Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden
3400 Vine St, Cincinnati, OH
Cincinnati, OH
One of the oldest zoos in the country, a pioneer of conservation and endangered-species science, set among historic buildings and lush botanical gardens.
The Cincinnati Zoo is one of the oldest zoos in the United States, founded in 1875, and over its long life it has grown into one of the country's most respected centers for wildlife conservation and endangered-species science. It is also an accredited botanical garden, so its animal habitats are woven through gardens and mature plantings, making the grounds a place to see rare creatures and rare plants alike.
The zoo's history runs deep and, at times, poignant. It was here that the last known passenger pigeon and the last Carolina parakeet died in the early twentieth century, an event that helped awaken American conservation. Today the same institution runs pioneering programs to breed and protect endangered species, turning that early loss into a mission, and its story of the hippo Fiona brought that work to a wide and affectionate audience.
What Guests Love
- A blend of animals and botanical gardens, so the grounds are as green as they are wild
- A leading role in conservation and endangered-species breeding programs
- Historic nineteenth-century zoo buildings alongside modern habitats
- A famous hippo whose early story became a beloved comeback tale
Worth Knowing
- It is both a zoo and an accredited botanical garden, so allow time for the plantings too
- The grounds are hilly, in keeping with Cincinnati's terrain, so wear comfortable shoes
- It is open year-round, with a festive light display in the winter holiday season
- Popular animal habitats can draw crowds midday, so early visits are calmer
Details
Cincinnati, OH
Learn about Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden
A pioneer among American zoos
Founded in 1875, the Cincinnati Zoo is among the oldest in the country, and several of its original buildings survive, including an ornate historic aviary and reptile house that are landmarks of nineteenth-century zoo architecture. From the start it was designed as much as a garden and civic retreat as a collection of animals, a place for city residents to walk among trees and creatures.
The zoo also carries a somber place in conservation history. Its aviary held Martha, the last passenger pigeon in the world, who died there in 1914, and the last Carolina parakeet died at the zoo a few years later. Those extinctions, of birds once numbered in the billions, became powerful lessons that helped drive the American conservation movement in the century that followed.
Turning loss into a mission
Out of that history the zoo built a modern identity as a conservation leader. It became an early and influential center for the science of breeding endangered species, from big cats to rhinos, and its research arm works on reproduction, genetics, and the preservation of frozen cells and tissue as a hedge against extinction.
That work has helped species that were dwindling in the wild, and it links the zoo to conservation partners around the globe. The animals visitors come to see are, in many cases, part of carefully managed breeding populations meant to keep their kind from vanishing the way the passenger pigeon did.
Fiona and the animals people love
In recent years the zoo captured hearts far beyond Ohio with Fiona, a hippopotamus born prematurely and nursed to survival by the zoo's staff. Her fragile beginning and steady recovery became an internet phenomenon and a rallying point for the zoo, drawing fans from around the world and putting a warm, human face on the institution's care.
Fiona is one of many draws. The zoo is known for its big cats, gorillas, red pandas, elephants, and manatees, among many others, presented in habitats that have grown more naturalistic over the decades. It is a place where a single visit can move from historic buildings to modern habitats to a hillside of gardens.
Gardens and the river city
As an accredited botanical garden, the zoo takes its plantings seriously. The grounds hold themed gardens, seasonal flower displays, and a horticulture program that tests plants for the region's gardeners, so the setting is a living arboretum around the animal habitats. In the winter holiday season the grounds fill with an elaborate light display.
The zoo sits in the hilly Avondale neighborhood of Cincinnati, part of the ancestral homeland of the Shawnee, Miami, and Lenape (Delaware) peoples, whose descendant nations continue today, largely in Oklahoma. From here it is a short trip to the city's other great institutions, from the Union Terminal museums to the historic streets of Over-the-Rhine.
Closest Boutels
The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.
Things to Do Near Cincinnati
Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal
About 4 miles south, a short drive
A grand Art Deco train station now home to natural history, history, and children's museums under a monumental rotunda.
Eden Park
About 3 miles southeast
A hilltop park with an art museum, a conservatory, and sweeping overlooks of the Ohio River valley.
Over-the-Rhine
About 3 miles south
A historic district of restored nineteenth-century buildings, a public market, breweries, and a dense dining scene.
Cincinnati riverfront
About 5 miles south
Riverside parks, ballparks, and pedestrian bridges along the Ohio River across from Kentucky.