• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
This Roller Coaster Called Life

This Roller Coaster Called Life

Life with Homeschooling, Sensory-Friendly Travel, and Reviews

  • Home
  • About Naomi
    • Privacy Policy & Disclosure
    • PR Friendly
    • Contact
    • Favorite Blogs
  • Disney
    • Disney Cruise Line
    • Disneyland
    • Walt Disney World
    • Disney iPhone Wallpapers
    • Planning for Disney
    • Disney
    • My Disneyland Worksheets and Checklists
    • My WDW Worksheets and Checklists
  • Travel
    • California
    • Florida
    • Pennsylvania
      • Hersheypark
      • Knoebels
      • Lancaster
    • Washington DC Area
  • Homeschool
  • Recipes

Up Close and Personal with the Animals at the ZooAmerica After-Hours Tour

September 18, 2016 by Naomi M. 3 Comments

Share on Facebook Share
Share on TwitterTweet
Share on Pinterest Share
Share on LinkedIn Share
Share on Digg Share

Alligator at ZooAmerica

Up Close and Personal with the Animals at the ZooAmerica After-Hours Tour

A couple of weeks ago, we were able to take the After-Hours Tour at ZooAmerica.  It was Songbird’s birthday weekend, and the tour was a great way to celebrate!   

Animal Equipment at ZooAmerica

Our tour started by meeting the tour guide (Tim) in the ZooAmerica parking lot.  We had a small group as there were only six of us on our particular tour that night.  Tim took us into the Animal Health Center building to begin our tour.  We started with a quick overview of how they keep their equipment for wild (non-zoo) animals and zoo residents separate.  That way, diseases won’t be spread from wild animals to zoo animals.  We also saw their exam room with medical equipment.  

Blow Darts at ZooAmerica

One of the things we talked about in the exam room was about tranquilizing animals on the run.  Tim brought out the blow dart for everyone to try.  I couldn’t believe that the birthday girl “blew” everyone out of the water with her accuracy.  In fact, I wasn’t sure whether to be proud or whether to wonder what she’s been doing in her spare time.  Maybe we should move closer to Hershey, so she can go work at the zoo…

Food Storage for Animals at ZooAmerica

We also saw the zoo’s animal food storage room.  It looked like every animal had its favorite food taken care of.  In fact, Tim shared that the hotels send some of their “scraps” to the zoo to feed the animals.  Sounds like a great use of something that would have likely been thrown away, otherwise.

Feeding the Otters at ZooAmerica

Next, we headed out to feed some of the animals.  We started with watching Tim feed the bobcats.  The bobcats were poised to grab the food and dash to a corner of the cage to eat.  After he fed the bobcats, we headed over to the otters.  Both otters were anxiously waiting for us to toss down the little fish for them.  Otters have always been one of my favorite zoo animals, so getting to feed them was a treat!

Nocturnal Animals at ZooAmerica

Then, we headed into the Southwest exhibit to see some of the nocturnal animals.  Normally speaking, it seems like some of these animals can hear what is going on outside the exhibit.  So many times when we have gone, the nocturnal animals didn’t seem to come out or were hard to find.  On this night, we were able to see some more easily.  I hadn’t seen one of the vampire bats (upper right) on the bottom of the exhibit before, so seeing one feeding at its bowl was a treat.  

Feeding the Reptiles at ZooAmerica

Next up on the tour were the reptiles.  We watched as both the alligator and the alligator snapping turtle were fed.  I was thankful to be on the outside of the glass…  However, at no time did it seem like Rachel was in any danger.  

Up Close and Personal with an Owl at ZooAmerica

Then, we went to one of the zoo’s educational rooms.  The room had a few displays with lizards and a turtle.  The lizards seem to have the good life lounging on hammocks.  We had the chance to touch the bottom of a snake and a small alligator.  The highlight of this room?  Holding the owl.  We all took turns holding the owl.  I was so proud of my son for stepping up to hold the owl as this was something he had never done before.

Feeding the Bears at ZooAmerica

The last part of the tour was feeding the bears:  Murphy (on the right) and Chief (on the left).  They loved eating grapes off the end of wooden sticks!  What a unique experience!

We all enjoyed the ZooAmerica After-Hours Tour!  It is a great family activity (ages 3+), and it is one that we would totally love to do again sometime!  If you want to get a different look at what happens after the zoo closes and it gets dark, this tour might be for you.

The ZooAmerica After-Hours Tours currently take place on Saturday and Wednesday nights, year round.  Of course, the start time changes depending on the zoo’s closing times, so if you plan on taking this tour, make sure to jot down what time your tour starts and where to meet.  To find out current pricing for the After-Hours Tour, make sure to check out the ZooAmerica website.  [Note: Our tour was comped in hopes that we would share our experience with you.  I am a member of the Hershey, PA Sweetest Moms for 2016.] 

 

 

 

Share on Facebook Share
Share on TwitterTweet
Share on Pinterest Share
Share on LinkedIn Share
Share on Digg Share

Filed Under: Nature, Pennsylvania, Travel Tagged With: Hershey, Hershey PA, ZooAmerica

About Naomi M.

Naomi is a homeschool mom of two, one of whom is on the Autism Spectrum. When she is not working or schooling with the kids, she likes to kick back in the recliner to read or to plan the next family adventure.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kate F. says

    October 1, 2016 at 2:33 am

    It looks like you had a great time! I’d love to take a tour like this.

    Reply
  2. Cynthia R says

    October 6, 2016 at 10:06 am

    We need to do an after hour zoo tour, we love animals and zoos.

    Reply
  3. Alice F says

    October 9, 2016 at 8:23 pm

    I adore animals! Touring a Zoo, after hours, is on my bucket list!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Naomi is a homeschool mom of two, one of whom is on the Autism Spectrum. When she is not working or schooling with the kids, she likes to kick back in the recliner to read or to plan the next family adventure. Read More…

Don’t Miss A Post

Subscribe to our newsletter HERE!

Blogging Disclosure


As a blogger, I may be compensated in some way (either pay, product, or experience) for sharing posts or links with my readers. All opinions are my own.

You may view our GDPR compliant Privacy Policy HERE.

Search

Follow us

  • facebook
  • twitter
  • instagram
  • pinterest
  • mail

Recent Posts

  • Hershey Bears Teddy Bear Toss 2019
  • Strites Orchard – Field Trip
  • Hersheypark in the Dark
  • Hershey Lodge for a Sweet Time!
  • Legoland Florida in One Day

Tags

#B90Days Autism spectrum Best Buy Blog Hop Brave Christianity Christmas Christmas Desserts Disney Disney's Paradise Pier Hotel Disney California Adventure Park Disney Cruise Line Disneyland Disneyland Resort Disney on Ice DIY Easter EPCOT Giveaway Giveaway Hop Hershey Hershey PA Hersheypark Homeschool It's a Small World Lancaster Magic Kingdom Mickey Mouse Monsters University Pennsylvania Pixar Recipe Special Needs St. Patrick's Day Star Tours Storybook Land Canal Boats Tips Travel Vacation Valentine's Day Valentines Desserts Walt Disney World Walt Disney World Resort Wordless Wednesday World of Color

©ThisRollerCoasterCalledLife.com, 2010-2019. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.

Copyright © 2023 · Magazine Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT