Wild Summer Nights at the Detroit Zoo

Wild Summer Nights are in full swing at the Detroit Zoo.  Throughout the month of July and August, the Zoo hosts a live concert and is open until 8 p.m. on Wednesday evenings.  Zoo members receive free admission to the Zoo for this event, and non-members get a great rate of $5/person after 5 p.m.

Chancellor, Rosa and I decided to attend because the weather was perfect for an outdoor concert and we really enjoyed ourselves.  We weren't the only ones who thought Wild Summer Nights was a splendid idea as the Zoo was brimming with concert-goers.  Although we were able to park in the structure, there were many cars parked along the grass and it looked like the 10 mile lot was pretty full.

We headed toward the entrance gates and had to wait in line for a few minutes at the members entrance.  There were four open lanes for members and just one for non-members, although non-members were able to walk right in after paying because there wasn't a line.  

We arrived before the concert began so we strolled through my favorite exhibit, the Wildlife Interpretive Gallery.  They have a new Earth exhibit that looks really cool, and I am sure I would have enjoyed the whole presentation had I not had a two year old with me who only wanted to see the butterflies, so we watched about three minutes of the show and moved on.  

We always enjoy a walk through the butterfly garden.  Rosa's face lights up to see the beautiful creatures so close, flittering by within arms reach.  Afterwards, we made our way to the aviary and I noticed that there weren't as many birds out as compared to the morning time, when we usually attend.

The Wild Summer Nights band was Mr. Seley and the Troublemakers.  They are listed as a children's band, but to be honest, they were more of a rock band with children's lyrics.  Way over Rosa's head, and way over the heads of most of the younger concert-goers.  We stayed and listened for about an hour.  Rosa danced in front of the stage which was very dusty due to the dry condition and lack of grass.  The boys were having a blast kicking the dirt around and one little boy was even throwing the dirt up into the air.  But, barring the typical boyish behaviors, we had a good time.

Our final destination was Amphibiville.  My favorite part of the building is the Immersion Gallery which features a rain forest habitat.  I always enjoy seeing the animals up close as we walk around the path and this time was no different.  This day we were in for a great treat as the sloth was out and as active as a sloth can be.  It was so cool to see one up close and moving around, even if it is at a rather deliberate pace.  I took a ton of pictures and stared in amazement for quite some time.

The Wild Summer Nights at the Detroit Zoo is a great program that gives families the opportunity to enjoy the zoo during the evening, which means a whole new experience.  The concerts are a great bonus.  If you haven't checked it out, I highly recommend it.  It would be even more wonderful if the zoo had late hours more often.