Riverbanks Zoo & Garden

The Saluda River offers many opportunities for recreation from the incredible watersports such as tubing and fishing to the beautiful Saluda riverwalk. Amongst the most enjoyable for my family is the Riverbanks Zoo & Garden. This amazing experience engages and enriches so many aspects of our family's lives and appeals to every age group. The zoo is situated on both banks of the Saluda River connected by a bridge and a skyride. The park covers 170 acres of manicured land featuring exhibits, rides, historical landmarks and so much more. Time spent here could easily occupy an entire day of exploring and education.

The entrance can be found at 500 Wildlife Parkway in Columbia South Carolina. They are open year round from 9am to 4 pm and can be reached directly by calling (803) 779-8717. Upon entering this fully accessible facility, you can get guided tours, maps, stroller and wheelchair rentals, and assistance from staff for any information desired. The tickets are available here but are best purchased online. Our family opted for a membership because we visit several times over the year. It grants us unlimited entrance to the park, several special after hours "Member's only Night out" events and also includes the renowned "Wild Lights" event put on during the Christmas season. It also offers discounted tickets to zoos across the nation!. This membership makes us a part of the "Riverbanks Society" that was established in 1976 and is one of the largest non-profit zoo societies in the United States. It provides important resources for research, education, as well as conservation efforts that directly impact the Saluda River... boasting 190,000 members!

The entrance leads directly to the Zoo East Campus where you encounter the first of the animals you meet - the otter exhibit. From this point we like to follow the "Be Well Trail" that will take us counter clockwise through the zoo portion of the park, showing us the bulk of the 400 species of 3000 animals featured in the outside circumference of the park. Its a stroll that guides us past Lions, Tigers, and Bears, (Oh My!). Alas... no gold bricks.

There are literally hundreds of animals this 1 mile path will stroll us past. We also will find the Petting Zoo interactive exhibit and a very cool Safari Camp. At the end of this incredible meandering, we are led to a very entertaining exhibit "The Seal Lion Landing". Here is actually the best place to tackle the centralized portion of the zoo if we managed to adhere to the Be Well trail.