Blank Park Zoo
Blank Park Zoo

Open Daily, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
$18 adults, $12 children
 

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Open Daily, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
$18 adults, $12 children
 

View All Rates ›
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Accessibility

All are welcome at the Blank Park Zoo!  Our goal is to provide an inclusive and seamless experience for ALL guests regardless of age and ability.  This page provides information on our efforts to accommodate and assist those guests and families with special needs.  If there is more we can do to make your experience an enjoyable and memorable one, please do not hesitate to reach out to our Guest Services staff prior to your visit at (515) 285-4722.

Our accommodation efforts extend to our educational programs (more info on Education here).  We design our educational programs to meet the needs of diverse audiences but may provide reasonable modifications where necessary.  Our staff is ready to partner with parents and/or teachers to accommodate students.

Restrooms

All restrooms are wheelchair and stroller accessible and include changing tables (weights up to 50 lbs.)  
Family restrooms with child changing tables (weights up to 50 lbs.) are available:

  • In the rhino pavilion
  • Behind the bat cave in the Discovery Center
  • Indoor giraffe viewing
  • GoGo Plaza

GoGo Plaza restroom area features a Mother's room and a family restroom with an adult-sized changing table.

Wheelchair & Stroller Accessibility

All pathways through the Zoo are ADA accessible. 

Wheelchair, Stroller and Electric Scooter Rental

Wheelchairs and strollers are available in our admissions building or at the outdoor stroller and wheelchair rental stand near the eagle exhibit during peak summer season (weather dependent) on a first come, first served basis.

Pricing for strollers and electric scooters can be found here.  A driver's license will be required to check out the strollers and wheelchairs.

Rides Accessibility

Our carousel and train are ADA accessible.  The front car of the train is equipped to hold a guest in a wheelchair. Please note; it does not provide a space for a care taker to ride alongside the guest.  There are seats available behind the wheelchair cart for caretakers.

Quiet Zones & Headphone Zones

We have designated “Quiet Zones” throughout the park. These areas typically have less activity and offer a relaxing spot to sit and regroup if you or a loved one is overstimulated. 

Quiet Zones are in the following locations:

  • Japanese macaques overlook 
  • Next to the Butterfly Garden
  • Behind the Kids Kingdom Playground (Coming summer 2019)
  • Across from the Train Depot
  • Across from macaque tunnel


Areas that typically have more activity and noise are designated as “Headphone Zones.”  These include:

  • The Carousel
  • The rhino trail (the trail that loops the rhino exhibit to the giraffe feeding area)
  • The Safari Grill
  • The Macaw Café
  • The Discovery Center

Guest Comfort Station

Check with admissions staff for availability.  Family restrooms may be utilized for this purpose.  

Sensory Inclusion

Our partnership with Kulture City enhances our ability to accommodate and assist guests with sensory processing needs.  Download the Kulture City app on iOS or Android for resources, help, and Sensory Inclusive™ locations.

Social Narrative

Click here for a social narrative that will better prepare you and your loved ones for the zoo experience.

Sensory Bags & Weighted Lap Pads for Checkout

We are happy to provide cost-free sensory bags for checkout in our Admissions Building (just leave a driver’s license).  The bags contain fidget tools, noise-cancelling headphones and other resources which may be helpful to you or your loved one.  Weighted lap pads are also available upon request.

Staff Training

The most important aspect of our Sensory Inclusive Zoo Initiative is continued staff training. Staff are trained on sensory processing disorders, the various services available to guests with special needs, and strategies they can implement in their daily work to be sensory inclusive. Ask a staff member if you need assistance. 

 

Visual Inclusion

Our partnership with the Iowa Educational Services for the Blind & Visually Impaired and the Iowa Library for the Blind  enhances our ability to accommodate and assist guests with vision-related needs.

Braille Maps

Braille maps are available to check out (just leave a driver's license). 

