Potawatomi Zoo

About Potawatomi Zoo

Potawatomi Zoo sits on 23 acres at 500 S Greenlawn Avenue in South Bend, Indiana, and is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. The zoo is home to about 400 animals and draws more than 400,000 visitors a year. Its 2026 season runs from March 28 through November 29, with regular hours resuming each spring and extended summer hours in June, July, and August, followed by weekend-only Winter Days from January through March.

Rather than a single walking loop, the zoo is built around a set of paid attractions layered onto general admission: a historic train, a carousel, giraffe feeding, and bison feeding, alongside a barnyard area where visitors can hand-feed goats and donkeys. A gift shop sits at the front entrance, and two dining spots, The Lodge and the Farmhouse Cafe, serve food near the bison yard and the Flamingo Deck. The zoo also runs seasonal events including Brew at the Zoo, Zoo Boo, and Zoo Luminate.

History

The source material for this page does not give a founding date for Potawatomi Zoo. One dated fact available is that its keepers worked with the national American Association of Zoo Keepers (AAZK) to establish a local chapter in 2014, which has since held fundraising events and sold merchandise in the gift shop to support animal conservation.

Exhibits and habitats

The Potawatomi Zoo Express, a historic CP Huntington electric train, runs a loop past the zoo's red pandas, a large pond and Monkey Islands, animals from North and South America, kangaroos, the Zoo Hospital, bobcats, the Andean bear, and otters. It operates from opening until 15 minutes before close, weather permitting, with a ticket required for riders over age 2.

The Endangered Species Carousel features 18 hand-carved and hand-painted animals, including species found at the zoo such as a zebra, lion, leopard, tortoise, and painted dog, plus one ADA-accessible chariot. On the giraffe deck, or inside the giraffe barn in bad weather, guests can hand-feed the zoo's Masai giraffes lettuce; the activity runs daily except for a midday break for the giraffes. Bison feeding takes place on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays through October 31. Near the front entrance, feed machines let visitors hand-feed goats and donkeys in a barnyard setting. The zoo also periodically offers close encounters with flamingos, capybaras and anteaters, Galapagos tortoises, North American river otters, and a southern white rhino.

Animal highlights

A full species count is not published for Potawatomi Zoo in the source material for this page, so this section describes only the animals named in the zoo's own materials. Along the train route and elsewhere on the grounds are red pandas, kangaroos, bobcats, an Andean bear, and North American river otters. The giraffe deck is home to Masai giraffes, and the bison herd is fed several days a week. Additional animals mentioned include flamingos, capybaras, anteaters, Galapagos tortoises, and a southern white rhino, along with goats and donkeys in the barnyard area.

Conservation and programs

Potawatomi Zoo keepers formed a local chapter of the American Association of Zoo Keepers in 2014, which holds fundraising events and sells merchandise in the zoo gift shop with proceeds going toward animal conservation. Through Potawatomi Zoo Conservation, the zoo says it has supported organizations including the Okapi Conservation Project and Association of Zoos and Aquariums SAFE (Saving Animals From Extinction) programs, which combine financial support with education, research, and public awareness for species chosen for their conservation need and their connection to the zoo. The zoo also occasionally works with licensed wildlife rehabilitators, taking in animals unable to survive on their own in the wild, including some of its birds of prey and ambassador animals; it does not accept animals directly from the public.

Planning your visit

As listed on the zoo's website, Potawatomi Zoo is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (last entry 4:30 p.m.) during its regular March-to-May and September-to-November season, and from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. (last entry 6:30 p.m.) during summer, June through August. The zoo closes early on a few specific dates and is closed for Thanksgiving Day. Ticket prices for general admission are not given in the source material, but attraction tickets for the train, carousel, giraffe feeding, or bison feeding cost $3 each, or $35 for a 15-punch attraction pass valid for one year; zoo farm feed machines cost one token, equal to 50 cents, per handful.

The zoo has partnered with KultureCity to support guests with sensory processing needs, offering sensory bags with fidget tools and noise-canceling headphones for checkout at admissions at no cost beyond leaving an ID. Standard wheelchairs are available free of charge on a first-come, first-served basis. Restrooms are located in the main plaza, near the Tire Rack Education Center, by the Giraffe Visitor Center, and on the west side of the Alligator Deck, and are handicapped accessible with changing stations; a nursing room is located inside the Learning Center. Only trained service dogs, as defined under the Americans with Disabilities Act, are permitted; comfort, therapy, and emotional-support animals are not. For food, The Lodge offers sandwiches, personal pizza, drinks, salads, and wraps near the bison yard, and the Farmhouse Cafe serves drinks and snacks on the Flamingo Deck. Confirm current hours, admission prices, and any closures on the zoo's official website before visiting.