't sound like much but remember you will be standing and reading about all the animals and plants along the trail. Also, remember the sun screen, this zoo is outside and in Florida. If you do get hungry while visiting the zoo, there is a Subway where you can purchase sandwiches as well as hotdogs and pizzas. Also, along the trail if you didn't bring your own drink there are about six cold drink machines along the trail. Take along singles or quarters because the machines do not take anything bigger than a dollar.

The trail is one big loop so if you decide to go right or left the trail will end exactly where you started. All the animals are outside but have a fence between you and them. At each post there is information about the animal. As you walk along the trail you can see the Kangaroo Corner, Panther Glade, Tiger forest, Big Cat Lair, African Wild Dogs, and Leopard Rock. In the botanical area, the Cactus Hill, African Oasis, Banyan Way and much more like tiger butterflies. The day we went these butterflies where so friendly that they would land on you shoulder or finger.

Not only can you look at these beautiful creatures at you own pace but the zoo also has these great schedule events. The events start at 10:30 in the morning and run through out the day until 3:30. There are about eight specific events that run about 15 minutes and no more than 30 minutes. Each specific event is run once a day at a specific time. So if you miss one event, the next time you can see it is the next day. So plan wisely.

These events are great, you learn so much about the animal in the spotlight. You should not miss this, We were able to catch three of these events, the Alligator Bay Feeding, Meet the Keeper: African Lions, and Tropical Trek. The other events were Meet the Keeper: Kangaroos, Serpents: Fangs and Fiction, Meet the Keeper: African Wild Dogs, Planet Predator and Meet the Keeper: Malayan Tigers. These events took place later in the day and we had already been at the zoo for four hours and had a three year old.

At 12:00 the Tropical Plant Trek started. We started off outside the Safari Canyon theater and walked around and saw these beautiful exotic plants. And they aren't kidding when they say do not touch or eat plants maybe toxic. Some of these plants are known to kill you in a few hours.

At 12:30 we quickly walked toward the Big Cat Lair area. There we met up with one of the zoo keepers with a three foot stick filled with raw meat. A large crowd gathered in front of the lion and it is amazing how fast a lion about to spray can disperse a crowd. During the presentation the keeper would feed this massive creature from this three foot stick. All the while making the sure the lion didn't spray us, he can shoot up to ten feet. He sprayed four times within the 15 minute presentation. The keeper was very knowledgeable and answered all the question that were asked. The lion stole the show.

1:00 we watched the Alligator Bay feeding. We got to see these giant reptiles, the biggest alligator was about 15 feet long, and the meals of the day was beef and chicken. These huge reptiles muscled there way and leaped out of the water to grab the raw meat. It was great to watch these creatures.

Another highlight is the Primate Expedition Cruise, this cruise is free. There is a schedule of times but it may change due to inclement of weather or larger attendance. You should not miss the opportunity to see these primates. You see lemurs, monkeys and more. They are so cute swinging from the trees or sleeping under the sun. Each kind of primate has its own island and there are so many picture moments.

It was at this point in the day when our three year old son announced we was tired and needed a nap. Although we missed more than half of the zoo presentations, we were very impressed with the Naples Zoo and feel we got our money's worth. If you are in the area and looking for something interesting to do, do not hesitate to visit this zoo. It is well the seemingly intimidating admission prices. Don't forget to bring a camera for many great photo opportunities of these beautiful animals.