Overview

Recently, we took a mini trip to Wichita, KS and the Sedgwick County Zoo, a very frequent visit for us. When we first became zoo members we started at the Sedgwick County Zoo. It was our first time taking our son and I don’t know who had more fun me or him? Let’s be honest it was me. My zoo heart was so happy getting to share one of my favorite zoos with him. I was sad to find out that the Penguin Cove was temporarily closed, but it didn’t stop me from enjoying the rest of the zoo. Plus, it gives me something to look forward to when they open again.

Getting There

We stayed at the Dury Inn and Suites, which was a ten-minute drive to the zoo. There is plenty of parking available and free too. You can’t beat that. We have never had an issue with parking and part of that is we like to get there close to open as possible. We were able to apply our Association of Zoo and Aquariums (AZA) discount because of our zoo membership with the Oklahoma City Zoo. If you show your zoo membership card or e-card at the ticket window you can get 50% off your admission ticket. It’s encouraged that you buy your tickets online as they’ll be cheaper than at the gate.

Noteworthy Animals

Elephants, penguins, and elk oh my. Sedgwick County Zoo has all my favorites. Typically, the first thing I do is go see the penguins, but their exhibit is temporarily closed for the rest of the year. I look forward to seeing them again in 2026. The most surprising thing was seeing the American Elk and its antlers. I was not expecting them to be as big as they were. We made our way over to Africa and saw the elephants and they had not one, but three baby elephants. It was so sweet seeing them play with each other. Nothing like seeing a baby elephant learning how to use its trunk. Make sure you visit the gorilla and orangutans. They were climbing and swinging nonstop. The first day we were there we missed them, so we came back a second day just to make sure we saw the gorillas and their exhibit. Be aware of the smell when you walk in.

Experiences

One of my favorite experiences I have had yet was their penguin encounter two years ago. It was my anniversary gift from my husband. We got to the zoo early enough to enjoy the rest of the zoo and then made our way over to the Penguin Cove for the encounter. We met the zookeepers at the gate, and they took us to the entrance of the exhibit. They went over safety precautions, and they let us in. There were only a few penguins that were acceptable to pet. They felt exactly what I thought they would wet and soft. We got to feed the penguins, and the zookeepers brought out two big bowls of fish. If we had gloves, we could feed as much as we wanted. Fun fact, did you know that a penguin’s teeth are in the back of their throat? I didn’t know that until the encounter. There were about ten people in my group and eight of them swarmed over to one bowl, so my husband and I had the other bowl to ourselves. The zookeepers were nice enough to take pictures while we were feeding. Happy anniversary to me. It was a wonderful gift and experience.

Facilities

My go to café in Sedgwick County is the Beastro Café across from Penguin Cove. I normally go first thing to either get my morning coffee or hot chocolate. It’s also a great lunch time stop to refuel and refresh. You can sit either inside or outside in the gazebo weather depending. They make it easy for me to take care of my son, and we can enjoy our zoo trip.

Overall Impression

I think we go to Sedgwick County Zoo more often than our own zoo at home. It’s family and kid friendly and I can’t wait to go back again soon and by soon, I mean next weekend. I’ll always give it five stars.