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BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo has released its calendar for May through June 2021. Spring is a wonderful time to visit the Zoo, as many of the animals are more active in chilly weather. As we all hope that the pandemic is in its last stages, the Zoo is still a great place to get outside with the family for fresh air. 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. Adult admission (ages 12 & older) is $16.00; 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. The Zoo is open seven days a week from 9-4, year-round. 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, and Natt Family Red Panda Habitat open. Carousel Building, Research Station, and Rainforest Building: Closed due to pandemic |
Through May 9, DAZZLE: A Garden of Glass
A presentation of 500 pieces of Glass Master Artist Peter Greenwood’s artwork. Greenwood’s brilliantly colored art will be displayed throughout the Victorian Greenhouse, using lush foliage and beautiful blossoms to enhance the beauty of both artwork and plants. The pieces are intended to evoke vines, leaves, roots and petals in vibrant shades: cobalt blue, ruby, green, and yellow. Included in Zoo admission. Free for members.
May 2021
May 12, Virtual Zoo Tots, 10:30 a.m.
This monthly 45-minute program for children ages 22 months to four years, may include song/story time, virtual animal encounters, and/or virtual tours of the Zoo. This session is titled “Garden Critters!” The cost is $10. Please register online at beardsleyzoo.org.
May 19, ZOOM: Evening Lecture Series, 7:00 p.m.; Monarch Migration Magic! With Court Whelan – Sponsored by AARP
The zoo’s evening lecture series engage audiences of all ages, especially lifelong learners, who have an appetite for delving deeper into the wonders of wildlife. One of the world’s most astounding wildlife events occurs each year in Mexico’s Central Highlands, featuring the most delicate of creatures. As we enter a grove of fir trees on a remote mountaintop, the trunks and branches appear to be blanketed with rusty autumn leaves. A closer look reveals they’re quivering. Then as the sun emerges from behind a cloud to warm them, hundreds of thousands of monarch butterflies take to the sky—so many that we actually hear the beating of their wings, which glow translucent orange against the blue sky. Experience this moving phenomenon as Court Whelan takes us on a virtual tour of monarch magic. Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo's Evening Lecture Series is sponsored by AARP and brought to you by the CBZ Volunteer Council. $10 suggested donation. Register here: https://www.flipcause.com/secure/cause_pdetails/MTExODk0
May 21, ZOOM: Endangered Species Day Lecture, 6:00 p.m.; The Rarest Wolf of All; Jim Knox
Endangered Species Day is an opportunity for people of all ages to learn about the importance of protecting endangered species and everyday actions they can take to help protect them. Once extinct in the wild, enigmatic and elusive, the Red wolf’s story is one of unfolding mystery and 21st century discovery. With fewer than 300 animals in existence, these remarkable creatures are found solely in the U.S., and are among the rarest species on the planet. Join Curator of Education and Zoologist Jim Knox to meet the animal behind the mystery and learn what we can all do to ensure its survival. $10 suggested donation. Register here:
June 2021
June 5, Wild Wine, Beer and Food Safari at Home
Spend Saturday, June 5th partying with the Zoo! Each carefully crafted box has everything for your wild night, including: three bottles of wine (1 red, 1 white, 1 rose), two 4-packs of beer, two Zoo logo wine glasses featuring the Zoo's logo, two wine glass lanyards, music by The Navels to entertain you and a pre-recorded Zoo tour to watch while you sip. Whether it's for date night or a weekend social-distanced safari with friends, this is one wild night you don't want to miss! Cost is $200 per party box. Additional wine glasses and lanyards may be purchased. All boxes must be pre-ordered and picked up at the Zoo beginning Thursday, June 3rd.
June 6, ZOOM: Evening Lecture Series, 7:00 p.m. Return of the Sea Otter! Todd McLeish – Sponsored by AARP
The zoo’s evening lecture series engage audiences of all ages, especially lifelong learners, who have an appetite for delving deeper into the wonders of wildlife. Join natural history author Todd McLeish as he discusses North America’s cutest mammal, the sea otter, and describes his adventures studying the animals from California to Alaska. Nearly driven extinct for their thick fur, sea otters have rebounded throughout much of their range on the Pacific Coast but are still threatened by sharks, killer whales, oil spills and other factors. Todd’s book about sea otters was named by Forbes Magazine as one of the top 10 books about nature of 2018. Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo's Evening Lecture Series is sponsored by AARP and brought to you by the CBZ Volunteer Council. $10 suggested donation. Register here: https://www.flipcause.com/secure/cause_pdetails/MTEzOTY1
This monthly 45-minute program for children ages 22 months to four years, may include song/story time, virtual animal encounters, and/or virtual tours of the Zoo. This session is titled “Summer Fun!” The cost is $10. Please register online at beardsleyzoo.org.
