Reopening Information
Lehigh Valley Zoo is overjoyed to announce that we are OPEN! Admission must be purchased in advance and is available now. We have been overwhelmed by the show of support from our members and guests during this critical time. Your social media interactions and words of encouragement have been motivating and validating for us. As a non-profit organization, your show of support through donations and online purchases has been critical to helping us #SustainOurMission while the Zoo has been #ClosedButStillCaring. Rest assured, we have all been hard at work caring for our animals and preparing the Zoo for reopening during our closure.
We want to ensure that a visit to Lehigh Valley Zoo is as safe as possible while still being as fun and educational as you remember. It is for this reason that you will notice many changes during your visit. We have developed a reopening plan in accordance with Center for Disease Control guidelines, public health guidelines, and recommendations set forth by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. We are also strictly adhering to all federal, state, and county mandates pertaining to operating procedures and guest capacity.
We have implemented as many no-contact procedures (point of sale, food pickup, etc.) as possible, we have installed plexiglass shields at point of sale locations, we have rearranged all seating to allow for social distancing, we have developed a one-way traffic route around the Zoo that guests must follow, we have installed signage and applied floor markings to denote social distancing guidelines, and we are adhering to a strict and frequent cleaning schedule. These are just a few of the changes we have made to ensure safety and cleanliness.
We are committed to the safety of our guests, staff, and animals more than ever, and we want you to feel safe when you come through our gates.
Until further notice, all admission will be timed and must be purchased in advance. Reservations are not required for Lehigh Valley Zoo members. We are utilizing timed reservations in order to limit guest capacity and allow plenty of room for guests and groups to enjoy the Zoo at their leisure while adhering to social distancing protocols.
Please read through the information below before your visit. We thank you for helping us keep our guests, staff, and animals safe, and we can’t wait to see you!
Reservations Required
All admission must be purchased in advance in order to limit guest capacity and ensure that all guests are safely able to enjoy the Zoo at their leisure. Reservations are not required for Lehigh Valley Zoo members.
Timed Ticketing
Schedule your visit for the time indicated on your ticket. Make sure to give yourself enough time to see the Zoo before your ticket’s end time.
Social Distancing
Maintain six feet of distance between yourself and others. Follow one-way route throughout the Zoo and abide by all safety guideline signage.
Wear A Mask
Masks or appropriate face coverings are required for all guests ages 2 and older. Make sure your mask covers your nose and mouth.
Some Areas Closed Or Limited
Indoor areas and areas where guests may be in close proximity are temporarily closed or at reduced capacity.
Activities Limited
Token activities are limited. Some activities, like animal feedings, are on hold until further notice.
All standard admission must be purchased in advanced. We will not be admitting guests without pre-purchased admission, nor will we be selling admission at Guest Check-In. Tickets can be purchased up to 2 weeks in advance. Each guest aged 2 or older in your party must have an admission ticket. Reservations are not required for Lehigh Valley Zoo members.
Your Zoo admission is a timed reservation. Please make sure to pay attention to the time and date of your reservation when purchasing admission.
Zoo admission is timed and guests will not be admitted to the zoo until the beginning of their session. Please adhere to the time on your admission ticket. Make sure to arrive early enough so that you have time to enjoy the Zoo before your end time. All guests must leave the Zoo by the end time on their ticket.
In order to ensure proper social distancing protocol, no guest will be be admitted to the Zoo until the start time of their admission session. If you arrive early, we ask that you stay in your vehicle until the start time on your admission ticket.
When lining up for check-in, adhere to posted guidelines and maintain at least six feet of distance from guests ahead of you and behind you. Please do not join the check-in line more than 15 minutes prior to your start time.
As was our policy before COVID-19, the Zoo will continue to be operational rain or shine. We will only close for weather if the weather raises safety concerns for our guests or animals (e.g. lightning, excessively high winds). A visit to the Zoo is an outdoor experience, so please plan your visit according to the weather.
Zoo tickets are nonrefundable. In the event the Zoo must close on the date for which you are holding tickets, each purchased ticket may be used for general admission to any remaining open date in 2020. Not valid for Evening Events or Winter Light Spectacular. For redemption, please present either a physical or electronic version of each ticket at the main gate during your next visit.
Lehigh Valley Zoo members will still be able to utilize their unlimited daytime admission. Just visit the Member Check-In booth upon your arrival. Reservations are not required for Lehigh Valley Zoo members.
