Holiday memories and family fun are on everyone's wish list at this time of year, and Cleveland Metroparks Zoo helps you create both during December Days.
Special seasonal activities are set at the Zoo from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. December 17 through 30 (closed on Christmas Day) including crafts, cookie decorating and live music.
Children can visit with Santa Claus and get their picture taken inside Wolf Wilderness (December 17-24 only), while mom or dad picks up a fair trade gift at the special �Santa Shop.�
After warming up by the fireplace in Wolf Wilderness guests can visit with the reindeer, bears, tigers and the other cold-weather loving animals in Northern Trek and ride the Zoo's complimentary heated shuttle to the Primate, Cats & Aquatics Building to see the gorillas, snow leopards and sharks.
Guests can drop in on the elephants, naked mole rats and the African rock python inside African Elephant Crossing, visit the koalas and tree kangaroo at GumLeaf Hideout and learn all about how the Zoo provides state-of-the-art care for its animals at the Sarah Allison Steffee Center for Zoological Medicine.
And of course, no winter visit to the Zoo would be complete without a walk through The RainForest, where it's always 80 degrees.
A complete schedule of December Days activities and entertainment will be posted at clemetzoo.com.
Northeast Ohio's most-visited year-round attraction, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. From November 1 through March 31, 2013, admission is discounted to $8.25 per person, $5.25 for kids ages 2 to 11 and is 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.
For more information, visit clemetzoo.com or call (216) 661-6500.