By Kate Cohen
We may be best known for our famous mouse, but Orlando is home to a wild array of exotic animals from all over the planet.
Whether you’re dreaming of swimming with dolphins, painting with giraffes, or doing downward dog with a baby goat on your back, we have it all here in Central Florida.
Here are 6 of the best animal attractions in Orlando that every animal-lover should try.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Walt Disney World Resort’s Animal Kingdom has something for every animal-loving theme park enthusiast: epic rides, entertaining stage shows, and all the magic you’d expect from a Disney Park.
It’s also the perfect spot for animal enthusiasts to get up close and personal with some of the planet’s most exotic creatures.
Animal Kingdom is Disney’s largest theme park, with over 580 acres of attractions and exhibits.
The Kilimanjaro Safari is one of Animal Kingdom’s most popular rides. It’s a guided bus tour through the Harambe Wildlife Reserve, home to over 30 different species of animals. On this 18-minute expedition, you could see giraffes, hippos, elephants, rhinos, lions, cheetahs, and more.
The Wild Africa Trek is an add-on experience that’s worth every penny ($219 per person, to be exact.) This three-hour excursion is a privately guided VIP expedition that will have you navigating a rope bridge over the crocodile exhibit, riding in an all-terrain vehicle through the plains of the savanna, and enjoying specialty snacks overlooking the reserve.
In addition to Animal Kingdom’s Safari experiences, there are plenty of other animal attractions for guests to enjoy. The Maharajah Jungle Trek is home to critically endangered Asian tigers, gibbons, water buffalo, and an aviary with over 50 species of exotic birds. This self-guided tour lets you enjoy the animals at your own pace.
As you wander through Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail, you’ll find animals like curious meerkats, grazing zebras, and a gentle troop of western lowland gorillas.
Get a behind-the-scenes look at how Disney cares for their animals by hopping aboard the Wildlife Express Train for an easy 7-minute ride to Rafiki’s Planet Watch. This area of the park is dedicated to preservation and conservation and gives guests a closer look at veterinary facilities, housing, and Disney’s conservation efforts.
At Disney’s Animal Kingdom, you’re never far from some of the world’s most fascinating animals.
Discovery Cove
Discovery Cove is a unique all-inclusive day resort where you can cross some pretty incredible adventures off your bucket list.
Your ticket to Discovery Cove includes a slew of one-of-a-kind opportunities to interact with marine life. Operated by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, you’ll find plenty of theme park touches at this beautiful resort.
The park’s most popular attraction is their Signature Dolphin Swim. Don your wetsuit and join playful bottlenose dolphins in a crystal-clear lagoon for an up-close interaction. Expert animal care specialists will teach you about their habits, behaviors, and communication before you take off with a dolphin on an incredible one-on-one swim.
Spend some time snorkeling in the Grand Reef alongside beautiful tropical fish and gigantic stingrays. Explore grottos, reefs, and habitats that make it feel like you’re swimming next to sharp-tooth reef sharks.
The Explorer’s Aviary is home to hundreds of colorful birds. Watch them fly overhead before swooping down to eat from your hand!
You can spend the rest of your day at Discovery Cove being swept away down the Wind-Away River, splashing in the 85-degree Serenity Bay, wading into the Freshwater Oasis, and enjoying unlimited food and beverages.
Still not enough animal interaction for you? Check out Discovery Cove’s add-on Animal Experiences like the Flamingo Mingle, Animal Trek, Shark Snorkel, and more.
Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens
The Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens have been a favorite of animal lovers for over a hundred years. In 1923, a traveling circus gifted the Elks Club in Sanford a rhesus monkey. A century later, The Central Florida Zoo is home to over 300 animals representing 100 different species.
During your trip to the Central Florida Zoo, you could see the sleek Amur leopard, towering giraffes, cheetahs, sloths, and a variety of monkeys and lemurs. There are also plenty of reptiles, amphibians, and birds to watch and learn about while you’re there.
