Visited this zoo with my husband on a Sunday afternoon. Admission was $5 for each of us since I'm a UF employee and he's a veteran. Patricia at the desk was very helpful and assisted with giving us directions to the parking lot since we ended up in lot 11 near the business ed buildings. Also, even if they close at 3pm, last visitors allowed entry is at 230pm. Bathrooms were clean and the zoo itself seemed well-kept. It was a colder day in the low 60s so there weren't as many animals out as when it's hotter. Lost 1 star for the reptile / herp area since it was hard to see the frogs through the dirty glass. Also one snake tank had a huge crack on the glass which was kinda concerning. Glass seems thick enough to not collapse, but still visually alarming. Employees were friendly and accommodating. Overall positive first experience for our first time visiting this place.

Best $5 you'll ever spend (Senior admission). You can get really close to the animals. Even in the extreme heat of July, there was enough overhead protection to not be too uncomfortable.

Great place for young and old alike! So many beautiful animals to see, and they're so entertaining! Reasonable entrance fee and good walking paths (mostly wheelchair accessible). Great way to spend an afternoon.

Beautiful small zoo. Around 35 different animal habitats. Kids enjoyed watching the monkeys and gibbons. Small playground area in the shadow with tables and benches. Great visit for families.

We had a great time. A small zoo with with happy staff and nice facilities. I visited and was pleasantly surprised at the how well this small zoo was run. The cost of admission is fair for the size. There were extra precautions in place for animal, visitor and staff safety. I would visit again. There is so a small playground. Lots of shade thought the zoo.

Great and well cared Teaching Zoo to bring the family. Friendly and welcoming atmosphere. Child friendly and relaxing.

I like turtles.

Nice little zoo. Terrific stop. Lots of shade. Friendly staff. Clean restrooms. Shaded picnic area.

We were very impressed! We took our 17 month granddaughter and it was the perfect day trip. Animals are well taken care of and have beautiful habitats to live in. Very friendly staff and students working there. I would recommend anyone, regardless of their age, to visit!! I can't believe this treasure has been this close to my home and I haven't visited it before now!!

What an amazing experience, not only does this zoo want to benefit the local students but also the community as well. They make sure to ask you if any discounts apply that way you get the most for your money. Although they say you can make it through the zoo in 30 minutes, it took myself and my husband (2 adults) about 2 hours. We loved seeing everything and learning about the animals stories. Overall, there were so many species that we have never heard of before and they were all so well taken care of. This is worth a stop. Support students, wildlife and the community! We will definitely be back!!!

I love this zoo! It's a nice place to spend time with kids. It's safe and clean. Staff is super nice. And my son loves their playground.

You can't see all the animals because of COVID-19, but it's good to spend time with them. The zookeepers are very kind, the bathroom in front of the zoo is clean, and free parking is available.

Nice little zoo with very friendly staff. Grounds are mostly shaded which is nice on a hot day.

We stopped here during a short trip through Gainesville and it was just sad. The enclosures for a lot of these animals are tiny. There was a wild cat, I think an ocelot, that spent its whole time walking a circle in the enclosure. The only thing in the enclosure was a tree to sit on and dirt, so the poor animal circled the cage on a path so worn you could tell it spends everyday doing this. Most of the other enclosures were depressing too, but that was the one with an animal obviously stressed by captivity and understimulated. Honestly, I regret visiting and giving this place money because I just left depressed.

Took my son to see the zoo. He was so excited and absolutely loved it. The price is extremely reasonable and I would go back again in a heartbeat. Everyone was so friendly and helpful. His favorite animal there was the otters. He loved being able to walk around and take pictures.

Wonderful place for kids to watch and learn about new kinds of animals not seen in other nearby Zoo's like Jax or Tampa. Well maintained and staffed. We went over the Zoo Keeper weekend when there were good number of talks and shows.

First of all, I would like to thank Santa Fe, student, Cola. The Zoo was fairly quiet so I was able to spend my time getting filled in on all the special stories, and educational information on so many of these animals. It is an exceptional zoo. The enclosures are magnificent. The animals have so much playroom and so much stimulation is provided for them. Good luck to all these students. Again, Cola, Thank you.

This is a wonderful place where you can really get to know all their animals. The staff - generally students from the college - are very nice and love to share the stories of the animals. In these challenging times there is a one way trail leading you through the zoo.

