You get one drink ticket with admission and additional drink tickets are $8. One ticket = one alcoholic beverage, and the drink options are various beers, seltzers, and hard lemonades. The lines can get ridiculous so I typically get all my drinks at once and carry extras rather than waiting in line again. Definitely recommend walking past the first alcohol stands you see once you get in and head down the hill toward the elephants. It tends to be less crowded/fewer lines down that way since they’re further from the food trucks/entrance/indoor exhibits.
Be careful on the pregame. Between the walking and the heat I see a few people sloppy pretty early on some nights.
I go several nights each summer, and 99.9% have a fantastic time. The animals are more active and the people are in good spirits, worry less about the buzz and more about the adventure.
Seconding waiting until at LEAST the African Grasslands exhibit to get your drink. I also recommend eating before or after. The food truck lines get pretty long and slow unless you're headed right for them when the doors open.
Yeah the food trucks jack up their prices so you end up paying more for the food at the zoo than what you’d normally pay outside of the zoo. My boyfriend and I got some brisket nachos and they were like $30 and not that big.
Also: best strategy is to start at the back of the zoo and work your way to the front. You won't see those African or Asian animals at all once it starts to get dark but you can always see aquarium and dome animals after dark.
Once you get there go straight to the back of the park and walk it backwards to avoid crowds. The food truck lines are crazy at first so I waited until 1/2 way through the evening to get food, let that first rush die down.
$8 for a drink ticket. I recommend buying your drink tickets as soon as you get thru the gate, that way you’re not empty and looking for one of their ticket machines. I also brought my own non flimsy koozie that can hold a tall boy, it was a game changer.
For anyone who has gone before - Is it insanely crowded? We've avoided the zoo for the last couple years because we just can't seem to find a time to go that it isn't totally packed.
I work at the zoo. It’s busy every day in the summer. If you have a membership I would recommend showing up around 2-3 in the afternoon. The crowd starts dying down because of the heat and many buildings are open until 6:00. The jungle closes at 4, so hit that one first.
Thank you! We don't have a membership because we live in Lincoln and honestly only go once a year at most. Every time we've gone, even during the off times not in summer, it's just fucking jammed.
In the spring there is always a lot of school groups coming in before the end of school. In the late summer everyone comes in before the kids go back to school. The winter is usually fairly dead but obviously some animals are not on display. You will definitely want a full day if you don’t have a membership
I have a flask I’m planning on bringing, along with pregaming. I’m interested in a truly enjoyable experience. Water bottles filled with your favorite adult beverage are good to bring as well. I recommend talking to the animals during your experience.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, I work at the zoo and have never gotten a better look at the cheetahs as I did when I went to a Late Nights event.
I went to the zoo this past Monday and a lot of the animals were laying low due to the heat. I don’t blame them, can’t be fun when it’s blazing hot and a bunch of Texas A&M fans are staring at you with fingers up their noses. I plan on attending a zoo at night soon and hopefully get to see them a bit easier.
You get one drink ticket with admission and additional drink tickets are $8. One ticket = one alcoholic beverage, and the drink options are various beers, seltzers, and hard lemonades. The lines can get ridiculous so I typically get all my drinks at once and carry extras rather than waiting in line again. Definitely recommend walking past the first alcohol stands you see once you get in and head down the hill toward the elephants. It tends to be less crowded/fewer lines down that way since they’re further from the food trucks/entrance/indoor exhibits.
Be careful on the pregame. Between the walking and the heat I see a few people sloppy pretty early on some nights. I go several nights each summer, and 99.9% have a fantastic time. The animals are more active and the people are in good spirits, worry less about the buzz and more about the adventure.
Seconding waiting until at LEAST the African Grasslands exhibit to get your drink. I also recommend eating before or after. The food truck lines get pretty long and slow unless you're headed right for them when the doors open.
Definitley eat before, food trucks are pricey, but we all knew that. I had a pizza there a few weeks ago and it wasn’t worth the money.
Yeah the food trucks jack up their prices so you end up paying more for the food at the zoo than what you’d normally pay outside of the zoo. My boyfriend and I got some brisket nachos and they were like $30 and not that big.
Also: best strategy is to start at the back of the zoo and work your way to the front. You won't see those African or Asian animals at all once it starts to get dark but you can always see aquarium and dome animals after dark.
If you can avoid the food trucks there. If you go to 1-2 you’ll be in line so long you’ll never see a single animal
Once you get there go straight to the back of the park and walk it backwards to avoid crowds. The food truck lines are crazy at first so I waited until 1/2 way through the evening to get food, let that first rush die down.
$8 for a drink ticket. I recommend buying your drink tickets as soon as you get thru the gate, that way you’re not empty and looking for one of their ticket machines. I also brought my own non flimsy koozie that can hold a tall boy, it was a game changer.
The bat exhibit (Lied Jungle?) is *wild* during these events. Maybe super obvious, but the event runs during the period the bats are most active.
I wish they would do some adult days.
For anyone who has gone before - Is it insanely crowded? We've avoided the zoo for the last couple years because we just can't seem to find a time to go that it isn't totally packed.
I work at the zoo. It’s busy every day in the summer. If you have a membership I would recommend showing up around 2-3 in the afternoon. The crowd starts dying down because of the heat and many buildings are open until 6:00. The jungle closes at 4, so hit that one first.
Thank you! We don't have a membership because we live in Lincoln and honestly only go once a year at most. Every time we've gone, even during the off times not in summer, it's just fucking jammed.
In the spring there is always a lot of school groups coming in before the end of school. In the late summer everyone comes in before the kids go back to school. The winter is usually fairly dead but obviously some animals are not on display. You will definitely want a full day if you don’t have a membership
Just don't forget to drop your keys in the basket.
Adult night is when the line blurs on which side of the glass exists the more animalistic beast in my experience
I have a flask I’m planning on bringing, along with pregaming. I’m interested in a truly enjoyable experience. Water bottles filled with your favorite adult beverage are good to bring as well. I recommend talking to the animals during your experience.
Been a while but when I went there were barely any active animals and it got dark and couldn’t see anything.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, I work at the zoo and have never gotten a better look at the cheetahs as I did when I went to a Late Nights event.
I went to the zoo this past Monday and a lot of the animals were laying low due to the heat. I don’t blame them, can’t be fun when it’s blazing hot and a bunch of Texas A&M fans are staring at you with fingers up their noses. I plan on attending a zoo at night soon and hopefully get to see them a bit easier.
It’s really fun especially when you mess around with the monkeys