Together with The Sedgwick County Zoo

A visit to the Zoo is a front-row seat to wonders of wildlife, and a chance to marvel at the magic of nature.

Come be a part of our story.

Sedgwick County Zoo

Spring is in the air and after a quick trip to the zoo last week during spring break with the kids, it seemed as good of a time as ever to give our Wichita Life family a quick refresher on the history, the attractions and more for the local county zoo.

The Sedgwick County Zoo (SCZ) opened 53 years ago in 1971 with just the American and Asian Farms and has grown to include much more like the African, Australian, Tropics, Children Farm, Penguin Cove, Stingray Cove, Downing Gorilla Forest and more!

Some fun facts about SCZ:

• Spans 247 acres

• 3000 Animals

• 400 Species

• 649,284 visitors in 2024

SCZ is also the #1 outdoor tourist attraction in the state and has been ranked nationally amongst the top zoos in the country.

We’ve seen steady progress through the past five decades with major exhibits opening every few years.

Exhibits, Encounters & Attractions

One of the things that impresses me the most about SCZ is the continually growing list of exhibits and attractions.

Attractions

I have not done a lot of these, but am very excited to try them.

• Safari Express - Journey around the entire Zoo property, and enjoy never-before-seen views from behind the scenes! The Martha C. Buford Safari Express is a C.P. Huntington Electric Train, manufactured locally by Chance Rides, that takes Zoo adventurers on a 1.3-mile journey around the Zoo. Much of the track is behind the scenes, offering guests an opportunity to enjoy never-before-seen views of the Zoo grounds. There are two different stations you can hop on or off.

• Boat Ride - Hop on a Conservation Cruise and float by Pelican Island, under the Downing Gorilla Forest Bridge, to the North American Prairie, and back to see the Elephants of the Zambezi River Valley. You’ll enjoy the Zoo in a unique way while learning about how we all can work together to conserve our natural world. It lasts about 15 minutes. $4 for members, $5 for non-members.

  

• Feed a Giraffe - This one I can vouch for as we just did it last week and the kids loved it! $4 for members, $5 for non-members.

  

• Feed the Stingrays - New in 2025, Stingray Cove is free to enter and touch the rays, and attraction tickets can be redeemed in order to feed the rays if you’re ready to feel a chompy vacuum eat a shrimp from the palm of your hand. Tickets are $4 for members, $5 for non-members. My kids also thought this was the coolest!

You can also grab a Go Wild Attraction Pass. This is a buy 4, get 1 free deal for attraction tickets and it’s good for one year!

Encounters

Encounters are a chance to get even closer with some of the other animals (outside of giraffes and stingrays mentioned above):

• Rhino Encounter - Get up close and personal with the rhino at SCZ. You’ll have the rhino – literally – eating out of your hands while you chat with a rhino keeper

• Ambassador Animal Encounter - Slimy, scaly, furry, and feathered! Meet the animals who live in  the Animal Ambassador room in the Education department and even have the opportunity to touch a few!

• Penguin Encounter - Go behind the scenes with a penguin keeper to learn what it takes to care for our Humboldt Penguins and what SCZ is doing to help them in the wild. (Currently unavailable to keep the birdies safe.)

Keep an eye on the website as these are not available daily and you have to book in advance, but you can book those here. Also keep an eye on the additional cost.

For all of these fun additions, please look online or call ahead to make sure they are available and in-season.

Food

Growing up, I remember packing my lunch (typically a PBJ or Lunchable) for field-trips at the zoo.

If you haven’t had lunch at the Zoo recently, you’ll be surprised that the menu doesn’t look like the zoo food of the past. This ain’t yo daddy’s zoo lunch menu.

There are two new chefs at the Beastro and several new concession areas, where you can expect culinary delights such as:

• Burrata pizza, a brisket bomb burger, and fresh salads with housemade pretzel croutons.

• Hand-battered chicken tenders and fresh soft pretzels

• Gourmet ice cream, dole whip, and fresh squeezed lemonade.

You an also find beer (craft & domestic) and cocktails on tap at a few spots around the zoo, so you can take the edge off while your kids blow off steam.

New Zoo App

There’s an app for that!

SCZ just launched a brand new app that comes with a map and more insights about each animal so you can answer your toddler’s question about why flamingos stand on one day or what’s that smell?

You can find out what’s on the daily event schedule, customize your plan and get notifications for your favorite events so you never miss an animal feeding or keeper chat.

This is also the best way to order food from the Beastro or Cantina and skip the lines.

Download the app here.

Dedication to Conservation

The Sedgwick County Zoo is a not-for-profit organization that takes conservation very seriously.

They are dedicated to its mission to inspire respect and conservation for wildlife and wild places.

A portion of every ticket or membership sold goes to conservation organizations all over the world. So just by visiting the Zoo - you’re a conservation partner, helping to save animals and the places they live.

Plan your visit

You can learn more about everything related to the zoo at SCZ.org.

You can follow along with all the latest news on Facebook or other social media. Highly recommend following so you can stay up to date on pregnant elephants, new exhibits and more!

Before we go, just wanted to touch base on the pricing:

• You can pay per day for general admission which ranges from $19.90 - $23.99 based on age (2 and under get in free)

OR

• You can get a membership. There are a few options for families - Family (2 Adults + Children) for $225, Family Plus (2 Adults, Children + 1 FREE guest / visit) for $275, or Family Plus Two (2 Adults, Children, + 2 FREE guests / visit

Memberships come with various other benefits like early entry, go wild attraction pass, and more, but I’ll let you explore that here.

What do you want to see us go deep on in a future deep dive?

Let us know!

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