Riverbanks Zoo and Garden is one of the most successful mid-sized zoos in the United States, the most visited zoo in the southeast, and South Carolina's largest gated tourist attraction, welcoming more than one million guests annually and supported by a private, nonprofit organization of more than 40,000 member households. For over five decades, Riverbanks has connected individuals, families, and school children with the natural world and has received numerous honors and awards for exhibit design, animal care, and conservation programs. In the early 1960s, a group of local businessmen initiated the concept of a small community zoo. Known as the Columbia Zoo, the proposed facility was designed exclusively as a children’s zoo with a nursery rhyme theme. Funding restraints and other problems doomed the initial effort, but the concept of a zoo for the Midlands of South Carolina persisted.
In 1969, the South Carolina General Assembly created the Rich-Lex Riverbanks Parks Special Purpose District, the legal and governing authority for what was ultimately to become Riverbanks Zoo and Garden. The seven-member Riverbanks Park Commission was established as the district’s governing authority.
By creating Riverbanks as a Special Purpose District, the state legislature significantly expanded the Zoo’s support base. Richland and Lexington counties joined the city of Columbia as full partners in the budding Riverbanks project. Each of the three political entities appointed two members to the Commission, with the seventh appointed at-large. Approximately 100 acres of land on both sides of the Lower Saluda River and just outside of the city proper were leased to the commission by South Carolina Electric and Gas (SCE&G) for 99 years at $1.00 per year.
Following five years of planning and construction, Riverbanks opened to the public on April 25, 1974. Notable features of the original Zoo design were the mountainous, moated exhibits for cats and bears (these remain a part of the Zoo's landscape today and can be seen immediately upon entering the parking area). Other major exhibits included two buildings with 21 individual exhibits for small mammals and a moated enclosure for giraffes and white rhinos. Perhaps the most striking architectural feature of the new Zoo was the 22,000-square-foot Ecosystem Birdhouse. Located in the heart of the Zoo, this building housed hundreds of birds in indoor and outdoor exhibits.
Early on, Zoo leaders and local government officials realized that Riverbanks would not be a self-supporting operation as originally intended. During the first two years of operation, the Zoo suffered financially as several attempts to secure adequate operating support failed. In the summer of 1976, Palmer “Satch” Krantz was hired as executive director. That decision, combined with a change in the makeup and philosophy of the Commission, led to a reassessment of the Zoo and its position in the community.
Armed with a renewed sense of purpose and spirit, the Zoo began to establish itself as a valuable community asset. In the fall of 1976, the Riverbanks Zoological Society was formed, giving citizens their first opportunity to actively show their support. Within three years, several thousand people had joined the Society, demonstrating to local government leaders that there was indeed strong grassroots support for the Zoo. Knowing they had the support of the community, local government leaders voted to begin funding the Zoo as a millage agency in 1980, effectively ending the financial crisis.
Several major accomplishments marked the early 1980s. Full-time staff positions in education, veterinary medicine, and marketing were established. The Society began using direct mail to sell memberships with astonishing results. In 1982, Riverbanks received the prestigious Edward H. Bean Award from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) for its black howler monkey breeding program, and in 1983, the Education Center (now known as the Discovery Center) opened, marking the first significant addition to the Zoo.
In 1986, the Commission and staff turned their attention to planning the first major expansion of the Zoo. Based on visitor surveys, industry trends and the need to correct problems from the initial construction, an aggressive expansion plan, known as Zoo II, was developed. As further evidence that tremendous strides had been made with government leaders, a $6.35 million bond issue was unanimously passed for Zoo II in 1987. Construction began soon thereafter on two major new exhibits and several visitor service amenities. When construction was finally completed in the fall of 1989, Riverbanks had changed from a small Zoo to one of significant size and importance.
Relocating and expanding the Zoo’s entrance to a more central location in the park was a key component of the Zoo II plan. Combined with a new gift shop, Riverbanks was better able to accommodate its rapidly growing audience. A new 200-seat restaurant, the Kenya Cafe, also was built, solving a problem that had long plagued the Zoo — the need for an adequate food service facility.
Riverbanks Farm, an interactive display of domestic animals exhibited in a contemporary farm setting, opened in 1988. The architectural design of the Farm’s barn was noted by the South Carolina chapter of the American Institute of Architects with an Award of Achievement.
Without question, the most successful element of the Zoo II plan was the Aquarium-Reptile Complex (ARC). The ARC combined two groups of animals — reptiles and fish — into one exhibit sequence. Starting in South Carolina, visitors are taken on an imaginary trip through a number of diverse habitats, from the desert to the tropics to the ocean. Along the way, animals native to those habitats are seen in naturalistic exhibits. The central element of the ARC is a 55,000-gallon Indo-Pacific coral reef tank.
The ARC’s impact on Riverbanks was dramatic. In 1990 more than one-million people visited the Zoo.
