6 Reasons We Love The Brevard Zoo – Melbourne, Florida

It’s no secret that we are huge fans of Florida Zoos. Because of our family’s love of animals, we always make time to visit local zoos no matter what part of Florida we are in. This trip to Florida’s Space Coast was no exception.

This post may contain affiliate links and we may earn compensation when you click on the links at no additional cost to you.

❤️ A special thank you to the Brevard Zoo for providing us with two complimentary tickets in exchange for my honest and unbiased review. All opinions are my own. ❤️

Why We Love Florida Zoos

Since we are from Michigan, a lot of our zoos are not home to what I would call the “warmer weather” animals. I mean, if we are escaping Michigan in the winter, I highly doubt a rhino would want to spend his time in snow when he could be soaking up the hot Florida sun. Florida Zoos have the perfect climate year round, making it the ideal home for some of the larger, warm weather animals like rhinos and giraffes. Also, because of climate, Florida Zoos are the perfect attraction while in Florida no matter what time of the year you visit.

6 Reasons We Love The Brevard Zoo

1). The Size

While the Brevard Zoo is on the smaller size compared to other zoos, its size is exactly what separates them from the others. Our visit was on the last day of our week long vacation. When planning our visit, I didn’t want to spend the last day of vacation dragging exhausted children around a huge zoo.

The Brevard Zoo is separated into six different areas: Expedition Africa, Lands Of Change, Wild Florida, Caribbean Trail, Rain Forest Revealed, and
Paws On. This offers you the opportunity to “visit” a different continent while making your way through each area on a raised boardwalk. Whether you’re slithering with the snakes in Rainforest Revealed or playing peek-a-boo with a meerkat in Expedition Africa, you’re never far from the wild Florida that surrounds you.

2). Family Friendly Exhibits

While you make your way along the boardwalk, through the thick Florida forest, you will feel like you are part of the exhibits. The elevated portions of the boardwalk gives you an up close aerial view into some of the exhibits. All of the exhibits are kid friendly, offering them a great viewpoint of each animal. That’s right, no more picking up your kid at each exhibit so they can see!

There are also a few spots throughout the zoo where sections of the exhibits walls are acrylic. This feature gives you the chance to get within a few inches of the animal, while the acrylic wall protects each of you. So, you can enjoy a lazy afternoon along side of the otters.

3). Unique Animals

My youngest child is obsessed with Steve Irwin and the show “Crikey! It’s the Irwins“ on the Animal Planet channel. His birthday wish this year was to travel to Australia and visit the Australia Zoo. Imagine his excitement when we realized that the Brevard Zoo has a whole area- Lands of Change- dedicated to animals from Australia.

It was in Lands of Change where he could finally come face-to-face with animals that he has only seen before on television. Imagine his excitement the moment he rounded the corner and got to look a Southern Cassowary in the face…

or spotted crocodiles basking in the sun…

or walked side by side next to kangaroos, while stopping to pet a wallaby.

It was moments like these that made us fall more and more in love with the Brevard Zoo. Being able to see these animals in person is something that he will never forget.

4). Animal Encounters

Another reason we loved the Brevard Zoo was all of the animal encounter opportunities that were throughout the zoo. The Paws On area alone offers several hands-on adventures such as a Touch Tank, the Indian River Play Lagoon (splash pad), or our favorite, the Petting Zone. I mean, who could keep their hands off this adorable Patagonian Cavy?!

For an additional cost, visitors can also feed a giraffe some leafy greens or take part in a lorikeet and cockatiel feeding. The cost for each of these is very reasonable, which made saying yes to a second and third time, pretty easy. How could you not feed those cute faces?!

Now prepare to have your mind blown…

You can kayak through the Zoo!!!

Yes, you read that right! Brevard Zoo is the only zoo in the world that allows you the chance to experience a kayak tour through an exhibit. Paddle along the Nyami Nyami River on a guided tour that runs through the Expedition Africa exhibit. Nowhere else can you float past giraffes and circle around a lemur island. Looking for something self-guided? You can also rent a kayak and take a tour through their restored wetlands in Wild Florida (children under 5 are not allowed to participate in the kayak tours).

