Cincinnati Zoo Field Trip Guide

Ready for your field trip to the Cincinnati Zoo?

Rest easy! The Zoo has you covered, and we’re here to make sure you have everything you need to make your field trip a successful one! Below, please find helpful tips, suggestions, and guidelines for your day at the Zoo.

Need to register for a field trip? Visit the Field Trip Page.

Important Information

Bus Parking: All buses that are parking at the Zoo must purchase bus parking. Different parking lots are available during different parts of the year, please ensure you go to the right one
Supervision: All students (including those 18 years old) must be accompanied by a chaperone at all times while at the Zoo.
Rescheduling & Cancelling: There is no fee to reschedule or cancel your trip. Please email [email protected] to let us know as soon by 8:00 am the day of your field trip. Schools that register for a Close Encounter are committed to a $25 per program fee, unless cancelled 48hrs before arrival to the Zoo. If you have placed a school lunch order, you must contact [email protected] 48 hours prior to your scheduled date to receive a full refund.

Field Trip Overview

Field Trip Rules & Policies

What to Know

All students (including those 18 years old) must be accompanied by a chaperone at all times while at the Zoo. Schools receive 1 free adult for every 7 students to ensure that there is an appropriate number of supervisory adults for the group. This ratio is required in order to enter the Zoo and should be maintained for the entirety of the field trip.
Students must be accompanied and activiely supervised by a chaperone in all animal contact areas (Roo Valley, Goat Yard, Galapagos Tortoise, Free Flight Aviary), Zoo Gift Shops, and Zoo Rides.
Students/Groups not following Field Trip rules or Zoo Policies (click here) may be asked to leave the Zoo.
Zoo Memberships may be used for free Zoo chaperone parking and rides. Membership cannot be used for student/adult school field trip admission.

Resources

Cars & Buses

Parking Passes

All buses that are parking at the Zoo must purchase a bus parking pass. Please see diagram for vehicle types.

Type A: Mid-size school bus, Full-size school bus or Charter/Tour Bus ($50 parking)
Type B: Small school bus/Alternate Bus ($10 parking)
Type C: Van/Passenger Van ($10 parking)

We highly encourage all chaperones to ride with the bus, or if driving cars to carpool, and for school buses to drop off students and come back for afternoon pick-up rather than park. Please share the address with your bus driver and chaperones as parking locations have changed from past years.

Where to Park/Drop-off Pick-Up

Coming July-March

Bues: Vine Street parking lot @ 3400 Vine Street.
Cars: Vine Street parking lot @ 3400 Vine Street.
- Chaperones driving separately that are not members will need to purchase their parking pass on the day before leaving the lot. Look for signs with the QR code at the Zoo or lot entry.

Coming April, May, June

Buses: Erkenbrecher Ave parking lot @ Euclid Ave.
- Parking: all teachers will be given a bus parking pass at check. Each bus will scan their ticket at exit kiosk.
- Drop Off: have driver press button on exit kiosk for Ticketing to raise gate.

Cars: Erkenbrecher Ave parking lot @ Euclid Ave.
- Chaperones driving separately that are not members will need to purchase their parking pass on the day before leaving the lot. Look for signs with the QR code at the Zoo or lot entry.
- For Chaperones parking in main Vine lot should cross over the bridge at meet their group at the turnstiles.

Parking for buses and cars will be limited in the spring. On busy days, buses and cars may be directed to overflow lots. Please follow road signs and staff directions.

Payment

How to Pay

Final numbers and payment are due at check-in on the day of your field trip. When the school arrives at the Zoo, the lead teacher should take a final count of the students and adults (staff and chaperones) and go to the ticketing window. The ticketing staff will give the final total due.

Groups may enter the zoo while the lead teacher is checking in.
Payment can be paid via check, credit card, purchase order, or cash.
Receipt will be printed and given to the lead teacher.
If using a purchase order, a copy must be given to the ticketing staff. A bill will be sent to the billing contact on the purchase order based on the number of students and adults that visited, program fees, and bus parking fees.
- To ensure smooth entry, purchase orders should be for the maximum number of students and adults that may be expected visit. We will only bill for the number of students and adults that visit.
Over-payments less than $10 will not be refunded. Over-payments of $10 or more will be mailed by check and may take 2-3 weeks for processing.

Rescheduling & Cancelling

How to Change

There is no fee to reschedule or cancel your trip by 8:00am the day of your field trip. Please email [email protected] with your school name, teacher name, and field trip date. Schools that register for a Close Encounter are committed to a $25 per program fee, unless cancelled 48hrs before arrival to the Zoo.

