Celebrate The Holidays With Exciting Events At Zoo Miami

This holiday season Zoo Miami is hosting a myriad of exciting and fun activities for everyone. Enjoy a Holiday Hoedown, eight nights of Zoo Lights, Dinner with Santa, and watch the animals open their special holiday gifts!


Zoo Miami is located at 12400 SW 152 Street, Miami. General zoo admission is $15.95/adult and $11.95/child (3 -12) plus tax. Children under 3, Zoo members and parking are free. Zoo Miami’s regular hours are 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.; ticket booths close at 4 p.m.


The Holiday Hoedown, Zoo Lights, Dinner with Santa are special events with separate admission prices. To save time, buy tickets online at www.zoomiami.org.  

Holiday Hoedown

Alligator Ron's Holiday Hoedown is a fundraiser for Zoo Miami’s up-coming exhibit, Florida: Mission Everglades, set to open in 2014. It will take place on Dec. 3 at Green Glades Ranch (21111 SW 16 St., Weston) from 6:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.


There will be live music from the country band Shadow Creek, an open bar, and great BBQ all to benefit the Florida: Mission Everglades. Since it is a hoedown in December, the attire requested is Holiday Western Wear. Light up cowboy boot mugs will be sold for a $20 donation.


Main event tickets are $150 each and VIP tickets are $250 each. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit www.holidayhoedown.com. 

The lighted giraffes at Zoo Lights

Zoo Lights

At Zoo Miami, guests can enjoy beautiful animal-shaped lights as they stroll zoo walkways during the 8 nights of Zoo Lights, have Dinner with Santa, and watch the animals open their specially-prepared gifts during Holiday Gifts for the Animals.


The zoo’s glorious grounds come to light for eight brilliant nights during Zoo Lights, Dec. 16-23 from 7 p.m.-10 p.m. (ticket booths close at 9:30 p.m.). Guests can enjoy dozens of bright animal-shaped lights along our walkways, listen to wonderful holiday music, sip hot chocolate, munch on delicious cookies, and take a ride on a camel, the wildlife carrousel or the hippo slide (the world’s largest inflatable slide). Included with admission is a pair of 3-D glasses, which will make the Zoo Lights experience even more engaging and amusing. 


General admission is only $5 per person plus tax. Food, beverages, camel rides, carrousel and hippo slide are all available at additional costs.

Dinner With Santa

Dinner with Santa will take place on Dec. 17, from 7:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m. Bring the kids to meet him before he has to rush back to the North Pole!  Enjoy a delicious holiday dinner with the family, photos with Santa, a holiday plush gift and holiday craft-making for the little ones! 

Dinner with Santa admission includes parking, entry to Zoo Lights from 7 p.m.-10 p.m. and a classic holiday menu of fresh roasted turkey with homemade gravy, baked ham, candied sweet potatoes with melting marshmallows, herbed buttery carrots, homemade cranberry sauce, dinner rolls with butter, homemade seasonal pumpkin cake with cream cheese icing, strawberry-infused lemonade, and cranberry mint-infused water.


General admission is $39.95 per adult and $33.95 per child ages 3-12. Zoo members are $36.95 per adult and $30.95 per child ages 3-12. Children ages 2 and under are free. To make a reservation, please call 305-251-0400, Ext. 84941.

Gifts for the Animals

Another fun family activity is Holiday Gifts for the Animals!  Every weekend in December, including Christmas Day, watch the animals joyfully open holiday gifts prepared by zookeepers and volunteers. The animals enjoy opening up their enriching gifts and visitors will be entertained watching them! See schedule below for details.


Saturday December 3
10:30 a.m.: Great Indian hornbills at Wings of Asia will receive papier maché ornaments filled with meaty treats.
1:30 p.m.: Pygmy hippo will eat giant red and green popsicles.

Sunday December 4
10 a.m.: Jaguars will get their own holiday tree – an Australian pine tree with all of the trimmings including catnip!
2 p.m.: Asian bear will receive a gift box filled with treats.

Saturday December 10
10:30 a.m.
Great Indian hornbills at Wings of Asia will receive papier maché ornaments filled with meaty treats.
11:30 a.m.: Lions will get red and green ice treats.
3 p.m.: African elephants will get giant candy canes.

Sunday December 11
10:30 a.m.: Tigers will cool off with their holiday ice treats.
2 p.m.: Gorilla will receive their own holiday popsicles.

Saturday December 17
11:30 a.m.: Santa will deliver sacks filled with treats for the Orangutans.
1 p.m.: Asian elephants will get a giant holiday ribbon.

Sunday December 18
12:30 p.m.: Meerkats will receive a gift box filled with bugs!
2:30 p.m.: Great Indian hornbills at Wings of Asia will receive papier maché ornaments filled with meaty treats.

December 24, Saturday
10:30 a.m.: Great Indian hornbills at Wings of Asia will receive papier maché ornaments filled with meaty treats.
1 p.m.: Asian elephants will get edible holiday ornaments.
2 p.m.: A holiday tree with all of the trimmings will be delivered to Amazon & Beyond for the agouti, chestnut-mandibled toucan, great curassows and black-throated magpie jays.

Sunday December 25
1:45 p.m.: Chimpanzees will receive a holiday surprise!
3 p.m.: African elephants will receive their own giant holiday tree!

Saturday December 31
11:30 a.m.: New Guinea singing dogs will receive New Year’s ball treat dispensers.
1:30 p.m.: Warthogs will get New Year’s decorated treat boxes.

Sunday January 1
2 p.m.: Sun bear will receive treat boxes for the New Year.
3 p.m.: African elephants will get papier maché animals.


Welcome to Miami and the Beaches
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Download the FREE iPhone App