Reid Park Zoo Behind-the-Scenes - Friday 02/20/2026
Trip Cost $40.00
NOTE -- IMPORTANT CHANGES:
Be sure to have your GVR card with you for each and every field trip. Without it, you won't be allowed to go on the trip. No refunds will be granted for failure to comply with this requirement. To protect GVR and club member benefits, GVR has implemented a new process that requires each field trip participant to come into the club and scan his/her GVR card to confirm eligibility. We no longer have the option of typing in your name or GVR number – only the physical GVR card will do.
We will no longer meet in the parking lot. We will meet in the GVR Photography Club where you will scan your GVR card confirming your eligibility to go on the trip. We’ll also review important/late-breaking information, pair up drivers and riders, provide driving directions, and give participants a chance to visit the restrooms prior to departure. Again, be sure to have your GVR card with you.
Get up close with some of your favorite Reid Park Zoo residents. During this 60-minute behind-the-scenes adventure, you will learn how Reid Park Zoo uses proper nutrition and health care to provide quality, whole-life care for 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. The trip cost covers both the zoo admission and the behind-the-scenes experience.
We’ll meet at the Photography Club at 7:45 AM for carpooling, departing at 8:15 AM. Comfortable shoes and water are 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 at the large Zoo sign outside the admission gate for a group photo, just in time for the Zoo’s opening at 9:00 AM. We will have about an hour before we start the behind-the-scenes experience, so you’ll have some time to get close to some of your favorite animals, check out the aviaries, and experience the Giraffe Encounter (where you can feed a giraffe for a nominal fee). Make sure you’re at the Giraffe Encounter no later than 10:20 AM 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 noon.
The tour involves extensive walking and standing. Club members with mobility issues may find this tour challenging.
After your behind-the-scenes visit you’re welcome to spend the rest of the day at the Zoo, exploring on your own. You can also join us for a no-host lunch at the Hungry Fox Restaurant & Country Store located at 4637 East Broadway Boulevard in Tucson, where the trip will end around 2:00 PM. If you plan to go back to the Zoo following lunch, be sure to have your hand stamped at the Zoo’s entry gate.
Though outside food is not permitted in the Zoo, the Flamingo Grill located in the Zoo’s Welcome Plaza features a variety of reasonably priced menu items. You may also choose to bring your own food and picnic in one of the many areas just outside the Zoo in Reid Park – just be sure to check at the front gate before exiting if you plan on returning to the Zoo later in the day. Bottled water is always permitted in the Zoo.
Additional information about the Reid Park Zoo is available here.
Tom Parker will be our trip leader. Contact Tom at 618-304-1456 or tparker324@aol.com with any questions. He will be disseminating more information to registered participants via e-mail as we get closer to the event.
GVR requires that every person participating in club's field trips must sign a waiver absolving GVR of any liability. You will be required to sign the waiver at the Photography club before the trip departs.
Last date to cancel for a refund is February 13, 2026.
If you need to cancel, please contact the Field Trip Co-Chair Lynn Rozema at 719-351-5193 or email lrozema51@gmail.com. We may have people on the wait list to take your place.
Notice:
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.
The club strives to provide several field trips specifically designed for members with physical limitations.
In order to participate in this event, you must be a member of the GVR Photography Club and GVR.
The GVR Photography Club is located in the Recreation Village of Santa Rita Springs.