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. 🙁 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. 😉
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!
Aww! This looks like so much fun. I love evenings at the zoo.
My son would love to visit here! I like the bear poster where you can check your height – my son would get a kick out of that.
looks like a fun time
Looks like a ton of fun, love the zoo.
This looks like a lot of fun!! I love the zoo. I’m actually taking my kids tomorrow!
Looks like you had a lot of fun, especially with the hula hoops. hahaa! One of my favorite childhood toys. 😀
What a fun place!
Looks like you guys had a blast. I haven’t been to the zoo in ages, but I know the one in Topeka KS which is about 30mins from me host events like this all the time!
This looks awesome!
I’m so jealous you guys can go to the zoo! I’ve never been to the Portland one before, but it looks like fun, the train ride especially!
This looks like so much fun! My son would love to go to the zoo!
Great pics!! Love it!!!
I haven’t been to the Oregon Zoo in years. I just recently moved back to Portland, Oregon; after spending the last 8 1/2 years in New Jersey. I need to make it a plan to visit the zoo sometime soon though, my kids would love it!
Looks like a blast!
it will come as no shock 🙂 MY FAMILY WOULD ADORE THIS.
I need to see if Oakland Zoo has these too!
Looks like you had a great time at the zoo!
What a fun time! I love all of the pictures!
We love the zoo, and that looks like so much fun! I’m almost inspired to visit my zoo now…I just need the weather to normalize first 🙂
looks like you guys had a great time…loved your pictures…. thanks for sharing
what a great zoo visit. About three years ago our family went on a bunch of Zoo visit -I think we did 10 that summer–is always so interesting to see all the attraction besides the animals.
This looks like an amazing zoo!!! It has so much going on. So cool. My cousin does professional hoopdance and it’s impressive. Definitely an ab workout, too!
I love going to the zoo! I think that a trip this summer is in order… it’s been a while since we’ve been to the big zoo around here. Lately, we’ve been going to the African Safari type zoo.
You guys look so awesome! I love your hair color too. It’s awesome that you gave hula-hooping another shot and the zoo has so much to offer. Seems like a great family friendly place!
Looks like you had an awesome time! The photos are fabulous! Outdoor concerts are the best.
looks like a great event.
Well, you just blew my mind away with the hula hoop.. explains why I was never very good at it! Love the bear height comparison picture.. polar bears are massive!!
We recently went to the SF Zoo and had a blast. I wish they did concerts there! This looks great!
Wish we lived closer so we could join in on the fun. 🙂 My kids are huge fans of the OR zoo train and we ride it every time we visit. (Usually about 1x a year.) Thanks for sharing.
That looks great! So much fun!
Looks like it was a lot of fun.. Great pictures..
looks like you guys had a blast, plus the entertainment right there.
I’ve never taken my kids to the zoo at night. I love that idea!!
Hey, i know that zoo!!! We just went there about 2 months ago! You look great mama!!
Looks like so much fun, my kids and I love the Zoo!
I love events like this at our zoo — it’s always so much fun!
This looks like a lot of fun. Great pictures!
I wish we had something like that here! Looks way fun!
How fun! Our poor little Zoo is so tiny – ever since the last hurricane it just hasnt been able to get back to what it once was. Sad. I would love to go more!
Danielle – Welcome back to the area!
Pamela – That sounds like a blast!
Jennifer – No joke, my abs were sore for about 3 days. I’m so buying a hula hoop now!
Whitney & Shop with Me Mama – Thank you so much!
Lynsey, that’s so sad.
Thanks for stopping by, everyone!
Sounds like a lot of fun!
Your zoo looks like so much fun!!! I wish we had events like this here!
I LOVE the Portland zoo!! I’ve never been to any evening events, but I have taken a ride on the train! This would be SUCH a fun experience for families!
Looks like a fun way to spend an evening, especially the scenic train ride.
So much fun! I’d love to go to Oregon and the zoo!
Looks like an awesome time at the zoo!
Looks like y’all had so much fun.
I love visiting the zoo. It looks like you guys had a great time, despite getting there late because of traffic.
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