Overview
Myrtle Beach Zoos & Wildlife Attractions
Visit zoos in Myrtle Beach to enjoy entertaining and educational experiences featuring all kinds of animals, plus sign up for once-in-a-lifetime encounters. Why settle for watching a bird in flight miles away or a crab scurrying across the sand when there are so many enriching wildlife experiences? Myrtle Beach boasts five zoos and attractions: a reptile zoo, a safari park sanctuary for endangered species, an aquarium, a petting zoo, and an AZA-accredited wildlife zoo, each one with much to offer to nature lovers, kids, or anyone.
National Geographic, The Travel Channel, and other national and international media outlets have featured these treasured places, and everyone agrees: Myrtle Beach zoos make vacations unforgettable. View all kinds of habitats, from wetlands to farmlands and underwater worlds, to see who calls them home.
Myrtle Beach has one petting zoo that features many farm critters and miniature-sized animals for children to pet and play with. But if you prefer less cuddly creatures, the reptile zoo includes plenty of fierce and unusual species, and the aquarium has its own host of toothy predators. Whether you love exotic animals, baby farm critters, or creatures in between, there’s a zoo in Myrtle Beach for you.
Ripley’s Aquarium and the T.I.G.E.R.S. Preservation are two places to see animals right in Myrtle Beach. You can find other zoos near Myrtle Beach, including Brookgreen Gardens in Murrells Inlet, a family farm in Conway, and at Barefoot Landing in North Myrtle Beach. Each of these zoos offers encounters worthy of anyone’s bucket list: Feed an elephant, pose with a cheetah, pet a goat, or hop in a pool of stingrays.
Alligator Adventure
At one of the largest reptile zoos in the world, Alligator Adventure in North Myrtle Beach, you’ll meet the largest crocodile in captivity in the United States. This is the home of Utan, the 2,000-pound, 18-foot, more than 50-year-old croc originally from Thailand. And he’s just one of the hundreds of reptiles. This zoo near Myrtle Beach is also home to bobcats, flamingos, frogs, hyenas, lizards, ostrich, squirrel monkeys, and more!
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Lowcountry Zoo at Brookgreen Gardens
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Accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the Zoo at Brookgreen Gardens has delightfully and responsibly recreated habitats for otters, foxes, alligators, and deer. The Aviary is home to bald eagles, egrets, herons, owls, and many more species native to the Myrtle Beach region. Domestic animals, once a common part of Lowcountry farm life, are also featured. The newest members of this zoo are the fun otter pups on exhibit with their mom, John.
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Ripley’s Aquarium
Ripley’s Aquarium is the place to go to see all the creatures that live under the sea. Guests will see sharks, stingrays, jellyfish, and so much more! This Myrtle Beach zoo offers two levels packed with creatures you can come face-to-face with. Be sure to stop by the penguin playhouse to see the adorable penguin colony that calls Ripley’s home.
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T.I.G.E.R.S. Preservation Station
This Myrtle Beach zoo and sanctuary is an attraction and a conservation effort in one. Many animals call the 50-acre wildlife preserve home. Select from a variety of tours and encounters—they are all amazing, interactive experiences. Having your picture taken with a wolf pup, elephant, or lemur is a highlight for those who visit, and all proceeds go to the Rare Species Fund.
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Thompson Nursery Petting Zoo
The Thompson Farm has a petting zoo on its property that kids love to visit. More than 40 animals of 15 species live on the farm, including cattle, buffalo, lambs, and pigs, plus miniature sheep, donkeys, and goats. The petting zoo area includes lambs, babydoll sheep, mini goats, and a sweet mini cow named Daisy Bell. The zoo is typically open on weekends and during special events throughout the year.
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