This year we attended the 4th of Zooly at the Phoenix Zoo for the first time and had a great time.
Some of our kids' favorite highlights were the free carousel rides, the splash pads, the cookies and the music during the fireworks and dinner.
The area of the zoo you can explore is limited to the front and by the lake on the lawn with the 4D Theater and the Splash Pad by the Pirate Ship play area.
They had the buffet dinner set up upon opening and also had the Carousel, Stingray Bay and 4D Theater open. There was a bit of a line to wait in upon opening of the event so be aware even if you arrive early you will have to wait for the gates to open. The line moved quickly at 6pm when they opened and they used scanners to quickly verify everyone's tickets. These had sold out by the time we left home to go so we were glad we purchased tickets a week ahead of time. The kids tickets were $35 each for ages 3-12 and the adult tickets were $45 each for ages 13+, ages 2 and under were free. This included the meal and all the rides and events inside.
The tables were all decorated with animal print tablecloths and a DJ group was playing music and coordinating activities for the kids like dancing and musical chairs. There were raffles for some great giveaways including Disney's Teen Beach Movie 2 Posters, Star Wars Puzzles, and Spiderman small sandwich containers for the lunch box.
The buffet dinner was barbecue pork and chicken that you could build your own BBQ sandwich with as well as salad, sides, chips and cookies for dessert. They also had veggie burgers.
It was pretty humid so the splash pad came in handy, even for the parents.
The music was fun, the food tasted great and the kids could just run around and be kids. There were no inflatable slides or bouncy houses but we have seen they are offered at some of the Phoenix Zoo Prowl and Play events. They had a small bar open but none of the snack bars or Starbucks were open for purchasing extra treats. (Did you know they now have a Starbucks window at the zoo! It is great. Such a treat!)
At around 8:30pm they started running the zoo train to a location back in the loading dock area of the zoo that was positioned so we could see the fireworks display at the Tempe Town Lake. They had chairs set up for everyone and moved the DJ team over there.
We had a large double stroller with us. Our kids are 6 and 4 but still use the stroller for large events like Disneyland trips or the Zoo just to take a break for long distances. It also comes in handy to store our gear and food. The stroller wouldn't fit on the zoo train without emptying it and folding it so we chose to take the guided flashlight trail with the Zoo staff who were very nice and helped us find our way back through a secret staff only path to the fireworks viewing area.
We bought glowsticks for the kids from the $1 bin at Target and a couple of our own flashlights which helped them feel safe on the dark walk through the secret zoo pathway.
At the fireworks viewing area they had complimentary popsicles for everyone and the music changed to patriotic songs for the fireworks show. We could see the fireworks well but you should know that you can't see the actual lake from the zoo. The music from the DJs with the fireworks was just right for a nice, uncrowded, safe family friendly fireworks show.
Since they sell a limited number of tickets at a moderate investment the people attending all had an attitude of wanting to be there and share in a peaceful and fun evening. We and our kids all felt safe and there was nobody smoking or overindulging in alcohol to make us feel uncomfortable.
We would recommend grabbing a few extra bottles of water from the dinner area before you make the trek over to the fireworks viewing area and also bring a small motorized fan to stay cool. We have those squirt bottle/fans we bought at Disneyland a few years back and they really come in handy.
You can learn more about events at the Phoenix Zoo here: http://phoenixzoo.org/events/events-calendar/
Some events are discounted for members or have special member only nights like Zoolights.
(This was not a sponsored post)
Some of our kids' favorite highlights were the free carousel rides, the splash pads, the cookies and the music during the fireworks and dinner.
The area of the zoo you can explore is limited to the front and by the lake on the lawn with the 4D Theater and the Splash Pad by the Pirate Ship play area.
They had the buffet dinner set up upon opening and also had the Carousel, Stingray Bay and 4D Theater open. There was a bit of a line to wait in upon opening of the event so be aware even if you arrive early you will have to wait for the gates to open. The line moved quickly at 6pm when they opened and they used scanners to quickly verify everyone's tickets. These had sold out by the time we left home to go so we were glad we purchased tickets a week ahead of time. The kids tickets were $35 each for ages 3-12 and the adult tickets were $45 each for ages 13+, ages 2 and under were free. This included the meal and all the rides and events inside.
The tables were all decorated with animal print tablecloths and a DJ group was playing music and coordinating activities for the kids like dancing and musical chairs. There were raffles for some great giveaways including Disney's Teen Beach Movie 2 Posters, Star Wars Puzzles, and Spiderman small sandwich containers for the lunch box.
The buffet dinner was barbecue pork and chicken that you could build your own BBQ sandwich with as well as salad, sides, chips and cookies for dessert. They also had veggie burgers.
It was pretty humid so the splash pad came in handy, even for the parents.
The music was fun, the food tasted great and the kids could just run around and be kids. There were no inflatable slides or bouncy houses but we have seen they are offered at some of the Phoenix Zoo Prowl and Play events. They had a small bar open but none of the snack bars or Starbucks were open for purchasing extra treats. (Did you know they now have a Starbucks window at the zoo! It is great. Such a treat!)
At around 8:30pm they started running the zoo train to a location back in the loading dock area of the zoo that was positioned so we could see the fireworks display at the Tempe Town Lake. They had chairs set up for everyone and moved the DJ team over there.
We had a large double stroller with us. Our kids are 6 and 4 but still use the stroller for large events like Disneyland trips or the Zoo just to take a break for long distances. It also comes in handy to store our gear and food. The stroller wouldn't fit on the zoo train without emptying it and folding it so we chose to take the guided flashlight trail with the Zoo staff who were very nice and helped us find our way back through a secret staff only path to the fireworks viewing area.
We bought glowsticks for the kids from the $1 bin at Target and a couple of our own flashlights which helped them feel safe on the dark walk through the secret zoo pathway.
At the fireworks viewing area they had complimentary popsicles for everyone and the music changed to patriotic songs for the fireworks show. We could see the fireworks well but you should know that you can't see the actual lake from the zoo. The music from the DJs with the fireworks was just right for a nice, uncrowded, safe family friendly fireworks show.
Since they sell a limited number of tickets at a moderate investment the people attending all had an attitude of wanting to be there and share in a peaceful and fun evening. We and our kids all felt safe and there was nobody smoking or overindulging in alcohol to make us feel uncomfortable.
We would recommend grabbing a few extra bottles of water from the dinner area before you make the trek over to the fireworks viewing area and also bring a small motorized fan to stay cool. We have those squirt bottle/fans we bought at Disneyland a few years back and they really come in handy.
You can learn more about events at the Phoenix Zoo here: http://phoenixzoo.org/events/events-calendar/
Some events are discounted for members or have special member only nights like Zoolights.
(This was not a sponsored post)