Immediately after completing Zoo II, the Commission and staff began to develop the next phase of the Riverbanks project — a formal botanical garden. Included in the Commission’s original lease from SCE&G was approximately 53 acres of land immediately across the Lower Saluda River from the Zoo. This incredible piece of property had been virtually unused for more than 100 years. The site presented the staff and designers with a number of challenges, such as a 100-foot rise in elevation from the river to the hilltop above. It was also heavily wooded with native hardwoods and pines, and large granite boulders litter the site. The property contains the stone ruins of one of South Carolina’s first textile mills and is the site where General Sherman's troops camped and shelled the city of Columbia prior to marching in and burning it during the Civil War.
Construction of Riverbanks Botanical Garden began in 1994 following the unanimous passage of a $6 million bond issue. The Garden opened on June 10, 1995, and is connected to the Zoo by an 800-foot-long bridge over the Lower Saluda River. The Garden included a 10,000-square-foot venue, a formal walled garden, an antique rose garden (now collection garden), a historical interpretive center, and a half-mile-long nature trail along the native forest and riverbank. Visitors could access the Garden by walking or taking a motorized tram.
In December 1997, the members of Lexington and Richland county councils approved the most ambitious bond issue in Riverbanks history to-date—$15 million. These funds were used for several improvements in the Zoo and Garden, known collectively as Zoo 2002. Among the enhancements was a new entrance to Riverbanks through the Botanical Garden, replacement of the Zoo’s original birdhouse, a new entry plaza, a new lemur island exhibit, new exhibits for elephants and gorillas, a new visitor service center (food, gift, and group assembly area) with an Africa theme, and a koala exhibit. These projects were constructed and completed over 3 years, between 1999 and 2002.
Riverbanks next broke ground on its largest development project yet in May of 2014. The $36-million expansion known as Destination Riverbanks would change the entire landscape of the Zoo and Garden. Projects opened in three phases. Phase one was completed in the summer of 2015. Highlights included two new animal habitats, Grizzly Ridge and Otter Run, an expanded entry plaza and ticketing facility, a state-of-the-art Guest Relations Center sponsored by SCE&G and a 4,500 square-foot gift shop. Waterfall Junction, a 3-acre children’s garden in the Botanical Garden, opened in April of 2016, completing phase two, while phase three came to fruition in June of 2016 with the opening of Sea Lion Landing. The stunning replica of San Francisco’s Pier 39 is home to California sea lions and harbor seals.
Following the Destination Riverbanks transformation, the Zoo and Garden boasted an all-time attendance record, welcoming 1,389,871 guests during the 2016–2017 fiscal year, surpassing the previous year's record by 108,960 guests. The record elevated Riverbanks to one of the largest zoos in the United States, based on attendance. Riding on the wave of success, President & CEO Krantz announced his retirement in January 2017 after 44 years of service. Following an extensive executive search, Thomas K. Stringfellow was named the next President & CEO in August.
Riverbanks continued to attract well over 1.2 million annually for the next several years. Plans to announce Riverbanks' next major project were halted by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Despite a forced closure for an unprecedented 68 days, Riverbanks pushed ahead with its newest vision for the future, Bridge to the Wild.
During the privately funded phase one, Riverbanks successfully opened a brand-new habitat for three Southern white rhinos in August 2020. Thanks to the largest gift in Riverbanks’ history, the reimagined and renovated Darnall W. and Susan F. Boyd Aquarium & Reptile Conservation Center (ARCC) opened in March 2023, with a focus on conservation at the forefront of the guest experience.
Simultaneously, two private legacy gifts allowed additional phase one projects to move forward. In 2024, the Lloyd S. and Doris N. Liles Komodo Crossing opened, providing much-needed space for a future family of dragons. The following year, construction began on the Jane B. Friedman Conservation Learning Center with an anticipated opening of 2026.
Richland and Lexington County Councils approved Riverbanks' largest bond request for $80 million in the fall of 2023. As design work for phase two of Bridge to the Wild was underway, Riverbanks opened Saluda Skyride in August 2025, an electric-powered aerial gondola, signaling a dramatic step forward in the $100 million expansion along the lower Saluda River. Highlights will bring animals to Riverbanks’ west “Garden-side” campus, including endangered and trafficked primates, red pandas, and tigers. Projects are slated for completion in 2028.
Decades from its rocky beginning, Riverbanks has established itself as the Capital City’s premier tourist destination and powerful economic driver for the entire state of South Carolina. With 170 acres of land on both sides of the Lower Saluda River, convenient highway access, and proximity to downtown Columbia, Riverbanks has demonstrated 50 years of growth and a commitment to conservation and education due to incredible community support and strategic management.
Accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), Riverbanks has been recognized by AZA with numerous awards, from its first Edward H. Bean Award for breeding black howler monkeys in 1992 to the AZA Sustainability Award for the Henkel’s leaf-tailed gecko in 2019. Over a span of 30 years, Riverbanks Conservation Support Fund (now the Satch Krantz Conservation Fund) has invested over $1.4 million for more than 300 wildlife conservation projects in nearly 40 countries.
Today, Riverbanks is consistently voted among the top 10 zoos in the U.S. by readers of Newsweek and USA TODAY’s 10Best, and has twice won the Travel Attraction of the Year award by the Southeast Tourism Society, as well as the Governor’s Cup by the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism as the state’s Most Outstanding Attraction. The Zoo and Garden also have been cited in several prestigious publications, including National Geographic and Horticulture magazines.