Fort Wayne Zoo Overnight

A couple months ago, we had the great pleasure of spending the night at the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo. It was a complete blast!

Ordering tickets:
At the beginning of the year, we spent the night at the aquarium in Chicago. The only downside was that it was quite expensive. We had so much fun though that I decided to search the internet for other experiences that are similar. That's when I found the one in Fort Wayne. I was able to fill everything out online. There were a couple different dates to choose from so we picked the one that worked best for us.

Itinerary:
-Introductions, Rules, & Expectations for the evening
-Dinner in Australia
-Evening Zoo Hike
-Animal Demonstration
-Behind the Scenes in the Zoo Kitchen
-Bedtime Snack
-Prepare for bed and take final restroom break
-Lights out!

-6:30am Wake up!
-breakfast
-Gallery Final Clean Up
-Animal Demonstration
-Wrap-Up & Review
-9am Exit zoo or continue on your own

Here are some elaborations on the above itinerary:
We started our night by bringing all of our things to the upstairs area of the shark tank. Then we visited Stingray Bay where the kids got to touch the stingrays and learn a little about them.

After everyone was done, we went back to the room with our stuff. For dinner, we ate pizza, carrots, soda, and water.

The evening zoo hike is a guided tour to some of the attractions. Along our walk, we saw the penguins, otters, sea lions, lemurs, komodo dragon, and red pandas.

Then, we walked over to the restrooms near the employee only area to the right of the main entrance before the tunnel to Africa. There, we had our animal demonstration. They brought out an adorable hedgehog. We loved learning about it while they walked around and let people pet her.

Then, we did our behind the scenes tour of the kitchen where we learned all about what the animals at the zoo eat and how they prepare everything. Then, we made our way back to the shark area to set up our sleeping bags. After we were done, we went upstairs for our late night snack. This snack included a juice box and goldfish.

Then it was time for bed. We were able to sleep fairly well.

The next morning, we started off our day with breakfast, which included donuts, cereal, and fruit cups with juice and coffee. Then we helped open the farm. Every single child was given a job. They had so much fun! We got to see and touch the giant tortoises up close.

My son's job included feeding hay to the donkeys, the cow, and the sheep. All of the kids really enjoyed having a job for the morning.

Then, we headed back up to the room above the sharks where we had a second animal demonstration. This time, it was a dove. They brought her around to all the kids again so that they could touch her.

And that was the end of our overnight experience! We did end up going back inside after we put all of our stuff in the car. But as for the zoo sleepover, that was our trip. I think the only thing I would have added would have been just one more thing, like a craft or game or something. But other than that, it was a very cool time that I think we would really like to do again!

Tips:
1. Bring those squirt bottles or mix-ins to add to a water bottle. You'll want to stay hydrated and your easiest option is to bring a water bottle to refill.
2. Bring a blow-up mattress or pad. We didn't, but I imagine the people that did were much more comfortable. You are sleeping on a concrete floor.
3. If you are a picky eater or just like to eat frequently, bring some snacks with you.