What’s New at the Zoo in 2013

Posted May 8, 2013

Cincinnati Zoo Improving the Guest Experience

CINCINNATI (May 8, 2013) – Just in case you needed an excuse to visit the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden in 2013, here are 10 NEW ones.  This was a very busy winter for the Zoo preparing for the 138th season since it opened its gates in 1875.  Guests will definitely notice the changes as they stroll around the park, including a fantastic renovated Base Camp Café, significant enhancements to the Reptile House, Giraffe Deck and Jungle Trails, and more! More improvements are on the way when Africa, the Zoo’s all-new exhibit, opens June 29.

  • Base Camp Café – Formerly known as Zoo Café, the completely renovated, African-themed restaurant doubles the space for guests indoors and includes many new menu options.  Coming in June, guests will be provided with a spectacular vista of the Zoo’s newest exhibit, Africa, from a new outdoor patio.  The space can also be rented for private events. Your group will love the beautiful two-tiered deck and patio overlooking Africa surrounded by grazing giraffes, slumbering lions, and prowling cheetahs, just steps away.
  • Nursing Nest – Made for Zoo moms and designed by IKEA, this nursing area for moms is connected to the new restrooms underneath the Base Camp Café.  The Nursing Nest features two private nursing areas, as well as a play area for kids, a changing station, sink and many more comforts for mom.
  • Reptile House – Built in 1875, the historic Reptile House has gone through a two-month interior renovation this past winter to restore its original look.  A new coat of paint, carpet and banners were added to give it a fresh look and to help reduce noise level. In the inner dome, plaster work was repaired and paint was removed from the glass and oculus to expose the original wood.
  • Giraffe Deck – As part of the new Africa exhibit, the giraffe deck was expanded to offer guests more viewing and feeding opportunities in the new giraffe feeding tree house.  Guests will also appreciate the new shade structures over the deck and tree house.  Coming to the Zoo later this month, the Zoo will also add two new Maasai giraffe to the exhibit.
  • Peacock Pavilion – Located next to the Safari Lodge, this spacious venue is perfect for big private events with over 4,500 square feet of versatile event space. With complete A/V capabilities and a private, secluded garden area, the Peacock Pavilion is the ideal venue for large corporate meetings or exciting and unique social events.
  • Jungle Trails – Over the winter, a stroller-friendly pathway was installed through Jungle Trails.  Coming this June, a host of activities will be added to engage families in meaningful shared experiences that foster family learning about the special survival skills primates have in the tropical forest.  Activities include “Hang Like an Orang”, “Thumbs up for Thumbs”, and “Big Brains at Work”, as well as cool, interactive ipad ID signs about bonobos, orangutans and gibbons.  In addition, guests will experience a new Sifaka keeper encounter at 3:30 p.m., Thur – Sun.
  • NEW 4-D Experience – Get ready for an adventure of mammoth proportions – ICE AGE: DAWN OF THE DINOSAURS The 4-D Experience is now playing in the Zoo’s 4-D Special FX Theater.
  • Local Fresh Food – A New greenhouse will provide fresh herbs and vegetables for the Base Camp Café.  Also, three Chipotle Edible Gardens will provide guests the information needed to grow fresh good right in their own backyard. The gardens can be found outside of the Zoo’s Wings of the World exhibit, in the Spaulding Children’s Zoo, and in Vine Street Village.
  • New Pathways – Old, broken asphalt was removed to make way for more than 10,000 square feet of pavers from the Children’s Zoo, around Gibbon Island and Swan Lake.  The new pavers will not only be aesthetically pleasing to guests, but they will be much cooler during the hot summer months.
  • Africa (Opening June 29) – Visitors will be transported to the grassy plains of Africa to discover dramatic, open-air views of lions and cheetahs. Cascading waterfalls, flowing streams and a communal watering hole intertwine with the footpath as it winds among naturalistic rock, termite mounds, and Pride Rock. This new exhibit will be an adventure for all!

To find out more information on upcoming events, projects or the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, explore the Zoo’s website www.cincinnatizoo.org.

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