Hiya!
This post is about my 2026 visit to Potawatomi Zoo, located in South Bend, Indiana. South Bend is 2.5 hours north of Indianapolis and is near the border to Michigan. It is best known for being the home of the University of Notre Dame. In the past few years it was also in the news since Pete Buttigieg, the former Secretary of Transportation (2021 - 2024) was the mayor of South Bend (2012 - 2020).
If you are interested in other tourist sites in Indiana you should also check out:
G1: Fort Wayne Zoo
G2: Potawatomi Zoo (this post)
along with my backlog which includes:
All of the pictures in this post were taken by me except for the map of the zoo. If you want to use any of my photos, please contact me to first obtain permission.
POTAWATOMI ZOO
500 S. Greenlawn Ave
South Bend, IN 46615
Website: https://potawatomizoo.org/
Hours:
Spring Hours: 10 AM – 5 PM
Last entry 4:30 PM
June 1 – August 31: 10 AM – 7 PM
Last entry 6 PM
Fall Hours: 10 AM – 5 PM
Last entry 4:30 PM
Cost (as of 2026):
$16 General admission for ages 15 - 61.
$14 General admission for children 3 - 14 and adults 62+.
FREE General admission for Zoo Members & children 2 years and under.
Free admission on Children's Day to children 14 years and under.
Parking is free.
Potawatomi Zoo participates in the AZA Reciprocity program at the 50% rate. Members of all other participating zoos (whether those zoos participate at 50% or 100%) get 50% off the admission rate at Potawatomi Zoo. And Potawatomi Zoo members get 50% off the admission of all participating zoos (regardless of whether that zoo participates at 50% or 100%).
Since I was a member of Buttonwood Park Zoo, I got 50% off admission so I only had to pay $8 instead of the full $16.
Estimated Time: 2 hours
You can easily get through the medium-sized zoo in 2 hours. I spent 2.5 hours because I stayed for the Andean Bear Keeper Chat and circled back to visit the red pandas an additional time and to see some animals (e.g. snow leopard) that I missed on my first trip through.
SUMMARY
Potawatomi Zoo is a medium-size zoo in South Bend, IN. I would rate it as an average, reasonably priced, 2-star zoo of which the main attractions are the red pandas and Andean bears. There is also a really good Learning Center tucked away near the entrance with a lot of cute critters (sand cats, fennec foxes, two-toed sloth).
The zoo holds two different Keeper Chats a day, which vary depending on the day of the week:
I attended the Andean Bear Chat, which was educational - the keeper talked about the history of the various 3 Andean bears and their habits. Despite spending 2.5 hours at the zoo, there wasn't enough content to keep me around until the second Keeper Chat of the day.
I was able to see most of the animals on the zoo map. It was apparently too cold for the scarlet macaws, okapi, Chacoan peccaries, North American river otters, and Southern ground hornbill. The zoo's website also shows a red fox, Northern tree shrew, and common genet but I wasn't able to find them. Also absent were many of the animal ambassadors such as the sugar glider, Southern tamandua, three-banded armadillo, lesser hedgehog tenrec, striped skunk, and chinchilla. I got to the zoo early enough to see the red pandas while they were active - they spent the rest of the day sleeping. The lions and snow leopard were also sleeping when I saw them.
Like many other zoos, Potawatomi Zoo has a display of Chinese lanterns from Tianyu Arts & Culture for their Zoo Luminate event. There was a strong aquatic theme for many of their lanterns. While most of the lanterns were fairly average, the most notable ones were a giant blue anglerfish and a blue dragon.
Comparing Potawatomi Zoo to other zoos:
5 stars:
4 stars:
3 stars:
2 stars:
1 star:
RED PANDAS
Himalayan Red Panda
Ailurus fulgens fulgens
Potawatomi Zoo has two red pandas on display along with a muntjac. The red pandas are Raya, a 5 year old female born at this zoo, and EJ, a relatively new addition who was selected as a mate for Raya by the Red Panda Species Survival Plan. It sounds like Raya's parents (Justin and Maiya) may still be present at the zoo but off-exhibit. Maya's sister Sisu is now at Zoo Knoxville, which I visited recently. In fact, I saw Sisu along with one of her 1 year-old cubs!
