Powell, Ohio — Roadside Towing & Recovery Inc service area
Events & Places

Columbus Zoo Towing, Jump Starts and Lockouts in Powell

Stuck in the zoo or Zoombezi Bay lot after a long day? We send a jump, key help or a tow to Powell Road and Riverside Drive around the clock.

Call (740) 812-9489

This page covers Columbus Zoo towing and roadside help for anyone whose car won't cooperate at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium or next door at Zoombezi Bay. Both sit at 4850 W. Powell Road, where Powell Road meets Riverside Drive on the east bank of the O'Shaughnessy Reservoir in Liberty Township, just outside Powell. A summer afternoon at the water park or a cold December night at Wildlights can end with a battery that gave up, keys sitting on the driver's seat, or a tire that went soft somewhere in the lot. Roadside Towing & Recovery Inc runs a 24/7 dispatch line at (740) 812-9489. We are an independent Columbus towing company, so we work from your description of where the car is parked, and we bring a jump, a lockout kit, a spare-tire change or a truck to haul the car to your shop or driveway.

Call (740) 812-9489 · Request a tow now (SOS) · Get an online quote

Why cars quit in the zoo lot

The zoo draws more than two million guests a year, and most of them arrive by car and park in one large surface lot shared with the water park. That volume shapes the problems we see. Families leave dome lights on or a phone charger plugged in for six hours, and the battery is flat by closing time. Summer heat pushes older batteries past their limit, while the cold evenings of Wildlights do the same thing from the other direction. Lockouts cluster at Zoombezi Bay, where swimmers stash keys in a bag, then set the bag in the trunk.

Because the zoo itself asks guests not to park along the approach roads, a stalled car on Riverside Drive or Powell Road outside the lot is also a common call, and a tow is usually the safest fix there.

  • Dead battery after a full day with accessories running
  • Keys locked in the car or trunk at the water park
  • Flat tire found at the end of the day
  • Breakdown on Riverside Drive or Powell Road while leaving

Telling our dispatcher where you are

The lot is wide and the rows look alike, so a few details save real time. Tell us whether you parked closer to the zoo entrance or the Zoombezi Bay gate, and read off any row marker or light-pole sign near the car. Mention the color, make and model, and whether the car is nose-in against a curb or another vehicle, since that decides whether a jump pack reaches the battery or the car has to be pulled out first.

If you are already out on the road, give us the direction of travel and the nearest cross street, such as Riverside Drive near the Powell Road light or Powell Road heading east toward Sawmill. Stay with the car if it is safe, keep the hazards on, and keep your phone charged, which the zoo itself recommends for the drive home.

What we bring and what it costs

For a dead battery we perform a jump start and run a battery test that prints a report, so you know whether the battery is actually failing. If it is, we can do a battery replacement right in the parking space. A lockout or a spare-tire change is handled the same way, without moving the car.

Pricing follows our published rate card: jump starts, lockouts and tire changes are a flat $75 plus en-route at $4 per mile from our yard. If the car needs a tow, it is $4 a mile en-route, a $125 hook-up and $7 per loaded mile, with the listed surcharges for highway, after-hours, weekend or large-vehicle calls. Electric cars are always towed with all four wheels off the ground, and a dead EV gets a 12-volt jump first so it can enter transport mode; see EV and Tesla towing.

Timing around summer crowds and Wildlights

Two seasons create most of the traffic here. From late spring through summer, Zoombezi Bay and the zoo fill the lot on the same days. Later in the year, Wildlights runs in the evening; the zoo lists the 2026 season as November 20, 2026 through January 3, 2027. Evening exits mean more calls after dark, when an after-hours surcharge applies from 10 PM to 6 AM.

Most metro calls are reached in 20 to 40 minutes and outer communities in 40 to 60; that is an estimate, not a promise, and heavy exit traffic on Riverside Drive can stretch it. We also serve the surrounding area, including Powell and Dublin, so a car that dies at home the next morning gets the same help.

If you are heading from the zoo to a nearby shopping trip or dinner and the car starts acting up, pull into a safe lot rather than stopping on the shoulder of Riverside Drive.

Columbus Zoo: common questions

Frequently asked questions

Do you offer Columbus Zoo towing if my car won't start in the lot?

Yes. Call (740) 812-9489 and tell dispatch you are in the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium lot at 4850 W. Powell Road. Most of the time a jump start gets you home, and the included battery test tells you whether the battery needs replacing. If the car still won't run, we tow it to the shop or address you choose, priced by the published rate card.

Are you the zoo's roadside service?

No. Roadside Towing & Recovery Inc is an independent company and has no connection with the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium or Zoombezi Bay. We do not stage trucks on zoo property. You call us directly, we dispatch from our Columbus yard, and you pay us under our own posted prices, just as you would anywhere else in the metro area.

My keys are locked in the car at Zoombezi Bay. What should I do?

Get everyone out of the sun first, then call dispatch with your location in the lot and the vehicle description. A lockout is a flat $75 plus en-route at $4 per mile from our yard. Our driver opens the door so you can grab the keys, and there is no need to move the car or wait for a spare key to be driven up from home.

Can you replace a battery right in the zoo parking lot?

Usually, yes. After the jump, the printed test shows whether the battery can still hold a charge. If it fails, we can install a new battery on the spot so you do not have to risk a second no-start on the way home. Ask the dispatcher for the battery price for your vehicle when you call.

How long will it take to reach me after a Wildlights visit?

Most metro calls are reached in 20 to 40 minutes, and outer communities in 40 to 60. Treat that as an estimate rather than a guarantee, because traffic leaving the lot after an evening event can slow any vehicle. Calls between 10 PM and 6 AM carry the after-hours surcharge listed on our rate card.

Can you tow an electric car from the zoo?

Yes. EVs are always moved with all four wheels off the ground, either on a flatbed or on a wheel-lift with dollies. If the car is completely dead, we give it a 12-volt jump first so it can be placed in transport mode. Let dispatch know the make and model so the right truck is sent.

Related help

Roadside Towing & Recovery Inc is an independent towing company and is not affiliated with the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium or Zoombezi Bay.

Roadside Towing & Recovery Inc (dba Columbus Roadside Towing).
Corporate office (private, no walk-ins): 3879 Regatta Ct, Lewis Center, OH 43035
Tow yard & impound lot: 1620 Harrisburg Pike, Columbus, OH 43223
(740) 812-9489 · chris@columbusroadsidetowing.com

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