ORLANDO, Fla. (July 24, 2023) – International Drive is about to get a little bit wilder and a whole lot cooler.

Cool Zoo Wildlife Center is bringing unique animal encounters to Orlando’s tourism district.

The new attraction promises 10,000 square feet of indoor wildlife experiences and interactive education, so guests can beat the Florida heat and scattered storms while exploring the exhibits and learning more about the ambassador animals on-site and the importance of conservation.

The new attractions offerings include:

• Up close animal exhibits and encounters
Get up close and personal with Cool Zoo’s animal residents including sloths, kangaroos, lemurs, alligators, snakes, capybaras, porcupines and so many more! Whether you want to have the once-in-a-lifetime experience of holding a sloth or just want to get a close-up view of some amazing animals, Cool Zoo allows guests to experience wildlife like never before.

• Educational attractions and activities
From gemstone mining and fossil finding to 360 Virtual Reality machines that educate guests on how they can make a difference for wildlife, there’s no shortage of hands-on experiences for guests at all price points.

“When we were searching for the perfect place to open our wildlife center, Orlando emerged as the top choice, said Jim DeBerry, president of Cool Zoo Wildlife Center. “We’re so excited to invite Orlando residents and guests from around the world who share our love of wildlife and conservation to meet our ambassador animals and we hope to spark a love for wildlife conservation in everyone who visits.”

Cool Zoo’s wildlife ambassadors meet the Association of Zoos & Aquariums’ (AZA’s) Ambassador Animal Guidelines, to meet the public for short periods of time to teach the public about conservation and encourage wildlife sustainability. These animals do not remain at Cool Zoo Wildlife Center for extended periods of time and move into forever homes after completing their ambassador programs.

Cool Zoo is on track to open for Labor Day 2023. General admission will be $15 per person over the height of 24 inches. Prices for one-on-one encounters with ambassador animals range from $10 to $100 per person and always occur with a zoological specialist.

To learn more about Cool Zoo, visit https://coolzoo.org/.

To view or download images, click here.

About Cool Zoo Wildlife Center
Cool Zoo’s mission is to curate experiences through conservation, education, research and agricultural impact for wildlife advancement.

As stewards of wildlife, Cool Zoo is fiscally funded through an endowment by the DeBerry Family Irrevocable Trust. Cool Zoo employs experienced professionals and individuals (volunteers) that contribute time and money towards fundraising efforts to make Cool Zoo a better place for wildlife advancement. The leadership team is made up of members of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), Zoological Association of America (ZAA), International Association of Avian Trainers and Educators (IAATE), American Association of Zoo Keepers (AAZK), Zoo Registrar Association (ZRA) and Federation of Animal Sanctuaries, among others.

Cool Zoo has three long-term fixed facilities — One in Orlando at 6400 International Drive, and two in Central Florida, at 307 Skyblue Lane, Auburndale, FL 33823, United States and 364 Highway LA-490, Chopin, LA 71447.