We will honor physical (adult, child, or senior) tickets and you do not need to make a reservation. The capacity limitations are set so that we can safely accommodate your visit. We do ask that you plan your visit in one of the specific time slots and limit your visit to 2 hours to keep within the time slot.
Tickets will be checked in via no-contact scanning. To ensure that you and your party will be checked in quickly, we ask that you print your ticket if possible.
If you cannot print your ticket, please make sure you have the ticket file downloaded and open on your phone when you are lined up for check-in, and make sure your screen is as bright as possible. Your check-in may be delayed if your screen is dim, cracked, or covered with a dirty screen protector.
We are currently unable to offer discounted admission for reciprocal AZA zoos members.
The changes, protocols, and cleaning routines we have put in place were developed to ensure that our guests, staff, and animals are as safe as possible. We ask that guests adhere to social distancing protocol (maintain as least six feet of distance from others) and practice good hygiene (wash hands as frequently as possible and utilize hand sanitizing stations throughout the zoo) and respiratory etiquette (wear a mask or appropriate face covering that covers the mouth and nose).
For everyone’s safety, Lehigh Valley Zoo reserves the right to ask guests to leave if they are not adhering to posted safety guidelines. We ask that you stay home and reschedule your visit if you or anybody in your party are feeling sick before your visit.
All guests ages 2 and older who enter the Zoo must wear a mask or appropriate face covering that covers the mouth and nose. This is in accordance with Pennsylvania’s mask mandate. If you have a medical issue or physical disability that prohibits you from wearing a face covering, please alert us at Guest Check-In so that we may make accommodations.
We require that guests adhere to social distancing protocol (maintain at least six feet of distance from others) and keep masks on at all times when within the Zoo. Masks may only be removed in designated dining areas.
Masks are mandatory. If you do not have a mask, they will be available for purchase at our guest check-in. We thank you for helping us keep all of our guests, staff, and animals safe by wearing a mask!
During this time, we cannot readmit guests once they have left the Zoo.
The following exhibits, activities, and amenities are closed until further notice: Lorikeet feedings at Lorikeet Landing; playground; Preston’s Pad Nature Play area; grain machines; drinking fountains; stroller and wheelchair rentals; wagon rentals; face painting.
The following exhibits, activities, and amenities may be available at a limited capacity (staff permitting): Giraffe feedings (weather dependent); Reptile & Amphibian Discovery Center (limited entry monitored by staff); Giraffe Barn (limited entry monitored by staff); activity stations (pre-packed, take-home activities only); Barnyard and Swan Pond feedings (grain distributed by staff).
The following exhibits, activities, and amenities will be available with added safety and cleaning protocols: Geakers at the Zoo; Caribbean Islands Cuisine; The Nature Store Gift Shoppe, Build-A-Zoo Barn Gift Shop; vending machines; Penny Press machine; Zoo Photo Booth.
In addition to having timed ticketing and limiting guest capacity, we have developed a one-way route throughout the Zoo that all guests must follow. We have placed signage and pavement markings throughout the Zoo to help guide guests through the park while maintaining a safe distance from each other. We have also placed all seating a minimum of six feet apart so that guests may dine or rest without coming into contact with other guests.
We ask that all guests adhere to the guidelines listed on this page and on signage throughout the Zoo. Safety is our top priority. Guests who commit repeated infractions may be asked to leave the Zoo at the discretion of staff for the safety of other guests, our staff, and our animals.
Giraffe feedings are weather and temperature dependent. As temperatures are lower throughout the autumn and winter seasons, giraffe feedings will likely not be held again until the spring season.
Tickets for giraffe feeding must be purchased at the zoo on the day of your visit and will be available at admissions and merchandise locations. Please be sure to get your ticket before waiting in line for giraffe feedings, as tickets will not be available at the feeding deck. Tickets will also not be available at Geakers at the Zoo, Caribbean Islands Cuisine, Dippin’ Dots locations, or online.
As always, there will be no touching of the giraffes during giraffe feedings. We require that all guests wash their hands at the designated handwashing station before feeding the giraffes, and all guests must wear a face mask while waiting in line and during their feeding session. These rules are put in place for the safety of the animals, as well as the safety of other guests. You will be asked to leave if you fail to comply with these rules or any requests by giraffe feeding staff.
Giraffe feeding availability is dependent on weather and the needs and temperament of the giraffes. Our keepers and educators are experts in determining what is appropriate and possible based off of the animal’s behavior that day.
