Riverbanks Zoo & Garden

Home to more than 2,000 magnificent animals, Riverbanks Zoo & Garden offers indoor and outdoor event facilities that exhibit elegance, class, and an extraordinary experience for couples and their guests to enjoy. As an exotic alternative to traditional wedding venues, the zoo facilities provide a nature-inspired setting and great backdrops for photo opportunities.

Facilities and Capacity

Riverbanks Zoo & Garden offers a variety of indoor and outdoor event spaces that can accommodate both intimate celebrations and festive galas. Ceremonies are held after hours in the property’s Magnolia’s Garden Terrace, Ndoki’s patio, or Riverbanks’ Entry Plaza. Receptions, cocktail hours, and rehearsal dinners can be held in the venue’s five event facility options:

• Ndoki Lodge: A safari-themed space featuring high beam ceilings, panoramic views of forest foliage, and at certain times, the opportunity for an elephant or meerkat sighting. The lodge can accommodate up to 500 guests with use of indoor and outdoor space.
• Magnolia Room: One of the most breathtaking and unique spaces in the zoo, accommodating up to 350 guests using indoors and patio space. It features French doors that open out onto a bricked terrace, boasting views of stately fountains, cascading waters, seasonal flowers, and Riverbanks’ beautiful gardens.
• Tuskers: An ideal space for cocktail parties and can accommodate up to 250 guests. At night, the venue transforms into a chic event facility, featuring bamboo cloud lighting, a floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace, a dance floor area, and a viewing deck overlooking zebras, ostriches, giraffes, and a ten-foot alligator.
• The ARC (Aquarium Reptile Complex): Perfect for a smaller wedding or any other evening celebration. It showcases a 55,000-gallon coral reef tank with sharks, moon jellyfishes, and gharial crocodiles, perfect for a strolling cocktail hour or reception.
• The Birdhouse: Can accommodate up to 175 guests. It is a sky-lit atrium where guests can have the opportunity to be accompanied by penguins, hornbills, and other exotic birds.

Services Offered

Riverbanks Zoo & Garden provides event rentals for wedding ceremonies, receptions, rehearsal dinners, engagement parties, and bridal showers. The venue also accepts appointments for bridal portrait shoots, held after park hours at the Botanical Garden or zoo. Other services offered by the venue include:

• Bridal suites (dependent on wedding space and date)
• Lighting and sound system rentals
• In-house bar and catering
• Set up and clean up

Cuisines

Riverbanks Zoo & Garden is a proud partner of SSA Group, LLC, the event caterer based on the zoo premises. SSA’s executive head chef, Andrew Humphreys, customizes menus and creates new dishes exclusively for events. SSA supports sustainability, helps local farmers, and showcases a variety of different cuisine options. The caterer offers couples the following serving-style options:

• Buffet
• Hors-d’oeuvres
• Plated dinners
• Stations
• Cocktail receptions
• Family-style