Complimentary zoo admission & train ride received.
Last night, Jai and I headed into Portland for Sunset at The Zoo, the Oregon Zoo’s annual evening concert & family fun series. We had a great time at last year’s Sunset at the Zoo and were looking forward to this summer’s entertainment. During this event, the Zoo stays open late so that guests can observe crepuscular animals and listen to live music. There are fun activities provided for kids such as storytime with princesses and crafts, while parents can enjoy beer and wine in a fun family environment.
The fun starts at 5 PM and runs through 9:30, so we hit the road that afternoon and planned to meet my brother-in-law there. There were some pretty slow cars on Highway 26 that were doing 10 miles under the speed limit in a no-passing zone, so we ended up hitting Portland right at rush hour. It took us an hour to go 8 miles, so we ended up not arriving at the zoo until 6 PM – we must have gotten lucky in the past, because I’ve driven through rush hour traffic in PDX at this time before and never encountered standstill traffic quite like that! By the time we finally got there, Jai’s brother had already left because he had to get back to work. π The traffic was terrific and there was some confusion on parking, but once we got settled in we were ready for some good fun!
We stopped by a bench so that I could grab a few meal bars that I had packed in my bag as snacks, and the “Mayor of Hooperville” was nearby giving kids a hula hoop lesson. One of the hula hoopers walked up to us while we ate and said, “Would you guys like a hula hoop lesson?”
I’ve tried hula hooping maybe once in my life, so the girls gave me a crash course on hooping. I learned that you move your stomach forwards and backwards rather that trying to move in a circle as I had mistakenly assumed. I kept the hoop up for maybe 10 seconds at the most, but it was a world record for me! Let me tell you, that is one awesome ab workout – I’m thinking I need to pick up a hula hoop for exercise now!
After I learned the ropes (Hoops?) of hula hooping, we made our way down to the concert lawn to watch “Your Zoo and All That Jazz”. This fantastic lineup included Oregon Music Hall of Fame’s Shirley Nanette and Mel Brown, jazz drummer who has performed on recordings for everyone from Motown artists like Marvin Gaye to George Harrison; Grammy-winner Thara Memory and accomplished pianist Tom Grant, not to mention local jazz greats Sweet Baby James Benton, Renato Caranto, Dave Captein and Ron Steen.
It was a beautiful day and perfect setting to listen to some fantastic musicians. The lawn area is set up so that families can relax and children can dance while enjoying the music – it’s a really fun atmosphere!
After listening to a few songs, we headed over to the Zoo Train to catch a ride on the last train of the day.
The “Zooliner” takes you on a 25-minute tour through the zoo grounds and Washington Park. Zoo animals are not visible from the train – rather, it is a peaceful, scenic tour through the natural beauty of the area. It’s a great way to rest after you’ve been on your feet for a while, and with the sun just starting to go down, it was a lovely time of day to ride the train.
And of course, we saw plenty of animals during our evening at the zoo!
Can you spot the sleepy cat? This is an Amur leopard – there are only about 22 left in the wild with 200 existing in zoos, so this is a very precious endangered animal.
I also found out how tall I am compared with a bear!
We also got to see a few animals that we missed the last time we were at the zoo – the penguins and otters. The otter we saw was right in front of the glass, relaxing and taking a nap. We got such a good view – otters are adorable – and bigger than we expected! We also got a good look at a few penguins diving, swimming and hanging out on the rocks. SO cute!
These are the skeletons of an Emperor Penguin and an eagle. There seem to be a lot of bird bones on my blog lately, don’t there? What can I say, I think it’s interesting. π
Sunset at The Zoo is a great activity for all ages – there’s so much to see at the Oregon Zoo to begin with, and these evening activities just add even more options to choose from.
Hours & Admission
Sunset at The Zoo will take place on July 24th, August 7th and August 21st from 5 PM to 8 PM; grounds stay open until 9:30 PM – check out the Oregon Zoo calendar for details on the upcoming activities and concerts.
Concert is included with regular zoo admission price, which is $11.50 for adults, $10 for seniors and $8.50 for children aged 3 to 11, with children under 2 getting in free. Click here for more information on discounts, parking & membership. Zoo Train fare is $5.
Visit the Oregon Zoo on the web, Facebook or Twitter for further details!
