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For 18-36 months olds
Does your child like to jump, hop, crawl, or climb? Learn how animals are movers and shakers just like them! This is our time to discover how animals get from place to place, using their bodies to maneuver about their homes. Join us to learn about animal locomotion while we move around the Zoo, meet animals, and act like animals with our friends.

Dates: Choose to come every Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday or Saturday for 4 weeks.

Note: Toddler series is for children 18-36 months old. Plan for one adult to stay with your Zoo Trooper during these classes. One adult may accompany each child during the classroom portion.

For 3, 4 and 5 years old not in kindergarten
Have you ever watched a caterpillar inch across a leaf? Or a rabbit hop through the grass? From crawling like a caterpillar to hopping like a bunny, we will mimic the movement our animal friends make and learn about what makes them special. Join us in this four-week series as we discover how animals can fly, jump, hop, swing, and dive!

Dates: Choose to come every Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday or Saturday for 4 weeks.

Note: Pre-K series is for 3, 4 and 5 year olds not in Kindergarten. Plan for one adult to stay with your Zoo Trooper during these classes. Only one adult may accompany each child during the classroom portion.

Do you scurry like a squirrel or swing like a siamang? Do you run like a rhino or paddle like a penguin? During this four-week series, we’ll play games, hike through the Zoo, and meet some new animal friends as we discover (and try out) all of the amazing ways the animals move through their world.

Dates: Choose to come every Tuesday, Wednesday, or Saturday for 4 weeks.

Note: Kindergarten Zoo Troopers and older attend without an adult. This is a drop-off style program.

Creep with eight legs, crawl with six legs, sprint with four legs or walk with just two...join us on this journey as we investigate how animals move! In each class, we will explore animal movers around the Zoo, challenge ourselves with activities and experience up close animal encounters.

Dates: Choose to come every Tuesday, Wednesday, or Saturday for 4 weeks  

From gibbon brachiation to penguin paddling, we will take a look at animal locomotion and learn about the adaptations that allow animals to move in different ways.We will also test some of our locomotion skills and see how we measure up when compared to some wild movers and shakers around the Zoo.

Dates: Choose to come every Tuesday, Wednesday, or Saturday for 4 weeks

Whether you hunt with talons or teeth, stealth or speed, when you are at the top of the food chain, you have to be fierce. We will explore meat-eaters of the mountains, carnivores of the canopy, savanna stalkers, and polar prowlers to learn how predators in different habitats are specially adapted to find and/or catch their food in the place they call home.

Dates: Choose to come every Tuesday, Wednesday, or Saturday for 4 weeks  

We often focus on who is the strongest or fastest human, or which person can jump the highest or the farthest. This series will focus on how those Olympian talents apply to the animal kingdom and how these athletic skills translate into survival skills for wildlife. We will even test our own skills against those of our animal Olympians to see who would bring home the gold.

Dates: Choose to come every Tuesday, Wednesday, or Saturday for 4 weeks.

Food is a huge part of celebrating holidays! At the Zoo, our animals feast year-round on carefully planned diets. Join us for a holiday food frenzy and learn how we feed thousands of animals every day. Through games, a hike around the Zoo, and with the help of animal ambassadors, we’ll learn about why different animals eat different foods, and how the Zoo manages its many menus.

Note: All attendees 3+ years must register. At least one adult must register per group. Children under 3 years are free. Price is per person.

Come join us at the Zoo’s Bowyer Farm for a fun afternoon full of history, hands-on activities, and storytelling all about maple tapping! This program offers a sweet peek into the history of this age-old tradition and offers an opportunity to participate in the maple tapping process. At the end, participants will be able to taste the precursor to maple syrup, fresh from the tree! This program is sure to be fun for the whole family.

Note: Perfect for families with children of all ages, or at least the maple enthusiast. All attendees 3+ years must register. At least one adult must register per group. Children under 3 are free. Price is per person.

This program takes place at our Bowyer Farm in Mason, located at 2210 Mason Montgomery Road. This is an outdoor program-dress warmly and with comfortable walking shoes to walk approximately 1-2 miles over uneven terrain.

When the lights go out and the zoo falls silent, something begins to stir. Join our Haunted Safari: Spirits of the Zoo, a late-night after-hours tour filled with mysterious sightings in Jungle Trails, eerie encounters in Africa, and spine-tingling stories in Education that make our zoo's history a little spooky. Guided by lantern light, you'll explore hidden corners of the zoo where strange sounds, shadowy figures, glowing eyes and unexplained moments have left their mark. Along the way, hear chilling tales of haunted habitats, disembodied voices, phantom footsteps and even a stalking ghost lioness. But beware, some stories are still unfolding.

Note: This program is designed for ages 16 and up and takes participants on a walking tour of the zoo. Anyone under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. This tour does not include animals. 

Need a few hours to tackle your winter to-do list or simply take a night off? Drop the kids off for an evening of wild fun at the Zoo! We'll take a hike, play some games, adn meet some animal ambassadors before we end the evening snuggled in our sleeping bags for a movie and popcorn.

Note: For children 5 -12 years of age. For December, this program takes place during PNC Festival of Lights, please allow extra time for heavy traffic.

DATES: Dec. 21 & Feb. 13
TIME: 6:00–9:00 p.m.
PRICING: Non-members: $40 for first child, $35 for each additional child

Zoo lovers of all ages can join us each season for a special night hike around the Zoo.

