Wild Ride - Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is admission to the event and what does it entail?
Date: Sunday, September 17, 2023
Event time: 6:00 – 9:00 P.M.
Member: $15 per Adult & $10 per Youth (ages 2-11) ticket
Non-Member pricing: $16 per -Adult & $11 per Youth (ages 2-11) ticket
Children under 2 years are free
All participants must have a ticket for entry.
Wild Ride is a bicycling event and will feature one course (the Asian Lantern Festival route) for cyclists of all ages to enjoy after-hours at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. Bike helmets are mandatory and waivers will be issued at the main gate before entry. Riders will be permitted to bike the loop more than once during the ticketed time frame. NOTE: Children riding in pull-behind carriers also need a ticket if they are 2 years of age or older.
2. Does a ticket to Wild Ride also provide entry to the Zoo?
Wild Ride is a separate ticketed event that provides entry to the Zoo when the event begins at 6 P.M. on September 17
th. Regular Zoo general admission does not provide entry to Wild Ride. Guests wanting to also walk around the Zoo during operating hours of 10 A.M. – 5:00 P.M. will need to purchase general admission separately or utilize their Cleveland Zoo membership for daytime entry before the event. Guests will be asked to leave the Zoo between 5:00 P.M. – 6:00 P.M. as zoo staff prepare for the Wild Ride event.
3. Can I attend the event if I do not ride a bike? Do you permit spectators?
No. All guests must have a bike and helmet to enter. The exception to this are children that will be riding in a pull-behind carrier/wagon attachment. Those children do not need their own bicycle to ride.
4. Are there bicycle restrictions?
Bicycles, tricycles, handbikes, and bicycles with attached pull-behind child carriers are all permitted. Motorized bikes/ebikes are not permitted. Pull-behind pet carriers are not permitted.
5. Can I bring other items to ride besides a bike?
No. The following items
are not permitted: roller blades, roller skates, scooters, hoverboards, skateboards, ebikes/motorized bikes, child motorized cars, and golf carts. The use of motorized wheelchairs and manually powered mobility aids by individuals with mobility disabilities is permitted in all areas open to pedestrian use with limited exceptions. An Admissions Lead will discuss these with you upon arrival.
6. Will tickets be able for purchase on-site, same-day?
Pending availability, tickets can be purchased on-site during the event at the Guest Resource Center near the main entrance. Capacity is extremely limited, so advanced sale purchases online are highly recommended to secure entry to the event.Tickets may be purchased online until 5:00 P.M. the day of the event.
7. Help! My online ticket orders keep going to Spam/Junk. How can I prevent this?
To minimize the chance that your ticket order mistakenly gets flagged as spam please do the following. Before placing your online ticket order, add our email address (zooinfo@clevelandmetroparks.com) to your Contacts or address book.
8. Help! I can’t find my online ticket. What do I do?
After an online purchase, guests should receive their ticket order via email within a few hours. If you notice that you haven’t gotten your emailed ticket order yet, try the following. Ticket orders from the Zoo are emailed from
zooinfo@clevelandmetroparks.com. Try searching for that sender in your inbox. Ticket orders are attached as pdfs and some email clients will divert these attachments into a Spam/Clutter/Junk or similar folder. Try checking these alternate locations if you cannot locate your ticket order in your inbox.
If you notice before your event date that you cannot locate your online ticket purchase, and none of the above suggestions worked, please call 216.635.3391 for assistance to have the ticket order resent to you.
On the evening of your event, if you notice that you cannot locate your online ticket purchase, please check in at the Guest Resource Center between 6:00pm-8:30pm to have Zoo staff assist you in person.
9. How do members get their discounted tickets?
Members must log-in on the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo website with either their permanent member number and the last name of the primary member or their web credentials when they purchase tickets in order for the reduced price to appear in their shopping cart. Members that have recently purchased a new membership or renewed an existing membership will experience a delay when trying to immediately use their membership for discounted purchases.
10. Can I get off my bike and walk around during the event?
No. For the safety of everyone, we ask that you remain on your bicycles during the event with the following exceptions – restroom breaks and parking your bike to get a closer look at an animal habitat. Volunteers may assist or direct you to designated parking areas to keep the paths clear for fellow riders.
11. Will animals be visible during the event?
Certain animals will be available for viewing throughout the event and are given free choice between their indoor and outdoor areas. Some animals such as the Amur Tiger and Snow Leopards are nocturnal and may be more active during event hours while other animals may be less visible depending on their individual needs. Animal visibility is expected to lessen after 7 P.M.
12. Are refunds or rain checks available for inclement weather?
No. This is a single-day rain or shine event. No rain checks are available.
13. Will I see the lanterns from Asian Lantern Festival?
Yes.