Rescheduling

We can move most schools from one date to another. Please note that due to high school numbers in April and May, dates may be limited. Rescheduling Close Encounters, CREW Tours, and Sustainability Tours may be difficult due to limited availability. If you have placed a school lunch order, you must contact [email protected] 48 hours prior to your scheduled date to reschedule your school lunch pickup.

Cancelling

Send us an email with the name of your school, teacher name, and confirmation number and we can cancel your field trip.

Schools that register for a Close Encounter are committed to a $25 per program fee, unless cancelled 48hrs before arrival to the Zoo.

If you have placed a school lunch order, you must contact [email protected] 48 hours prior to your scheduled date to receive a full refund.

Pre-Registered Programs

Close Encounters

No stuffy lectures here, these programs introduce students to live animals while sharpening students’ sensory and observation skills as well as supporting Tri-State academic standards.

All Close Encounter programs must be pre-registered and confirmed at least two weeks in advance. Want to book a Close Encounter? Contact us at [email protected].

Already Booked a Close Encounter?

Sign for meeting point- text reads Close Encounter. Meet Here. Preregistered groups only. — Look for this sign at your meeting point.

During the Close Encounters, experienced Zoo educators will lead the group through lessons that introduce or reinforce science concepts aligned with Tri-State academic standards. Students will meet 1-2 members of our diverse and unique animal ambassador community.
If any students in your group require special accommodations, please notify our registration team and touch base with your instructor the day of your program. Click here for more information about the Cincinnati Zoo’s Access for All initiative.
Please arrive at your program location approximately 5-10minutes before program start time.
Program Locations (please see confirmation for program size/location)
- Small/Classroom Program (8-20 students) – Wolf Woods
- Large/Assembly Program (20-35 students) – The Clubhouse @ the Train Station
- Check out locations 10 & 11 on our Field Trip Map.

Program Committment: By signing up for this program you are committing to attending it. Should something interfere with your ability to keep this commitment, please notify us as soon as possible by calling 513-559-7730. Zoo staff will be waiting for you with animals that have been specifically reserved and brought to the program for you. Out of respect for the time and effort our staff and animals put into this program, please arrive on time.

Cancellation: Programs must be cancelled in advance to avoid being charged. Programs with a fee (ie Close Encounter) will still incur a cost if not cancelled at least two weeks before the field trip or if school does not show or call.

Due to space limitations, Close Encounters are limited to 1 adult to 7 students, with up to 3 adults for small encounters and 5 adults for large encoutners. Additional chaperones are encouraged to enjoy the Zoo during the encounter and reunite with the group upon its completion.

Sustainability Tours

The Zoo is doing its part to conserve natural resources that are critical to saving wildlife and its habitats. The Zoo is committed to greening its daily operations and reducing its impact on the environment through the use of rain gardens, recycled building materials, solar panels and more. The Sustainability Tour introduces students to the sustainability and green practices that go on at the Zoo everyday.

All Sustainability Tours must be pre-registered and confirmed at least two weeks in advance. Want to book a Sustainability Tour? Contact us at [email protected].

Already Booked a Sustainability Tour?

During the Sustainability Tours, experienced Zoo educators will lead the group through the Zoo and showcase various green practices of the Zoo and introduce or reinforce science concepts aligned with Tri-State academic standards.
If any students in your group require special accommodations, please notify our registration team and touch base with your instructor the day of your program. Click here for more information about the Cincinnati Zoo’s Access for All initiative.
Please arrive at your program location approximately 5-10minutes before program start time.

Program Locations
- The Food Garden between Discovery Forest and Elephant House, tour throughout Zoo
- Check out location 9 on our Field Trip Map.

Program Committment: By signing up for this program you are committing to attending it. Should something interfere with your ability to keep this commitment, please notify us as soon as possible by calling 513-559-7730. Zoo staff will be waiting for you. Out of respect for the time and effort our staff put into this program, please arrive on time.

Due to group size limitations, Sustainability Tours are limited to 20 students and up 10 adults with at least 1:7 ratio. Additional chaperones are encouraged to enjoy the Zoo during the encounter and reunite with the group upon its completion.

CREW Tours

The Lindner Center for Conservation and Research of Endangered Wildlife’s (CREW) world-renowned scientists form critical partnerships with other leading conservationists and governmental and non-governmental organizations to achieve CREW’s mission to Save Species with Science®.

The CREW Building Tour introduces students to the conservation research science that goes on at the Zoo everyday.

All CREW Building Tours must be pre-registered and confirmed at least two weeks in advance. Want to book a CREW Building Tour? Contact us at [email protected].

Already booked a CREW Building Tour?