October: Cute Crawly Critters Fall is for all things spooky! But we would love to show you how some animals aren’t as scary as they may seem! Dare we say, they are cute! Participate in fun, educational activities, take a short walk in the Zoo with one of our education instructors, and meet some of our animal ambassadors up close and personal! All while learning about the cute crawly critters that call the Cincinnati Zoo home.  

November: Flora in Flurries Winter can be a harsh time for animals, but what about plants? Why do some plants shed their leaves while others are green year-round? Come for a pre-winter wander around the Zoo and learn about some of the amazing adaptations that our Zoo plants use to help them survive and thrive in the cold. After this program, you will have a new year-round appreciation for our botanical garden! 

January & February 2027: Winter Wonderland at the Zoo Join us each season for a special night hike around the Zoo, and the winter season is for all the animals who LOVE the cold! From penguins to wolves to otters, join us on select nights to explore the animals who are thriving in the snow. Participate in fun, educational activities, take a Zoo hike while the Zoo is closed, and meet some of our animal ambassadors up close and personal!

Note: All attendees 3 years and above must register. At least one adult must register per group. Children under 3 years are free. Price is per person.

A truly one-of-a-kind experience, these overnights make a great date night, friend group outing, or (adult) family adventure!

An interactive social hour will start the night with two drink tickets, light bites, strange zoo games, and a visit from a unique animal. Then, we will break out into small tour groups led by Zoo Educators to traverse through Africa. On our Zoo safari, we will go behind the scenes of Hippo Cove and uncover the secrets of our world-famous bloat. We'll finish up our night at our Twiga Tents, gathered around a roaring campfire roasting s'mores. Then, this unique adventure ends with a relaxing night in our safari tents on cozy cots and waking up to breakfast overlooking Giraffe Ridge. And it doesn’t end there! One last special animal guest will join us in the morning to say goodbye.

Spend the Night at the Zoo!

Florida is full of diverse habitats that are bursting with thousands of animal species, from walking-on-water basilisks to slow-and-steady manatees. We’ll dive headfirst into the astonishing biodiversity of these habitats, centering around the lives of our resident manatees who are a part of a rehabilitation program. Throughout the night we’ll explore a few places in the Zoo, participate in fun, educational activities, get a behind-the-scenes sneak peek, including our amazing science and research center CREW, and meet some of our animal ambassadors up-close and personal! When the night ends, you’ll doze off at our Manatee Springs building in the big open-spaced habitat area.

 

Note: All program attendees must be 5 years and older and be registered. Children under 18 must be accompanied by a registered adult. 

This program sleeps in the Manatee Springs building. This is a beautiful open-spaced room that will be shared with other families/groups. So you will be combined with other groups for the program and sleeping.

 

Br-rr-rrrr, get out the gloves, jackets and hats: winter is coming! Good thing many animals have built-in cold weather gear! Join us for this adventure as we meet cold weather animals face-to-face, hike to animal habitats, and discover the local wildlife that can tough out the harsh cold, just like we can!

Note: pick one week of Winter Camp.
Week 1: Monday 12/21, Tuesday 12/22 and Wednesday 12/23
Week 2: Monday 12/28, Tuesday 12/29 and Wednesday 12/30
 

Br-rr-rrrr, get out the gloves, jackets and hats: winter is coming! Good thing many animals have built-in cold weather gear! Join us for this adventure as we meet cold weather animals face-to-face, hike to animal habitats, and discover the local wildlife that can tough out the harsh cold, just like we can!

Note: pick one week of Winter Camp.
Week 1: Monday 12/21, Tuesday 12/22 and Wednesday 12/23.
Week 2: Monday 12/28, Tuesday 12/29 and Wednesday 12/30.

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Some animals are equipped to tough out the cold and snow, while others migrate or hibernate to avoid the winter weather altogether. During this fun, hands-on program, we will investigate our own cold-weather adaptations with Zoo hikes, compare our adaptations to those of other animals with animal visits, and use games and other activities to have fun exploring and playing together.

Note: pick one week of Winter Camp.
Week 1: Monday 12/21, Tuesday 12/22 and Wednesday 12/23
Week 2: Monday 12/28, Tuesday 12/29 and Wednesday 12/30

Some animals are equipped to tough out the cold and snow, while others migrate or hibernate to avoid the winter weather altogether. During this fun, hands-on program, we will investigate our own cold-weather adaptations with Zoo hikes, compare our adaptations to those of other animals with animal visits, and use games and other activities to have fun exploring and playing together.

Note: pick one week of Winter Camp.
Week 1: Monday 12/21, Tuesday 12/22and Wednesday 12/23.
Week 2: Monday 12/28, Tuesday 12/29 and Wednesday 12/30.

 

Some animals are equipped to tough out the cold and snow, while others migrate or hibernate to avoid the winter weather altogether. During this fun, hands-on program, we will investigate our own cold-weather adaptations with Zoo hikes, compare our adaptations to those of other animals with animal visits, and use games and other activities to have fun exploring and playing together.

Note: pick one week of Winter Camp.
Week 1: Monday 12/21, Tuesday 12/22 and Friday 12/23
Week 2: Monday 12/28, Tuesday 12/29 and Wednesday 12/30