Reid Park Zoo Behind-the-Scenes AND ZooLights! - Tuesday 12/23/2025

Reid Park Zoo Behind-the-Scenes AND ZooLights! - Tuesday 12/23/2025

Trip Cost $55.00

Get up close and personal with some of your favorite Reid Park Zoo residents. During this 60-minute behind-the-scenes adventure, you’ll learn how Reid Park Zoo uses proper nutrition and health care to provide quality, whole-life care to its animal residents. Your experience includes visits to the Animal Health Center, Zoo kitchen, and rhino habitat. During a special close encounter with the rhino, you will discover the importance of animal training for completing daily health checkups. You’ll have ample time before the behind-the-scenes adventure to explore other parts of the Zoo on your own.

We’ll meet at the Photography Club upper-level parking lot at 10:30 AM for carpooling, departing at 11:00 AM. We’ll be outdoors for most of the day and into the evening, so please dress accordingly. Comfortable shoes are a must and bottled water is suggested. Please wear your GVR Photography Club or Camera Club badge, if available. For those carpooling, $5.00 is an appropriate contribution to the driver.

We’ll drive to the Zoo, where free parking is provided for Zoo guests. We’ll assemble outside the admission gate for a group photo. You’ll have about 2 1/2 hours before we start the behind-the-scenes experience to explore the Zoo on your own or chill out and grab a bite at the Flamingo Grill. Make sure you’re at the Giraffe Encounter no later than 2:20 PM so we can start the behind-the-scenes experience on time. Since the behind-the-scenes group size is limited to 10 people, we’ll divide the group between two Zoo educators, but don’t worry -- each group will share the same experience.

Hand-held cameras and smartphones are welcome, but Go-Pros, selfie sticks and other equipment that could potentially be stuck into animal habitats or over guardrails are not allowed. There are also areas of the Zoo where photography is not permitted: Zoo educators will advise you where photography is not allowed. The behind-the-scenes experience should end around 3:30 PM.

Following the behind-the-scenes adventure, participants are invited to a no-host dinner at the Polish Cottage Restaurant located at 4520 East Broadway Boulevard in Tucson. We’ll depart the restaurant around 5:30 PM to be sure we get back to the Zoo in time. “In time for what?” you may ask.

ZooLights: Holiday Magic of course! Stroll through a wonderland of displays, falling snow, live entertainment and festive fun with over a million dazzling lights – perfect backdrops for your holiday photos. Most of the animals will be sleeping and out of public view, so you can enjoy your regular or hi-test cocoa and not feel guilty. You’re welcome to stay as long as you want, or at least until the Zoo closes.

The trip cost covers zoo admission, the behind-the-scenes experience and admission to ZooLights!

The tour involves extensive walking and standing. Club members with mobility issues may find this tour challenging.

Additional information about the Reid Park Zoo is available here.

If you need to cancel, please contact the Field Trip Coordinator Lynn Rozema at 719-351-5193 or email lrozema51@gmail.com.  We may have people on the wait list to take your place.  

GVR requires that every person participating in Photography Club Field Trips must sign a waiver prior to departure absolving GVR of any liability. You may sign the waiver any time at the Club or the morning of the field trip.

NOTICE:

Last date to cancel for a refund is December 16, 2025.

All participants need to be responsible for an assessment of their mobility and health issues relating to field trips. Some trips may not be appropriate, but you must make that determination. However, the trip leader may deny participation in a specific field trip to anyone deemed not suitably prepared or able to walk with the group.

In order to participate in this event, you must be a member of the GVR Photography Club and GVR.