Detroit Zoo Hosts After-Hours Adults-Only Event July 16

ROYAL OAK, Mich., July 15, 2009 – Plentiful sunshine and 80-degree temps will greet Detroit Zoo visitors as they fall in love with the Zoo all over again at the second annual Summer Zoomance.  The after-hours 21-and-older event is scheduled for Thursday, July 16, 2009, 6 to 9 p.m.  Admission is $8 and parking is $5 (parking is free for Detroit Zoological Society members).  

Summer Zoomance allows grownups to revisit their memories of the Detroit Zoo while creating new ones during a peaceful twilight stroll among the award-winning animal habitats.  Live entertainment by Straight Ahead will take place at Rackham Fountain, and adult beverages and favorite nostalgic foods will be available for purchase at Zoo concessions. 

Summer Zoomance guests can visit all their favorite animals and see the many new residents that now call the Detroit Zoo home.  Fresh faces include two black-and-white ruffed lemurs born last month, a baby aardvark born in December and a chimpanzee born last fall. 

Visitors can take a prehistoric journey through the DinoTrail at Dinosauria, the Zoo’s blockbuster summer attraction featuring 19 animatronic dinosaurs, and ride the DinoSimulator at the Wild Adventure Ride.  Tickets for each experience are an additional $3 per person. 

Tickets for Summer Zoomance can be purchased in advance online at www.detroitzoo.org as well as at the admission gates up to the night of the event.   

The Detroit Zoological Society is a non-profit organization that operates the Detroit Zoo and Belle Isle Nature Zoo.  Situated on 125 acres of naturalistic exhibits, the Detroit Zoo is located at the intersection of Ten Mile Road and Woodward Avenue, just off I-696, in Royal Oak.  The Detroit Zoo is open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April through October (open at 9 a.m. May 1 through Labor Day) – with extended hours until 8 p.m. Wednesdays during July and August – and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. November through March.  Admission is $11 for adults 15 to 61, $9 for senior citizens 62 and older, and $7 for children ages 2 to 14; children under 2 are free.  For more information, call (248) 541-5717 or visit www.detroitzoo.org.  The Belle Isle Nature Zoo is open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. year-round and provides educational programming with interpretive staff support from the Huron-Clinton Metroparks.  Admission is free.  For more information, call (313) 852-4056. 
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