Akron Zoo

About Akron Zoo

The Akron Zoo, officially the Akron Zoological Park, sits on 77 acres just west of downtown Akron, Ohio, with about 35 of those acres developed with habitats, amenities, and support buildings. It's a nonprofit organization that has held Association of Zoos and Aquariums accreditation since 1989, and it also belongs to the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the American Public Gardens Association. The zoo's collection runs to more than 1,000 animals representing over 100 species, and it draws around 400,000 visitors a year, making it the most visited attraction in Summit County.

The zoo is arranged into themed regional areas — its own materials describe it as a chance to "go around the world right here in Akron," with sections styled after Asia, Africa, and South and North America. As an AZA member, the Akron Zoo participates in cooperative breeding programs aimed at saving endangered species, and it runs its own set of conservation partnerships alongside its exhibits.

History

The zoo's roots go back to 1900, when George and Ann Perkins donated 79 acres to the city of Akron specifically as a public park for children's recreation — land known today as Perkins Woods Park. Two brown bears were an early donation, and a small zoo facility was built there. In 1950, the Akron Museum of Natural History was incorporated, and on May 17, 1953, it was expanded to include the Akron Children's Zoo, a menagerie themed around Mother Goose rhymes.

In 1979 the zoo was renamed the Akron Zoological Park, and in 1980 its Board of Directors finalized agreements with the City of Akron to become one of the first zoos in the country to privatize as a nonprofit, with the city retaining ownership of the land. Mother Goose-style displays gave way to more naturalistic exhibits, and the collection expanded to include animals from the Americas. The zoo earned its first AZA accreditation in 1989 and has held it continuously since.

Through the 1990s the zoo built new habitats and worked toward a 1999 master plan meant to guide the following fifteen years; that plan doubled the zoo's size and animal collection and expanded its educational programming. In 2000, Akron voters passed the zoo's first property tax levy, committing $8.1 million a year and later renewed in 2006, 2013, and 2020. Capital projects that followed include the Wild Prairie habitat and a Roger J. Sherman Center for Animal Care expansion in 2002; the Barnhardt Family Welcome Center, Penguin Point, and Lehner Family Zoo Gardens in 2003; Legends of the Wild and the Komodo Kingdom Environmental Education Center in 2005; a Jellies exhibit in 2008; the Conservation Carousel in 2010; and a solar train ride in 2011. Mike and Mary Stark Grizzly Ridge, the largest single expansion in the zoo's history at 4.2 acres, opened in 2013. Landon and Cynthia Knight Pride of Africa followed in 2019, and Lehner Family Foundation Wild Asia opened in 2021. In July 2024 the zoo announced plans for an $11.95 million veterinary hospital behind Pride of Africa, with construction set to begin in 2025 and completion expected in 2026.

Exhibits and habitats

Legends of the Wild, opened in 2005, is built around a 25-foot waterfall and 16 animal habitats holding species such as alpaca, Andean condor, Patagonian mara, snow leopard, white-naped crane, and Chilean flamingo, plus a Madagascar Building with lemurs and a Nocturnal Building housing bats, poison dart frogs, and a slow loris. Komodo Kingdom Education Center, also opened in 2005, holds Komodo dragons, Galápagos tortoises, a white-spotted bamboo shark, and a mixed-species rainforest habitat, alongside the zoo's main food service location and education department. Curious Creatures, an indoor exhibit inside Komodo Kingdom that opened in 2017, features animals with unusual survival adaptations, including a naked mole-rat, electric eel, giant Pacific octopus, and various carnivorous plants.

Lehner Family Foundation Wild Asia, the zoo's newest area when it opened in 2021, is home to Sumatran tigers, red pandas, and northern white-cheeked gibbons, on the site once occupied by the zoo's former Tiger Valley. Mike and Mary Stark Grizzly Ridge covers 4.2 acres and holds grizzly bears, bald eagles, North American river otters, red wolves, and coyotes, along with a 45-foot aviary for native birds. Landon and Cynthia Knight Pride of Africa, styled after Africa's Southern Rift, holds Speke's gazelles, white storks, crested guineafowl, and African lions, plus a boma for African pygmy goats and Nigerian dwarf goats and the zoo's train. Rounding out the map are Penguin Point, home to the zoo's Humboldt penguin colony since 2003; Lehner Family Zoo Gardens, with formal gardens and an aviary for Lady Amherst's pheasants; and Wild Prairie, which includes a snowy owl habitat and a barn owl exhibit.

Animal highlights

The zoo's own figures put its collection at more than 1,000 animals across over 100 species, and its public animal directory lists at least 64 species by name. Highlights include Sumatran tigers, snow leopards, red pandas, grizzly bears, red wolves, Komodo dragons, and Galápagos tortoises, alongside a wide range of birds such as Andean condors, hyacinth macaws, trumpeter swans, and white-naped cranes.

Conservation and programs

Akron Zoo runs several standing conservation partnerships. The Venezuelan Waterfowl Foundation grew out of zoo staff working with conservationists in Venezuela and focuses on Andean river systems and research into the torrent duck. The Butterfly Conservation Initiative, a partnership with other Ohio zoos, The Wilds, and the AZA, planted 10 acres of grassland and meadow habitat at The Wilds to support butterfly species. The zoo has also participated in the Audubon Christmas Bird Census, and its staff work with groups including Fauna & Flora International, the Red Panda Network, the Red Wolf Coalition, and Save and Protect Ohio Turtle Diversity, plus research into the white-winged wood duck and reintroduction efforts for the Patula snail in French Polynesia. The zoo's volunteer program, known as Edzoocators, supports events including Boo at the Akron Zoo, and a Jr. Interpreter Teen Program, started in 2008, has teens volunteering up to 40 hours a week in summer.

Planning your visit

As listed on the zoo's website, Akron Zoo is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., though guests are told not to reserve general admission tickets in advance — those are meant to be purchased at the gate or ahead of time only for special events like Boo at the Zoo and Wild Lights. The zoo is closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day. Most visitors stay 2 to 4 hours to see the park's habitats, train, carousel, and boma.

Food is available at Komodo Kingdom Café (open year-round), Grasslands Café, a Panda Treats food truck, and other seasonal carts; outside food is also permitted, with picnic areas available first-come, first-served. Stroller rentals run $8 for a single and $12 for a double, and electric scooters cost $27; a limited number of complimentary wheelchairs are available on a first-come, first-served basis with a form of collateral required. Pets are not permitted anywhere on zoo grounds, including parking lots. As with any zoo, confirm current hours, prices, and closures on the official website before visiting.