Have you ever bought a ticket to something, only to show up and realize it’s not quite like you expected?
This is a feeling that happens to everyone. Many an attendee of Burning Man has complained about this very phenomenon; while they expected an oasis in the desert, what they got instead was a muddy wasteland with a 19-hour exit wait time.
But you don’t need to go all the way out to the desert to be hit with a nice wave of disappointment. Instead, you can go to your local zoo.
According to TikTok user John Cannon (@peakabooitsmejohn), he recently went to the zoo with his family after hearing about new renovations. Now, he’s questioning whether it was worth the time or the effort.
What’s Wrong With The Jacksonville Zoo?
In a video with over 336,000 views, Cannon explains that he recently decided to listen to advertisements boasting about the “new” Jacksonville Zoo and actually take his family to see the park.
As his family has two six-year-olds, a two-year-old, his wife, and himself, his ticket purchase amounted to around $200; the two-year-old was able to enter for free.
“First red flag,” he starts. “But I said, cool, whatever. They got the new manatee exhibit. Gonna go look at the manatees. The park is fully open.”
When they actually arrived, however, they realized that getting into the park was going to be harder than they had imagined.
“The line to the zoo is backed up off of the highway,” Cannon recalls. “I said, ‘Oh my god, it’s about to be nuts up in here.’ That s— was like Disney World.”
Even after getting through the long line of cars, Cannon was shocked to see that there was a long line to enter the park as well. Thankfully, Cannon says his online tickets allowed him to skip this line, which was for people who had not purchased tickets. However, the issues didn’t stop there.
Things Get Worse
After entering the zoo, Cannon realized that, to his dismay, not much had changed.
“That s— is the regular Jacksonville [zoo],” he starts. While he says it’s “a little cleaner now,” owing to the clean feeling to the presence of numerous cleaning staff, he says that most of the exhibits remained the same.
“That manatee exhibit right there in the front—most boring animals on earth,” Cannon details. Claiming he used to see manatees “all the time,” he calls the animal “a sea cow.”
“They just sit there, look stupid float. And that’s it,” he summarizes.
Apart from that, Cannon says the majority of the changes to the zoo were aesthetic. He claims the zoo has a new logo that makes it appear more “scientific,” but apart from that and other small details, the zoo felt similar to how it used to be.
“I just paid $200 to go on a little hike,” Cannon concludes. “The dipping dots were good. The pretzels were hot—with the hot thing of melted cheese on the side? That was delicious. Other than that, though, waste of money.”
What Are The Changes To The Jacksonville Zoo?
The Jacksonville Zoo has recently undergone significant changes. According to Jacksonville Today, these improvements include not only the manatee exhibit discussed by Cannon, but a new entryway and pathway through the zoo as well. The total cost of these improvements was around $72 million.
There are a few reasons why these developments took place. For example, one of the priorities of the development was a new walkway. This is because visitors found that, in the old park, they would need to frequently backtrack to see all the exhibits.
With the new walkway, News 4 JAX reports, visitors can see the entire park in one continuous loop. Although there may not be many new exhibits visible in this loop, the overall park experience is improved.
To reflect new developments, the zoo changed its name and branding in May 2025. It used to be the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens; now, it’s the Jacksonville Zoo and Botanical Gardens.
On the zoo’s website, it lists the various projects it has recently completed and the ones that are still underway. Upcoming projects include improvements to signage and the installation of sustainable eucalyptus fencing.
Commenters Are Mixed
In the comments section, some users shared the TikToker’s disappointment in the new park.
“I live in Jacksonville and you cant pay me to go to the zoo!” a user exclaimed.
“I just went Friday I ain’t see nothing new I must have walked passed it! Cause huhhhhh,” another added.
“Today’s Jacksonville Zoo is exactly the same as it was 40 years ago. It absolutely sucks for the $40 price tag. NOT WORTH IT!!!!” a third said.
However, others countered that the zoo was still worth it, especially if one plans carefully.
“Guys the zoo tickets are not $200….. theyre $42 at the most. but if you buy them in advance its $32-$36 per ticket. maybe the grand opening event thing was that much but that’s not typical,” a user revealed. “Also an annual pass that includes special events and stuff is $75 which is pretty worth it to find stuff in jax to do for free and get free stuff from the events.”
BroBible reached out to the Jacksonville Zoo via email and Cannon via email and Facebook direct message.