Zoo

Riverbanks Zoo

Q: Where is Riverbanks Zoo?

United States. Riverbanks Zoo is a zoo or wildlife park in the United States, at 500 Wildlife Parkway, Columbia, SC 29210. Its coordinates are 34.010° N, 81.072° W. The nearest national park in our atlas is Congaree National Park, about 36 km away.

Q: What animals can you see at Riverbanks Zoo?

253 species. Citizen-science photos record 253 species at Riverbanks Zoo, including American Flamingo, California Sea Lion, Brown Bear, Galápagos Giant Tortoise and American Alligator. Those with a page of their own in our atlas show the odds of seeing them in the wild.

Q: Where can you see the animals of Riverbanks Zoo in the wild?

American Flamingo: Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve. Some of the animals photographed at Riverbanks Zoo also live in the parks and cities we cover: American Flamingo (about 70% of wildlife watchers report it on a given day in Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve), California Sea Lion (about 60% of wildlife watchers report it on a given day in Channel Islands National Park) and Brown Bear (over 90% of wildlife watchers report it on a given day in Katmai National Park).

Q: When is Riverbanks Zoo open?

Every day · 9:00–17:00. According to its open map listing, Riverbanks Zoo is open Every day · 9:00–17:00. Opening hours change with the season and on public holidays, so confirm them on the official website before you travel.

Q: Is Riverbanks Zoo accredited?

AZA. Open registers list Riverbanks Zoo with AZA. These marks come from Wikidata, and they are shown here as a fact, not as an endorsement.

Q: When did Riverbanks Zoo open and how big is it?

Opened 1974, 14 ha. Riverbanks Zoo, a zoo or wildlife park in the United States, opened in 1974 and covers about 14 ha, according to Wikidata and OpenStreetMap. Today 253 species are photographed there.

🇺🇸 United States

AZA

🦒 Zoo or wildlife park, United States 253 spp. present

The Riverbanks Zoo and Garden is a 170-acre (69 ha) zoo, aquarium, and botanical garden located along the Saluda River in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. A small portion of the zoo extends into the nearby city of West Columbia. It is operated by the Rich-Lex Riverbanks Park Special Purpose District, a partnership of the city of Columbia and Richland and Lexington counties. It is overseen by the Riverbanks Park Commission, comprising two members each from the three governments and one at-large member. Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)

34.010° N 81.072° W

🎟️ Visit

Essentials

Entrance

—

Tourism

High

Species present

253

species

Opened

1974

Size

Medium

Accreditations

Association of Zoos and AquariumsNorth American standards for animal welfare and conservation

Visit

Opening hours

Every day · 9:00–17:00

Getting there

Address: 500 Wildlife Parkway, Columbia, SC 29210

riverbanks.org ↗

What visitors say

It's rare for me to have a Labor Day off from work, so this year I decided to go to the Salzburger Festival in Ebeneezer (between Rincon and Springfield in Effingham County, GA) and from there go up GA-119 to US-321 and travel up to Columbia, SC to visit the Riverbanks Zoo and Gardens.

The girls loved seeing animal statues made out of various materials all throughout the zoo as we walked from exhibit to exhibit.

🦒 Animals in captivity

Phoenicopterus ruber

Daily sighting probability ~70% · Very likely

in Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve+ 10 more parks

Zalophus californianus

Daily sighting probability ~60% · Likely

in Channel Islands National Park+ 7 more parks

Ursus arctos

Daily sighting probability >90% · Very likely

in Katmai National Park+ 14 more parks

CR Endemic

Chelonoidis niger

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely

in Galápagos Islands

LC Endemic

Alligator mississippiensis

Daily sighting probability ~90% · Very likely

in Big Cypress National Preserve+ 3 more parks

Papio hamadryas

Daily sighting probability —

Not in our parks or cities

Equus quagga

Daily sighting probability ~80% · Very likely

in Akagera National Park+ 39 more parks

Lontra canadensis

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely

in Isle Royale National Park+ 19 more parks

Before you go

Where is Riverbanks Zoo?

United States

Riverbanks Zoo is a zoo or wildlife park in the United States, at 500 Wildlife Parkway, Columbia, SC 29210. Its coordinates are 34.010° N, 81.072° W. The nearest national park in our atlas is Congaree National Park, about 36 km away.

What animals can you see at Riverbanks Zoo?

253 species

Citizen-science photos record 253 species at Riverbanks Zoo, including American Flamingo, California Sea Lion, Brown Bear, Galápagos Giant Tortoise and American Alligator. Those with a page of their own in our atlas show the odds of seeing them in the wild.

Where can you see the animals of Riverbanks Zoo in the wild?

American Flamingo: Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve

Some of the animals photographed at Riverbanks Zoo also live in the parks and cities we cover: American Flamingo (about 70% of wildlife watchers report it on a given day in Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve), California Sea Lion (about 60% of wildlife watchers report it on a given day in Channel Islands National Park) and Brown Bear (over 90% of wildlife watchers report it on a given day in Katmai National Park).

When is Riverbanks Zoo open?

Every day · 9:00–17:00

According to its open map listing, Riverbanks Zoo is open Every day · 9:00–17:00. Opening hours change with the season and on public holidays, so confirm them on the official website before you travel.

Is Riverbanks Zoo accredited?

AZA

Open registers list Riverbanks Zoo with AZA. These marks come from Wikidata, and they are shown here as a fact, not as an endorsement.

When did Riverbanks Zoo open and how big is it?

Opened 1974, 14 ha

Riverbanks Zoo, a zoo or wildlife park in the United States, opened in 1974 and covers about 14 ha, according to Wikidata and OpenStreetMap. Today 253 species are photographed there.