Riverview Park and Zoo

News and Special Events

Spanning over 55 acres of park area along the shores of the Otonabee River, Riverview Park and Zoo is proud to be the only FREE admission accredited zoo in all of Canada, open daily from 8:30 a.m. until dusk all year round.

We offer 25 animal exhibits, with more than 40 different species and over 150 animals calling us home. Being an entirely outdoor facility, be sure to check the forecast ahead of your visit and come dressed and prepared for the weather. We also have free water bottle filling stations throughout the grounds.

REMINDER: Our limited parking lot can reach capacity quickly, particularly on weekends and holidays. Where possible, we always encourage taking city transit, carpooling, walking or riding your bikes instead. Please take extra precaution and slow down in the parking lot as excited children can unexpectedly dart out between vehicles. We kindly ask for everyone's patience and to be kind to our hard-working staff when the lot becomes full.

Located in front of the playground area, our new and exciting "Hatch" café is open from 9:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. serving up specialty coffees and teas, juices, baked goods and more! Guest Services and the Gift Shop will also be open from 10:00 a.m. to  6:00 p.m. where you can purchase ice cream, chips and candy or take home a souvenir from your trip to the zoo. Better yet, consider symbolically adopting your favorite animal, including our newest addition to the barbary sheep family!

Beat the heat and cool off in the splash pad, open from 8:30 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. or take a relaxing ride on our miniature train, weather and maintenance permitting. The train ride opens at 10 a.m. with the last train leaving the station at 5:45 p.m. Tickets are $2.00 per person, with kids 2 and under riding for free, and purchased directly at the train station on a first serve basis. Follow our socials or check our website ahead of your visit for any known status updates to be posted. 

Our Conservation Exhibit will be open in the Dobbin Building from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. full of interactive exhibits as well as frogs, turtles, salamanders, and a blue racer snake! Stop by our North American River Otter Exhibit at 1:30 p.m. daily to see the otters receive their afternoon enrichment snack and you can ask a zookeeper some questions. "Meet the Keeper" sessions also take place at 2:30 p.m. where our educators highlight a different animal species each day.  

Interested participants can now sign up for our annual Bondar Challenge photography camps (July 17-18 and August 14-15), as well as Zoo Camp Day (August 8). A reminder the Annual Fun Run will be taking place this year in September, with proceeds helping support accessibility improvements in our playground.

Consider booking one of our covered picnic shelters located in the lower park  to host your family reunion or birthday party celebration! Weekend availability is extremely limited now, but dates still remain available to book through to Thanksgiving Monday. Please note that for safety reasons the riverfront walking trail continues to remain closed. We ask guests to respect the barricades and closure signs posted until cleanup is complete.

The Riverview Park and Zoo Team

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