As if the grand opening of African Elephant Crossing on Thursday wasn't enough excitement for one week, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is releasing its very own iPhone app!
At 183 acres, navigating the Zoo can sometimes be a little challenging, especially for first-time visitors or parents with small children.
The new app is designed to ease navigation, and enhance the Zoo experience by providing detailed GPS enabled maps (including one just for the new African Elephant Crossing exhibit), allowing visitors to pinpoint their exact location and guide them to the exhibits and animals they want to see.
The app also provides fun animal facts, points of interest, info about special events and the location of amenities such as restrooms, concession stands and gift stores.
The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo app is available for download from Apple's iTunes app store, and best of all, it's free
"We're very excited to debut our new phone app alongside our largest capital improvement in the last 20 years, African Elephant Crossing," said Zoo Marketing & PR Manager Sue Allen. "Less than a dozen zoos in America have iPhone apps, and that combined with our new 5-acre, $25 million elephant exhibit really moves Cleveland Metroparks Zoo into the top tier of accredited zoos nationwide."
Over the summer the Zoo will make updates available with plans to add customized tours, horticulture garden info, videos, Zoo history and more. An Android version is also in the works and could be available by the end of the year.
The Zoo's mobile app is powered by inSitu Solutions, an application developed by Quebec-based firm Kanvasys. inSitu Solutions is a cross-platform application (web and mobiles) that helps publish location-based content to inform, attract and retain visitors. The application is scalable, flexible, easy to update and very adaptable. A content management system allows zoos, aquariums and other attractions to simultaneously manage content in several languages for the web, kiosks and mobile devices, including smart phones and tablets.
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily with hours extended to 7 p.m. on weekends and holidays from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Admission is $11 per person, $8 for kids ages 2 to 11 and free for children younger than 2 and Zoo members. Parking is free. Located at 3900 Wildlife Way, the Zoo is easily accessible from Interstates 71, 90 and 480.
To learn more, visit clemetzoo.com or call (216) 661-6500.