How do I submit a reservation request?
Click the ‘Request a Group Reservation’ or ‘Request a Field Trip Reservation’ button on the Field Trips and Groups page. From there, you will select your preferred date and time by clicking “Other Dates…” or “Other Times…”, then follow the prompts. A $100 non-refundable deposit is required to submit your reservation request.

How do I determine the type of group I have?
Field trips are defined as an educational program attached to an organization (i.e.: charter school, college, home school, TK-12 public, preschool, private, schools for homeless, etc.). The field trip must have a minimum of 12 individuals to qualify for the discounted rate; whereas a group is defined as a non-educational organization or group of at least 20 individuals that arrive together to visit the zoo.

Where do I get the Agreement Form?
An Agreement Form will be emailed to you from the Reservation Specialist within one week. This Agreement Form will need to be reviewed, initialed, and dated. Upon arrival, fill out the bottom portion of the form with head count. Completed form must be present in order to proceed with final payment.

What are the rates?

Fields Trip Rates:
Adult and student admission: $9.00 per person
Children ages 0-1: Free

Group rates:
Anyone aged 2 and above: $13.00 per person
Children ages 0-1: Free

I don’t see the date I wish to request. What do I do?
All reservation requests must be submitted a minimum of 2 weeks before your reservation date. If you wish to inquire about a date not listed on the website’s calendar, please email the Reservation Specialist to determine availability.

What is your adult to children ratio?
We require a 1:8 ratio (1 adult per 8 students).

What if we are running late?
If you know you will be arriving late, please call the Reservation Specialist at (916) 808-8445, so they may inform the Field Trip staff of your late arrival.

 What if we have to cancel or reschedule?
No refund of deposit will be available unless the zoo is closed. Contact the Reservation Specialist to either cancel or reschedule your Field Trip or Group reservation for a later available date and time.

 Our school is a Title 1. Is there a special rate?
We have a Title 1 rate that we offer to qualifying Title 1 schools. Contact the Reservation Specialist to find out more!

 Where can our school bus park?
All school buses are required to unload/park on either 15^th Avenue or 16^th Avenue. School buses are not permitted to unload/park in front of the zoo or in city transit bus stops at any time.

When we arrive, where does our group meet?
Upon arrival, your group will gather across the street by the ‘FairyTale Town’ sign where they will wait for a Field Trip Liaison to go over zoo rules and be escorted inside. Please DO NOT meet in front of the zoo as this will cause our entrances to be blocked.

 Can people who arrive late enter the zoo separately?
To qualify for the Field Trip or Group discount, everyone must enter the zoo at the same time. Anyone who arrives late and is not accounted for on the head count on the Agreement Form will forfeit their Field Trip or Group rate and will need to pay full priced admission for that day.

Where can we eat lunch? Do we have re-entry privileges?
Field Trip groups are required to eat their lunches outside the zoo in William Land Park. Re-entry privileges will be granted, so long as each member of the group has their hand stamped before exiting the zoo. Our hand stamp station is located next to our exit turnstiles. For larger groups needing assistance with hand stamping, please alert the Front Gate attendant before exiting.

Is there a place inside the zoo where we can store our items?
We do not have lockers or storage areas, however we allow backpacks, ice chests, and wagons inside the zoo, which are required to stay with you and not left unattended.

The student’s parents are members at the Sacramento Zoo. Can they use their parent’s membership to enter?
Membership ID numbers must be provided on the Agreement Form for any membership to be used on a Field Trip/Group visit.

When is payment due? What can be accepted as payment?
Payment will be due on the day of your visit. Acceptable forms of payment include: card (Amex, Visa, MasterCard, etc.), cash, or check. We require payment to be done in ONE transaction. To ensure faster check in process for your group. Also, in correspondence to this, if you plan on paying in cash, we recommend changing smaller bills for larger bills before the day of your visit.

Once inside the zoo, what does our group do?
Once inside the zoo, it is self-guided – your group is free to roam the zoo as long you are following the required guidelines as noted on your Agreement Form and on our Field Trips and Groups webpage on our Sacramento Zoo website.

What do we do if a child becomes lost?
If a student/child becomes lost, please look for a zoo staff member; if none are around you, please proceed to the Member and Visitor Service Office next to the gift shop to alert staff members. Wearing school shirts, the same-colored shirts, or name tags with the school’s name and teacher’s cell number are wonderful ways to prevent a child from becoming lost while exploring the zoo, along with communicating to your group a meet up spot and time and ensuring that everyone has the coordinating teacher’s/person’s number in case of an emergency.

 Can we participate in attractions?
Absolutely! Tickets can be purchased at the Member and Visitor Service Office on the day of your visit:

Carousel – $3 per ticket
Train – $4 per ticket
Kilimanjaro Rock Climb – $3 per ticket
Giraffe Encounter (Daily at 10:00am and 2:00pm) – $5 per ticket

NOTE: Attractions are subject to availability and may close at any time without prior notice.

Does the Group discount include a reserved space for my group to gather?
No, the group discount allows for large parties to enjoy the zoo at a reduced rate, but it does not include a reserved location for your group to gather inside the zoo. If you are interested in reserving a space, please visit the Plan Your Event page.

This Program is unavailable at this time.

Does your school or group want to learn more about animals and conservation from a zookeeper? Book your 20-minute Keeper Encounter to learn more about one of these topics: camouflage, habitat, biomimicry, careers, and zookeeping/husbandry.  If you would like to explore a topic not listed, we can create a custom theme based on whichever conservation or science interest your class is studying. During the program you will have plenty of opportunities to ask questions and you will meet one of the zoo’s animal ambassadors up close and personal!

Price: A $20.00 non-refundable deposit is required to secure your Keeper Encounter program. You will be charged the balance due for your program on the day you arrive.

Balance due upon arrival based on the following pricing:
$45.00 Program fee balance for up to 20 attendees
$2.50 per person above 20 people (maximum of 200 people)

You MUST also submit Field Trip or Group Reservation request to visit the zoo for the same date.

The research pass is designed for college students who are required to complete an observational research assignment. With this pass, students can make up to three single visits at their convenience at a discounted rate of $10 per visit.

Professors apply for the research passes on behalf of their students.
To apply, provide the professors name, college name, semester dates, contact and mailing information, class roster and class assignment via email to the Reservations department.

Details:

• All necessary information must be received before your request can be processed.
• Please allow three weeks for processing.
• Once your request has been approved, individual passes will be assigned to each student on your class roster.
• The research pass, a valid photo ID, and payment must be presented at the time of entry.

Make the most of your field trip by preparing your students before your big day with these resources.

Identifying Each Other

It can get extremely busy here at the Sacramento Zoo. The best way to reduce the chances of group members separating is to wear either:

• School attire
• Name tags with the school’s logo or name
• Shirts of the same color.

Any of these tips will make it easy to identify others from crowds and stay together during your visit.

Keeping your Chaperones Informed

Supervising a field trip group is a team effort! Keeping your teachers and parent chaperones updated on all the information regarding the Field Trip will ensure a fast check-in process for your school group. Share information like:

• Meeting place(s)
• Time to meet/exit
• Checking-in instructions
• Policies
• Items to bring

Zoo Animal Fact Sheets

Visit the animal section of the website for fact sheets with information about everything from lifespan to conservation available for most of our zoo animals.