For 18-36 months olds
Can you crawl like a Very Hungry Caterpillar? Do you want to join in on a Barnyard Dance? Have you ever asked, "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?" This series will explore nature and movement through the eyes of authors such as Eric Carle and Sandra Boynton. Through hands-on activities and animal encounters, our Zoo Troopers move and explore our world like the animals in our featured books.

Dates: Come every Saturday for 4 weeks.

Note: Plan for one adult to stay with your child during these classes. Only one adult may accompany each child.

For 18-36 months olds
Do you smell the flowers? Can you feel the moss on the tree? Our world is full of sights, sounds, smells, and textures. We will explore our senses in nature, encouraging free play and fun, while creating nature art projects! Each week we will discover animals through live animal encounters, Zoo hikes, and dramatic play.

Dates: Ccome every Saturday for 4 weeks.

Note: Plan for one adult to stay with your child during these classes. Only one adult may accompany each child.

For 3, 4 and 5 years old not in kindergarten
Have you heard that Giraffes Can't Dance? Could YOU have a tea party while a Bear Snores On? How many animals do you think can fit in The Mitten lost by a little boy? Dramatic play, meeting animals in the classroom, and an exploratory hike through the Zoo will help bring these and other books to life and encourage observation, imagination, and exploration in nature.

Dates: Come every Saturday for 4 weeks.

Note: Plan for one adult to stay with your child during these classes. Only one adult may accompany each child.

For 3, 4 and 5 years old not in kindergarten
Have you ever created a self-portrait using items from nature? We will be creating nature themed works of art and exploring the world around us through our senses. The smells of the elephant house, a prickle of a pinecone, the shiny smooth scales of a snake - let's get closer to the world around us and explore! Each week we will meet animals face-to-face in the classroom and out in the Zoo as we learn how to sense the world around us.

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

Note: Plan for one adult to stay with your child during these classes. Only one adult may accompany each child.

Many animals (including humans) have close relationships with their mothers.  From the gentle jaws of an alligator to the comfy pouch of a wallaby, come learn about our Zoo moms as we prepare to celebrate all mother figures on tomorrow's holiday just for them.

Note: All attendees 3 years + must register. One adult required per group. All ages welcome. Children under 3 years free.
 

From babysitters to breadwinners, the dads of many animal species take an active role in their families' lives. We'll take a hike around the Zoo, see an animal encounter, and play a game to learn more about these important and often overlooked family members as we celebrate them on their special weekend.

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

March-May: Zoo Families Spring Season is for Zoo Families! Join us on select nights to explore the different families we have at the Zoo. 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! All while learning about the current zoo babies and fun families we have at the Zoo. 

June-August: Hot Weathered Wildlife Different animals (including humans) have different strategies for staying cool in the summer. Pigs wallow, goats  get rid of heat through their ears and horns, snakes and lizards seek the shade, and African penguins swim to keep cool! Join us as we learn about which animals enjoy the heat, and how they find ways to cool down. We will hike to see our warm-weather-loving animals and meet some of our hottest animal ambassadors up-close!

Note: All attendees 3 years + must register. One adult required per group. Children under 3 year are free.

How well do YOU know your Cincinnati Zoo? The honor of "second oldest Zoo in the nation" comes with a lot of history and some pretty epic tales. Step back in time with Zoo animal care and trainer veteran of 50 years, Gary Denzler, as he leads you on a fun and factual story-based historical tour of the Cincinnati Zoo, sharing tales of the people and animals that have made this zoo what it is today.

This program is geared towards participants 16 years and older.

An overnight for all ages, individuals or small groups! During this overnight, we will discover the adaptations animals have to survive in their unique habitats. Why do wolves hunt in packs? Why are penguins black and white? Why do snakes stick out their tongue? We will answer these and so much more! Throughout the night, we’ll explore a few places in the Zoo, participate in fun, educational activities, get a behind the scenes sneak peek, and meet some of our animal ambassadors up-close and personal! Then, after the fun, curl up in our private education classrooms overlooking our rainforest. 

 

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

Each room can sleep up to 10 people. You will select your number of participants on the second page. If you have more than 10 people in your group, add a second room by clicking Back to Shopping.

 

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 smores. 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. 

 

Full Day Camp
Do you think you can catch these critters? Discover what it means to be a predator or prey animal and how they use their adaptations to try to outwit, outrun, and hide from each other! Come and explore their wild worlds and help uncover their sneaky, stealthy secrets through interactive games, hikes through the zoo, and close encounters with Animal Ambassadors.

This full-day camp is for 4 year olds and children entering kindergarten in the fall.

Half Day Camp
Can you talk like an elephant or taste with your feet like a butterfly? Explore what sensory adaptations animals have and how these adaptations help them survive. We'll spend the week looking at our five senses and seeing how they compare to other animals' through close encounters with animal friends, interactive games, crafts, and hikes in the Zoo.

This half-day camp is for 4 year olds and children entering kindergarten in the fall.

Half Day Camp
Do other animals live in families like humans? Are all babies raised by their moms? During this camp, we'll experience up-close animal encounters, make crafts, and, of course, hike around the Zoo to learn about why it can take a mom, dad, pack, or no one at all to raise a baby animal.

This half-day camp is for 4 year olds and children entering kindergarten in the fall.