Look for this sign at your meeting point.
During the CREW Building Tour, students will get to tour the CREW facility led by one of our experienced CREW volunteers. Students will get to see work areas where active conservation research occurs.
If any students in your group require special accommodations, please notify our registration team and touch base with your instructor the day of your program. Click here for more information about the Cincinnati Zoo’s Access for All initiative.
Please arrive at your program location approximately 5-10minutes before program start time.
Due to limited indoor space, groups are limited to 15 people.

Program Meet-Up
- Please meet your Tour leader at the CREW building.
- Check out location 8 on our Field Trip Map.

REMINDER: By signing up for this program you are committing to attending it. Should something interfere with your ability to keep this commitment, please notify us as soon as possible by calling 513-559-7730. Out of respect for the time and effort our staff and volunteers put into this program, please arrive on time.

Lunch

Having Lunch

Dining Options

Bring your own lunches. We strongly encourage students to pack a sack lunch and either carry it themselves or have a chaperone carry it for the group in a bag. Space to store lunches is limited and is first come, first serve OR reserved for groups that have rented a shelter space for the day.
Purchase Lunch Individually. There are general dining options around the Zoo to purchase lunch. Base Camp Café is open year-round. Additional concessions are located throughout the park but are open seasonally and weather-dependent. Note: Lines may be long during our busy spring season. There is plenty of seating at all dining locations, open or closed.
Purchase Lunch through the Zoo. We have a convenient lunch program for children and adults. This great option will save you the exhausting and time-consuming hassles of packing, hauling, and sorting out lunches. Let the Zoo do the work for you! School lunches are available to purchase for groups of 10 or more, Monday-Friday, year-round. Lunches must be booked at least 2 weeks in advance. Learn More >

Where to eat

Throughout the Zoo. There are small picnic areas scattered throughout Zoo grounds for smaller groups to eat, including Vine Street Village, Cat Canyon, Peace Garden, Basecamp Cafe, and The Grove. For the easiest lunch experience, we encourage each school group to carry their lunches with them and sit wherever they find a spot to eat at their convenience.
The Grove Picnic Shelters. There are picnic shelters now available by The Grove. Picnic Shelters are first come, first served. Shelters are available for rent.
Spaces in lunch areas are limited. Groups may need to picnic along pathways.

Already Booked a School Lunch through the Zoo?

Confirmation: All lunches are ordered and paid directly through our catering team. You will receive a separate confirmation from our catering team once your order is confirmed. At that time, orders can be increased only.
Pick up Location: Base Camp Café
- You can bypass the line at Base Camp Café and go to the left side of the counter. Please provide the school’s name to a food associate who will hand the food and beverages over to you and your chaperones to take it from there. LaRosa’s by Rhino. Once the first member of your group arrives, we will hand the food & beverages over to you and your chaperones to take it from there.
Pick up Times: 10:30 am, 11:00 am or 11:30 am

School Lunch Cancellation Policy

You must contact [email protected] 48 hours prior to your scheduled date to cancel or reschedule your school lunch order
We require a 48 hour notice prior to your scheduled date to receive a full refund.

Accessibility Needs

The Zoo has single and double strollers, manual wheelchairs, and electric wheelchairs that are available for rent. Manual wheelcairs and ECVs can be reserved ahead of time by contacting education. Strollers can be rented at the Welcome Center after you enter the Zoo.

Standard Manual Wheelchair – $13 ($12 for members) – 350 lbs. maximum
Electric Convenience Vehicle (ECV) – $38 ($43 with a canopy) – 450 lbs. maximum.
- For ages 18 years and older only
Single Strollers – $13 ($12 for members) – 60 lbs. maximum
Double Strollers – $16 ($15 for members) – 100 lbs. maximum

Reserve your rental here

The Cincinnati Zoo is one of the oldest zoos in the nation, and was built on a hill. Please be advised that the Zoo has many inclines. We are happy to have many benches and rest areas throughout the Zoo, and any of our employees can guide you to paths that will be less steep.

Due to the size of paths, and varying volume of pedestrian traffic, the Cincinnati Zoo cannot permit the use of larger or oversized OPDMDs (Other Power-Driven Mobility Devices), including golf carts and ATVs. Electric scooter rentals (such as Bird or Lime scooters) are not permitted in the Zoo.

Visitors using a Segway for a disability are permitted to use the device at the Zoo. Segway speed should not exceed pedestrian traffic (approximately 5 mph), and are restricted from animal encounter areas such as Galapagos Yard, Goat Yard, Roo Valley and Giraffe Ridge. Segways should be parked in stroller parking areas when not in use.

For more information about mobility and permittable OPDMD’s, please email Annie DeGrood at [email protected].

