Programs & Parties

PROGRAMS

30-Minutes | On-site or Virtual
Engaging 30-minute programs featuring animal ambassadors, biofacts, and multimedia components. Choose from our program topics or request customization to fit your curriculum.

$94 | Virtual Program
$309 | Virtual 4-Program Series

TOURS

45-Minutes | On-site
Bring classroom learning to life with guided tours. Journey behind the scenes at our veterinary hospital, discover how we create animal habitats, and learn about our region's wildlife before venturing into the zoo to see the animals in their habitats up close.(Tours focus on specific areas of the zoo and do not include a full zoo tour.)

PRICING

$300 | Up to 25
$387 | Up to 44
$561 | 45 - 64
$948 | 65 - 108
$1,329 | 109 - 152
$1,507 | 153 - 172
$1,715 | 173 - 196

Pricing is based on total group size, including students and adults. Groups larger than 64 will be split into additional programs to ensure the best experience.

For additional information or to book a program call 304-243-4100 or email ZooOffice@oglebay.com.

Fur, Feathers, Scale, and Skin
Birds, mammals, and reptiles have a lot in common, but on the outside they look completely different. Explore the differences between the furry, the feathery, and the scaly, as we interact with animal ambassadors to figure out how what an animal is wearing can tell us about what it is.

Home Sweet Biome
What makes a habitat a home? Learn about biomes that range from temperate to extreme and meet animals from all around the world.

Picky Eater
Can you identify the differences between carnivores, herbivores, and omnivores? Take a look at some of the items on the zoo’s grocery list and decide if any of it looks like something you would want for dinner.

The Unlovables
Show some love to the animals that aren’t necessarily cute and cuddly. Meet some of our animal ambassadors that range from creepy and crawly to scaly and slimy in this program that focuses on invertebrates, amphibians, and reptiles.

Can I Keep It?
Some animals make good pets, and some animals don’t. With the help of both wild and domestic species, find out what makes one animal a great addition to your family while another requires a zoo full of keepers to care for it.

Tour: What's In a Wetland?
Wet your feet in an exploration of a habitat that is extremely important not only for the animals that live there, but for humans as well. Meet some of our animal ambassadors that call wetlands their home, before heading into the zoo to see a wetland in action.

Tour: Adapt This
Animals can be found all across the globe, from frozen tundra to scorching deserts, and dealing with those conditions can be tough if you aren’t well adapted. Take a look at some of the coolest behavioral and physical adaptations some animals have to help them live in even the most remote reaches of the planet.

Tour: What's Outside Your Window?
The Ohio Valley is brimming with wildlife, even if you don’t see it every day. We’ll use some of our native species animal ambassadors to teach you about the animals that may be living right in your own backyard.

I Like to Move It, Move It!
Will it fly, slither, or hop? Animals move in different ways, and we’ll get you moving with them in this program that keeps you on your feet. Meet some of our zoo animals and predict how they can get around.

Tail Tales
Listen to some new stories or classic favorites, and then get up close with the animals that bring these books to life.

Animal Senses
See, smell, hear, taste, and touch. Stopping short of tasting, we’ll use our own senses to investigate different animals and the special structures they have to help them sense the world around them.

Up All Night
Tons of the animals that live around us don’t exactly keep the same sleep schedule we do. We’ll make sure to wake up some of our own nocturnal critters to greet you as we figure out why some animals want to sleep all day and be up all night.

Food Glorious Food Chains
Piece together the puzzle of a food chain as you meet some of our animal ambassadors. Figure out where they get their energy, and just maybe what eats them.

Inside Out
Get a real inside look, as you investigate animal x-rays and skulls. With the help of animal artifacts, we’ll see how different animals are built from the inside out as we compare what’s underneath to the living, breathing genuine article.

Alien Invaders
Alien and invasive species are one of the leading causes of extinction today. Discover how animals become aliens and what scientists are doing to try and stop that trend.

Animal Mythbusters
We’ve heard some crazy things about animals. Does a scared ostrich bury its head in the sand? Can a meerkat eat a scorpion without getting sick? With your help, we’ll investigate to find out if those stories are fact or fiction.

Animal Training
Training is one of the greatest tools of a keeper. From capturing unique behaviors, to preparing an animal for veterinary care, or just spicing up their day, training helps keep the animals at the zoo happy and healthy. See it in action and we’ll see if we can train your students the same way we train our animals.

Tour: The Great American Interchange
Though connected today, North and South America spent over 150 million years separate from one another, giving plenty of time for unique animals to arise on both continents. Meet species of North and South American ancestry, and learn about the huge changes that came once the two continents connected and the impact of Native Americans on those species.

