Group Reservation Policies

Group Reservations are available to schools in session with students in grades Pre-K through 12. Educational materials are available for grades K-12. Please contact the Reservation Clerk at (505) 764-6200 for more information.

Reservations must be made two (2) weeks before the day you would like to visit. Reservations are scheduled Monday through Friday from 9:00am to 4:00 pm. Groups that have students with special needs please contact the Admissions department to arrange additional accommodations. To cancel or make changes to your group reservation, please contact the Reservation Clerk at least 72 hours before your visit by calling (505) 764-6200.

Parking for buses going to the Zoo is available across the street at Tingley Park. Buses going to the Aquarium/Botanic Garden should park in the overflow/bus/group at Tingley Drive and Central.

A group must consist of a minimum of ten (10) students. For every five (5) students one (1) adult chaperone is required. If your numbers change the day of your trip please continue to adhere to the five-to-one ratio. Teachers of high school students may not assign persons under the age of nineteen (19) as chaperones. Chaperones are responsible for their group of five students from the moment they enter the Zoo or Aquarium/Botanic Gardens until they leave. Chaperones should remain with the students in all exhibits as well as other areas of both facilities such as the restaurants, gift shops and parking lot.

Teachers and bus drivers do not receive free admission to the BioPark. Please include yourself, other teachers and the bus driver, if they are joining you, in your adult count.

In order to qualify for a group discount all members of your party must enter the Zoo or Aquarium/Botanic Garden as one group. You may not pay in advance for students, chaperones, faculty or family members who will be arriving late (i.e., Student has a doctor’s appointment, teacher is in a meeting or a parent is going to have lunch with their child). Full admission will be charged for anyone who does not enter with the school group. If someone in your group should arrive just after the main group has entered, one adult chaperone may wait in the staging area to give that person a wristband. After your group has cleared the entry gates, anyone arriving late will not receive the discounted group admission price.

Each school group application must be processed separately. The amount of time you spend at the cashier booth can be minimized by advance preparation. Before arriving at the cashier's booth please have an accurate count of the number of students, adults and children under 2 years and younger in your group. Also, please have your form of payment collected, counted and available to the cashier when you approach the window. Each school group must be processed in one transaction. Students and adults may not pay separately. If you arrive at the cashier booth without an accurate count and payment, you will be asked to step out of line and return to your group until you have all that is required for group admission. Refunds will not be given nor the group discount applied after payment is received.

Payments may be made by Visa, MasterCard, Check, Money Order, Purchase Order or Cash. If you are paying with cash that includes coin please expect delays. The cashier is required to count all bill and coin payments. The Reservation Clerk makes every effort to provide accurate prices for the cost of your visit to the BioPark. Checks written at the cashier booth on the day of the visit cannot be made out for more than the amount due. If paying for your group visit with a pre-cut check, please remember that cashiers are not authorized to give cash back for more than $50.00. Expect delays if your pre-cut check requires change for more than $50.00, as such transactions must be reviewed and approved by an admissions supervisor.

If members of your group have a Zoo or Aquarium/Botanic Garden membership do not include them in your count of students or adults. Zoo Society or Aquarium/Garden Friends member admission requires a separate transaction from the group admission. Member admissions cannot be included as part of the 5-to-1 ratio required for the school group discount. If there are students, adults or teachers who will be entering with a membership, please speak to the Reservation Clerk for further instructions before finalizing your reservation. (Members accompanying a group must present their membership card to a different cashier and wait for the group they are with to be processed and admitted. If a second cashier is not available, please have members check-in with the cashier before you have paid for your group.)

Once you have paid for your group, you will receive wristbands to distribute to your students and chaperones. The wristbands are your ticket for entry and re-entry to the Park. You will receive the exact number of wristbands for which you have paid; therefore, make sure each wristband is securely attached.

Groups may bring their own lunches, but glass is not permitted. There are no storage facilities on-site. Picnic tables are available on a first-come-first served basis.

General Admission to the Zoo and Aquarium/Botanic Garden is as follows: Adults (13-64) $7.00; seniors (65 and older) $3.00; children (3-12) $3.00, babies (newborn - 2) FREE. Our facilities are open Monday through Sunday 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.

Special need groups will be given consideration; please contact the Reservation Clerk at (505) 764-6200.