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DonateThe 2025 Virginia Zoo Gift Guide
Gifts that give back this holiday season
This holiday season is the perfect opportunity to give to your loved ones while also giving back to wildlife and your local community! Check out some of our featured gifts below!
The Virginia Zoo will be closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, but our gift shop will be open for shopping until 4 p.m. on December 23. Digital items like gift cards, gift tickets, gift memberships, behind-the-scenes tours can be purchased anytime and will be delivered via email.
Animal Enrichment
Looking to give a Zoo animal a gift for the holidays? Our animals have a list! Our zoo keepers have compiled an Amazon wishlist of enrichment items for all the animals at the Zoo. This list includes items ranging from maracas for our white-faced saki monkeys, to cologne for our lions! Enrichment is a crucial part of animal wellbeing, and your contribution to this list will only add to the exceptional care they receive.
Don’t see any item you like on the wishlist?
Donate to the Virginia Zoo’s Keeper Fund that provides continuing education opportunities for our keepers as well as allows them to supply new enrichment items and supplies to our animals.
Safari Camps
Give the gift of inspiration to the next generation of wildlife conservationists! There’s always something new to learn at the Zoo; our Safari camps offer ed-ZOO-cation for different ages all year round, including Winter, Spring, and Summer Break camps. Spring Break Camp registration opens December 3rd for members and December 10th for non-members. Learn more info here. $325+
Looking to share conservation education in another way?
Donate to the Virginia Zoo’s EdZoocation Fund which supports programs that educate zoo guests and members of our community about our world and its fantastic animals.
Virginia Zoo Membership
Members get more all year, and the holiday season is the perfect time to share that with someone special! From discounted events and education programs to membership swaps with other local museums and cultural institutions, there are so many perks they won’t want to miss. Plus, $6 from each membership purchased goes towards the Virginia Zoo’s Conservation Fund, meaning every membership benefits the conservation of wild animals in wild places! $79+
Not planning on visiting the Zoo but want to give to conservation?
Donate to the Virginia Zoo’s Act for Wildlife Conservation Fund which supports local and global conservation efforts for threatened species.
Behind-the-Scenes Tours
Give the gift of a unique experience this holiday season by purchasing a Behind-the-Scenes tour! We offer tours with our Aldabra tortoises, birds of prey, Eastern mountain bongo, Malayan tapirs, Masai giraffes, moon bear, two-toed sloth, Animal Ambassadors, Southern white rhinos, and more. Virginia Zoo Members even get an exclusive discount on these tours! Plus, proceeds from all tours go directly into our Keeper Fund, benefitting the animals you meet on your your and the keepers that care for them everyday. $50+
Zoodoptions
Bring your favorite Virginia Zoo animal home this holiday season with a Zoodoption! This gift allows you to symbolically adopt any Zoo animal and learn more about their species. With a variety of physical and digital adoption packages and over 150 species to choose from, this gift is sure to delight any member of your herd this holiday season! And you’ll know you’re making an impact because a portion of every Zoodoption supports the Virginia Zoo’s Conservation Fund and Keeper Fund helping animals at the Zoo and around the globe. Zoodoptions are available for purchase in our Membership Office or online. $25+
Zoodoptions must be purchased by 4 p.m. 12/15 to shop in time for Christmas. All Zoodoption orders placed after 12/15 can be picked up in the Zoo’s membership office until 4 p.m. on 12/23.
Bird-Friendly Coffee
Your daily dose of caffeine is typically grown in mountainous tropical rainforest environments that house high biodiversity of birds. Purchasing certified bird-friendly coffee is one way to protect these amazing avian species and their habitats. Bird-friendly coffee beans are grown in agroforests, or farms with a mixture of coffee shrubs and different types of trees, mimicking the birds’ natural habitats by providing canopy cover. Shade-grown beans also do not require nearly as many harmful pesticides to grow!
Care about the natural world but not a coffee drinker?
Donate to the Virginia Zoo’s Horticulture Fund which support projects that make the zoo grounds beautiful and feed the animals.
Locally Sourced Gift Shop Items
Cut down your carbon footprint by shopping local! Our Gift Shop sources several items from local small businesses, including nature-themed cross-stitch kits, Zoo exclusive scented candles, crocheted plushies, and more Stop in and see what you can find during your next visit! $12+
2026 Virginia Zoo Calendar
Make every day wild with a special 125th anniversary edition Zoo calendar! Plan your days while learning fun facts about our animals and the history of the Virginia Zoo! This wall calendar is complete with fan photos and over $20 worth of coupons. $5+
Gift Tickets
Looking to give a trip to the Zoo? These tickets are valid for 365 days from purchase and can be used for general admission.
Gift Cards
Can’t decide what to get? Purchase a Zoo gift card below or in the gift shop, and let your loved one shop for their favorite items! Gift cards are redeemable at the gift shop, restaurants or for a membership. Gift cards cannot be used toward Zoo admission.
Give the gift of giving back to the Virginia Zoo
A donation to the Virginia Zoo’s Zoo Fund makes a direct impact on everything we do here. From funding daily operations and education to providing exceptional animal care, your donation to the Zoo Fund furthers our mission of education, conservation, and recreation in Hampton Roads and beyond!
Your generosity creates experiences that bond families, inspire students, advance conservation around the world, and spark a lifelong appreciation for the animals we all love. Make a difference this holiday season by donating today!