Last spring I had the privilege to experience The Sweetest Place on Earth… Hershey, PA! One of the coolest attractions I saw was ZooAmerica. As an animal and nature lover, you bet I was psyched when I saw the After Hours tour of ZooAmerica on my itinerary. If you aren’t familiar, ZooAmerica is a year-round zoo on 11 acres next to Hersheypark. Admission to the zoo is included in your Hersheypark admission!
Don’t worry, the zoo has real bears (which I’ll show you later in this post!) So my 5 year old recently joined a nature club, and I tell you, I think he asks me questions about animals every 10 minutes! I decided to show him some of my photos from my experience at ZooAmerica because I knew this was right up his alley!
The zoo features over 200 animals from North America, like Rufus, an Eastern Screech-Owl! How cute is he???
When the zookeepers asked us if we wanted to hold him, I knew I just had to jump at the chance. It’s not every day you can saw you held an owl.
Other animals include sea otters, American alligators, wolves, and black bears just to name a few… And speaking of bears… Check out this super quick video of me feeding Chief, a two year old black bear!
Since I took an After Hours tour, the sun had already set and most of the animals were in their enclosures for the night. That is why you see me feeding Chief in the indoor enclosure. Most of the time the animals are outside, enjoying fresh air and natural surroundings.
I’m sad I don’t have any personal photos of the wolves to show you… but definitely check out the images on the zoo’s Facebook page! These animals are gorgeous! Better yet, why don’t you see them for yourself in person at the zoo?
As for American alligators, check out Zorro, who is 11 years old. It’s funny how my kid always wants to quiz me on the difference between alligators and crocodiles. He knew right away that this was an alligator! Do you know how he knew?
If you guessed a rounded nose and webbed feet, then you are correct! Check out Zorro in action.
Speaking of American alligators…how cute is this little guy? Meet Yoda! He’s was just a little baby when I met him last Spring. Curious to know if he’s reached Zorro’s size or not!
Through the end of March, admission to ZooAmerica is only $6! Admission is normally $9.50 to $11.50. So if you have a big family planning to visit the zoo, you may want to take advantage of this deal!
Feel free to connect with ZooAmerica on Facebook on Facebook and Instagram.
I have had the opportunity to visit Zoo America twice. Once I also went behind the scenes, it was really fun and very informative. Holding the owl was a hoot!
What an amazing experience. That owl is so cool looking. I also love the white wolf photo from their Facebook page. It’s just beautiful!
I am a zoo girl at heart. i love see and learning about animals. It is so interesting and fun just o walk among animals.
I like to watch the alligators, probably because we don’t have them in our area. They seem to move so slow but can be speedy and snatch something up in the blink of an eye.
My kids would love to see all of these animals. I’ve seen a lot of posts about Hershey, but never one about this place. I love it!
This sounds like it would be so much fun!
I like animals but from a distance. It seems that you completely enjoyed the trip. Brave you.
Such a great experience at the zoo. How great that you are able to share your memories with your son.
We LOVE the Zoo there. Especially the behind the scenes tour. It’s definitely a must do!
Wow, they have so many animals to check out! Your experience sounded like fun. The baby alligator was so cute.
I would love to see the wolves. I had no idea there was a Zoo park near Hershey’s it has been forever since I was up there.
Those photos are amazing! What a fantastic variety of animals! I haven’t visited Hershey in years, and this definitely makes me want to go back!
That is so cool! I’ve always been fascinated by nature and the animals who live in it.
That looks like so much fun! We love Hershey Park, and we’ve been trying to get another trip together for getting back there.
That looked like it was so much fun! I’ve never been to Hersheypark. And as much as I love chocolate, I have to get to this place! But I think that’s so awesome that admission to the Zoo is included in your admission to the park!
I had no idea that this was in Hershey, PA!! What a great place to take the kids too, I know my kids would love this!