Prepare for an eventful month at the OKC Zoo with Breakfast with the Animals, Sip and Stroll, Bird Awareness Day, and more.

 

SATURDAY MORNINGS IN MAY: BREAKFAST WITH THE ANIMALS

Don’t miss the return of the OKC Zoo event Breakfast with the Animals, held every Saturday morning in May. Tickets are going fast for a chance to dine and get closer to the Zoo’s animal family in the renovated Love’s Pachyderm Building. Guests will enjoy a loaded pancake bar, with bacon, potatoes, and eggs while hearing from OKC Zoo caretakers and ambassador animals from 9-11 a.m.. A private giraffe-feeding experience starting at 10 a.m. is included in the price of the ticket. Tickets are $56 each for adults ages 12 and older ($36 for ZOOfriends members) and $46 each for children ages 3-11 ($30 for ZOOfriends members). $2 from every ticket sold will go to monarch butterfly conservation. Purchase tickets for Breakfast with the Animals at www.okczoo.org/our-events. Seating is limited and first come first served.

 

SATURDAY, MAY 3: OKC ZOO HOSTS BIRD AWARENESS DAY ACTIVITIES FROM 9:30 A.M. TO NOON

The Oklahoma City Zoo’s popular Animal Awareness Days are back starting in May with a focus on birds! Saturday, May 3, 2025 is Bird Awareness Day, so guests should take a gander at activities throughout Raptor Ridge, Lakeside Grottos, and the Children’s Zoo presented by Primrose Schools. It’s a great chance to learn from the Zoo’s avian caretakers about the many feathered friends who call the OKC Zoo home. Be sure to grab one of 500 free water bottles sponsored by Shape Your Future and TSET (Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust). All event activities are free with Zoo admission and take place from 9:30 a.m. to noon.

 

SATURDAY, MAY 3: SAFE KIDS OKLAHOMA CELEBRATES SAFE KIDS DAY AT THE OKC ZOO

Join Safe Kids Oklahoma on Saturday, May 3, from 9 a.m. to noon, at the Oklahoma City Zoo, for Safe Kids Day! The day will be full of fun family activities, including a safety scavenger safari, happening near the Zoo’s Jungle Gym Playground. Around the world, a million children die each year from preventable injuries. Millions more are injured in ways that can affect them for a lifetime. Preventable injuries are the number one cause of death for children in the United States. Safe Kids Day is an opportunity to raise awareness and resources to celebrate kids, prevent injuries and save lives. Safe Kids Oklahoma was founded in 1989 and is led by Bethany Children’s Health Center. For more information, visit safekids.org or safekidsok.org.

 

FRIDAY EVENINGS, MAY 9, 16, & 23: SIP AND STROLL, 21+ EVENT SERIES

The Oklahoma City Zoo’s 6th annual Sip and Stroll season returns for six nights in May and June. Ticket holders 21 and older are invited to enjoy evenings of delicious bites and captivating cocktails and mocktails on Friday evenings May 9, 16, and 23 as well as Fridays, June 13, 20, and 27, from 6 to 10 p.m. each night. Sip and Stroll connects guests to the Zoo’s wondrous wildlife while they enjoy time strolling through the park. Along the way, guests can quench their thirst at numerous bars and grab tasty sweet and savory treats. Sip and Stroll is also a conservation event: $2 from every ticket goes to support the Zoo’s partners George Miksch Sutton Avian Research Center in Bartlesville and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Flamingo SAFE: Saving Animals From Extinction program. Friday, June 20 is our PRIDE Sip and Stroll celebration complete with a drag show performance. General admission for Sip and Stroll is $25 per person for nonmembers and $20 per person for ZOOfriends members. Tickets and food and drink packages are on sale now at www.okczoo.org/sipandstroll.

 

SATURDAY, MAY 10: OKC ZOO OVERNIGHT PROGRAM, CARNIVORES GALORE!

