Central Coast Zoo

Central Coast Zoo AZA accredited zoo and wildlife conservation organization connecting people and animals in California’s beautiful Central Coast! We hope to see you soon!
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The Central Coast Zoo (formerly Charles Paddock Zoo) is home to about a hundred species of animals found around the world, where they live in our beautiful, wooded Lake Park in Atascadero, California. We are the only zoo in the Central Coast accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), the gold standard for zoos ensuring the highest level of animal welfare. As part of AZA, our animal

s are part of globally managed conservation programs to preserve species and their wild habitats. We hope you will come and relax, learn, and enjoy our animals in a safe and respectful environment, and have fun in our beautiful Atascadero Lake Park with play equipment, lawns, walking pathways, and seasonal paddleboat rentals.

Happy World Anteater Day!Today, we’re celebrating Guapo, our incredible Giant Anteater! Visit the Zoo this Saturday for ...
11/19/2025

Happy World Anteater Day!
Today, we’re celebrating Guapo, our incredible Giant Anteater! Visit the Zoo this Saturday for special Anteater Keeper Talks.

Giant Anteaters are the largest of the four anteater species, all native to Central and South America, known for their long, sticky tongues that can flick up to 150 times per minute to gather ants and termites. To find food they use their incredible sense of smell that is almost 40 times more powerful than ours!
Wild populations are classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN, with numbers declining due to habitat loss from human expansion.
By learning more about species like Guapo, we can better understand the importance of protecting their natural habitats and supporting conservation efforts.

Let’s work together to ensure a future for anteaters in the wild!

♻️ Happy America Recycles Day! ♻️Today we’re celebrating the power of recycling and reducing waste. Our zoo animals and ...
11/15/2025

♻️ Happy America Recycles Day! ♻️

Today we’re celebrating the power of recycling and reducing waste. Our zoo animals and learners take steps to reduce waste by finding creative ways to reuse items before they move on to proper disposal!

Let’s all do our part by following the 3 Golden Rules of Recycling:
1️⃣ Recycle right - Only recycle items your waste management accepts
2️⃣ Keep it clean – No food or liquids in the bin
3️⃣ No bags – No loose plastic bags, and don’t bag your recyclables

Small actions make a big impact. Let’s keep our planet healthy!

11/15/2025

Shelby, the fossa, enjoys the comfortable parts of life. Fossas are cathemeral, meaning they are active at any time of day or night, and sleep when they want to.

Visit Shelby this weekend at the Zoo from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. to see what she chooses to do with her day!

We have been nominated for Best of the Central Coast! Please vote every day through November 15 - we are in the Stay an...
11/10/2025

We have been nominated for Best of the Central Coast! Please vote every day through November 15 - we are in the Stay and Play Family Attraction and Attraction categories. Just click here 👇

https://www.votecentralcoast.com/

Thank you!


11/07/2025

Hang in there! The weekend is almost here! Come see what the mongoose lemur family is up to.
Binturong Keeper Talk at 11 a.m.
Spider Monkey Keeper Talk at 2 p.m.
Keep an eye out for special animal encounters.

Ribbon Cutting Celebration Alert! ❄️ Yesterday, we celebrated an exciting upgrade at the zoo — a brand new refrigerator ...
11/07/2025

Ribbon Cutting Celebration Alert! ❄️

Yesterday, we celebrated an exciting upgrade at the zoo — a brand new refrigerator and freezer that will help store essential food for our animal residents!

This project was made possible through the incredible teamwork between the Friends of the Zoo and the City of Atascadero, with local business Loomis Refrigeration providing the specialized units. In addition, Idler’s Home generously donated an extra freezer to support our annual Ice Cream Zoofari event! 🍦

Mayor Charles Bourbeau and Dr. Cynthia Stringfield shared highlights of the project during the ribbon cutting, joined by Mayor Pro Tem Mark Dariz, Council Member Susan Funk, Friends of the Zoo Board Members, Don and Jennifer Idler, and Eric Daniels from PG&E, a dedicated supporter who helped make this project a success.

👏 A huge thank you to everyone who contributed their time, resources, and community spirit to help the zoo thrive!

Thank you to those who shared Dia de los Mu***os with us on Saturday! We celebrated life and this holiday's powerful con...
11/06/2025

Thank you to those who shared Dia de los Mu***os with us on Saturday! We celebrated life and this holiday's powerful connections to nature with the fabulous dancers from Ballet Folklorico Flor De Luna, our Mexican spider monkeys, and the UC Master Gardeners of SLO County. A big thank you to our sponsors, First 5 SLO and the Central Coast Physician's Network, for supporting this first-time event at the zoo!
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It's the end of daylight savings and the red pandas are enjoying the extra hour of sleep this morning. Their main respon...
11/02/2025

It's the end of daylight savings and the red pandas are enjoying the extra hour of sleep this morning. Their main responsibilities are eating bamboo and napping to help digest the bamboo, so they don't mind shifting their schedule by an hour. Come catch them asleep today from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Happy Halloween and thank you to everyone who came to Zoo Boo this year! Our costume winners for both nights have been n...
10/31/2025

Happy Halloween and thank you to everyone who came to Zoo Boo this year! Our costume winners for both nights have been notified! A special thanks to our sponsors for this favorite event, Pure Pediatric Dentistry, First 5 and MGP Coatings.
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10/31/2025

Happy World Lemur Day! Help us celebrate with the mongoose lemurs today at 11am. Watch the lemurs enjoy enrichment and chat with their keepers.

Did you know that there are over 100 species of lemurs, all native to the island of Madagascar, and 98% are threatened with extinction? We are proud that two species call the Central Coast Zoo home, ring-tailed and mongoose lemurs.

10/26/2025

Pumpkin Smash is today from 10-1!

Tonight is the last day of Zoo Boo. Come see your favorite animals and play some fun games for treats! The fun starts at...
10/25/2025

Tonight is the last day of Zoo Boo. Come see your favorite animals and play some fun games for treats! The fun starts at 4:30!

Address

9100 Morro Road
Atascadero, CA
93422

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 4pm
Thursday 10am - 4pm
Friday 10am - 4pm
Saturday 10am - 4pm
Sunday 10am - 4pm

Telephone

(805) 461-5080

Website

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Our Story

The Charles Paddock Zoo is the ONLY Zoo on the Central Coast and is home to hundreds of species from all over the world. We have numerous animals that are part of globally managed programs to preserve animals and their habitats. If you want to engage with some of the rarest animals in the world in a safe and respectful environment then visit us often!

Zoo admission prices are $7.00 for adults 12 and over, $6.00 for seniors 65 and older, $5.00 for children 3-11 years old. Children 2 and under are free.

The Zoo is owned and operated by the City of Atascadero and is located 1 mile west of Hwy 101 on Hwy 41(Morro Road) nestled in the Atascadero Lake Park.