Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo

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Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo Gainesville’s community zoo and the training facility for the Zoo Animal Technology program at Santa Fe College.
(1927)

Open daily, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m., with last entry at 2:30 p.m. The Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo is Gainesville’s community zoo and the training facility for the Zoo Animal Technology program. Situated on 10 forested acres we house rare and endangered species including Matschie's tree kangaroos and ocelots.

10/14/2026

🎃 Gainesville, have plans for October 28? You do now! 👻

Get your costumes ready for the Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo's 30th Annual Boo at the Zoo! Join us for one of Gainesville's favorite family Halloween traditions, where our students and staff transform the zoo into a spooky (but not scary!) trick-or-treating adventure!

🍬 Explore eight themed areas filled with candy stations, enjoy animal encounters, live entertainment, games, activities, food trucks, and more!

🗓️ Wednesday, October 28, 2026
🕒 3–7 p.m.
📍 Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo | Gainesville, FL
🎟️ Admission: Just ONE non-perishable food item per person! Donations help support Saints Food Share at Santa Fe College.

The fun starts before you even enter the zoo! Meet SF student clubs and Saints Athletics teams along the entrance line behind the SF Gymnasium. After trick-or-treating, keep the festivities going at the Fun4GatorKids KidsZone, featuring community activities, entertainment, and even more treats!

👻 All ages are welcome, so bring the whole family, dress up, and make some Halloween memories with us!

🧡 Funded in part by Visit Gainesville, Alachua County

Save the date and share with a family looking for Halloween fun in Gainesville! 🎃

We're Officially Stocked! 💚💚💚A huge thank you to BHS Earth Club for their generous donation of new buckets to support ou...
10/12/2026

We're Officially Stocked! 💚💚💚

A huge thank you to BHS Earth Club for their generous donation of new buckets to support our animal care team!

Thanks to them and everyone in our community who donated, we are officially stocked! Your generosity helps our zookeepers with daily habitat cleanup, and we couldn't be more grateful for the support.

Still want to help the SF Teaching Zoo? Check out our Zoo Wishlist: https://t.ly/ZooWish for other items our animals and animal care team could use.

Thank you for making a difference! 🐾

🐦 Early birds, this one's for you! 🌿Grab your binoculars and join our wildlife educators for a two-hour guided birdwatch...
10/11/2026

🐦 Early birds, this one's for you! 🌿

Grab your binoculars and join our wildlife educators for a two-hour guided birdwatching adventure through the Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo, North Woods, and other birding hotspots around campus!

Discover birds that call Alachua County home year-round and keep your eyes to the skies for migratory visitors passing through. Whether you're new to birdwatching or already know your feathered friends, this is a great opportunity to explore local wildlife and sharpen your bird identification skills!

📅 Saturday, November 7, 2026
⏰ 8:00–10:00 AM
💲 Course Fee: $34
👟 Dress for the outdoors and wear closed-toe shoes.

Registration closes Friday, November 6 at 11:59 PM!

🐦 Save your spot and see what you can spot!
🔗 https://t.ly/zooedu3

10/10/2026

The mood may be unchanged, but the scenery is significantly better!

Whether you're feeling a little gloomy or simply embracing your inner Wednesday Addams this October, the SF Teaching Zoo is a great place to enjoy the outdoors, rain or shine.

🎓 SF students, faculty, and staff: Enjoy FREE admission with your SF ID or Canvas.

🐊 UF students and staff: Get $4 off regular adult admission with your Gator 1 Card.

We're open daily from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with last entry at 2:30 p.m.

10/07/2026

Falcor went on a little shopping spree in the gift shop! 🛍️🦎

Our prehensile-tailed skink browsed the shelves and gave plenty of tongue flicks while checking out our Pocketkins plush from Wild Republic. We’re taking that as her official stamp of approval. 👅✅

The Boo at the Zoo spirit has reached the golden conures! 🎃🕷️Keepers brought a little Halloween fun to their habitat wit...
10/06/2026

The Boo at the Zoo spirit has reached the golden conures! 🎃🕷️

Keepers brought a little Halloween fun to their habitat with paper webs, a spider and orange-and-black paper chains. These spooky additions double as enrichment, giving the conures new materials to explore, manipulate and, of course, tear apart!

Even the animals are getting ready for Boo at the Zoo on Wednesday, Oct. 28 from 3–7 p.m.! Join us for an evening of costumes, trick-or-treating and themed areas throughout the zoo.

Admission is one canned good or nonperishable food item per person, benefiting Saints Food Share.

