Caribbean Gardens, Naples

The Naples Zoo isn’t big, but it does have some specialized exhibits you’re unlikely to see anywhere else. It’s also an economic reprieve from the pricey boutiques and restaurants downtown. There are 10 exhibits and shows, including a guided botanical tour and the Primate Expedition Cruise, a boat that passes by islands crowded with apes, monkeys and lemurs. Native animals including black bears and alligators share billing with less common sights such as kangaroos and wallabies and the fosa — a cat-like predator from Madagascar that’s not in any other zoo in the southeast. Hours are 9 am-5 pm (last ticket is sold at 4 pm), 363 days a year (it’s closed Thanksgiving and Christmas). Admission is $19.95 for adults 13-24; $18.95 for seniors 65 and older; $11.95 for children aged 3-12; and kids 2 and under get in free.

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