Loading…
- Home
- Appointment
- Customer Portal
- Search For Tires
- Specials
- Why Choose Us
- Services
- Additional Resources
Zoo & Wildlife · Hershey, PA
ZooAmerica is an 11-acre, walk-through North American wildlife park in Hershey, PA, home to more than 200 animals native to the continent across five themed regions. It's connected to Hersheypark by a footbridge but works just as well as its own standalone, year-round outing.
Our take If you're building a Hershey itinerary, ZooAmerica is one of the easiest add-ons: it's included via the bridge on a Hersheypark day, but it's also a genuine standalone outing in the off-season when most of the area is quiet. Use the Park Avenue entrance when the amusement park is closed.
For a lot of out-of-town families, ZooAmerica is the part of a Hershey trip nobody plans for and everybody ends up loving. It's an 11-acre walk-through zoo focused entirely on North American wildlife — more than 200 animals laid out across five regions that loosely map the continent: Southern Swamps, The Great Southwest, Eastern Woodlands, Big Sky Country, and the Northlands. The Eastern Woodlands section represents the native habitat right around Hershey and Harrisburg, so you're partly looking at the creatures that live in the same woods you drove through to get here.
What we like about it from a trip-planning standpoint is how flexible it is. If you're already spending the day at Hersheypark, zoo admission is included when you cross over via the Hersheypark bridge during public operating hours — so it's an easy, no-extra-cost break from the roller coasters. But ZooAmerica also stands on its own: it's open year-round and sells separate admission through its Park Avenue entrance when the amusement park is closed, which makes it a solid pick on an off-season weekend when half of Hershey is shut down. It's an AZA-accredited zoo with a conservation and rescue focus, not a roadside menagerie.
Plan on roughly an hour and a half to two hours to walk the full loop at an unhurried pace, more if you stop for the daily keeper talks and animal encounters that run during the busy season. The paths are paved and stroller- and wheelchair-friendly, and most of the experience is outdoors, so it's worth checking the forecast and dressing for the weather. For us, it's the kind of approachable, walkable attraction we're happy to send families to when they want something between a theme-park day and a quiet afternoon.
Self-guided access to the full 11-acre, walk-through wildlife park and its five regions. Included with Hersheypark admission when you enter via the Hersheypark bridge during public hours, or sold separately at the Park Avenue entrance when the amusement park is closed. Confirm current pricing and hours on their site.
See admission details →A membership offering unlimited admission for twelve consecutive months plus member perks. A good fit for local families who expect to visit more than a couple of times a year. Details and pricing are on the zoo's site.
Add-on experiences such as early-bird, photography, and after-hours tours, plus keeper-led animal encounters. These typically require advance reservations and run seasonally — check availability before your visit.
Daily hours shift with the season and with Hersheypark's schedule, and the zoo closes on a couple of holidays. Always confirm the current day's hours and admission on ZooAmerica's official site before you head out.
ZooAmerica is in Hershey, PA. The map shows both pins — ZooAmerica and our shop in Grantville — so you can see exactly where it sits relative to us.
Yes — zoo admission is included with Hersheypark passes when you enter through the Hersheypark bridge during the amusement park's public operating hours. If you visit outside those times, or when Hersheypark is closed, you pay separate admission at the Park Avenue entrance. Confirm the current arrangement and hours on their site before you go, since it depends on the season.
Absolutely. ZooAmerica is open year-round and sells standalone admission through its Park Avenue gate when Hersheypark isn't operating. That makes it one of the more reliable options in Hershey on an off-season day, when a lot of the bigger attractions are closed.
Most visitors spend about an hour and a half to two hours walking the full 11-acre loop at a relaxed pace. The paths are paved and generally stroller- and wheelchair-accessible. It's mostly outdoors, so build in a little extra time if you're stopping for keeper talks and dress for the weather.
ZooAmerica focuses exclusively on North American wildlife — more than 200 animals across five regions, from swamp reptiles and desert critters to woodland mammals, grassland herbivores, birds, and nocturnal species. The Eastern Woodlands area represents the local Hershey-and-Harrisburg habitat.
Yes. Beyond general admission, ZooAmerica offers animal encounters with educators and several behind-the-scenes experiences, including early-bird, photography, and after-hours tours. These usually need advance booking and run on a schedule, so check availability and pricing directly on their site.
ZooAmerica pairs naturally with the rest of a Hershey day. A few spots nearby — and a tip for the out-of-town visitors we see most:
The zoo connects to the park by footbridge, so the two are an easy combined day.
Another walkable, outdoors-leaning Hershey attraction that pairs well with a zoo morning.
If car trouble interrupts your Hershey trip, here's how we can help get you back on the road.
Verified via: ZooAmerica official site · ZooAmerica admission details · Visit Hershey & Harrisburg — ZooAmerica · ZooAmerica — Wikipedia
ZooAmerica is an independent local attraction we're featuring in our guide — we're not affiliated. Details are from the place and public sources and were accurate at the time of writing; please confirm current hours before visiting.