Louisville Zoo

About

The Louisville Zoo sits off Trevilian Way in south Louisville, in the Poplar Level neighborhood near the Kentucky Exposition Center. It is a large outdoor zoo with naturalistic exhibits including Gorilla Forest, a HerpAquarium, and habitat areas grouped loosely by region, plus a splash pad, a train ride, and seasonal events like Wild Lights and Boo at the Zoo.

A visit runs a half day for most families. The grounds cover roughly 134 acres and sit on sloped terrain, so plan for a few hours of walking with breaks rather than a quick loop. A free tram with a ramp for mobility devices circles the property on a loop of about 20 minutes and stops near major exhibit clusters, so guests who tire on the hills can ride part of the route instead of walking it.

Guest services rents mobility and family equipment at the front plaza, near the main entrance. As of 2026, a standard manual wheelchair is $11 for the day, an electric convenience vehicle is $35 if rented the same day or $40 with an online reservation made at least 24 hours ahead, and strollers and wagons run $12 to $13. Electric convenience vehicles are limited in number and go first to guests with advance reservations, so anyone who needs one should book online rather than count on availability at the gate.

The zoo is a short drive from downtown Louisville and sits close to the Kentucky Exposition Center and the Louisville Fairgrounds, making it easy to pair with a fairgrounds event or an airport layover, since Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport is a few miles away.

Accessibility

Louisville Zoo is wheelchair accessible in the sense that it rents mobility equipment and runs a ramp-equipped tram, but the grounds are hilly, so it takes more effort than a flat city zoo.

For arrival, the zoo has not published specific details about the number or location of accessible parking spaces, so drivers who need one should call ahead. Once inside, guest services at the front plaza rents manual wheelchairs for $11 a day and electric convenience vehicles for $35 same day or $40 with a reservation made at least a day in advance; a valid ID is held at the rental counter until the equipment is returned. Guests may also bring their own manual or power wheelchair.

Getting around the property means dealing with real hills. The zoo's own event pages describe a "wheelchair-friendly path" but warn guests directly that "there are some steep hills," and visitor reviews mention concrete walkways with limited shade and long distances between animal areas. The free tram, which has a ramp for wheelchairs and other mobility devices, runs a loop of about 20 minutes and lets riders skip the steepest stretches; ask the tram operator for help boarding.

The zoo is a KultureCity Sensory Inclusive certified venue. Free sensory bags with noise-reducing headphones, fidget tools, and a weighted lap pad can be reserved online or picked up at the wheelchair and stroller rental booth in the main plaza, and the property is marked with Quiet Area and Headphone Zone signage. The zoo also runs occasional sensory-friendly nights, such as a 2026 Boo at the Zoo evening with fewer lights, lower music, and smaller crowds, separate from its regular daily hours.

Service dogs are permitted throughout the zoo; emotional-support, comfort, and companion animals are not. The zoo has not published information on accessible restrooms, elevators, braille or high-contrast signage, or assistive listening devices, so guests who rely on those should call (502) 459-2181 before visiting.

Checked by Accessible America, August 2026. Report a change

More accessible places in Kentucky

• Kentucky Science Center (Louisville)
• Muhammad Ali Center (Louisville)
• Kentucky Derby Museum (Louisville)
• Mall St. Matthews (Louisville)
• Kentucky Kingdom & Hurricane Bay (Louisville)
• Belle of Louisville Riverboats (Louisville)

Photo credits

• Visitors gather under the arched Louisville Zoo entrance sign with giraffe print columns.: RoyalKing05, CC BY-SA 4.0 (source)
• A striped bongo antelope stands in its enclosure behind a chain-link fence at the zoo.: Aaron Vowels, CC BY 2.0 (source)