It’s officially Zoo Season for 2021! One year ago, zoos across the country were closed due to the pandemic. Although they slowly opened beginning in the Summer, many zoos never reached full capacity. Now in 2021, zoos are open to varying degrees. Some have limited hours, others require ticketed time entry, and some are back to full capacity! So we thought we would put together some tips and insights on going to the zoo in 2021, focused mainly on some of our favorite zoos in the Midwest. While we think we include zoo tips on everything from what to eat to how to save money, please comment on the article or drop us a line if you have more zoo-going questions!
Zoo Discounts – Membership
AZA-Reciprocal Zoo Membership – Top of the list of zoo tips is that Zoo memberships are the the easiest way to save money on admission costs. However, a membership to an AZA zoo can get you discounts to zoos across the country! If you have a membership to an AZA-accredited zoo that participates in the AZA Reciprocal Zoo Program, you can get 50% off admission (or even free admission) to zoos all over the United States! For us, we belong to Cosley Zoo in Wheaton, Illinois. Our $59 annual family membership gets us discounted (or free) admission to over 170 zoos and aquariums across the country. In some cases, the membership costs less than admission to other zoos. For example, our membership provides us free admission to the Milwaukee Zoo. Without our membership, it would cost our family of five $74.75, which is about $15 more than our membership! Instead we just pay $15 for parking!
Check out the list for Cosley members here. Other zoos in the program provide the discounts as well, but some might slightly differ. The Potter Park Zoo membership page lays it out nicely – you can check that out here.
Zoo Discounts from Partners
Museum Adventure Pass from your local library – Across Illinois, libraries will allow you to check out their Museum Adventure Pass for 7 days. It’s good for free admission for two people to the Brookfield Zoo (in most cases). Check out a complete list here to see if your library has a Brookfield Zoo pass available!
Kroger Free Days – The Kroger grocery chain offers free or discounted admission at many different zoos on select days. These zoos include Columbus Zoo (OH), Nashville Zoo (TN), Knoxville Zoo (TN), and Louisville Zoo (KY). The zoo will normally communicate these out.
SNAP – The Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) helps families provide nutritional needs for their children. This year, the Cincinnati Zoo is partnering with the program, to provide discounts to the zoo for SNAP Cardholders. You can find more information here.
Zoo Discounts Provided by the Zoo
Military Discounts – Most zoos will provide free or discounted admission to current or past members of the military. You can find that out on the zoo’s website.
Zoo Free Days – Zoos that receive public funding are required to have certain days throughout the year where they provide free admission. Check out your zoo’s admission page to find these. 2021 is proving to be a deviation from traditional years. For example, Brookfield Zoo typically provides free days in January/February, but this year they were closed during those months.
Looking for ways to save money in the zoo? Check out our Mom Tips page for details on being efficient at specific zoos!
Zoo Tips Once Inside the Zoo
Ok, So now you’ve saved money on the admission costs, and you’re in the zoo. What next?
Masks
Are you comfortable wearing your mask yet? Most zoos do require you to wear your mask. As we move into the summer months, we anticipate zoos giving guests the freedom to remove masks in less-crowded areas within the zoo. Check out your zoo’s website for specifics on mask wearing, as well as if ticketed admission is required. Brookfield and Indianapolis, for example, do require you to register a specific time. Milwaukee, however, does not require time-sensitive entry.
Food
We’ve always promoted bringing food into the zoo with you. Zoo food courts can have very long lines at lunch time, and sometimes the prices are outrageous! In 2021, bringing your own food is even more attractive. Several zoos have reduced the amount of open concession areas that they offer due to COVID restrictions. At Milwaukee, for example, the only “lunch” venue is in the very front of the zoo. Bringing your own meal/snacks will not only save you money, but offers you the convenience of stopping for a bite whenever you’d like, wherever you’re at, rather than leading to a trip around the zoo to find an open food vendor! If you do choose the purchasing route, map out your lunch plan upon arrival.
Daily Feeding/Activity Schedules
Most zoos will post daily schedules on their website. However, during the pandemic, many schedules change without notice. Some zoos also will refrain from posting activities on their website to reduce the probability of large crowds gathering. So when you get to the zoo, look for a sandwich board or something posted that says what time animals will be fed/activities will happen. Indianapolis Zoo has started up their “Flamingo Mingle”, which happens Fridays-Sundays at 9:45 AM. Milwaukee Zoo has modified their Seal/Sea Lion shows into feeding/picture opportunities. While Flamingo Mingle is free, the sea lion feeding does have a small cost.
Indoor Exhibits
Most zoos have opened their indoor exhibits. They’ve done so with capacity limits, so you may have to wait a little while to enter. Most notably, Brookfield just opened several. Hamill Family Wild Encounters, The Living Coast (penguins), Seven Seas underwater (dolphins), The Swamp, and Great Bear Wilderness underwater are now all open at Brookfield. Milwaukee has a very good system, as all of their indoor buildings are open, with minimal wait times. You can find out on zoo website’s which buildings are open – helpful to know if it’s going to be a cold or rainy day.
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