THE STEWARD · VISIT NOTES
IllumiNights at Zoo Atlanta
Prepared 2026-10-16 · Atlanta
Date, admission and booking
2026-11-21–2027-01-17; check operating dates
5:30–9:30 p.m. on operating nights; final entry 8 p.m. Eastern.
Atlanta-area event times are Eastern. Check the chosen performance and your journey home.
Cost: Separate evening admission; current all-in operator price unconfirmed. Tourism listing advertises $20.99 and up. Cherokee Avenue parking $6; food extra.
Suitable for: Family outing; check child-ticket age bands in selected-night checkout.
Find the right entrance
Navigate to the zoo’s Cherokee Avenue visitor address. The Boulevard garage is a parking destination, not a second promised IllumiNights admission gate.
Zoo visitor arrival / Cherokee lot
800 Cherokee Avenue SE, Atlanta, GA 30315
Directions in Google Maps · Apple Maps
Grant Park Gateway parking
759 Boulevard SE, Atlanta, GA 30312
Directions in Google Maps · Apple Maps
Parking, access and practical needs
Cherokee Avenue lot is at 800 Cherokee Avenue SE; the event FAQ lists $6. Grant Park Gateway is at 759 Boulevard SE; take its ticket with you for the pay-on-foot machines and check that facility’s price.
The zoo warns that transit routes have changed. Use MARTA’s current trip planner for the Cherokee Avenue address and check evening return service. Official journey planner
Mobility rentals are just inside the front entrance at the stores; they cannot be reserved. Confirm evening availability. Ask staff about sensory resources and facilities open along the lantern route.
Bags may be inspected. Leave glass containers and folding chairs at home. The daytime zoo map can help orient you, but not every habitat, café or nursing station is necessarily open for the evening event.