4 Great Cincinnati Zoo Venues for Your Next Event

When you’re ready to take your crew for a walk on the wild side, what better place to do it than a destination where you can host your event event beside roaring lions and grazing elephants? Located just north of downtown, the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden offers 16 different venues perfect for corporate meetings or social gatherings. Check out these four great spaces that will add some excitement to your next gathering.

Africa Deck & Patio
Located behind the zoo’s Base Camp Café, the Africa Deck & Patio is the most popular outdoor space for rent. Only available for rentals after the zoo closes, this two-tiered venue can seat up to 180 guests at full capacity and is noted as a great spot for gathering. “A lot of the times it’s award ceremonies, sometimes they’re retirement parties for people,” Josie Reardon, director of private events at Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden says. “A lot of the time it’s a happy hour [or] dinner just to get people all together.” The top portion of the venue is mostly covered overhead, and the lower section features a small fire pit.

Overlook at Elephant Trek
Those looking to get a great view of nature’s gentle giants will want to consider booking their event in the Overlook at Elephant Trek. The space opened in October 2024 and overlooks both the indoor and outdoor habitats of the elephants in the new Harry and Linda Fath Elephant Trek exhibit. Available during both operating hours and in the evenings, this spacious venue can comfortably seat 140 to 150 guests but can accomodate as many as 180 people depending on the setup. A built-in sound system and television monitor are great for presentations, and the option to add a bar can provide a relaxing cocktail hour for guests while they watch the elephants graze.  

Picnic Shelters
Treat attendees to a company picnic or even host a meeting at one of these four spaces that can be rented for day or evening use and accommodate around 200 guests each. The Jasmine and Azalea picnic shelters encompass a larger area and are close together, so they can be easily used for the same event. These two shelters feature a built-in sound system with a microphone and two screens that can sync with each other. As with all events hosted during the zoo’s operating hours, daytime bookings at the picnic shelter include access to the zoo, which make these spaces the perfect landing zone for attendees to mingle and enjoy classic picnic fare. “Those picnic shelters are definitely more [upscale] than your typical park picnic shelter,” Reardon says. “They have a really nice design on them.”

Treetops
Located centrally in the zoo, this room elevates the typical corporate meeting space. A partition in the middle allows hosts to use the whole room (up to 100 guests) or half of the room for smaller gatherings of up to 50. AV capabilities make presentations easy, and events can be scheduled during the day or in the evening. Though it’s an indoor venue, visitors can still get the feeling of being at the zoo. Windows stretch from nearly floor to ceiling, looking out from one side to a pond that houses a giant salamander. The other side of the room overlooks the walkway just steps from the African lion habitat. “Most of the time, guests in there will be able to hear our lion roar because of the proximity to that space,” Reardon says.

Experience Enhancements
Make your meeting even more memorable with these great eats and activities.

Animal Encounters:
Each event hosted at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden comes with a complimentary animal experience. These 15-20-minute encounters vary in animal availability but in the past have included a turtle, small snake, lizard and more. You can also upgrade to other animal encounters that feature a goat, mini pig or one of the most popular choices, a penguin. (Note: animal encounters are weather dependent for bookings in outdoor spaces.)

Delectable Dishes:
The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden works exclusively with an outside catering business to provide meals and drinks to attendees. All event bookings are required to meet a catering minimum, which can be achieved by treating your guests to cocktails at happy hour, picnic lunches, buffet dinners and more.

Keeper Chats:
Add a keeper chat to your agenda and enjoy a 15-20-minute talk from the people who provide daily care for the zoo’s residents. Keeper chats can be hosted in habitats or in meeting spaces and provide an informative experience for guests to learn more about the animals at the zoo and their different habitats.