My kidlets love animals, all different kinds and the more exotic, the better. Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! So it’s a good thing that we live near the world’s largest metropolitan zoo, the Bronx Zoo, which is run by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). The Hubs and I take the kids there several times a year. It’s a great way to spend the day, see animals and learn about animal conservation efforts both in our country and around the world.
Starting this Saturday, April 21, the Bronx Zoo kicks off its third annual Animal Tales Extravaganza that will run every weekend through Sunday, June 30. This special spring program is packed with elephant-sized fun featuring a full schedule of live family entertainment including interactive attractions, music, performances, character meet and greets, arts & crafts, author readings and even a Rainforest Creature Parade!
The zoo’s Dancing Crane Pavilion will be transformed into an intimate story time corner, presented by Plum Organics. Zoo-goers can take a break and read from a variety of animal-themed books from Simon & Schuster, Candlewick Press, and Hyperion. Children can also stage their own animal tale with a puppet they create at the Bright Horizons Early Education & Preschools crafts area.
This year also features a special new production – Avenue ZOO – with a guest appearance by Kate Monster, the beloved puppet star of the Tony Award®-winning musical “Avenue Q.” Running each weekend on the zoo’s Asia Plaza Stage, Avenue ZOO highlights the importance of wildlife conservation in a fun and entertaining way, and is totally suitable for all ages. It is a musical tale in which Kate Monster meets exotic animals and discovers that though they may seem strange and different, they are not as scary as she thought. Avenue ZOO performances are at 12:30 and 2:30PM each weekend thru Sunday, September 9.
Also, the Main Stage has something for everyone throughout the spring. Highlights of this season’s main stage entertainment include:
- April 21 and April 22 – Storybook Fun with Curious George
- April 28 and 29 – Marvel’s Avengers: Heroes Saving the Earth featuring Captain America, Iron Man, Thor and HULK
- May 5 and 6 – Nickelodeon’s Dora and Diego: We Did It!
- May 12 and 13 – Sportacus from Sprout’s “Lazytown”
- May 19 and 20 – Disney’s Choo-Choo Soul with Genevieve
- June 2 and 3 – Ferdinand the Bull
- June 9 and 10 – Barney™ Sing-Along
- June 16 and 17 – Super Sprowtz™
- June 30 – Spider-Man takes over the zoo
Children will also have the opportunity to meet some of their favorite characters at the Dancing Crane Pavilion including the stars of Yo Gabba Gabba; Marvel’s Avengers; Nickelodeon’s Dora and Diego, Sportacus from Sprout’s “Lazytown;” Mo Willems’ Elephant and Piggie; Buddy the T-Rex from “Dinosaur Train;” Maisy Mouse and Olivia™.
Eight-time Academy Award®-winning composer Alan Menken will present favorite songs from his collection performed by the Naked Brothers Band and Music Unites Youth Choir of The Women’s Academy of Excellence on Saturday, June 2.
Actor LeVar Burton, host of the Peabody® Award-winning series “Reading Rainbow” will make an appearance on Saturday and Sunday, June 16 and 17 for a special storybook reading. LeVar will share his favorite tips and techniques to encourage young readers.
A full listing of Animal Tales Extravaganza dates and times is available at http://apps.bronxzoo.com/animal-tales/
The best part is that Animal Tales Extravaganza is free with your general admission to the Bronx Zoo. Right now they’re also running a special promotion – if you buy your tickets online between now and May 6, you can get a 20% discount, which is a great family value. You can click HERE or the image below for more details.
This opening weekend of Animal Tales Extravaganza starts off with Storybook Fun with Curious George! and a Meet & Greet with Yo Gabba Gabba!
April 21st and April 22nd
Main Stage: Storybook Fun with Curious George
Enjoy a high-energy, interactive live performance featuring songs, games, storybook readings, fun dances and lots of audience participation with one of today’s most popular storybook characters! 11:30am, 1:30pm, and 3:30pm Adjacent to Grizzly Bears.
Meet & Greet with Yo Gabba Gabba!
Meet Brobee, Toodee and Foofa from the rockin’ pre-school series Yo Gabba Gabba! 12:30pm and 2:30pm at Dancing Crane Plaza.
The Wildlife Conservation Society, founded in 1895, has the clear mission to save wildlife and wild places across the globe. During their 115 years, they have forged the power of their global conservation work and management of five parks in New York City to create the world’s most comprehensive conservation organization. They manage about 500 conservation projects in more than 60 countries; and educate millions of visitors at their five living institutions in New York City on important issues affecting our planet. Their five parks include the Bronx Zoo, New York Aquarium, Central Park Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo and Queens Zoo. The WCS parks in New York city welcome 4 million visitors each year, and help the city to educate millions of schoolchildren in science and conservation issues.
For full disclosure:
For full disclosure: The Harried Mom is participating in a sponsored ambassador program from the Bronx Zoo/NY Aquarium. As part of this program, I have received a complimentary premium family membership and merchandise for specific posts related to programming. I’ll be offering first-hand experiences and reviews of the attractions and special events. As always, all the opinions expressed in these posts and on my blog are my very own. 
The Bronx Zoo’s Animal Tales Extravaganza – Fun For The Whole Family by The Harried Mom, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.