Spend the night at the Oklahoma City Zoo, learn about nature’s fiercest predators! From big cats to dwarf mongoose, predators come in all shapes and sizes. Discover this month’s OKC Zoo overnight program, Carnivores Galore, happening Saturday, May 10. Make a lasting memory with your young animal lover with an overnight stay at the OKC Zoo. Enjoy this wild sleepover complete with morning and night guided hikes through the Zoo and an animal ambassador encounter while learning facts galore about carnivores! Register now at Zoo Overnights.

 

SATURDAY, MAY 17: OKC ZOO HOSTS OUR BLOOD INSTITUTE DRIVE, 8 A.M. TO 1 P.M.

Join Our Blood Institute (OBI) at the Oklahoma City Zoo on Saturday, May 17 for the Lions, Tigers, and Tickets blood drive. Donors will come to the OKC Zoo’s Education Center from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. All donors will receive a T-shirt, two general admission tickets to the OKC Zoo, and will be entered into a drawing to win two tickets to see Nelly in concert at the Zoo Amphitheatre on September 6. To make an appointment click here.

 

SATURDAY, MAY 24: OKC ZOO HOSTS EARLY MORNING HOURS FOR ZOOFRIENDS MEMBERS, OPENING AT 8:30 A.M., MAY 24 TO SEPTEMBER 1

Oklahoma City Zoo ZOOfriends members can get an extra early start to exploring the OKC Zoo with Early Mornings for members. Beginning Saturday, May 24 and running through Labor Day, Monday, September 1, the Zoo will open at 8:30 a.m. for ZOOfriends members. The Zoo will open for all other guests at 9 a.m. Purchase or renew ZOOfriends memberships online at www.okczoo.org/membership.

 

MEMBERS ONLY MONDAY EVENINGS, MAY 5, 12, 19, AND 26

ZOOfriends members can now access the Zoo every Monday in May from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. After the Zoo closes at its regular time of 5 p.m., it will reopen at 5:30 p.m. exclusively for ZOOfriends members. Select Zoo attractions and concessions will be open for member evenings, with activities dependent on weather and animal participation. Purchase or renew your ZOOfriends membership at www.okczoo.org/membership.

 

ONGOING: MOTHER’S DAY ART GONE WILD PIECES

Flowers are fine. Candy is acceptable. But for those who want to make Mother’s Day extra special, the OKC Zoo has a new batch of Art Gone Wild paintings created by members of our animal family. Grab a giraffe masterpiece, a sketch from a snake, or one of the other pieces in the Guest Experience Office in the entry plaza. Canvases range in size from 6-by-6 inches for $35 all the way up to massive 30-by-40 inches pieces for $300. Don’t wait too long, because Art Gone Wild paintings always sell out fast!

 

ONGOING: LIGHTS OUT OKLAHOMA TO PROTECT MIGRATORY BIRDS

The OKC Zoo, a partner in the Oklahoma Animal Coalition, is asking Oklahomans to turn out non-essential outdoor lights from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. during the spring migration season, happening now through May 15. Excessive outdoor lighting confuses birds as they migrate through Oklahoma, separating them from their families, causing collisions with buildings and powerlines, and getting lost in dangerous environments. To learn more about LIGHTS OUT OKLAHOMA visit www.okczoo.org/lightsout.

 

ONGOING: OKC ZOO SUMMER CAMP SIGN-UPS OPEN

Learning doesn’t end during the summer at the OKC Zoo. Enrollment is now open for the Zoo’s award-winning Summer Camp program. Sign-ups are open for weekly camps created for kids ages 5-17 with themes including Zooperheroes, Not-So-Creepy Crawlies, Camp Eco-Logical, and more. Class sizes are limited, so sign up early to ensure your kids get in. Each week-long day camp is $300 per camper ($270 per camper for ZOOfriends members). Visit okczoo.org/summer-camps to learn more and sign up. If you're seeking summer camp care for early childhood children ages 2-4, please get in touch with preschool@okczoo.org or call (405) 425-0597 to explore enrollment options. To learn more about our early childhood programs, visit okczoo.org/preschool.

 

LEARN FROM THE EXPERTS WITH CARETAKER CHATS

Get to know the Zoo’s animal family from the people who know them best: the caretakers! Caretaker Chats are a chance to ask questions, get behind-the-scenes information, and get better acquainted with the animals.

