The Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium sits on 202 acres inside Swope Park in Kansas City, Missouri, and has welcomed visitors since it first opened on December 13, 1909. What began as a single building housing the zoo’s entire animal collection for $32,000 has grown into one of the Midwest’s major AZA-accredited zoos, drawing more than a million visitors a year.
Today the zoo is home to roughly 1,700 land animals across immersive regional exhibits like the multi-country Africa section and the Australia habitat with free-roaming red kangaroos, plus around 8,000 aquatic animals housed in the Sobela Ocean Aquarium. Guests can tour the grounds by zebra tram, mini train, a Kenyan-themed cruise boat, or an African-style sky safari lift.
Stats at a Glance
- Location: Swope Park, Kansas City, Missouri
- Opened: December 13, 1909
- Size: 202 acres
- Animal Count: About 10,000 animals (1,700 zoo + 8,000 aquarium), 200+ species
- Annual Visitors: Over 1 million
- Famous For: Sobela Ocean Aquarium, a 650,000-gallon facility with six zones and 34 habitats
From One Building to a Modern Zoo
The Kansas City Zoo opened in 1909 with a single structure, now preserved as the Tropics House, that held its entire founding collection. Growth was slow for the zoo’s first four decades, but beginning in the 1990s the zoo underwent major expansion, adding themed regional habitats and modernizing animal care facilities across its 202-acre footprint in Swope Park.
Notable additions over the years include Polar Bear Passage, which opened in 2010 with a 140,000-gallon pool, and Helzberg Penguin Plaza, which debuted in October 2013. The Africa section, divided into areas representing Botswana, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and the Congolese Rainforest, remains one of the zoo’s signature draws, alongside the Orangutan Canopy that opened in May 2015.
The Sobela Ocean Aquarium
In September 2023, the zoo opened the $77 million Sobela Ocean Aquarium, funded through a mix of Zoological District support and private donations. The facility holds 650,000 gallons of water across six zones and 34 habitats, connected by more than five miles of filtration piping.
The aquarium is home to nearly 8,000 animals representing over 200 species, including sea otters, a sea turtle, sharks, and a giant Pacific octopus. It’s included with standard zoo admission, giving visitors the chance to explore both the land-based exhibits and the aquarium in a single visit.
Explore more: Explore more zoos and aquariums.
Kansas City Zoo FAQs
When did the Kansas City Zoo open?
The Kansas City Zoo opened on December 13, 1909, in Swope Park with a single building that housed its entire original animal collection.
How big is the Kansas City Zoo?
The zoo covers 202 acres within Swope Park in Kansas City, Missouri.
Does the Kansas City Zoo have an aquarium?
Yes, the Sobela Ocean Aquarium opened in September 2023. It holds 650,000 gallons of water across six zones and 34 habitats and is included with regular zoo admission.
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Photo: Nightryder84 / CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.