The Central Florida Zoo also offers some unique animal encounters for visitors to enjoy, available for an additional charge. If you’ve never fed a giraffe, this could be your chance! Get up close and personal with these gentle giants as they take fruits and veggies from your hands.
The zoo is home to a critically endangered greater one-horned rhino named PJ. The rhinoceros encounter invites guests to meet, touch, and take photos with PJ as they learn about conservation efforts to save this miraculous species.
Don’t forget to stop by the petting zoo to say hello to your favorite barnyard friends like goats, llamas, alpacas, and sheep.
Wild Florida
If you think Florida’s wild, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.
Wild Florida combines the best of the state’s native wildlife with exotic animals from around the world.
An airboat ride is an amazing way to experience the wild ecosystem of the Florida Everglades. You may see gators, turtles, eagles, and a variety of other animals in their wild habitat (though it’s never a guarantee, since you’re in their territory).
At Wild Florida’s Gator Park, you’ll find plenty of furry, feathery, and scaly friends to meet. It’s home to lemurs, bobcats, two-toed sloths, giraffes, and yes, plenty of alligators, including an albino gator named Yeti.
If waving from the perimeter of the exhibit isn’t close enough for you, check out the unique animal encounters at Wild Florida. These experiences allow you to meet and interact with animals like capybaras, ring-tailed lemurs, two-toed sloths, albino gators, and an African crested porcupine.
Take yourself (and a carful of your friends and family) on a one-of-a-kind adventure with the Wild Florida drive-through safari. Stay behind the wheel of your own car as you drive through open expanses of land where antelopes, bison, camels, and other creatures roam freely.
The safari park is also home to Wild Florida’s tallest residents, Leroy and Walter, two beautiful giraffes who enjoy eating from the hands of visitors and participating in the Giraffe Painting Experience.
Kitty Beautiful Cat Café
The animals don’t have to be exotic to have a meaningful, memorable encounter.
The Kitty Beautiful Cat Café in downtown Orlando is the perfect place to snuggle up with a new feline friend…or twenty.
For just $13, you’ll get to spend an hour mingling with cats from the café’s rescue partner, CATS CAN. Reservations are recommended, especially on weekends.
Enjoy soups, sandwiches, and baked goods or order a beverage from their extensive menu (butterbeer, anyone?) before settling in to socialize with the café’s temporary residents.
There may be up to 25 cats at The Kitty Beautiful Cat Café at any given time, all of whom are up for adoption – except Bongo, the House Cat.
The Kitty Beautiful Cat Café is also known for its entertaining events, including Cat Yoga, Tea Time with Bongo, and Purrder Mystery Parties.
Wildflower Farm
The only thing cuter than regular animals are baby animals.
Wildflower Farm is a charming farm in a quiet neighborhood known for its baby goat yoga.
Join your licensed yoga instructor beneath a covered pavilion for mindful stretching accompanied by the cutest baby pygmy goats.
You’ll have the chance to bottle-feed the babies before being given plenty of greens to keep them motivated and attentive throughout your yoga class. Just know that you may be joined on your mat by little hoofed friends climbing and jumping on your back or snuggling up in your lap.
Not a yoga person? You can still enjoy the company of baby goats with Wildflower Farm events like Party in the Pasture, where visitors 18+ can unwind from a busy week with farmyard friends.
Wildflower Farm also has events the whole family can enjoy, like Family Time on the Farm and Fables on the Farm, where kids of human and goat varieties will be read a children’s book followed by plenty of baby goat interaction.
Rosen Shingle Creek – A Haven for Animal Lovers
With all these incredible encounters within a short drive of our hotel, Rosen Shingle Creek is the perfect place for animal lovers.
Be sure to stop and admire our precious zebra finches in the grand lobby or enjoy birdwatching on our nature trails.
We’re also dog-friendly! When you bring your dog on vacation with you, we’ll happily provide accommodations with nearby dog walk areas and have some special treats on-hand for your pup.
Acquaint yourself with our pet policy here.