Locations: Vine Street Village and Mai Thai’s Market

The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden’s Calming Rooms have been designed for visitors with sensory sensitivities and/or developmental disabilities, who may need a quiet space to help regulate their bodies during a Zoo visit.

The Calming Rooms were created in collaboration with the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital LEND program, and the University of Cincinnati. Experts from these local institutions assisted in the creation of the rooms, and choosing the items and tools inside. These items include: dimming lights, a rocking chair, crash pad, projector with calming images, bubble wall, stereo, vibrating pillow, Time Timer, weighted lap pad, and more!

Each Calming Room can accommodate one family at a time, on a first-come, first-serve basis. To utilize the Calming Room at any point during your Zoo visit, please contact any employee, visit the Welcome Center, or call our Visitor Experience team at 513-475-6198. They will give you directions to meet an employee in the entry area. The door to the Calming Rooms is locked and can only be accessed by an employee. If the Calming Room is in use when you request it, the Visitor Experience team will advise alternative locations for a calm space.

For more information on the Calming Rooms, please check out these resources:

Calming Room – Social Narrative
Calming Room – Information for Parents & Caregivers

The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden is committed to welcoming all visitors and actively complies with the ADA Title III regulations regarding service animals. Therapy or emotional support animals are not permitted in the Zoo. If your animal does not meet ADA requirements for entry, we will gladly provide information on local kennels where your dog can stay during your Zoo visit.

Upon entry, service animal handlers will be greeted by a Visitor Experience Supervisor to be checked in with the two legal ADA questions regarding service animals. Members are encouraged to get a notation on their membership card that will allow them to expedite entry during future visits. All visitors will receive a Service Animal Map.

While your service animal has been socialized for most public settings, touring a zoo – especially for the first time – can be an unusual experience. Some areas of the Zoo have been observed to be dangerous or stressful to either Zoo animals or service animals. The Zoo has worked with a local service dog training organization, Circle Tail Inc, to identify sensitive and restricted areas of the Zoo with trained and in training service dogs.

Areas designated as ‘Restricted’ are indicated on the Service Animal Map and listed below. Because we are subject to strict regulations regarding the protection and well-being of our Zoo animals, service animals are not permitted in the following areas:

Goat Yard, Galapagos Tortoise Yard, Free-Flight Aviary, Butterfly Aviary, Roo Valley Giraffe Feeding Experience and Behind-the-Scenes Tours: direct contact between service animals and Zoo animals poses risk for zoonotic disease transmission.
Wings of Wonder Bird Experience (Memorial Day-Labor Day): free-flight birds have become distracted from their behaviors in the presence of service animals, which can lead to safety concerns for Zoo animals and keepers.
Wolf Woods: wolves have displayed stress behaviors in the presence of service animals.
Jungle Trails: primates have displayed stress behaviors in the presence of service animals.
Gorilla World: primates have displayed stress behaviors in the presence of service animals.
Cheetah Encounter: cheetahs, domestic cats, and domestic dogs have become distracted from their behaviors in the presence of service animals, which can lead to safety concerns for Zoo animals and keepers.
To access these areas without a service animal, please contact a Visitor Experience Supervisor at 513-475-6198.

Areas designated as ‘Sensitive’ are indicated on the Service Animal Map and listed below. In these areas, we ask service animal handlers to be observant of their animal’s behavior and the behaviors of Zoo animals, and to adjust their viewing accordingly for the well-being of all animals:

Night Hunters
Cat Canyon
African Lions
Birds of the World
Meerkats
Blakely’s Barnyard Bonanza

The Zoo reserves the right to designate areas as restricted or sensitive without prior notice if a service animal’s presence is demonstrated (through prior or current situations) to cause a Zoo animal undue stress or anxiety, or as a result of new births, breeding behavior, or new animals in habitats.

For the health and safety of our visitors, staff, Zoo animals, and visiting service animals:

Service animals must be harnessed, leashed, or tethered or controlled by voice commands.
Service animals are expected to stay off rock barriers, keep all paws on the ground at Zoo habitats, and not bark at Zoo animals.
Service animals should be kept at least 10-feet away from Zoo animals presented with interpreters or walking outside of habitat space. Direct contact between Zoo animals and service animals is prohibited.
Care and supervision of service animals is the sole responsibility of the owner.
Per the ADA, service animals may be excluded if their presence alters the nature of the Zoo’s services or if the animal is out of the owner’s control. If a service animal is excluded, the owner will be able to visit without the service animal.

For more information or assistance, please call a Visitor Experience Supervisor at 513-475-6198 or email [email protected].

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