How to visit the Phoenix Zoo when it reopens in June

The Phoenix Zoo will reopen in June after nearly three months of closure due to the new coronavirus. Capacity will be limited and safety precautions will be in place.

Beginning June 1, visitors can reserve tickets online to

Monday, June 15.

Members will have the chance to visit on Saturday and Sunday, June 13-14, ahead of the reopening to the general public.

While the zoo will have new cleanliness standards and make efforts to ensure social distancing among visitors, those who are concerned with their

visit the zoo starting safety have the option to experience the zoo on a self-guided drive-through tour.

How the Phoenix Zoo will reopen

Guests will be able to visit between 7 a.m. and noon daily through Aug. 31. In the past, the zoo closed at 2 p.m. during summer.

Initially, the zoo will cap attendance at 2,500 visitors per day, and tickets must be purchased in advance for a specific day at https://www.phoenixzoo.org.

Inside the zoo, vendors will not accept cash. There will be acrylic guards across the zoo, and staff will be required to wear masks. Mask use will be

voluntary for guests.

Restrooms will have a “rigorous” cleaning schedule, and there will be 50 hand sanitizing stations throughout the park. The zoo’s rental strollers and wheelchairs will be sanitized before and after use, along with other high-contact areas.

To encourage social distancing, there will be floor markers at some attractions, and groups of 10 or fewer people are recommended. Some experiences where social distancing will be difficult will not be part of the initial reopening. This includes:

❚ Camel rides

❚ 4-D theater

❚ Stingray Bay

❚ Giraffe Encounter

❚ Harmony Farm Goat Yard

❚ Savanna Grill

❚ Enchanted Forest Playground

❚ Leapin’ Lagoon & Yakulla Caverns splash pads

Jungle Java,

Safari

Snacks

and

Crossroads Café will be open to serve food, and guests will be allowed to bring their own food.

For the zoo’s full reopening plan, go to https://www.phoenixzoo.org/phoenixzoo-reopening.

Cruise the Zoo drive-thru tour will continue

Phoenix Zoo has made it possible to see its residents, including elephants, giraffes, cheetahs and orangutans, from your car or motorcycle.

Cruise the Zoo will be open to 450 vehicles per day, from 7 a.m. noon, on the following days:

❚ Thursday-Monday, June 4-8.

❚ Thursday-Monday, July 2-6.

❚ Thursday-Monday, Aug. 6-10. Tickets can only be purchased online at https://www.phoenixzoo.org/cruisethezoo for $65 per car ($50 for members); the July and August dates will be on sale beginning June 1.

The zoo will not be open to pedestrians on these dates.

through