July 2021
July 21, ZOOM: Evening Lecture Series, 7:00 p.m. Wonders from Down Under! Karen Sullivan – Sponsored by AARP
The zoo’s evening lecture series engage audiences of all ages, especially lifelong learners, who have an appetite for delving deeper into the wonders of wildlife. Australia has some of the world’s most unique wildlife. Many species cannot be found anywhere else on the planet. Join wildlife and nature photographer Karen Sullivan as she brings the amazing animals and scenery of Australia right into our living rooms. Karen has dedicated herself to photographing nature and wildlife subjects with a focus on then sharing her images and information about them through her lectures and photographic exhibitions. Karen will detail information about the animals she photographs and their environments, including personal stories from her experiences in the field. Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo's Evening Lecture Series is sponsored by AARP and brought to you by the CBZ Volunteer Council. $10 suggested donation. Register here: https://www.flipcause.com/secure/cause_pdetails/MTEzOTY2
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.
August 2021
Aug 18, ZOOM: Evening Lecture Series, 7:00 p.m. Red Wolves Rediscovered! Dr. Kristin Brzeski – Sponsored by AARP
The zoo’s evening lecture series engage audiences of all ages, especially lifelong learners, who have an appetite for delving deeper into the wonders of wildlife. As few as 24 wild red wolves are known to exist, but canids with red wolf genetics were recently found along the American Gulf Coast. Dr. Kristin Brzeski will offer a history of red wolf conservation actions. A brief discussion of red wolf taxonomy will include implications of red wolf ancestry in coyotes in Texas and Louisiana reshapes our view of hybridization between the species. Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo's Evening Lecture Series is sponsored by AARP and brought to you by the CBZ Volunteer Council. $10 suggested donation. Register here: https://www.flipcause.com/secure/cause_pdetails/MTEzOTY5
September 2021
Sept 13, Golf Tournament, Brooklawn Country Club
Gather three coworkers, friends or family members and join us on Monday, September 13 at the exclusive Brooklawn Country Club in Fairfield for fun and fundraising! Formed in 1895, Brooklawn was redesigned by A.W. Tillinghast, one of history's premier golf architects. Brooklawn's sloping greens provide the biggest challenge; off the tee, accuracy is more important than distance. Bring your "A" game and have a ball! This year's tournament will feature tee times and food on the course for a socially-distanced day outside!
Sept 22, ZOOM: Evening Lecture Series, 7:00 p.m. Weasels in the Wild! Kurt Zias – Sponsored by AARP
The zoo’s evening lecture series engage audiences of all ages, especially lifelong learners, who have an appetite for delving deeper into the wonders of wildlife. Wildlife Biologist Kurt Zias has extensively studied wolverines, fishers and martins in Oregon. Learn about these incredible animals through Kurt’s experiences trapping, surveying and researching the largest members of the weasel family. Through photos, tracks and observations Kurt will tell the story of survival in the rough terrain of the mountains and forests of the west. Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo's Evening Lecture Series is sponsored by AARP and brought to you by the CBZ Volunteer Council. $10 suggested donation. Register here: https://www.flipcause.com/secure/cause_pdetails/MTEzOTcx
About Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo
Let your curiosity run wild! Connecticut’s only zoo, celebrating its 99th year, features 300 animals representing primarily North and South American and Northern Asian species. Guests won’t want to miss our Amur tiger and leopards, maned wolves, and Mexican gray wolves and red wolves. Other highlights include our new Spider Monkey Habitat, the prairie dog exhibit, and the Pampas Plain with Giant anteaters and Chacoan peccaries. Guests can grab a bite from the Peacock Café and eat in the Picnic Grove. Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo is a non-profit organization approaching its 100th year at a time when the mission of helping fragile wildlife populations and eco-systems is more important than ever.
Tickets must be purchased on the Zoo’s website at beardsleyzoo.org. In accordance with the state of Connecticut COVID-19 guidelines: we strongly recommend that guests continue to wear masks while visiting the Zoo, but when guests are outside and are able to maintain social distance, masks may be removed. In any indoor area, or when social distancing cannot be maintained, masks are required. Everyone over the age of two, with the exception of those with medical conditions that preclude wearing them, should have a mask available.