San Francisco Zoo

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San Francisco Wedding Location
One Zoo Road
San Francisco, CA 94132
Contact: Tastes of the Wild at the SF Zoo
Phone: 415/753-7236
www.sfzoo.org
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Why We Like This Place

Visions of children, giraffes and kettle corn spring to mind when most of us imagine a city zoo, and you’ll certainly find all these things here. But the San Francisco Zoo is not just a great hangout for kids and animals. Over the last few years, the 75-year-old, 100-acre zoological park has developed a reputation as a charming and upscale location for special events.

The exposed wooden beams and giant fireplace of the Great Hall in the Zoo’s Education Center make it an inviting place to host cocktails or a sit-down dinner with dancing. Rustic and natural, this vast room sports a neutral green-and-brown color scheme, and brass lamp fixtures along the walls in the shape of koala bears. Large pillars made of knotty logs hold up the high peaked ceiling, while several smoked-glass chandeliers light up the space. The adjacent patio, which wraps around the building, offers a relaxing taste of nature and doubles as a spot for a ceremony.

For a more fanciful cocktail reception or dessert buffet, couples often choose the historic Dentzel Carousel building. The round freestanding structure houses the recently restored Dentzel Carousel, a working merry-go-round with dozens of colorful hand-carved horses and a menagerie of other animals. Guests are encouraged to hop on and take a ride during an event, and the authentic calliope music adds to the whimsical atmosphere (you can also bring in your own CDs, if you prefer). As guests mingle "in the round," the Carousel makes a captivating focal point.

During evening events, the Carousel is often used in conjunction with the neighboring Leaping Lemur Café. This spacious octagonal restaurant echoes the lush park beyond with its raw beams and nature-based accents. Floor-to-ceiling windows showcase the greenery, as well as an exhibit featuring a colony of flamingos. The café tables used by the public during the day are replaced with more formal rounds, and it’s easy to play up the beauty of the place by bringing in linens and flowers.

If being in the great outdoors suits your fancy, the well-groomed grounds of the park provide a handful of spots to hold a daytime ceremony. The expansive Playfield Lawn, which stretches between the Children’s Zoo and playground, is wide open and bordered with trees and flowering bushes. At the Nyala Picnic Area, towering eucalyptus create a secluded grove for an intimate service. The Lorikeet Meadow Tent, a sizable peaked white tent, can accommodate a large group for either a sheltered ceremony or an informal picnic.

Would you like to socialize with some of the local residents? Request an "Animal Encounter," a unique program that lets you get up close and personal with a selection of wildlife. Trained staff will bring hawks, ferrets, snakes, baby alligators or other small critters to your celebration, giving your guests a chance to do something really "wild."

Whether or not you invite animals to your event, the San Francisco Zoo is an exotic and lively setting like no other. In fact, you may enjoy yourself so much during your party that you’ll want to come back with the kids to fully experience all the zoo has to offer. Besides the monkeys, lions and hippos, there’s the Lemur Forest, Penguin Island and the Gorilla Worldand you simply must check out the amazing new African Savanna habitat

Capacity

Ceremony

Reception/Special Events

Meetings

Max. Seated Indoors: 300
Max. Seated Outdoors: 3000

Max. Seated Indoors: 220
Max. Seated Outdoors: 320
Max. Standing Indoors: 300
Max. Standing Outdoors: 500

Max. Seated: 300

CEREMONY CAPACITY: The Zoo holds up to 300 guests seated indoors or up to 3,000 guest seated outdoors.

EVENT/RECEPTION CAPACITY: Indoors, the Zoo accommodates up to 220 seated or 300 standing guests; outdoors up to 320 seated or 500 standing guests.

MEETING CAPACITY: Meeting spaces hold up to 300 guests seated theater-style.

Fees & Deposits

50% of facility rental fee is the deposit required to reserve your date. The balance is due 5 days prior to event. Rental fees range $300–5,200 depending on space and time rented. Meals range $32.50–65/person. Tax, alcohol, and an 18% service charge are additional.

Availability

Year-round, daily, 8am–midnight.

Catering

Provided

Alcohol

Provided
BYO w/ Corkage Fee

Sites Uses

Ceremonies
Wedding Receptions
Special Events, Parties
Business Functions/Meetings
Rehearsal Dinners

Services/Amenities

Catering: provided
Parking: on street
Kitchen Facilities: fully equipped
Accommodations: no guestrooms
Tables & Chairs: some provided
Telephone: pay phones
Linens, Silver, etc.: CBA, extra charge
Outdoor Night Lighting: yes
Restrooms: wheelchair accessible
Outdoor Cooking Facilities: CBA
Dance Floor: yes
Cleanup: provided
Bride's & Groom's Dressing Area: CBA
View: landscaped grounds, park, garden
Meeting Equipment: CBA, extra charge

Amplified Music

Indoors

Wheelchair Access

Wheelchair Accessible

Site Views

Forest/Wooded Area
Garden
Garden Patio/Courtyard
Lagoon/Pond
Landscaped Grounds
Park

Site Type

Banquet/Events Facility
Other
Park

Restrictions

Alcohol: provided or BYO with corkage fee
Wheelchair Access: yes
Smoking: outdoors only
Insurance: not required
Music: amplified OK indoors
Other: no rice, birdseed, glitter, balloons or confetti

Contact: Tastes of the Wild at the SF Zoo
415/753-7236
www.sfzoo.org
Email or request a proposal for your event from San Francisco Zoo

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