Buy Tickets - Education

For 18-36 months olds
Can you see the brilliant colors of nature? Join us in this four-week series as we take a closer look at the Zoo’s colorful creatures. We will meet animals up close and learn to identify the beautiful colors of their scales, fur and feathers!

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. Only one adult may accompany each child during the classroom portion.

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
What would you do to get your hands on your favorite food?! Let’s discover what it takes for an animal to find their next delicious meal. Join us on a journey around the Zoo while we find animals that are really good at finding food! Animals find food by using their hands, ears, eyes, nose and mouth, just like we do!

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.

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 think you have ever been as hungry as a hippo? Do you have a favorite food? So do some of the Zoo animals! During this four-week series, we’ll take hikes in the Zoo, meet some special animal friends, and play games that will help us learn about the crazy variety of animal diets and what is on the menu for our Zoo animals.

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. 

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.

Every living thing needs energy to survive. Animals get energy from the food they eat! Some animals eat plants, while some eat other animals! Join us on our journey to  study the food chain and figure out what some of our Zoo animals like to eat. 

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

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 teeth to talons, animals have a lot of adaptations that help them to find and eat their food. Join us for this four-week series as we investigate what animals eat and how they find their food with Zoo hikes and animal visitors.

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

Learn about the adaptations animals have to find and eat their food, their role in the food chain, and how our eating habits compare to theirs. We will also learn about how our Zoo nutritionist makes sure our Zoo animals eat a diet that mimics that of their wild counterparts. Animal visitors, Zoo hikes, and other activities will play a big role as we learn and explore what it means to eat like an animal.

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  

In the wild, it is all about survival, and you are either hunter or hunted. We will learn about the adaptations that animals and plants can employ to survive and thrive in a wild and unpredictable world. We will also learn about the role that humans play in forming and changing the rules and the roles of wildlife in their habitat.

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.

Join us in celebrating the incredible bonds you have with the grandparents in your lives! Together we will learn about animals whose lives are also enriched from multigenerational family structures, meet animal ambassadors up close, and visit some of the grrrreat grandparents we have around our Zoo.

Note: All attendees 3 years + must register. One adult required per group. Children under 3 years free. Price is per person.
 

Join us at Bowyer Farm in Mason for a pawpaw-packed adventure! We'll hike, taste, and dive into the rich history and folklore of America’s biggest native fruit—the pawpaw! This Ohio state fruit is truly unique and often described as a delightful blend of banana, mango, and melon, with a hint of citrus. The pawpaw is the largest edible fruit native to North America and has a rich cultural and historical significance. We’ll explore our pawpaw patches, indulge in some homemade pawpaw ice cream, and enjoy a morning filled with fun activities and captivating stories. And don’t miss out on preparing your own pawpaw seeds for winter, so you can start growing your very own pawpaw tree next spring. Bring the family for a morning of discovery and deliciousness!

Perfect for families with children of all ages, or the pawpaw enthusiast. One adult must register per group. Children under 3 years are free. Price is per person.

This program takes place at our Bowyer Farm in Mason, located at 2210 Mason Montgomery Road, Mason, OH 45040.

Note: These are outdoor programs- dress for the weather and with comfortable walking shoes to walk approximately 1-2 miles on uneven terrain. Participants may wish to bring a filled reusable water bottle.

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. 

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

August: Hot Weathered Wildlife Different animals (including humans) have different strategies for staying cool in the summertime. 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! There are many ways to beat the heat in the summer! Join us as we learn about which animals enjoy the heat, and how they find ways to cool down.

September-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.  

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.

 

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.

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
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

All aboard! Summer campers will take a journey from the North to South Pole, visiting every habitat in between! Along the way they’ll experience live classroom animal encounters, Zoo hikes to animals from every continent, and games and activities that take them around the globe! It’s sure to be an adventure they won't forget!

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 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.

Full Day Camp
Campers will become naturalists as they choose their own adventure with 5 daily expeditions. Each expedition will traverse through the world's different biomes. As campers complete each adventure, 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 fishsicles 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 through animal encounters, keeper interactions, games, and other activities. We will even create animal enrichment items and brainstorm some new ideas.

This full-day camp is for children entering 5th or 6th 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. We will have hands-on animal encounters, meet a variety of speakers, and go on instructor-led hikes to explore 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 that come with a wildlife-related career! Participants will get the opportunity to write and record an animal-related video.

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

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. Get your vintage camp tshirt! Youth and Adult sizes for the whole family!

See the 2026 Spring Break Camp Shirt design.