In my family, we are huge fans of the Oklahoma City Zoo—we have been card-carrying members for years. We have spent countless days at the Zoo, looking at animals (the meerkats and sea lions have long been stars to our kids), riding the Centennial Choo Choo and the Endangered Species Carousel and just enjoying having such an outstanding zoo in our city. We've done their education classes and collected candy at Haunt the Zoo numerous times. We even know all the places to get ice cream throughout the Zoo (if you don't know already, I'd be happy to share my important research findings on this topic!)
But, I have to admit that we have avoided the Zoo like the plague for the last few months—the crazy summer heat has kept us away from one of our favorite hangouts—so I am delighted that the weather is finally heading towards fall! With cooler temperatures in the forecast, I took at look at some of the great events coming up in September…and here are five reasons to go check out the OKC Zoo in September.
What To Do:
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Watch the Monarch Migration. The Zoo recently announced that the annual Monarch Migration tagging will take place from September 17-22, from 2-4 p.m. daily. You can stop by the Zoo's Butterfly Garden to see monarches visting the Zoo on their travels south.
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Attend the Members-Only Family Fun Night. One of our favorite Zoo events each year is the annual ZooFriends Family Fun Night. This year, it will be held on Friday, September 21 from 5-8pm. They offer special concession stand deals (read: cheap dinner out!), free rides and attractions, teddy bear check-ups by Zoo staff and more. The first 750 kids will also receive a free comic book!
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Check out the New Aviary. The Zoo recently renovated the Dan Moran Aviary and the full flock of birds is scheduled to be back on display by this Monday, September 17.
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Take a Date to ZooBrew. Looking for a fun date night idea? If you and your sweetie like beer, you won't want to miss the Zoo's 4th Annual ZooBrew. Scheduled for Friday, September 28 at 6:30pm., attendees can sample more than 30 different beers from local breweries. You can also enjoy $3 meal deals (talk about a cheap dinner date!) and live music. Tickets to the event are $30 for ZooFriends members, $35 for non-members and $10 for designated drivers. Or, if you really want to show your date a night on the town, buy tickets to the Pre-Brew event ($60) and sample high-end beers and appetizers for one hour before the ZooBrew event begins. (Pre-Brew tickets also include admission to ZooBrew.) To purchase tickets or get more information, visit www.zoofriends.org/zoobrew-iv or call (405) 425-0613.
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Learn at a Weekend Keeper Connection. Through October, you can get first-hand learning experience about Zoo animinals and the people who care for them. On Saturdays, you can visit the Macaws at the Children's Zoo, the Elephant Pavllion, the River Otters in Oklahoma Trails, the tigers and more to learn about how the Zoo works to care for these animals and our natural resources. On Sundays, you can catch up with a Zoo keeper at the red pandas, galapagos tortoises, black rhinos and more. See the Zoo's website for a complete schedule of Keeper Connection locations.
How to Save:
Keep an eye on MetroFamily's calendar for upcoming free/discount admission days at the Zoo, which are held throughout the year. Between now and December 31, look for Dr. Pepper cans that have a coupon that allow you to buy one admission, get one free. The Zoo also offers a 50% discount for all active or retired military, their spouse and up to five dependents.
Also, keep an eye out for tickets to Haunt the Zoo,which go on sale on October 1 and allow you to save $1 per ticket when puchased in advance.
For more information about the Zoo or any of these events, call 424-3344 or visit www.okczoo.com.
Enjoy the cooler weather and a fun trip (or two) to the Zoo!
Brooke