  • African Hoofstock – 10 a.m. daily at Expedition Africa
  • Asian Elephants – 11 a.m. Monday-Thursday at Sanctuary Asia
  • Veterinarian Talk – 11:30 a.m. daily at Joan Kirkpatrick Animal Hospital
  • Common Dwarf Mongoose – 11:30 a.m. Friday-Sunday at Love’s Pachyderm Building
  • African Lungfish – 1:30 p.m. Thursday-Tuesday at Love’s Pachyderm Building
  • Flamingos – 3 p.m. daily at Primrose Schools Children’s Zoo
  • Gorillas – 3:30 p.m. daily at The Great EscApe Building

 

SPRING ATTRACTION HOURS

A new season means new hours for your favorite Zoo activities. There’s always something new happening at the OKC Zoo. All activities are dependent on weather and animal participation.

  • Scooter Pals: Take a ride on the wild side with the OKC Zoo’s new Scooter Pals. This new mobile entertainment opportunity is a fun way for guests 16 and older to explore the park. Scooter Pals are animal themed and available to rent daily weather permitting, located in the Zoo’s entry plaza. Cost is $5 activation fee, $0.35/minute.  
  • Primrose Schools Children’s Zoo Barnyard: The Primrose Schools Barnyard is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
  • Elephant Express Tram: Take the tram for a relaxing, informative tour of the Zoo. Rides offered daily from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. All day bracelets are $6 per person. Children two and under free. 
  • Elephant Presentations: Head to the Inasmuch Elephant Pavilion for the free-to-attend elephant presentation in Sanctuary Asia at 2 p.m. Friday through Sunday. 
  • Endangered Species Carousel: Carousel rides are available daily from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Cost is $4 per person. 
  • Explorikeet Feedings: These feathered favorites are waiting to meet you! Feeding opportunities are available daily from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Cost is $4 per person. Participants under the age of 14 must be accompanied by a paying adult. 
  • Virtual Reality Wildlife Experiences: Guests can experience two different and immersive encounters with wildlife with the help of virtual reality. Gorilla Trek VR presents the life of gorillas in the Rwandan jungle and The Great Migration VR puts guests among African wildlife on their annual migratory journey. Each experience offers 360-degree live-action virtual reality film with surround sound and motion! Open Monday through Friday 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Cost is $8 per person. 
  • Rhino Feedings:  Discover this memorable experience with one of the largest residents at the Zoo – an Indian rhino! Feeding opportunities available weekends (Thurs.–Sun.) from 11 to 11:30 a.m. at Sanctuary Asia. Cost is $10 per person. Children age 2 and under are not permitted.
  • Stingray Bay: Stingray Bay provides up-close encounters and feeding opportunities with one of the most majestic creatures of the sea, stingrays! Open daily from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Cost is $4 per person to enter. Feeding opportunities are available from 2 to 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, while supplies last, for an additional $4 per person.
  • Flamingo Mingle: Flock to the Flamingo Mingle feeding daily from 9:30 to 10 a.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 3:30 to 4 p.m. Cost is $5 per person. Children age 2 and under are not permitted.
  • Giraffe Feeding: Feed our tallest friends during the Giraffe Feeding Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to noon and Saturday and Sunday from 2 to 3 p.m. Cost is $5 per person.
  • Camel Rides: Camel rides are available at the OKC Zoo from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily. Cost is $10 per person.

 

The Oklahoma City Zoo’s Regular daytime hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily with the last entry at 4 p.m. Purchase advance Zoo admission tickets at okczoo.org/tickets and avoid the entry lines. Located at the crossroads of I-44 and I-35, the OKC Zoo is a proud member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the American Alliance of Museums, and Oklahoma City’s Adventure District.

Stay connected with the Zoo on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Bluesky, Linktree and TikTok, and by visiting our blog stories. Make it a “brand zoo” day with a ZOOfriends membership! As a ZOOfriends member of the Oklahoma City Zoo, enjoy free general admission for 12 months, plus additional benefits and discounts. You will also be supporting the Zoo’s animal family, education programming, and conservation initiatives both locally and globally. Join or renew today at okczoo.org/membership.