I am a teacher for a local elementary school and recently we had a field trip here. Saying it was horrible would be an understatement. They did not let me show my children that the toucans could talk. I was yelling profanity at the birds to try and teach the kids what to not never say and we were kicked out and not offered a refund.

I graduated 8 years ago. The program isn’t worth a lifetime of debt.

This is one of the best things to do in Gainesville. It’s a small zoo, but the animals are exotic and cover a wide range. Well worth the price. You will probably spend an hour here. On prior reviews, I agree it is not wheel chair friendly given the mulch pathways. That’s literally the only down side. You will find the remainder of negative reviews are foolish at best.

They're a relatively small zoo, but they have awesome exhibits and very friendly staff.

What a wonderful place. Exotic animals in a natural habitat, with enthusiastic student guides!

Love it here! Very well kept by the students and staff. Has a nice playground for little ones. Students are very knowledgeable and friendly. They have reptiles, an aviary, otters, lemurs, gibbons and more!

This is the greatest place friendly and knowledge staff have been a few times and will surley go many more love this place

Had a great time visiting . We paid extra for the animal encounter which was well worth it. The students were very knowledgeable and friendly. Good range of animals . Have a playground for kids, bathroom , drink machine and gift shop

My son and I went here for a field trip the experience was really nice. The people who worked there students and staff were really nice. The zoo was clean and the animals were very alert and visible to view. I plan on taking my other children to visit again in the near future.

Fun for all ages! We had our toddler's birthday party here and the zoo did an amazing job making the day perfect. We appreciate it and couldn't recommend it more highly!

The monkeys were great!!

We love this spot! There's so much to see and it's very well cared for. My daughter and i love coming here. Having the playground is a great option as well. if you haven't been, you gotta come! Support local and give this little gem a shot.

Excellent value, they give lots of discounts. LOVED the gibbons, and the beautiful birds. Not just invasive peacocks lol

This place is a sanctuary. There are animals here that make you remember just how big this world is and how much we yet to see in life. Monkeys, gators, eagles, wild cats, and birds are all here amongst many more animals, in a clean and well taken care of environment. I congratulate Santa Fe College on this facility and their zoology program, for doing such an outstanding job. Perfect place to take a walk and ponder in between classes!

Everything about this place was so cool. Even down to how you go to pick what your admittance cost went to support. The variety of animals was really surprising and, though there were some exhibits that we could not walk up to, they made sure to block the path in such a way we were still able to see the animals without risk of harming them. Can't wait to return!

We spent a beautiful day with my 6 year old daughter and niece. Just big enough to feel satisfied with the gorgeous surroundings/ happy animals and small enough to keep the kiddos engaged and not completely exhausted. I bought the membership especially to visit the playground with their peacock who apparently visits frequently 🤪

We love visiting this zoo while in Gainesville! It's small but they definitely have some interesting animals you don't see in many zoos, like the Matschie's tree kangaroo, and it is a well kept facility. Mikayla was great with answering all of our questions!

Very nice.

Wonderful learning experience. Millie the Peregrine falcon is our favorite. Staff and students are wonderful and very willing to share their knowledge.

I went here as a feild trip and it was really fun and enjoyable I loved it so much it was awesome they had us see birds close by I saw a lot of animals

A wonderfully cozy zoo, natural habitats and knowledgeable, friendly zooies!

This is a teaching zoo. So I enjoyed questioning the students and see if they knew the answers or had to look them up, but they always got the answers either way. I tried to stump the students, but they were very educated. Small but nice zoo with many different animals and reptiles too. Shaded are so not too hot in the sunshine and had tables for picnic area too. But enjoyed every moment.

Ask them about the zookeeper for a day program. We spent a lot of time with their friendly and knowledgeable volunteers. The animals were nice too ;)

This is a great place to take the kids when they are stir crazy from the indoors! The staff is very friendly and chatty. The trail is well taken care of and laid out. The only thing that I didn’t like too much is almost all the animals are in cages that seem so small for them. But I don’t know much about these things so don’t pay much attention to me :)

This was the worst zoo I have ever been to! There were supposed to be 75 animals and there were maybe 30. Most of them we couldn't see because the cages were so far away from the walkway you couldn't see the animals. There were a very limited number of species there.

Enjoyed the self pace of walking through with a 3 year old and space for strollers either way. The students are very approachable and knowledgeable. The person at the front that sells tickets and operates the souvenir shop is kind and efficient. Great local experience if you live in Gainesville or just happen to be passing through.

