Cleveland Metroparks Zoo's annual Independence Day celebration, Red, White & Zoo, returns Thursday, July 4 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. with special red, white and blue holiday-themed enrichment treats for the animals.
Enrichment activities are scheduled between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. for the colobus monkeys at Monkey Island, the fossa, swamp monkeys and mandrills in the Primate, Cat & Aquatics Building, the sloth bears and grizzly bears in Northern Trek, and the Francois' langur monkeys in The RainForest.
Guests can also parade the Zoo on a self-guided tour for red, white and blue animals such as the red kangaroo, red panda, white stork, white-backed vulture, blue poison dart frog and blue ground dove.
And of course, no trip to the Zoo this summer would be complete without experiencing Dinosaurs! open daily through September 15. This special seasonal exhibit features 21 animatronic dinosaur displays and transforms the Zoo's Waterfowl Lake into a prehistoric forest. Admission to Dinosaurs! is $3.50 per person or $2 per person for Zoo Society members. Plus all the summer �Hot Spots� including Professor Wylde's Live Animal Show in the Savanna Theater, chances to feed the giraffes, elephant crossings at African Elephant Crossing, meet the animal keeper sessions and Get Close animal encounters.
Northeast Ohio's most-visited year-round attraction, 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 $12.25 per person, $8.25 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.
For more information, visit clemetzoo.com or call (216) 661-6500.