Reserve an open-air pavilion with picnic tables for up to 32 guests
1 Hour & 45 Minute Rental
Up to 32 people
Pavilion rental, picnic tables
Reserve Poppie’s Pavilion at Exotic Resort Zoo for your party, picnic, or private get-together. Set up right in front of the gift shop, it’s an easy spot to gather your group.
Balloons are not allowed for the animal’s safety. Zoo admission is not included with the pavilion rental.
Move or cancel up to the day before your reservation for a full refund. Cancel within 24 hours and you will not receive a refund.
No. Zoo admission is not included with your pavilion rental, so plan to add admission per person if your group wants to join a Guided Tour or Drive-Thru.
No. Renting the pavilion does not make your Guided Tour private. There may be additional guests on the tour with you.
Yes. You can bring supplies to customize your get-together, but balloons are not allowed for the animals’ safety.
Exotic Resort Zoo, Inc. • 235 Zoo Trail Johnson City, Texas 78636
This Texas Hill Country safari experience earns consistently glowing praise across generations, with reviewers ranging from toddlers to an 86-year-old grandmother all walking away with big smiles. The tractor-guided tours are a clear crowd favorite, giving visitors close-up encounters with giraffes, zebras, bison, camels, capybaras, kangaroos, and more while knowledgeable guides share fascinating facts along the way. Staff like Addy get called out by name for being warm and passionate, and the facility itself is noted for being clean and well-maintained. One practical tip that almost every visitor echoes: buy more animal feed than you think you need. Nearly everyone wishes they had grabbed extra buckets. There is one recurring concern worth knowing about, the zoo's single giraffe, with at least one visitor feeling the animal appeared isolated and understimulated. It comes up occasionally enough that animal-sensitive travelers may want to keep it in mind when deciding. For most people though, this place delivers something genuinely different from a traditional zoo. The open setting, the hands-on feeding, and the sheer variety of animals make it a memorable outing, and plenty of visitors mention wanting to come back. If getting close to exotic wildlife in a relaxed, unhurried environment sounds appealing, this one is hard to beat.
This place is awesome!! They have 2 petting area and they also have capybara to feed. We also did the giraffe encounter and that was really nice my kids enjoyed it. We did the drive through and every animal they have came up to our vehicle. We have been to other exotic resort and so far this one has been the best experience!
Christina Garcia
July 3, 2026
This place is awesome!! They have 2 petting area and they also have capybara to feed. We also did the giraffe encounter and that was really nice my kids enjoyed it. We did the drive through and every animal they have came up to our vehicle. We have been to other exotic resort and so far this one has been the best experience!
Christina Garcia
July 3, 2026
Meet hundreds of animals on an hour-long guided ride with petting zoo access
Drive your vehicle through a safari and feed animals with gift shop food
Book a private tractor-trailer guided tour for your group
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Tour the distillery, then taste four Hye Reserve bourbons
Tour Garrison Brothers and see how Texas bourbon goes from grain to glass