Went for a trip during our vacation. We have 3 kids all under 5 so we were happy to find this zoo since some of the bigger zoos are something that our kids can't quite appreciate yet. We were very pleased with our experience here. Lots of animals to see...a little closer to than other zoos. Staff was very friendly. We were able to do the whole thing in a little over an hour or so...so well within the stamina of our kids. We also enjoyed the playground as well. Definitely recommend for something to do if you're in the area.

This is an amazing Zoo to spend a couple hours at on a weekend with the family! It has a great roster of fun and exotic animals to see and the keepers are always kind and answer questions. I personally love that even on the sunniest Florida days the tree cover shades the entire zoo making it much cooler and more comfortable! The forest vibe is great and it somewhat feels like you're in nature. That does mean there is no paved sidewalk but instead packed forest floor - not as ideal for strollers but certainly manageable.

We took a quick road trip from JAX to do a day in Gainesville and this was our first stop. You can't beat the price and how quaint it is. There is definitely plenty to see and a playground for the kiddies. We loved the swinging gibbons and watched the male peacock try to impress the non-impressed females on the playground.

Surprised, lots of animals. Had fun would go back.

Friendly staff and well maintained.

Fun little zoo with a bunch of animals. Quite the diversity of animals for $8 admission.

My granddaughter and I really enjoyed it, not as big as it used to be it's understandable. Overall it was great.

Fun spot for the kids. Well managed and maintained.

Great little zoo

This is one of THE BEST zoos in Florida. Loved the animals and zookeepers around to answer questions.

Wonderful time at Boo at the Zoo. The staff and volunteers did a great job decorating and dressing up. So many students making it a fun night for the kids. The sponsors had so many booths setup for the kids as well.

Horrible school for learning/teaching, teachers do not have actual teaching degrees. Majority of grading is done around opinions. One teacher has diagnosed Bipolar Disorder and has definitely taken it out on her students before (still does), oh and they don’t take COVID-19 seriously and continue classes despite multiple students being out tested for COVID-19. Don’t go here, they don’t care about you. Only your money.

Amazing experience, grandchildren were so excited.

This was a great stop off I-75 to let our two year old run around and see animals he's never seen before. There was plenty of parking. The staff seemed friendly. The facility seemed clean. There was a good amount of shade and small play area in the center of the animal action. There was a good variety of animals. The vending machine just outside the zoo didn't appear to be working at the time of our visit.

First time coming out here today and we absolutely loved it. Its a small well-kept zoo with nice exhibits. Everyone is very friendly and knowledgeable about all the animals. They have done a great job in dealing with covid and have kind of turned it into an exotic nature trail. Anyways we loved it, our little boys loved it and we will be back soon!

Enthusiastic staff. Nice shady spot. The animals are clearly content. We really enjoyed it. Lots of covid protocols which is fantastic.

Despite covid, most of the exhibits were open. It was a quick and enjoyable experience. 10/10

(Translated by Google) Amazing, the state of conservation of the place and of the animals themselves that are in the zoo. Greetings 🙋🏻‍♂️ 🙅🏻‍♂️ 👨🏻‍⚕️ 👍🏼 (Original) Asombroso, el estado de conservación del lugar y de los propios animales que están en el recinto del zoológico. Saludos 🙋🏻‍♂️ 🙅🏻‍♂️ 👨🏻‍⚕️ 👍🏼

The nicest staff. Clean environment. Very shaded and nice walking paths. The animals are very loved. This was such a great experience for me and my 1.5 year old. I wasn't aware if the children's park until we arrived that was awesome!

Wonderful place to visit!! Everyone is so friendly and you can tell they love their jobs!! The critters are happy too!!!!

Very small zoo compared to the San Diego zoo, but it is nice. The staff is friendly and the animals are well taken care off. It’s worth visiting.

This is not the Zoo to visit if you want to see a wide array of animals but they offer amazing tours and you would be sure to learn something from the wonderful students.

This is such a quick and small zoo. But the animals are great. They are all always out. They have set it up with a easy trail to follow and expect to spend about 1.5 hours. There is also a playground for kids and benches. It’s worth it!

It Was A Very Informative Experience. I Learned A Lot.

One of our stops on our day trip to Gainesville. We spent about an hour, hour and a half and really enjoyed it! Great little zoo for under $10 a person.