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Our first vacation for 2023 is officially underway! My kids and I are visiting Sarasota, Florida this week for the first time and checking out all of the highly recommended attractions to give our honest review. I have been to Florida more times than I could count, but frequent Disney World and the East Coast Beaches! We are so excited to explore this new area and make memories here! Our first stop on this trip was Sarasota Jungle Gardens!
My kids are 7 & 9 and love almost any outdoor activity but adding in animal encounters makes it even better! My daughter is the biggest animal lover and animals tend to flock to her as well. We have called her “Brinlee Dolittle” ever since she caught a wild chipmunk and brought it to show us in her purse when she was 4 years old!
Overview
$21.99 Adult
$14.99 Child
*Certain Animal Encounters are priced separately. We did a $20 bundle for each kid which included food for the flamingos, koi/turtles, petting zoo, and Parrot + Alligator Encounter!
*Certain Animal Encounters are priced separately. We did a $20 bundle for each kid which included food for the flamingos, koi/turtles, petting zoo, and Parrot + Alligator Encounter!
We arrived at roughly 10:30AM and the line was out the door which is always a good sign! It was about 60 degrees outside which is unseasonably chilly for the area so that may have had an impact on some of the animals that we seen.
Highlights
The kids were able to hold several different Parrots!
Butterfly Garden
Feeding Free Range Flamingos
Petting Zoo – Turkeys, Pigs, & Goats
Holding and learning all about this baby Alligator
Pro’s / Con’s
Pros:
- Hands on experiences
- Tons of amazing animals
- Staff was VERY friendly and knowledgeable
- Price is affordable. Entry for the 3 of us + the experience package for the 2 kids was under $100!
- You can take your own photos! Nothing is worse than paying to hold an animal and then being charged extra for their “professional” photos!
Cons:
- Animal encounters are at limited times. My son would have LOVED to hold the lemurs but there is only one opportunity per day. With that being said, I completely understand the stress these encounters put on the animals so it makes sense. I should have looked at times ahead of time and planned better
- The smell in some areas was horrid. It wasn’t the animals, it was the water. This could be something that is out of their control, but something to thing about if you are sensitive to smell.
- Some of the habitats/structures were a little run down and in need of attention
- The map makes the area appear larger than it is. We were there for less than 3 hours total and did just about everything. There were additional shows that you could do to extend your time, but I would consider it a 1/2 day attraction vs a full day!
Conclusion
We truly enjoyed our time at Sarasota Jungle Gardens and would definitely visit again if we were in the area. Collectively we rated the experience a 9/10. Any