Columbus Zoo and Aquarium Expands Quiet Hours and Announces 2025 Sensory-Friendly Events

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Powell, OH — The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is enhancing its commitment to inclusion and sensory accessibility by expanding Quiet Hours throughout 2025. Starting March 2, 2025, Quiet Hours will be offered on the first Sunday of every month during the first four hours of operation, providing a more sensory-friendly experience with reduced sounds, music, and visual stimuli. Times will vary with the Zoo’s operational hours. For this Sunday, Quiet Hours will be offered from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

During Quiet Hours, the following options are also available:

Sensory kits, including noise-canceling headphones, sunglasses, and fidget devices, are available to rent at Guest Relations with a $10 refundable deposit.
Select attractions with reduced noise and visual effects (offered seasonally).

Quiet Hours are included with regular Zoo admission and are complimentary for members. Please note that while the Zoo is open to all guests during Quiet Hours, some necessary safety sounds and visuals will remain in place. Additionally, construction noise may be present in the North America Trek region, which is scheduled to open later this spring.

Quiet Hours Dates: March 2, April 6, May 4, June 1, July 6, August 3, September 7, October 5, November 2, December 7, 2025

The Zoo is also offering a series of sensory-friendly events in 2025, including:

Sensory-Friendly Easter Bunny Experience – April 13, 2025 (10 a.m. – 2 p.m., pre-purchased tickets required)
Zoombezi Bay Quiet After Hours – August 22, 2025 (5 p.m. – 9 p.m., pre-purchased tickets required)
Blind, Deaf, and DeafBlind Accessibility Day – September 7, 2025 (9 a.m. – 5 p.m.)
Sensory-Friendly Light Stroll – November 18, 2025 (5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m., pre-purchased tickets required)
Sensory-Friendly Santa Experience – December 7, 2025 (12 p.m. – 4 p.m., pre-purchased tickets required)

To register for the sensory-friendly events that require pre-purchased tickets, please visit the Zoo’s events page.

Additional Resources and Experiences

Planning Your Visit: Social Stories and Sensory Maps. A trip to the Columbus Zoo begins before guests even arrive. There are many sensory-friendly ways that guests can plan their day, and to assist in explaining the Columbus Zoo experience prior to a visit or field trip, social stories are available on the Columbus Zoo’s Accessibility page. These short narratives, along with accompanying pictures, help illustrate different situations so guests better understand what to expect during their visit and why. This can include explaining that guests must wait in line and be patient because the Zoo is busy; that something may move or make a sound while one waits in line; how one might be able to see more animals by observing quietly; and that there are some areas of the Zoo that are a bit louder than others and so a guest may wish to cover their ears or wear headphones.

Additionally, sensory maps are available on the Zoo’s website to identify sensory-friendly locations. These locations help families plan their visit by marking busy areas, quieter areas, places that include louder noises, strong smells, low lighting and free play. Signage at the Zoo also designates locations that are quiet areas and headphone zones to assist guests during their visit.

Created by the Zoo’s Conservation Education and Engagement team and Cassie Beam, Doctor of Occupational Therapy, these social stories and sensory maps were designed in a way to assist children, adolescents or adults with autism spectrum disorder and other needs, as well as individuals with anxiety, learn about these experiences in a way that helps them feel physically, socially and emotionally safe.

Upon Arrival: Sensory Bags. As a Sensory Inclusive™ certified facility through KultureCity, an organization dedicated to providing sensory accessibility and acceptance for individuals with differing abilities, the Zoo offers sensory bags to offer another layer of comfort during a guest’s visit. These sensory bags consist of headphones and sunglasses to minimize loud sounds and bright lights, fidget items, a KultureCity VIP lanyard and a communication card to help a guest let others know how they are feeling during a situation. The bags are designed to help meet sensory needs in children and adults. These items lessen sensory overload while also engaging guests, and are easily cleaned and sanitized between uses. Sensory bags are currently available to be checked out through the Zoo’s Guest Relations office located at the front of the park. Please note that numbers are limited and they are available on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Experience the Ride! The Columbus Zoo follows the ADA Guide to Rides and Attractions to assure a safe and inclusive experience. While team members do not have the proper training to physically assist, guests are encouraged to enjoy the rides and attractions with someone who is aware of the individual’s needs and can physically assist the guest when needed. Rides and attractions that are currently ADA-accessible at the Zoo include (but are not limited to): the 4-D Theater, Columbus Zoo Train Ride, Grand Carousel, Polar Playground, Shores Play Park, and several Rides at Adventure Cove. Rides and attractions are available seasonally.

Adult Changing Station. As part of the Zoo’s commitment to prioritizing inclusion initiatives, the Adventure Cove region includes a family restroom built with the vision of staying proactive in meeting and exceeding Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines. This family restroom is larger than others previously built on the property so that guests with various needs can be better accommodated. A goal for this restroom included an adult changing station, and when Westerville teen, Olivia Brohard, approached the Zoo with an idea to raise funds and help with the installation of this amenity, the goals of the project aligned perfectly for it to move forward. Inspired by her brother, Abram, who lived with quadriplegic cerebral palsy and loved the Columbus Zoo, Olivia worked on this initiative as part of her “Stay All Day” project. This project earned her the American Heritage Girls Starts and Stripes Award, and—while honoring her brother’s memory—helps to ensure that guests with differing abilities enjoy the Zoo. The family restroom at Adventure Cove also features a mural painted by Olivia and handprint tiles created by children and young adults living with disabilities to encourage inclusion and community.

For more information about the Columbus Zoo’s events, conservation initiatives, educational programs, and more, follow the Zoo’s social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn, and visit us at ColumbusZoo.org. Additional information about the Zoo’s inclusion initiatives can be found by visiting the Zoo’s Accessibility page.

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About the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium

Home to more than 600 animal species from around the world, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium leads by making a positive impact on people, wildlife, and wild places. The Zoo complex is a recreational and education destination that includes the 22-acre Zoombezi Bay water park and 18-hole Safari Golf Club. The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium also manages The Wilds, a 10,000-acre conservation center and safari park located in southeastern Ohio. The Zoo is a wildlife conservation organization with regional, national and global impact, annually supporting conservation and research projects locally and worldwide. For more information, please visit ColumbusZoo.org.