New Partnership Provides Seamless Way To Travel To Central Florida Zoo

Starting June 1, animal lovers will have a new way to visit the Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens throughout the summer with “Choo Choo to the Zoo.”
SunRail, the Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens, the City of Sanford and the Sanford Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) have partnered to offer a seamless transit experience to and from the Sanford SunRail station, the Zoo, and Historic Downtown Sanford.
Guests simply need to board SunRail and take the train to the Sanford station. Once there, they will find a free, “Choo Choo to the Zoo”-themed shuttle waiting to transport them to the front gate of the Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens in less than 15 minutes. The shuttle then makes a second stop at the Welcome Center on First Street in Historic Downtown Sanford. Return shuttle times will be timed with scheduled SunRail departures from the Sanford station and posted for customers at the drop off areas at the Zoo and the Downtown Welcome Center.
The pilot Zoo shuttle program will operate from June 1 to September 1, 2017. Also during this time, Zoo attendees can show their SunRail ticket to receive 20 percent off their admission to the Zoo.  A video of the experience can be found here.
“We are excited to give our leisure riders more reasons to experience summer on SunRail and to work with these partners to provide our commuter train as a means of accessing more of the great amenities and destinations in Central Florida,” said SunRail CEO Nicola Liquori.
“The Sanford CRA has made a commitment to providing free transportation from the trains to the City,” said Charles Davis, Chairman of the Sanford CRA Board. “We believe this partnership with the Zoo and SunRail will enhance the downtown Sanford experience. It’s time residents get reacquainted with all Sanford has to offer.”
“The Choo Choo to the Zoo” will allow SunRail riders a convenient and comfortable way to visit the Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens while extending the reach of our educational message throughout the Central Florida region,” stated Dr. Philip Flynn III, CEO of the Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens. “As we prepare to open the Bear Awareness Exhibit and Florida Black Bear Habitat this summer, we welcome the opportunity for families to visit two destinations, the City of Sanford and the Zoo, in a single day.”
Media members are invited to the Sanford SunRail station or the Central Florida Zoo for media day on Friday, June 2. The first “Choo Choo to the Zoo” pick-up is 10:00 am at the Sanford SunRail Station to meet trains arriving at 10:06am and 10:10am. Delivery of riders to the Zoo’s front gate is at 10:25am.
For train times and additional information about “Choo Choo to the Zoo”, visit SunRail.com.