Detroit Zoo Summer Events

Here's three great opportunities at the Detroit Zoo - Summer Safari, which began this week and runs into August; Wild Summer Night Concert Series which runs every Wednesday evening from July 4 and to August 29 and Summer Zoomance, an adult evening after hours at the Zoo.

Out of the House and into the Wild

Detroit Zoo’s Summer Safari camps for kids start June 25

ROYAL OAK, Mich. – The Detroit Zoo is offering a lineup of new and past-favorite Summer Safari camps to keep kids occupied all summer long.  From June 25 through Aug. 17, 2012, children ages 4 to 15 can explore the wonders of nature and wildlife with tours of the Zoo, hands-on activities, games and crafts.

Parents can choose from a variety of half-day, single-day, weeklong and overnight sessions geared toward specific age groups.  A combination of programs can be paired for a week’s worth of camps.

Prices for the Summer Safari camp sessions range from $28 to $240 for Detroit Zoological Society members and $33 to $250 for non-members.

Busy parents can drop daytime campers off early or pick them up late to enjoy before- and after-camp activities. Early Bird drop-off starts at 7:30 a.m. and Late Owl pick-up runs until 5:30 p.m. Costs range from $5 for a single session to $50 for Monday through Friday mornings and afternoons.

Visit http://www.detroitzoo.org/education/safari-day-camps for class availability and to register. For questions, email education@detroitzoo.org or call (248) 541-5717, ext. 3800.

DETROIT ZOO HEATS UP FOR WILD SUMMER NIGHTS

$5 after 5, extended hours, live music, animal enrichment

ROYAL OAK, Mich. – The Detroit Zoo gets even wilder on Wednesdays during July and August with its annual Wild Summer Nights concert series. Concerts take place in the Main Picnic Grove from 6:30 to 8 p.m. July 4 through Aug. 29, 2012, and are free with Zoo admission.

Admission prices are reduced to $5 for all guests after 5 p.m. on Wednesdays in July and August; members are admitted free. The Zoo remains open until 8 p.m.

Wild Summer Nights features a variety of live music from local bands, including children’s, folk, rock, Motown and R&B. Guests are welcome to bring blankets, lawn chairs and picnic baskets. Food, snacks, beer, wine and soft drinks are available for purchase from Zoo concessions.

Concert Schedule:

• July 4 – Gia Warner Band (rock classics)
• July 11 – Grievous Angel (Americana)
• July 18 – The Verve Pipe (children’s)
• July 25 – Joe Reilly (children’s)
• Aug. 1 – Candy Band (children’s)
• Aug. 8 –  Jill Jack (folk)
• Aug. 15 – Gemini (children’s)
• Aug. 22 –  The Sun Messengers (Motown and R&B)
• Aug. 29 –  Playdate and Friends (children’s)

While Zoo visitors are getting their late-day dose of “Vitamin Z”, the animals will receive enrichment as well at 6 and 7 p.m. Offered daily at the Detroit Zoo, environmental enrichment enhances animal habitats to make them more dynamic and engaging. It includes the introduction of novel and sometimes unpredictable elements such as
objects, sounds, scents or other stimuli that give the animals the opportunity to express choice and control in their environments and to make decisions, express individuality and behave in species-typical ways.

The Detroit Zoological Society is a nonprofit organization that operates the Detroit Zoo and Belle Isle Nature Zoo. Situated on 125 acres of naturalistic habitats, the Detroit Zoo is located at the intersection of 10 Mile Road and Woodward Avenue, just off I-696, in Royal Oak, Mich. The Detroit Zoo is open daily 9 a.m. to 5
p.m. April through Labor Day (with extended hours until 8 p.m. Wednesdays during July and August), 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. the day after Labor Day through October and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. November through March.  Admission is $14 for adults 15 to 61, $12 for senior citizens 62 and older, and $9 for children 2 to 14 (children under 2 are
free).  The Belle Isle Nature Zoo is open Wednesday through Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April through October and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. November through March; closed Mondays and Tuesdays.  Admission is free.  For more information, call (248) 541-5717 or visit www.detroitzoo.org. 

Take A Chance on Summer Zoomance

ROYAL OAK, Mich. – Adults are invited to fall in love with the Detroit Zoo all over again at Summer Zoomance. The after-hours, 21-and-older event will take place Thursday, July 12, 2012, 6 to 9 p.m., rain or shine.  Admission for all guests is $10 in advance and $12 at the gate.  Parking is free for Detroit Zoological Society members and $5 for non-members.

Summer Zoomance allows grownups to relive their fond memories of the Detroit Zoo while creating new ones during a twilight stroll among the award-winning animal habitats. The Kris Johnson Group will perform at the Horace H. Rackham Memorial Fountain, and food and adult beverages will be available for purchase from Zoo concessions.

Guests can experience the Wild Adventure Ride – featuring “Happy Feet: Mumble’s Wild Ride” – and the Wild Adventure 3-D/4-D Theater – featuring “Great Escapes: Life in 4-D” and “Dora & Diego’s 4-D Adventure”. Tickets for each experience are an additional $5 per person.

Guests can also take a spin on the Carousel for an additional $2 and enjoy a scenic ride through the Zoo on the Tauber Family Railroad for a one-way fare of $3.

July 12 is the first of two Summer Zoomance dates in 2012; a second event is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 23. Tickets for Summer Zoomance can be purchased online at www.detroitzoo.org and at the admission gates the night of the event.

The Detroit Zoological Society is a nonprofit organization that operates the Detroit Zoo and Belle Isle Nature Zoo. Situated on 125 acres of naturalistic habitats, the Detroit Zoo is located at the intersection of 10 Mile Road and Woodward Avenue, just off I-696, in Royal Oak, Mich.  The Detroit Zoo is open daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. April through Labor Day (with extended hours until 8 p.m. Wednesdays during July and August), 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. the day after Labor Day through October and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. November through March.  Admission is $14 for adults 15 to 61, $12 for senior citizens 62 and older, and $9 for children 2 to 14 (children under 2 are free).  The Belle Isle Nature Zoo is open
Wednesday through Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April through October and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. November through March; closed Mondays and Tuesdays.  Admission is free.  For more information, call (248) 541-5717 or visit www.detroitzoo.org.

Contact: Patricia Janeway, 248.336.5757, pjaneway@dzs.org