85 Ways to Celebrate the Zoo

Celebrate the Zoo's 85th with 85 Days of Summer.

Activities included with admission unless noted with $.

1. Visit the Zoo with your family.
2. Spot the birthday cake at the Zoo and enter to win a behind-the-scenes tour for two.  Fill out our online form or go to the Zoo Administration Office to fill out a paper form.
3. Feed the lorikeets! Wednesdays-Sundays, 10 - 11:30 a.m. and 2 - 3 p.m. $
4. Go on a Twilight Tour of the Zoo on June 12, July 10 or August 14. Pre-registration required. $
5. If you were born in 1927, the year the Zoo opened, visit the Zoo for free!  Simply show your ID to a Zoo Cashier.
6. Look for animal shapes in the clouds.
7. Draw your favorite zoo animal for our drawing contest.
8. Volunteer at the BioPark!
9. Be the 85th visitor and win an animal plush.
10. Sign-up for our “Photo of the Week” e-newsletter.
11. “Donate a Dollar” at the gift shop and get a birthday sticker.
12. Travel the world with the Animal Encounters Show, Wednesdays-Sundays, 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
13. Picnic at the Zoo with Cottonwood Café burgers.
14. Visit a Nature Guide Station on weekdays, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., June 4-29 and July 9-27.
15. Ride a bike or take a bus to the BioPark.
16. Take advantage of the “Summer Mondays Discount” – 4 kids free with a paying adult!
17. Visit the elephant family.
18. Ride the rails on the Thunderbird Express.
19. Celebrate Dad at the Father’s Day Fiesta, June 17. Visit discovery stations on the best animal dads.
20. Capture a zoo moment for our online photo contest.
21. Visit the new tree kangaroo exhibit in Koala Creek.
22. Eat an apple. Zoo animals eat a total of 40 apples every day!
23. If you were born in ‘85, visit the Zoo for free each Wednesday.  Simply show your ID to a Zoo Cashier.
24. Spend $85 in the main gift shop and save $8.50!
25. Watch for wildlife at the Botanic Garden pond as you listen to music at Summer Nights,Thursdays from June 14 through August 23. $
26. Visit Australia to see the only Tasmanian wombats living in the U.S.
27. Spy Homer, the African Crested porcupine, on his daily stroll at noon, as volunteer schedules allow.
28. Adopt an animal of your own from the City’s Animal Shelter.
29. Can you name 85 different kinds of animals?
30. Watch the polar bears dive for fish, 2:30 p.m.
31. Share a Zoo memory .
32. Swing with the Hot Club of Cowtown on June 22 at Zoo Music. $
33. Be the 850th visitor and win a free ice cream cone.
34. Watch for wildlife in your backyard.
35. Dance to the Celtic rock of The Elders on June 29 at Zoo Music. $
36. Share your historic photos of the BioPark.
37. Sponsor your favorite animal as a BioPark Parent.
38. Take the plunge at a City pool. Can you swim like a frog or a polar bear?
39. Pet a llama! Alpaca and llama walks take place at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., as volunteer schedules allow.
40. Be an early bird and get into the Zoo free during 100.3 the Peak’s “Free Summer Fun Roadshow” on July 3 from 6 – 10 a.m.
41. Take a spin with the Texas Tornados at Zoo Music on July 6. $
42. See some of our favorite images and ideas on Pinterest.
43. Hang a bird feeder in your yard for native birds.
44. Jam with Ziggy Marley on his Wild and Free Tour at the first Go Wild! Concert on July 9. $
45. Visit marine animals at the Aquarium.
46. Check-in with Foursquare for a special deal at the Cottonwood Café or Jungle Shop.
47. Play animal charades.
48. Don’t be blue! Come hear the blues from Tommy Castro at Zoo Music on July 13. $
49. Balance on one leg like a flamingo.
50. Find the zoo animal that smells like buttered popcorn.
51. Who at the Zoo is older than 85? Visit the Aldabra tortoises!
52. Build your own animal at “Critter Outfitters” in the Jungle Shop.
53. Go for a hike in the bosque. Tingley Beach is a great place to start.
54. Enter to win an “$85 Gift Basket” from the Jungle Shop.
55. Rock out at the Houston Jones concert for Zoo Music on July 20. $
Come to the Zoo’s 85th Birthday Bash on Sunday, July 22 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Play “pin the tail on the zebra.”
Watch animals get birthday-themed enrichment.
Dress up like an animal for the birthday parade.
Stuff yourself in the cake eating contest.
Enjoy music in the Park.
Sing “Happy Birthday!” and eat birthday cake.
Invite a friend to come to the Birthday Bash!
56. Come to Animal Story Time, Thursdays at 10:30 a.m.
57. Sing along with singer-songwriter Kim Richey at Zoo Music on July 27. $
58. Cool off with a cold drink from one of the cafes.
59. Check out our list of 85 Ways to Help Animals.
60. Go Wild! Colbie Callait and Gavin DeGraw play a special fundraiser concert on August 8. $
61. Look for a rare Socorro dove in Tropical America—this bird is extinct in the wild!
62. Enjoy the smooth sounds of jazz from Mindi Abair at Zoo Music on August 3. $
63. Like us on Facebook.
64. Check out how long a giraffe’s tongue is at Giraffe Feeding, Wednesdays-Sundays, 12 - 1:30 p.m. $
65. Hop into the new exhibit, Amphibians: Life on a Limb, starting August 5.
66. Join the seals & sea lions for a meal – feedings at 10:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.
67. Landscape with native plants to save water and provide animal habitat.
68. Feed the ducks.
69. Roll with the bluegrass and Americana sounds from The Steel Wheels at Zoo Music on August 10. $
70. Visit the library to check out books about animals.
71. Become a BioPark Society member and come to the members-only Feast with the Beasts.
72. Hug a tree. Trees provide homes for lots of animals!
73. Party with the pachyderms on August 25 - Elephant Conservation Day!
74. Buy a combo ticket and ride the Rio Line Train to the Aquarium and Botanic Garden.
75. Watch crocodiles chow down, Fridays at 3:45 p.m.
76. Learn how bald is beautiful on September 1 at International Vulture Awareness Day.
77. See the new wattled crane exhibit in Africa.

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