Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens — Attraction in Naples

WOW.

I already liked the Naples Zoo from before, but with the new improvements, from the gorgeous new South America section to the insanely spacious Orangutan and Gibbon Habitat, and most importantly the new and improved entrance area, Naples Zoo, despite it's smaller size compared to the other zoos in Florida, has officially joined the ranks of the others in terms of what they offer.

First of all, it's important to note that while the price is relatively high compared to other zoos, the addition of a free boat ride around the Primate Islands (which I assume you can ride as much as you are willing to wait for?) is absolutely worth it. Incredibly friendly staff on these boats that are always happy to answer any questions, and really are passionate about the species they have on their little Lake Victoria. Additionally, stop by the right times and you'll be able to catch a Keeper Talk, we had the opportunity to meet a Leopard Tortoise up close partaking in some target training. Again, while the price might seem a bit steep, they make it absolutely worth it.

Another additional thing I think the Naples Zoo has over the competition is cheap giraffe feedings. This provides a great opportunity to get close to these incredible creatures without needing to pay an astronomic price. I've seen prices for these skyrocket up to $300 for nearly the same experience, so I'm glad Naples Zoo keeps it low for those who are excited about an encounter like this.

The animal husbandry here is top-notch as well. So many of these enclosures, especially now, are huge. The giraffe one is the only one I have an issue with, but that's probably moreso a spacing thing. Other than that, all of these species have seemingly great welfare and opportunities for enrichment and exploration.

You can spend up to 3 hours here, but our trip was a bit quicker at around 2 hours - but I might recommend, if it's open that day, the Conservancy of Southwest Florida to pair - it helps bring a bit more of a native lens to wildlife and is right next door. They also have a free boat ride.

If you've been before, I recommend coming again. This place is so much better than it used to be, and I had always thought it was...

We have been here many times over the years. As a born and raised Naples girl, I went here as a kid even back when it was “Jungle Larry’s” and always loved it. We went here at 11:23am for boo at the zoo. We were done within 30 minutes. Why? The bees were horrific. We have been there before and noticed there were quite a few bees on the garbage cans; honestly, I would have thought this would have been rectified by now since it has been while since we have been. However, today we walked 20 feet in to the entrance where the “dinosaurs were” and bees greeted us. The gentleman said they were “all in the zoo”, but I was just assuming at the garbage cans. The further we walked down the path the worse the bees got. My 2 year old had 6 bees swarming him at once plus my daughter and myself had them too. We couldn’t even stand in line for many of the animals because the bees were so bad. They really were constantly everywhere and not knowing if my kid was going to get stung from swatting the bee away from his face was unnerving. We went up to the front desk to ask about the issue because it really was BAD. The customer service agent looked at me and just smiled and said “well, that’s just nature I don’t know what you want me to say.” She smirked and shook her head. That response was disappointing, to say the least. I am writing this review because I REALLY hope that this issue can be addressed. This is a problem that can be dangerous for many kiddos and adults who may be allergic or some kiddos might not even know that they are allergic. One kid in the parking lot was actually crying because they had gotten stung twice by them. The fact that we saw more bees than animals today at the zoo was alarming. I know FGCU put cherry pits in burlap bags near garbage cans to naturally repel bees. Something needs to be done to address the issue and we personally won’t risk going here again as it wasn’t worth the time and money, until it...

As a single father of a young son I have had the greatest experiences here. My mother lives in Naples and we always go here despite the fact Florida has plenty of wildlife you don’t have to pay to see. We love it because the staff is very friendly and the gift shop is very nice but a little pricey. It’s worth it though. They keep this place clean and have workers walking around everywhere to help answer questions or tell you not to go a certain way and keeping the grounds clean. If I could upload a video on this the windows are so clean between you and the animals that I fooled my friends into thinking I was standing without fear a foot away from a bear and I jokingly taunted it and it looked real and they believed me until I told them I was kidding. You can feed the giraffes with lettuce for cheap and that is fun for my son and I. They have boats to travel around the zoo with a guide talking although it’s hot or miss if you’ll see anything spectacular and that part is mostly monkeys, the alligators are in a separate area. I would like to see better views of the alligators because they are so close but the bushes and grass make it hard to see the close ones. They have shaded areas and snacks to buy. Great snow comes for the heat. Last time we went they had two people dressed up as iron man and captain America which was fun for my son and I. It was when one of the captain America movies had recently come out so it attracted a lot of people but the lines never were too long and they were very polite. The heat is a pain and make sure you are prepared unless it’s cold or raining and if that’s the case they close a lot of things so plan it carefully. The captain America and iron man are our most recent experience here but everything is the same when I’ve visited besides...