Schmid said he's seen no evidence of the scandals affecting admissions. In October, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums stripped the zoo of its accreditation. In April, the documentary, “The Conservation Game,” premiered at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, revealing that public showings by employees from the Columbus zoo and others of tigers, leopards and other wild cats were not zoo animals, but instead those obtained by private breeders and unaccredited zoos. Last year, a Dispatch investigation revealed that former zoo CEO Tom Stalf and Greg Bell, the zoo's former chief financial officer, allowed relatives to live in houses owned or controlled by the zoo, and sought tickets for their family members to attend various entertainment events. The Columbus rate hike comes on the heels of multiple controversies involving the zoo.Ĭolumbus Zoo: Here's what's changed at the Columbus Zoo amid year of turmoil The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden has a variable rate depending on the day of the week, how far in advance tickets are purchased and even weather conditions, an employee there said. The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo charges $18 for adults, $14 for children and $16 for senior citizens. "We're solidly in the middle of the pack," he said at the time, pointing to a scatter plot diagram of other zoo admission rates nationwide. But a typical family membership for non-Franklin County residents rose from $139 to $169 per year. Membership pricing is more complicated, with various pricing structures. The new rates were approved last month by the zoo board.įranklin County residents will continue to pay $16.99 for adults and $11.99 for children and seniors. The rate for children (3 to 9) and seniors (60 and older) rose $2 from $16.99 to $18.99, an 11.7% increase. The changes took effect May 1 and affect residents who live outside of Franklin County, including residents of Delaware and Union counties and the city of Powell, which are the zoo's closest neighbors.įranklin County residents, who comprised about 40% of zoo attendance last year, already support the zoo with a property tax and are not affected.įor those impacted, admission for adults, ages 10 to 59, was raised $3, from $21.99 to $24.99, an increase of 13.6%. The chart below includes these prices, and highlights yellow the zoos which have prices above the average.Admission for as many as 60% of visitors to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium has been increased this month, the first rate hikes at the institution in almost five years. In our research of nearly 50 zoos in 12 mostly Midwestern states, we found that the average adult zoo admission costs $12.39. Columbus Zoo comes in at 2nd on our rankings, with the Cincinnati Zoo not far behind at 5th. Overall: This matchup features some of the best zoos we’ve seen, and shows Columbus as a 5-3 winner in our Ohio zoo comparison. Which zoo is better Columbus or Cincinnati? … We still HIGHLY ENCOURAGE all guests to pre-purchase their tickets ahead of time online. Guests who visit the Zoo no longer need to purchase a date-specific ticket. The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is open daily from 10 a.m. The Family Access Membership admits up to two primary named members in the same household, plus either dependent children or grandchildren up to age 21 years (not both) to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium and/or The Wilds. Under 3ĭoes Columbus Zoo membership include the wilds? *This package includes one day to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium and one day to Zoombezi Bay.Ĭolumbus Zoo/Zoombezi Bay 2-Day Ticket – Currently unavailable.
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