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Location
What you should know
Best time
Arrive early or visit on weekdays to experience the giraffe feeding without long waits. Reviews mention lineups of 300+ people, so plan accordingly or arrive at opening time for better access to this popular interactive experience.
Best time
Visit Heart of Africa during warmer months (late spring through fall) when animals are visible outdoors. Many animals are behind the scenes in winter and early spring, so check seasonal updates before planning your trip.
Visitor tip
Don't miss the 'plane crash' interactive play structure near the lion enclosure—reviewers highlight this as a cool, engaging feature that kids love and should be planned into your route.
Quick Facts
- Type
- Zoo
- Featured Region
- Heart of Africa — 43 acres with African savanna experience
- Top Animals
- Lions, Giraffes, Cheetahs, Zebras, Wildebeest
- Interactive Experiences
- Giraffe Feeding, Cheetah Experience
What visitors say
Another Kid Again Event...... always a pleasure visiting here. However, be prepared to add extra steps to your daily activities. With new reservations underway, the detour to the African Safari is quite a walk! But it's well worth it.
Absolutely love this. But I feel like the giraffe feeding should have more that one place to feed. To give other people a change to experience it. We didn't get to do this because literally 300 people were lined up to feed.
This is an incredible event space. The Zoo does an excellent job with creating an experience for any event. The food is very good. The bar setup is well done. The hybrid indoor and outdoor venue is very nice.
From 398 Google reviews Read all reviews
Did You Know?
- Heart of Africa spans 43 acres, making it the largest region within the Columbus Zoo
- The exhibit features an interactive giraffe feeding experience that is highly popular with visitors, though capacity constraints have led to long wait times of 300+ people
- Animals in Heart of Africa are seasonally managed, moving to heated indoor barns during winter and early spring, only returning outdoors when temperatures exceed 50 degrees Fahrenheit
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