Sponsored in part by Visit Gainesville, Alachua County
and Fun 4 Gator Kids

🎃 Our pumpkin stencils are back!Bring a little piece of the Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo to your pumpkin patch with thi...
10/05/2026

🎃 Our pumpkin stencils are back!

Bring a little piece of the Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo to your pumpkin patch with this year’s designs featuring:
🦅 American bald eagle
🐱 Caracal
🦘 Matschie’s tree kangaroo
🦌 Key deer

With Adelaide preparing to leave the SF Teaching Zoo for her next home, we’re especially hoping to see some tree roo pumpkins glowing this Halloween. 🧡 If Adelaide has been one of your favorites over the years, carve a tree kangaroo in her honor before she goes!

Last Halloween, one of our Facebook followers shared this incredible pumpkin made with our tree kangaroo stencil and told us, “It’s my daughter’s favorite animal.” We love seeing what you create and hearing about the connections you and your families have with the animals that call, or have called, the SF Teaching Zoo home.

If you use one of our stencils this year, share your pumpkin with us in the comments or tag the SF Teaching Zoo! We’d love to see your creations. 🎃

And keep the Halloween fun going at the 30th annual Boo at the Zoo on Wednesday, Oct. 28 from 3 to 7 p.m.! Come in costume and trick-or-treat your way through the zoo. Admission is one non-perishable food item per person, benefiting Saints Food Share.

Boo at the Zoo is sponsored in part by Visit Gainesville, Alachua County and Fun 4 Gator Kids.

Which animal are you carving this year?

10/04/2026

Today, Adelaide leaves the guest path as she prepares for her next journey. ❤️

Before she goes behind the scenes, we asked some of Adelaide’s current zookeepers and a graduate of the Zoo Animal Technology Program to reflect on what she has taught them, the skills they gained while caring for her and the memories they’ll carry with them.

Adelaide has been recommended for a move through the AZA Matschie’s Tree Kangaroo Species Survival Plan® (SSP) to support the breeding program. Across 24 AZA-accredited zoos in North America, animal care professionals work together to manage a small, genetically diverse population of roughly 50 Matschie’s tree kangaroos and support a healthy future for this endangered species.

Adelaide will now spend time behind the scenes in a quiet quarantine area, where her keepers will continue monitoring her health, behavior and appetite and complete health screenings before her transport.

Her departure also marks the end of a long chapter at the SF Teaching Zoo. Matschie’s tree kangaroos have been part of our zoo for more than 30 years, and generations of students have had the opportunity to learn from the animals in their care.

For Adelaide’s keepers, those lessons are about more than tree kangaroos. They’re lessons they’ll carry into their careers and into the care of countless animals to come.

Thank you, Adelaide, for everything you’ve taught us. ❤️🌿

You can continue supporting wild Matschie’s tree kangaroos through the Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program, one of our Quarters for Conservation initiatives, through June 30, 2027. Fifty cents from each admission supports selected conservation initiatives.

🎵: Meet You at the Edge of the Universe - Storyblocks

10/03/2026

Marketing budget: $0
Commitment to the brand: priceless. 🦚

If you see the Teaching Zoo logo in your dreams tonight, the campaign worked.

🦋 Last chance to register! The Ecosystem in Your Backyard is tomorrow, Oct. 3!Who do you share your backyard with? From ...
10/02/2026

🦋 Last chance to register! The Ecosystem in Your Backyard is tomorrow, Oct. 3!

Who do you share your backyard with? From butterflies and hummingbirds to the plants and other wildlife around us, your own backyard is part of a larger ecosystem — and you can help it thrive!

Celebrate National Butterfly and Hummingbird Day with us at the Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo. Discover how to support native wildlife through gardening with native plants, creating pollinator-friendly spaces, and safely observing and interacting with the wildlife that calls our community home.

🌿 The Ecosystem in Your Backyard
📅 Saturday, Oct. 3 | 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
💲 $29
🐾 Includes a 1.5-hour educational experience and an animal encounter!
⏰ Registration closes tonight!

Don’t miss your chance to learn more about the ecosystem right outside your door.

🔗 Sign up today: https://t.ly/zooedu2

Address

3000 NW 83rd Street
Gainesville, FL
32606

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 3pm
Tuesday 9am - 3pm
Wednesday 9am - 3pm
Thursday 9am - 3pm
Friday 3pm - 7pm
Saturday 9am - 3pm
Sunday 9am - 3pm

Telephone

+13523955633

Website

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