I have to start out with a confession, I honestly didn’t really know if the Toledo Zoo could compare to my home zoo (Cincinnati Zoo) and I was pleasantly surprised that the Toledo Zoo exceeded my expectations.
Our first visit to the Toledo Zoo began at the Aquarium with a Behind-the-Scenes Tour with Ron Fricke, deputy director of the Zoo.
The newly renovated aquarium has over 3,000 animals. The exhibit space has greatly increased from its previous design in the same 30,000 square foot space.
There are a variety of behind the scene tours that you can purchase at the Toledo Zoo that allow you to to get up close to your favorite animals.
Reef Tank and Aquarium Behind the Scenes Tour
You can tour the Zoo’s historic Aquarium including a unique view of our 90,000-gallon reef tank. This tour lasts around 30 minutes.
An Octopus Encounter at the Toledo Zoo
One of my favorite moments of the day was when we went behind the scenes to see the octopus tank from above.
The best part of the behind the scenes tour was that we got to touch the octopus. The octopus’ tentacles felt like little suction cups.
It was equal parts awesome and a little creepy.
Galapagos Tortoise Feed and Encounter
We also loved watching the Galapagos Tortoise at the Reptile House.
During your encounter you can meet Emerson, an adult Galapos tortoise in his exhibit and participate in feeding the baby Galapagos tortoises in the Conservatory.
There are over 9000 animals from over 750+ species from around the world which means that you are very likely to see some of your favorite animals here.
The 51 acre zoo is relatively flat which makes it easy for families with strollers or wagons.
Dine inside a former Cat House
Guests can dine inside the former exhibit space that used a cat house at the historic Southside Concessions.
Meet our adult Galapagos tortoise, Emerson, in his exhibit and participate in feeding the baby Galapagos tortoises in the Conservatory.
Lights Before Christmas at the Toldeo Zoo
If you visit during the winter, you will enjoy the gorgeous sites at night during Lights Before Christmas that has ranked in the top 10 list of Zoo light displays by USA Today.
Go Snow Tubing on the Ice Slide at the Toledo Zoo
If you are visiting during the holiday season you’ll find lots of additional family-friendly activities to enjoy at an affordable price.
For the best value for multiple activities, you can purchase a 4-Pass Bundle or 7-Pass Bundle that can be used toward any ride or activity or a Wild Pass with unlimited rides.
You can travel down the ice slide on a personal snow tube or an innertube built for two.
If you visit in the warmer months, you can enjoy the new Aerial Adventure Course that is open Memorial Day to Labor Day that offers a challenge course, zipline, free-flight, quick drop, and sky bridge. (*Reservations are recommended)
We enjoyed our winter visit to the Toledo Zoo. We would definitely recommend checking out this zoo year-round. You can find out more about the Toledo Zoo from their website.
The Toledo Zoo is located at 2 Hippo Way, Toledo, OH 43609.
Thanks to the Toledo Zoo and Destination Toledo for hosting our visit.
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