In our minds, the Indianapolis Zoo is one of the best zoos in the country. We personally have this zoo ranked fifth, out of the 58 zoos we have visited! However, what makes this zoo so great is the interactive opportunities that it provides. You can get more up close and personal with the animals here than you can at many other zoos. So during a pandemic, is this zoo worth visiting? We walk you through a visit to Indianapolis Zoo from getting your tickets, all the way through walking out the exit gate.
Tickets/Reservations
First, let’s talk price. This zoo is expensive! Currently, the cost is $25.50 for adults, and $19.75 for kids. For our family of five, that amounts to $110.25! That’s a lot for one visit, and unfortunately, they do not honor AZA reciprocal memberships. So we opted to buy a membership. We live about 3 hours away, and also have family in Indy, so for us it made sense. The Family Basic Membership (2 adults, unlimited kids in that household) is $190, so we will make up the cost in a second visit! I would strongly consider this option if you think you could visit a second time.
For reservations, you need to go online and reserve a time for entry before visiting Indianapolis Zoo. Then, you’ll be shown a calendar where you can pick your day of visit, and then on the right is a list of available times, with capacity for each time slot. Upon selecting your time slot, you then indicate how many children and adults you are purchasing tickets for. For non-members, you can also select senior/military tickets ($2 discount). You’ll then be asked if you want to purchase a dolphin experience for $15, and then you have your checkout page. If you are a member, it will show a charge per ticket until you’re on this final page, where you type in your member information and hit “identify”. Once this is done, the charge disappears.
Overall this process is pretty simple – I’d actually call it simpler than Brookfield Zoo’s process.
Safety Rules/Precautions
The biggest thing to know before visiting Indianapolis Zoo is that guests must wear a face mask when entering. Masks are also required for indoor exhibits, animal encounters (Tembo Camp, animals feedings, etc.), rides, and when social distancing is not possible. Overall, most visitors were wearing masks, and did a good job of social distancing at exhibits and in lines.
There are a few areas where paths are one-way. These include the Asia trail, MISTery Park, walrus viewing, and indoor exhibits. These are pretty clearly marked, and allows guests to stay far enough away from each other. With social distancing in mind, you may have to wait in line to enter a few exhibits. We waited about 10 minutes at MISTery Park to see the sloth, and about 15 minutes to get into the aquarium building to pet sharks/sting rays.
Animal Encounters
The best part of visiting Indianapolis Zoo is the animal encounters. The zoo is trying to do its best to continue to provide these encounters for everyone. However, in an attempt to lessen crowds and keep these as socially distanced events, they haven’t really been publicizing these at the zoo. Recently, they’ve added more events to their daily schedule, which can be found on their website. Prior to our visit, we were able to confirm a few events by emailing the zoo, but most zoo staff on grounds would not confirm when events were taking place. Here are our thoughts on some of the encounters.
- Flamingo Mingle – This is a MUST-ATTEND event! Get to the zoo early – this starts at 9:30am, and you’ll want to get over there around 5-10 minutes early for a good seat. The keepers block off an area by the flamingo exhibit with benches, and the flamingos are free to roam by visitors in this area for about 15-20 minutes. Completely free, this event offers an opportunity to watch these birds up close. Keep your eyes open – they might stop by to peck at your shoelaces, inspect your bag, or maybe even get up close and check out your hair!
- Tembo Camp – New this summer at the zoo is the Tembo Camp experience. The zoo has expanded their elephant exhibit to include a presentation area over near the baboon exhibit. Held several times per day formally, the keepers will show off training techniques they use on the elephants. These formal sessions end with a chance to come up and touch the elephant, so get in line before the chat starts so you won’t be left out! Also, the keepers are active with the elephants in this area multiple other times per day, feeding, bathing, and doing enrichment with the elephants. We stopped by multiple times, and got many great shots on our cameras as the keepers worked with the elephants. After watching, keeping moving forward through Africa to see if the elephants are swimming by the waterfall in their pool.
- Flamingo Feeding – We have done the flamingo feeding before, and would once again recommend it. This feeding accomplishes social distancing by allowing one family in the feeding area at a time. Each cup of krill is a $3 charge, and lasts about 30 seconds. The flamingo approaches, and slides its beak into the cup. It then proceeds to rattle the cup a bit as it sips the krill out. Younger children might need help, but are still able to feed by holding the cup below the fence post, and can rest their hands on the guide wires.
Animal Encounter Schedule
As of recently, you can visit the zoo’s website for a daily schedule. While it doesn’t appear all events are included, below is the schedule of events that occurred on our Saturday visit. While this can be used as a guideline, I would visit the website or reach out to zoo staff if you want definite times.
9:30am – Flamingo Mingle
10am – Tembo Campo Keeper Chat
10:30am – Cheetah Keeper Chat
– Dolphin Show
11am – Just Look Up Bird Show
– Flamingo Feeding
– Tembo Camp Keeper Chat
– Giraffe feeding
11:30am – Dolphin Show
12pm – Just Look Up Bird Show
12:30pm – Dolphin Show
1pm – Just Look Up Bird Show
– Flamingo Feeding
– Giraffe Feeding
2pm – Just Look Up Bird Show
2:30pm – Dolphin Show
3pm – Just Look Up Bird Show
3:30pm – Tembo Camp Keeper Chat
4:30pm – Dolphin Show
Food/Additional Activities
Food was trickier to track down than we anticipated. The concessions booth at the zoo’s entrance was closed, as was the stand in the back of the zoo near the train. This left two open food stands: the main indoor facility in the middle of the zoo, and the small food stand next to it. We were able to eat over near the train stand, as many shaded tables were empty.
The carousel and train are both running, and both observe social distancing practices. Tickets for each are $3 per person. We had never done the train while visiting Indianapolis Zoo before, so we chose to do that. The line for the train has indicators on the ground for where to stand, to ensure social distancing. After each train ride, multiple staff members help out by wiping down each train car and railing. This quick clean is only a momentary delay, and then they board the next group. However, we would not endorse the train here, as it mainly loops the outside and behind the scenes portions of the zoo. If you’re looking for additional animal views, this is not the best route. It does, however, provide a shady opportunity to get off your feet for a bit.
Bathrooms
Despite having closed down some areas to help social distancing, the bathrooms remained open. Some of the most easily accessible ones are found near the zoo’s entrance, by the orangutan exhibit, and by the flamingos. Each bathroom was clean, and did not include a line.
To check out more information for visiting Indianapolis Zoo, including pictures, FAQ’s, and a map of the park, click here.
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