Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo is pleased to release its calendar for July through October 2021. Summer is a wonderful time to visit the Zoo. Calendar subject to change without notice. Please check Beardsleyzoo.org or Facebook for the most up to date information.
Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo is closer than you think and open daily from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm.
FOR CONNECTICUT RESIDENTS: CHILDREN 18 AND UNDER ARE FREE WITH ONE ACCOMPANYING ADULT, JULY 1 THROUGH SEPT 6. Guests must make reservations online at www.beardsleyzoo.org.
Adult admission (ages 12 & older) is $16.00; Out of state children (ages 3 -11) are $13.00, senior admission (62 and older) is $13.00 and children under 3 years old are free. Zoo members also are admitted free. Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo is located at 1875 Noble Avenue, Bridgeport, Connecticut and parking at the zoo is free of charge.
Peacock Café: open, with outdoor picnic area seating available; indoor seating for up to 28 people or 6 tables. Playground open. Gift Shop: offered at an outdoor kiosk. W.O.L.F. Cabin, Indoor Spider monkey viewing area, Natt Family Red Panda Habitat, Carousel Building, and Rainforest Building: open. Research Station: Closed
UPCOMING JULY EVENTS
Kids Are Free, Connecticut Summer at the Museum, through Sept 6
Thanks to the state of Connecticut and funds from the American Rescue Plan, the Zoo is participating in the summer-long KIDS ARE FREE program at the Zoo every day from July 1 through September 6th. This "Connecticut Summer at the Museum" program invites any Connecticut resident 18 years old and younger, plus one accompanying adult, to enjoy a day at the Zoo for free. Guests still need to make a reservation online so the Zoo can maintain an appropriate number of people on grounds at any one time. Reservations at www.beardsleyzoo.org.
Food for Thought, Monday/Thursday/Friday/Saturday/Sunday, 10:00-2:00, in Partnership with Cooperative Educational Services and Green Village Initiative, through September 6
Food For Thought is a special summer long program five days a week: Mon/Thurs at 10:00 and 2:00; Fri/Sat/Sun at 10:00, 12:00 and 2:00 through Sept 6 to teach students and families about the benefits of fresh, healthy food and how gardening and farming enrich our lives. Interactive activities, demonstrations, and visits with animals five days a week at kiosks around the Zoo.
The kiosk activities will include topics such as how owls and other raptors protect farmland from rodents; endangered heritage livestock breeds; the benefits of snakes, butterflies, bees, and other insects; the history of urban gardening and farming in Bridgeport; composting; and raising backyard chickens. Kiosks will be at three locations on Zoo grounds on Mondays and Thursdays at 10:00 and 2:00, and on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays at 10:00, 12:00 and 2:00.
July 10, New England Farmyard Opens
This popular section of the Zoo will open with significant upgrades to the area, including newly built barns, pastures, and enclosures for goats, cows, miniature horses, Guinea hogs, chickens, geese, and ducks. The first 400 children to arrive on Saturday, July 10 and Sunday, July 11 will receive a free piggy bank, courtesy of Newtown Savings Bank.
July 22 & 29 ZOOM; Monarch Watch, 7 p.m.
MonarchWatch is a Citizen Science program which involves volunteers to tag and record Monarch Butterflies. Your contribution will help scientists collect very valuable data to study the population and its migration patterns down to Mexico for the winter season. Monarch butterflies have many direct threats from weather, to habitat loss and destruction of valuable food sources due to herbicides and agricultural expansion. With that, Monarch Butterfly numbers are steadily in decline.
Your participation in this program will help aide in the conservation efforts of these magnificent pollinators for years to come. $5., Register online: https://www.beardsleyzoo.org/monarchwatch.html
July 26 through Aug 8; Family Favorite Chris Rowlands LIVE
Chris Rowlands brings animals to life through kid-friendly songs, dance, puppets, and colorful props. Free. Shown at 11 am, 1 and 3 pm. daily. Each performance is 30-35 minutes long.