Full Day Camp
A bird that can fly at speeds of 200mph? A cat that can leap 12 feet into the air? Animals can be out of this world when it comes to their super adaptations. Come to summer camp and discover these animals and their incredible super-powers. Each day, we will look at a superhero with amazing superpowers, and then see if our Zoo animals can measure up to their spectacular abilities. The camp will include Zoo hikes, games, and up-close live animal encounters.

This full day camp is for children entering 1st or 2nd grade in the fall.

Half Day Camp
What do polliwogs, cubs, and owlets have in common? They're all babies! Spend a week learning how animals change and grow from the time they're born until they reach adulthood. Each day is packed with activities to help discover how insects, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals grow.

This half day camp is for children entering 1st or 2nd grade in the fall.

Half Day Camp
Have you ever wondered what a lion was roaring about or a bird chirping about? This camp will explore animals and how they "talk" to each other. Join us for a fun-filled week, where campers will discover what animals are communicating, through smell, facial expressions and sound.

This half day camp is for children entering 1st or 2nd grade in the fall.

Full Day Camp
Campers will get a chance to become Naturalists as they choose their destiny through different expeditions. These expeditions will traverse through the world's different biomes. As they complete each expedition they will become equipped with the knowledge and the tools it takes to become a real naturalist.

This full-day camp is for children entering 3rd or 4th grade in the fall.

Full Day Camp
What do boomer balls, spices, braided butcher paper, and fish-sicles all have in common? They are different forms of animal enrichment! Enrichment provides stimulation to our Zoo animals keeping their minds and bodies healthy. In this camp, we will learn about the different forms of animal enrichment, who and what they are good for, and the role of the Zoo's enrichment committee in all of this through animal encounters, keeper interactions, games, and other activities. We will even get a chance to participate in the creation of some animal enrichment items and brainstorm some new enrichment ideas.

This full-day camp is for children entering 5th or 6th grade in the fall.

Full Day Camp
for children entering 5th,6th,7th,or 8th grade in the fall. Groups will be subdivided based on grade.

Become a backyard biologist while exploring our fields, forests, and wetlands out at our 600 acre Bowyer Farm! Campers will spend time learning what it takes to protect our wild spaces through hands-on activities such as bird watching, plant identification, and animal tracking. Our adventure filled camp will encourage campers to get back in touch with their wild side, while building confidence as they hone their naturalist skills. On Friday, your camper will lead you on a nature hike to show off their new skills.

This camp takes place at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden's Bowyer Farm, 2210 Mason Montgomery Road, Mason, OH 45040. 

Note: Before Care and After Care is not available for this camp.

This full-day camp is for children entering 5th, 6th, 7th, or 8th grade in the fall.

Full Day Camp
Animal keepers, field researchers, forensic zoologists, animal trainers…the list goes on and on when it comes to jobs that work with wildlife. Throughout the week we will have hands on animal encounters, meet a variety of speakers who have careers working with wildlife, and go on instructor led hikes to explore the habitats around the Zoo. This is a hands-on class, so be prepared to get knee or elbow-deep in exploration of some of the jobs and tools of the trade that come with a wildlife-related career! Participants will even get the opportunity to write and record an animal-related 90-second naturalist video that might be selected to be on the Zoo’s website!

This full-day camp is for children entering 7th or 8th grade in the fall.

Get your vintage camp tshirt! Summer Camp 2019 (pollinators), Spring Break 2020 (wildebeest), Summer Camp 2021 (kangaroo) all available now. Youth and Adult sizes for the whole family!

All t-shirts are for pickup only, at the Harold C Schott Education Building at 56 Erkenbrecher Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45249 Monday-Friday 9am-5pm, or Saturday 9am-12pm. Call 513-559-7730 when you arrive. All orders will be held for 4 business days, and then returned to inventory if not picked up. 

Gildan Brand 100% Cotton. See size chart.

Gift Certificates only redeemable for Zoo Education Programs.
Gift Certificates expire 5 years from purchase.

$300 is perfect for Summer Camp 2023 - 7th-8th grade or Bowyer Farm camp at the non-member price.

​Gift Certificates only redeemable for Zoo Education Programs.
Expires 5 years from order date

$290 works for Summer Camp 2023 - Full Day for 4yr-6th grade at Non-Member Price

​Gift Certificates only redeemable for Zoo Education Programs.
Expires 5 years from order date

$285 works for Summer Camp 2023 - Full Day for Bowyer Farm or 7th-8th grade at Member Price

​Gift Certificates only redeemable for Zoo Education Programs.
Expires 5 years from order date

$275 works for Summer Camp 2023 - Full Day for 4yr-6th grade at Member Price

​Gift Certificates only redeemable for Zoo Education Programs.
Expires 5 years from order date

$200 works great for Adult Overnight Programs

​Gift Certificates only redeemable for Zoo Education Programs.
Expires 5 years from order date

$175 works for Summer Camp 2023 - Half Day at Non-Member Price

​Gift Certificates only redeemable for Zoo Education Programs.
Expires 5 years from order date

$160 works for Summer Camp 2023 - Half Day at Member Price

Perfect amount for a Zoo Troop series.

Gift Certificates only redeemable for Zoo Education Programs.

Great for a Family Day Programs or Family Sunset Safari ticket.

Gift Certificates only redeemable for Zoo Education Programs.

For the best elves in your life. 

Gift Certificates only redeemable for Zoo Education Programs. 

Put a little Zoo in their stocking!

Gift Certificates only redeemable for Zoo Education Programs.