This month The Zoo turns 25. It’s hard to believe the little animal park between Navarre and Gulf Breeze is a quarter of a century old, but on May 19th, The Zoo Northwest Florida celebrates its birthday
The funny thing is I was going through some old papers the other day and came across an article I wrote for the Beach Breeze dated May 16, 1985 (that dates me). The article was about The Zoo celebrating its first birthday. The stats I had then were that The Zoo had entertained 120,000 people its first year. Since then, they have continued to have around 125,000 visitors annually, including 20,000 school children, so well over 3 million people big and small have enjoyed the attraction since it opened.
When asked in 1985 why he named his wild animal park The Zoo, then owner/director Pat Quinn said he was the only zoo director in America who “has the audacity to call his place THE Zoo.” At the time, it was the first and only zoo in Northwest Florida.
We kind of feel that way about our beach. We have the audacity to call our beach THE Beach because we feel we have something really extraordinary and special here. One look at that sparkling blue-green gulf water and sugar white sand should convince the most jaded traveler that we’re right. Add to that a wide variety of attractions and things to do and you have the perfect mix for a vacation or day trip.
As for THE Zoo, it’s grown a lot since 1984. They still have the small animal petting zoo and the monkeys of course, but a 30-acre wildlife preserve with free ranging zebras, wildebeests, ostriches and more has added a whole new dimension to The Zoo experience. In 2000, they became the Gulf Coast Zoological Society, a non-profit organization dedicated to conservation education, and original owner and visionary Pat Quinn is still there serving on the Board.
The Zoo is open seven days a week from 9 AM to 5 PM, with the last tickets sold at 4 PM. Tickets are $11.50 for adults and $8.25 for children 3 to 11. Children under 3 are free. For more information, their phone number hasn’t changed since 1985, just the area code. Call them at (850) 932-2229 then go for a visit. The animals will love it if you do.
Tags: attractions, day trips, things to do, wild animal park, zoo