On select June Saturdays, BREC’s Baton Rouge Zoo is offering its annual City Days promotion of buy-one-get-one-free admission for residents of Baton Rouge, Central and Zachary.
“It’s a way of giving back to the residents of East Baton Rouge Parish, because obviously the zoo is a BREC entity, and BREC is supported by taxpayer dollars,” says Robyn Lott, director of marketing and public relations for the zoo. “And so, as a thank you, once a year, the zoo hosts City Days.”
For those who haven’t been to the zoo in a while, Lott says this is the perfect chance to see new animals, such as the zoo’s two new cheetahs or its newborn twin golden lion tamarins. Although there is no special programming for the City Days promotion, you can still see a show at the Wildlife Safari Amphitheater, watch the running of the ducks in the Kid’s Zoo or attend a Keeper Chat with the zoo’s otter and giraffe experts.
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“[City Days] gives us an opportunity to reach families that we may not normally be able to reach,” Lott adds. “It … gives them a chance to see [the zoo], learn about the animals and conservation, have a fun family day, and perhaps it leads to them loving the zoo and wanting to come back for future visits.”
In past years, City Days has been a February promotion. Since this is the first time the zoo is doing City Days in the summer months, the weather conditions are expected to be quite different. In the event of extreme bad weather, the zoo will temporarily pause operations. If it’s just raining, however, it will continue operations as usual.
“It can actually be kind of fun,” Lott says. “It’s cool to watch the animals in the rain, because they actually don’t mind it.”
To receive the BOGO pricing, individuals must present drivers licenses that show they live in the selected city on that date. Lott says the special rate is only available for two or more admissions of equal or lesser value—so, for instance, you can’t buy a children’s pass and get an adult pass free, she says.
The schedule:
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• Saturday, June 10: Baton Rouge
• Saturday, June 17: Zachary
• Saturday, June 24: Central
If you can’t make it to your City Days Saturday, the zoo also offers $1.50 admission every Wednesday, 2-5 p.m., for adults and children. The zoo is offering other summer events, too, including Twilight Tours, Red, White and Zoo and the Zoo Run Run 5k.
Controversy surrounding plans to move the zoo has also made headlines quite a bit recently. Residents interested in weighing in can attend a public meeting next week, June 15, 6:30 p.m. at the Womack Ballroom to share their thoughts. Find out more here.