Reeves’s Muntjac
Muntiacus reevesi
KITTIES
Sand Cat
Felis margarita
(Located in the Learning Center)
Amur Tiger
Panthera tigris altaica
(Located in Asia)
Amur Leopard
Panthera pardus orientalis
(Located in Africa)
Bobcat
Lynx rufus
(Located in the Americas)
African Lion
Panthera leo
(Located in Africa)
Snow Leopard
Uncia uncia
(Located in the Africa section even though the animal is really found in Asia)
BEARS
Andean Bear
Tremarctos ornatus
(Located in the Americas)
Potawatomi Zoo is home to 3 Andean bears. Muniri is an older (11 years old) bear, while Ian and Sean are a pair of brothers (4 years old) who came to the zoo two years ago. Historically, the zoo has kept Muniri apart from the brothers since Andean bears are normally solitary but recently, they have started to try introducing the bears to each other. On my visit I only saw Muniri.
AUSTRALIA
Western Grey Kangaroo
Macropus fuliginosus
Emu
Dromaius novaehollandiae
Laughing Kookaburra
Dacelo novaeguineae
Red-Billed Blue Magpie
Urocissa erythroryncha
(Located in Australia section even though the animal is really found in Asia)
AMERICAS
Giant Anteater
Myrmecophaga tridactyla
Capybara
Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris
Black-Tailed Prairie Dog
Cynomys ludovicianus
Black Howler Monkey
Alouatta caraya
Squirrel Monkey
Saimiri sciureus
American Bison
Bison bison
Southern Screamer
Chauna torquata
American Flamingo
Phoenicopterus ruber
Turkey Vulture
Cathartes aura
Galapagos Tortoise
Chelonoidis niger
American Alligator
Alligator mississippiensis
AFRICA
Masai Giraffe
Giraffa camelopardalis tippelskirchi
Plains Zebra
Equus burchellii boehmi
Red River Hog
Potamochoerus porcus
African Painted Dog
Lycaon pictus
Greater Kudu
Tragelaphus strepsiceros
Black and White Colobus Monkey
Colobus guereza
Diana Monkey
Cercopithecus diana
Ring-Tailed Lemur
Lemur catta
Ostrich
Struthio camelus
Saddle-Billed Stork
Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis
Fish in a feeding frenzy
ASIA
Southern White Rhinoceros
Ceratotherium simum simum
Sichuan Takin
Budorcas taxicolor tibetana
Common Peafowl
Pavo cristatus
Koi fish
LEARNING CENTER
Fennec Fox
Fennecus zerda
Two-Toed Sloth
Choloepus didactylus
Banded Mongoose
Mungos mungo
White-Faced Saki
Pithecia pithecia
White-Fronted Marmoset / Geoffroy's Marmoset
Callithrix geoffroyi
Golden Lion Tamarin
Leontopithecus rosalia
Sunbittern
Eurypyga helias
Axolotl
Ambystoma mexicanum
Red-tailed Boa
Boa constrictor
Northern Blue-Tongued Skink
Tiliqua scincoides
Tokay Gecko
Gekko gecko
Radiated Tortoise
Geochelone radiata
Veiled Chameleon
Chamaeleo calyptratus
Waxy Monkey Tree Frog
Phyllomedusa sauvagii (information) or Phyllomedusa bicolor (website)
Frilled Lizard
Chlamydosaurus kingii
Prehensile-Tailed Skink
Corucia zebrata
Emerald Tree Boa
Corallus caninus
Madagascar Hissing Cockroach
Gromphadorhina portentosa
ZOO FARM
Miniature Donkey
Equus asinus
Jersey Cow
Bos taurus
Goats (Nubian, Nigerian Dwarf, and Lamancha)
Capra hircus
Alpaca
Vicugna pacos
North American Porcupine
Erethizon dorsatum
Zoo Luminate
OTHER
Restroom Doors
Carousel
Train
Scarlet macaw mural
Lion Sculpture
Ryan & Erin Harding
In recognition of their roaring dedication to the Zoo's Lion Pride
December 2022
Giraffe Mother & Calf Sculpture
Joyce Newton's Dream
"A mother's love for her child is incomparable. It knows no boundaries or laws. It dares to go against everything that is in its path."
Tortoise Sculpture
GIFT SHOP
Giant Wild Republic Red Panda Plush
$79.99
Wild Republic Red Panda Tummykins Plush
$25.99
Assorted Red Panda Plushes
Petting Zoo Red Panda Squishiez
$7.99
Red Panda Pajamas
Wild Republic Andean Bear Plush
Giant Petting Zoo Axolotl Plush
$59.99
Fennec Fox and Capybara Plushes
Capybara Plushes and Shirts
Assorted Aurora, Wild Republic, and Petting Zoo Plushes
