Soon, I'll be going camping at the Bronx Zoo. The Bronx offered a program where you can see what the Bronx Zoo is like after it closes to the public. I'll just give a general idea of what it will be like: First, I will receive an itinerary and other stuff for a good night. Then, there will be a dinner with the flamingoes. Sort of. There will be a barbecue overlooking the Chilean Flamingoes. There will be a guest performer with songs and stories. Later, I will get a nocturnal view of exhibits, meet some animals up close, and then there will be animal-themed games. Snacktime! Ice cream, marshmallows, and other snacks will be provided. Then there will be a sing-along around the campfire. It’s time for bed. All the campers will be escorted to Astor Court to our tents, just footsteps away from the California Sea Lions. When morning comes, there will be a nice hot breakfast. Then there will be nature walks, a zoo quest, and visits to exhibits and attractions. I’ll spend the rest of my day there, and then head home. Can't wait!
On Saturday, I slept over at the zoo. It was a little different from what I expected, but it was awesome. When I first got there, I set up my tent. Then I headed to dinner, with hot dogs, burgers, chicken, and more. In the meantime, I watched the Chilean Flamingoes and tried to block out the sound of an annoying singer. Then, it was time for nighttime activities. The first activity was called “Animal Idol”. You basically listened to the calls of different animals and chose who would make it to the finals. It was kind of like American Idol. The activity wasn’t as fun as the others. Then, there was an activity called “Critter Zwitter”. It took place at the Mouse House, and you had to guess different rodents based on their “Tweets” on Twitter. I didn’t participate in the activity as much as I did just look at the residents of the Mouse House. There was an Eastern Spotted Skunk playing with a pumpkin, and a huge cloud rat climbing around. It was pretty awesome there. The next activity was based on animal senses. First, we looked in a huge leaf pile for plastic bugs with the lights off, just like a star-nosed mole. Then, we tested our sense of smell. The last activity was “Meet the Animals”. We got to see some animal ambassadors such as a monitor lizard, a cockatoo, a three-banded armadillo, and a fantastic two-toed sloth. It was there that a man asked if his girlfriend could feed a treat to the sloth. Everybody was jealous until we realized what was happening; he got on his knee and proposed to her to marry him. She said yes. It was very sweet, and everybody clapped. Then, everybody went back to the café for a marshmallow roast, and soon it was time for bed. Sleep wasn’t easy when music from a huge party is going on in the Bronx, and peacocks keep squawking, but I eventually got some rest. When morning came, I took down my tent, and went back to the car to put our stuff in. Then we got breakfast; mine consisted of bacon, eggs, grapes, and half a bagel. Then we went to the morning activity that we chose: the early opening of Madagascar!, a really good representation of Madagascar in my view. The lemurs were leaping and playing with a pumpkin, and the fossas were pacing back and forth, coming right to the glass. I decided to stay the rest of the day, and explore the exhibits. It was really cool being the first to step into the Congo Gorilla Forest. And all the animals, especially the gorillas, were amazing. One gorilla was interacting with me, by rubbing her head on the glass and even sticking her tongue out at me! The gorilla also threw up and ate her vomit, so that was disgusting. But all the exhibits were amazing. Overall, it was one of the best times of my life. If I were you, I would sign up for this when spring comes, especially if you have a family and kids.
Thanks for the review, BZF! I thought this would be pretty interesting, but I didn't have the time to go, unfortunately. I'd really love to do it, though!
There are a couple of oppurtunities left for this year. It really is a program that is geared torwards family, but is a nice experience. Don't expect too much sleep though (darn peacocks!) https://tickets.wcs.org/mainstore.a...cmd=lightbox&__utmv=-&__utmk=37730336#cat1053
A few questions: -Is there a difference between the Family Overnight Safaris scheduled for September 2012 and the Sleepover scheduled for May 12-13th? -I know it says 5 years or older, but is the event geared toward a specific age? What were the ages of the people when you went?
The only difference is probably the temperature. The whole event is basically geared to a family, which worked out well for my family and I.