Tactile Bags

We are happy to provide cost-free tactile bags for checkout in our Admissions Building (just leave a driver’s license). The bags include a variety of resources specific to certain areas of the zoo, including:

Discovery Center

  • Scarlet macaw tail feather
  • Boa constrictor shed
  • Flamingo feathers

Australia Adventure

  • Kookaburra skull 
  • Wallaby plastic animal 
  • Emu egg 
  • Emu feathers

Penguin, Tortoise, Otter

  • Penguin feathers 

Tigers, Lions

  • Cast of a lion footprint

Sea Lion Harbor Seal Pool

  • Harbor seal fur 

Jamaa Kwa Africa

  • Giraffe artifacts
  • Ostrich feather 
  • Ostrich plastic animal 

A full list of tactile bag contents can be downloaded and printed by clicking here.

Tactile/Audio Signs and Exhibits

We have a variety of tactile and audio exhibits throughout the zoo for our guests to enjoy. These include: 

Discovery Center

  • Feel
    • Rock work and water
    • Live plants along path to feel
  • Hear
    • Water sounds 
    • Bird sounds (over 100 free flight birds in rainforest dome)

Australia Adventure

  • Feel
    • Imprints on signs of the shape and size of animals relative to an average adult human
    • Molds on signs to feel actual size of cassowary foot and cassowary casque 
    • Mold on sign of baby wallaby size
    • Replica didgeridoo instrument to feel the shape and size
  • Hear
    • Doorbell to ring with a voice that answers in Australian slang
    • Music
    • Parakeet Aviary – hear the birds (extra fee to feed)
    • Kookaburras often make their calls throughout the day

Penguin, Tortoise, Otter

  • Feel
    • Tortoise sculpture to feel the shape of the shell 
    • Penguin signs of various species to feel the size
    • Interactive activity to demonstrate the length of time a penguin can hold its breath under water

Kids Kingdom

  • Feel
    • Feed a goat or llama (often the animals will allow to pet)
    • Feed a koi fish (Hint: lay on the deck, it is easier to reach into the water to feel the fish)
    • The play area has chimes and the structure was built for an adult to follow a child through the maze

Tigers and Lions

  • Feel
    • Sabertooth tiger mold on a sign
  • Hear
    • Sign with the sounds of different great cats
    • 2 different narrated videos about research in the wild of tigers and snow leopards

Sea Lion and Harbor Seal Pool

  • Feel
    • Sea lion statue to feel the shape
    • Silhouettes of a life size sea lion and seal to feel the shape 
  • Hear
    • Sign with sounds of different species 

Jamaa Kwa Africa

  • Feel
    • Sign with the size of a giraffe tongue to feel
    • Imprints on signs of the shape and size of animals relative to an average adult human
    • Mold of a rhino horn to feel
  • Hear
    • Narrated video about conservation and animal care (in the rhino indoor viewing)

A full list of tactile signage and exhibits, and audio experiences can be downloaded and printed by clicking here.

Food Allergies

We offer a variety of food options available for sale, but guests with significant food allergies may be more comfortable bringing their own snacks/meals.  While outside food may not be brought within the Zoo gates, we offer a comfortable, shaded picnic shelter by the main entrance playground for use by all guests.  You may obtain a hand stamp at admissions to come and go from the zoo if you wish to use the picnic shelter and adjacent playground area.

Service Animals

We welcome your trained service animal, provided that he/she remains properly leashed and controlled.  Service animals will initially be escorted by Zoo staff to provide guidance for a successful visit for the safety and well being of both the service animal and Blank Park Zoo animals. There may be a brief wait in Admissions for a service animal staff escort.

For the health and safety of the Zoo’s animals, personal pets are not permitted.  Sorry, we do not have boarding facilities.  

ADA law defines service animals as the following:
Service animals are defined as dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. Examples of such work or tasks include guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling a wheelchair, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure, reminding a person with mental illness to take prescribed medications, calming a person with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) during an anxiety attack, or performing other duties. Service animals are working animals, not pets. The work or task a dog has been trained to provide must be directly related to the person’s disability. Dogs whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support do not qualify as service animals under the ADA.
 

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