5). The Cape To Cairo Express

All aboard!

Visitors of all ages can enjoy a 10-minute ride past the camel, oryx, and ostrich habitat. This educational ride gives you deeper understanding of what makes each of these animals so unique.

6). An Earth Conscious Gift Shop

Last, and by no means least, is the Gift Shop. This isn’t your usual attraction gift shop filled with plastic toys that you know will break before you even get home. It was different… but in a good way.

Because our families are on a journey to reduce our dependency on plastic, we are always looking for products that will help us along the way. They have a section of the gift shop dedicated to single-use solutions and I was blown away by everything they offered! It included things like Black+Bum stainless steel sandwich boxes, Wamm Industries reusable lunch bag, Vejibag produce bags, Conscious Socks, A Wild Soap Bar, Feather 4 Arrow clothing, and Sprout pencils. My children love the Sprout pencils because when the pencil is too short to use anymore, you can plant it! Each pencil contains different seeds that vary from herbs, vegetables, or flowers (cherry tomatoes, cilantro, basil, forget-me-nots and a few others).

On the opposite wall of the gift shop is a section dedicated to their Sea Turtle Healing Center (this facility is not open to the public). It includes Pluff stuffed animals made from 100% recycled plastic bottles, Brevard Zoo stainless steel cups, silicone tumblers with stainless steel straws, and our favorite, 4Ocean bracelets.

Not only is the Brevard Zoo dedicated to the conservation and care of their animals, but they are also committed to helping the Earth. Because of the products they offer, it is by far one of our most favorite Florida zoo gift shops. It was so hard not to clear the whole shelf!

Our Experience

Our visit to the Brevard Zoo was on a Friday morning, a few minutes after they opened. There were quite a few people there, but by no means did it feel crowded. We made our way through the zoo and even circled back to a couple of our favorite exhibits, quite a few times. Throughout the zoo, you will find knowledgeable volunteers who are more than happy to answer your questions about the zoo and its animals. The Brevard Zoo’s exhibits are very well laid out, with a wide variety of beautiful animals in each one. Our entire visit lasted about 3-4 hours.

Do you love Florida zoos also? PERHAPS you have a Florida zoo that your family loves to visit! If so, please tell us about it in the comments below. We would love to show our support for other Florida zoos on a future vacation.

Know Before You Go

• Website: https://brevardzoo.org/
• Phone: 321-254-9453
• Address: 8225 North Wickham Road, Melbourne, FL 32940
• Email: Website Contact Form
• Hours: 9:30 am-5:00 pm Daily (Last entry at 4:15)
• Ticket & Membership Info: https://brevardzoo.org/?s=tickets
• Social Media: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
• The Brevard Zoo also participates in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Reciprocal Admission program. If you have a membership at another zoo throughout the country, you might get a discount at the Brevard Zoo. Before your visit, make sure you check out the AZA website for a complete list of participating zoos and aquariums in their reciprocal program.

Read about our other adventures in Florida:

• Insider’s Guide to Planning Your Kennedy Space Center Tour (Titusville)
• The Best Airboat Ride In Central Florida (Christmas)
• Kayaking Along Florida’s Space Coast – A Day Away Kayak Tour (Titusville)
• Family Friendly Cape Canaveral Vacation Rental (Cape Canaveral)
• The Ultimate Guide to ZooTampa at Lowry Park (Tampa)
• EVOS Restaurant (South Tampa)
• Step Back In Time At The South Florida Museum (Bradenton)
• Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium (Sarasota)
• Sand & Sea Vacation Rental – Family Friendly (Anna Maria Island)
• Happy Paddler Coastal Island Kayak Eco Tour (Anna Maria Island)
• Bradenton Beach Marina Dolphin Eco Tour (Anna Maria Island)
• How Our Family Of 5 Flew Roundtrip To Florida For Less Than $325
• Top 10 Toddler Friendly Rides at LEGOLAND Florida

Also be sure to check out our Top 30 Gift Ideas for Travelers. It is full of unique gift ideas for those in your life who love to travel… or to add to your own personal carry-on.  We’ve even included the one item we won’t go to Disney without! It might surprise you!