The Detroit Zoo is celebrating 95 years next month and to celebrate they’re opening early and hosting a party that everyone is invited to! Mark your calendars for Tuesday, August 1st.

The early morning wake ups will be a good thing because the zoo opens at 8am on August 1st, giving guests a look at how the Detroit Zoo’s animal care team manages the animals’ morning routines and gets them ready to see visitors each day.

Another perk to arriving early is that the first 95 non-member guests will receive FREE admission, AND the first 995 people in the door will receive a free one-way ride on the Tauber Family Railroad (please note the train will open at 9am).

After the morning festivities end, stick around to take advantage of exclusive 95th-anniversary food and beverage deals, membership offers and more! Zoogoers will enjoy 95-cent specials, including $1.95 for regular sodas, 95-cent refills on souvenir cups, and buy one bear tracks and get a second for 95 cents at select locations.

Event Schedule:

  • 6 to 10 a.m. — Country radio station 99.5 WYCD will host a live broadcast from the Detroit Zoo’s Cotton Family Wolf Wilderness. 
  • 8 a.m. — The Zoo opens.
  • 8:15 a.m. — Divers conduct tank maintenance and cleaning at the Polk Penguin Conservation Center.
  • 8:15 a.m. — Reptile feedings at the Holden Reptile Conservation Center. 
  • 8:30 a.m. — Polar bear and sea otter feedings at the Arctic Ring of Life. 
  • 8:30 a.m. — Red panda feedings at the Holtzman Wildlife Foundation Red Panda Forest. 
  • 8:45 a.m. — Miniature donkey walks in the barnyard area. 
  • 8:45 a.m. — Giraffe enrichment activities at the giraffe habitat.
  • 9 a.m. — Wolf enrichment activities at the Cotton Family Wolf Wilderness.
  • 10 a.m. — Meet and greet with WYCD morning show hosts at the Cotton Family Wolf Wilderness

In addition to the special activities for the day, guests can also visit BRICKLIVE! The temporary exhibit features more than 70 unique, dazzling displays of toy brick models – like a 7-foot elk and 12-foot giraffe to a 10-foot gator and a massive mako shark. This exhibit has a special admission fee but your littles will love it!

If you’re not a member of the Detroit Zoo, join in the 95 year tradition and become a member. Family memberships at the Detroit Zoo are $135 annually and include admission and parking for two named adults and 4 children. Residents of Wayne, Oakland and Macomb countiies receive a $10 membership discount. The cost for a family of 4 for a single visit to the zoo is $92 – that means with simple two visits you’ll have more than paid for your membership.