Today marks the 10 year anniversary of the Akron Zoo’s Conservation Carousel! For an entire decade, guests have enjoyed visiting our park to take a spin on this all-ages ride. Though the view from your steed may have changed with zoo renovations and expansions, the carousel has consistently offered entertainment and educational value for our visitors.

The carousel features 33 hand-carved wooden animals from around the world, including a penguin, lion, tiger, Komodo dragon and even a baby moose that contains a time capsule from 2010! The ride also boasts a peacock chariot, which is wheelchair accessible. Every animal is one-of-a-kind and hand carved by a local Ohio business, Carousel Works. Animals rotate around a center pillar, which features hand-painted murals of animals and habitats from all seven continents. A map is featured with each individual animal, showing the native habitat of that species.

Since the zoo is an organization that hopes to inspire lifelong learning and conservation action, it is important to us that even our rides offer educational value to our guests. Many of the species featured on the Conservation Carousel are considered endangered throughout their native range. By observing the carousel animals, guests can learn about endangered animals from all seven continents, as well as their native habitats, which we hope will inspire them to take conservation action and help us protect these habitats for decades to come.

Carousel rides are $2 and last roughly 3 minutes. It is required for children under the height of 42 inches to have an adult (aged 18+) to stand next to the child on the carousel. The accompanying adult for children under the height of 42 inches is free.

Be sure to stop by the Akron Zoo soon to visit your favorite animals and take a spin on the Conservation Carousel! Or, if you can’t wait until your next Akron Zoo visit to board our carousel, take a virtual ride above! We appreciate your continued support of conservation and the zoo during our limited reopening, and our animals look forward to seeing you soon!