The Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden set a new monthly attendance record for March with 155,239 total visitors of all ages coming in to the OKC Zoo between March 1 and 31, 2024. This new visitation total bests the previous March attendance record of 149,389 guests set in 2011.
The largest attendance day of the month was Wednesday, March 20, with 14,101 guests visiting the Zoo—one of four days in March with attendance over 10,000.
Visitation increases can be partially attributed to a robust Oklahoma and Texas Spring Break attendance, pleasant temperatures, and the newly opened wildlife habitat Expedition Africa, presented by Inasmuch Foundation.
At more than 12 acres in size, Expedition Africa is the OKC Zoo’s largest ever expansion and includes new habitats, building renovations, and an elevated guest experience. Located in the heart of the Zoo, the expansion is home to more than sixty species native to the African continent, including hyenas, wildebeests, the fan-favorite giraffe herd, and more.
“This is the fruition of years of planning and work and we’re all excited to see so many guests enjoying the changes and falling in love with the Zoo all over again,” said Dr. Dwight Lawson, executive director/CEO for the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden. “We relish the opportunity to share our wonderful animal family with visitors and help connect them to our mission to support wildlife and wild places around the world.”
Among Expedition Africa’s standout features is the renovated Love’s Pachyderm Building, home to some of the Zoo’s most eye-catching residents. The building joined the National Register of Historic Places in 2021 and retains its Midcentury Modern architecture with an enhanced and visitor-friendly interior housing African lungfish, dwarf mongooses, naked mole rats, and more. It also includes a tremendous events space for meetings, parties, and more. There’s also the addition of a play area behind the building: Pachyderm Heights Adventure Tower, including a rock-climbing wall and a slide, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Oklahoma City. The Pachyderm building was originally constructed in the 1960s to house the Zoo’s elephants, rhinoceroses, and hippopotamuses.
In addition to record-breaking attendance, March was also a great month for visitor satisfaction. Of the 575 surveys completed, 88 percent of guests reported they were overall satisfied with the Oklahoma City Zoo, up from 85 percent in February, and higher than the 81 percent overall zoo satisfaction benchmark that includes the San Diego Zoo, Smithsonian National Zoological Park Zoo, Audubon Zoo, and more.
Explore the Zoo’s new Expedition Africa today, a visit worthWILD! The Oklahoma City Zoo is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily with the last entry no later than 4 p.m. Purchase advance Zoo admission tickets at okczoo.org/tickets and avoid the entry lines. Located at the crossroads of I-44 and I-35, the OKC Zoo is a proud member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the American Alliance of Museums, and Oklahoma City’s Adventure District. Zoo admission is $16 for adults and $13 for children ages 3-11 and seniors ages 65 and over. Children two and under are admitted free. Membership has its perks! As a ZOOfriends member of the Oklahoma City Zoo, enjoy free admission all year-long, plus many additional benefits and discounts. You will also be supporting the Zoo’s animal family, education programming and conservation initiatives both locally and globally. Join or renew today at www.okczoo.org/membership.
Stay connected with the Zoo on Facebook, X, Instagram, Threads, Linktree and TikTok, and by visiting our blog stories. To learn more about Zoo happenings, call (405) 424-3344 or visit okczoo.org.