Tour: Conservation Exploration
Wildlife conservation is one of the most important responsibilities of the Good Zoo. Visit with some of the zoo’s most endangered species, learn a little bit about why these animals are facing such a tough time in the wild, and find out what zoos are doing to help.

Classification Connection
Bet you didn’t know a deer has more in common with a whale than it does a horse. In this program, explore how scientists are able to identify common ancestors and come to conclusions like birds are living dinosaurs. With the help of animal ambassadors, we’ll figure out where some animals, and ourselves, fit on the evolutionary tree.

Mammalian Madness
Learn the characteristics of the 3 different orders of mammals and meet some animal representatives from the marsupial and placental orders! Discuss the evolutionary benefits of the differences.

Tour: Zoo Engineer
At the zoo, most people are just looking at the animals, but plenty of work goes into designing naturalistic exhibits to mirror an animal’s native habitat. Head into the zoo with one of our educators to get a firsthand look at how we’ve brought places like Madagascar, the Amazon, or the Himalayas right here to the Ohio Valley.

Workshops and sleepovers include zoo admission, a hands-on program led by a zoo educator, a guided tour, and an up-close animal encounter. Sleepovers also feature a pizza party and continental breakfast to start the next day.

WORKSHOPS

Saturdays & Sundays | 10 AM & 1 PM
2-Hour Program

$12 | Adults
$19 | Children

SLEEPOVERS

Fridays & Saturdays | 7 PM - 10:30 AM

$28 | Adults
$36 | Children

A non-refundable deposit of $250 for workshops and $450 for sleepovers is required at the time of booking. The remaining balance is due on the day of your program.

Between Earth & Sky
Discover birds, stars, water, and land while comparing local and exotic wildlife, aligned with the “Between Earth and Sky” Daisy Girl Scout Journey.

Eco-Learner
Learn about wildlife through games and observation, aligned with the “Eco-Learner” Daisy Girl Scout Journey.

Outdoor Art Maker
Listen to the sounds of nature, spot colorful wildlife, and create your own nature-inspired masterpiece, aligned with the “Outdoor Art Maker” Daisy Girl Scout Badge.

Animal Caretakers
Learn how to care for animals by stepping into their world through imaginative play, aligned with the “5 Flowers, 4 Stories, 2 Cheers for Animals” Daisy Girl Scout Journey.

Bugs
Learn about bugs and invertebrates. Discover how these animals help us and where they fit into the food chain, aligned with the “Bugs” Brownie Girl Scout Legacy Badge.

Hiker
Take a fun hike with our zoo educators on a trail through the zoo. Make a field guide, map, packing list, and even a snack along the way, aligned with the “Hiker” Brownie Girl Scout Badge.

Senses
People and animals learn about the world by using their senses. Through a “taste test,” a sniff-and-find trail, and optical illusions, you'll explore all your senses, aligned with the “Senses” Brownie Girl Scout Badge.

Can You Find It?
Learn the basics of letterboxing. Be introduced to compasses and GPS, create maps, and go on a hidden box search through the zoo to find the secret animal, aligned with the “Letterboxer” Brownie Girl Scout Badge.

Pets
Pets are a big responsibility. Learn how to be a good pet owner from those who care for animals every day. Explore pet care basics, animal communication, and how zookeepers train animals, aligned with the “Pets” Brownie Girl Scout Badge.

Home Scientist
Experiment with food and create your own edible science project in this interactive program. Explore static electricity, density, bubbles, acids, and bases, aligned with the “Home Scientist” Brownie Girl Scout Badge.

Wonders of Water
Visit the zoo’s wetland exhibit to discover why these ecosystems matter and how we can help. Create a water cycle model and explore how animals rely on water, aligned with the “WOW! Wonders of Water” Brownie Girl Scout Journey.

Outdoor Art Creator
See how nature and art come together. Take a nature walk, create art from found objects, build a Brownie elf house, and more, aligned with the “Outdoor Art Creator” Brownie Girl Scout Badge.

Citizen Scientist
Learn how scientists observe, collect data, and analyze findings. Then take part in a real citizen science project, aligned with the “Think Like a Citizen Scientist” Brownie Girl Scout Journey.

Camping 101
Make a star chart, create a camping recipe book, and try a simple snack. Learn to tie a knot, navigate with a compass or GPS, and dissect owl pellets, aligned with the “Camper” Junior Girl Scout Badge.

Plants & Animals
Explore flowers, gardening, and wildlife. Dissect a flower, discover pollination, and see pollinators at work, aligned with the “Flowers” Junior Girl Scout Badge.

Detective
Practice observation skills, learn to speak in code, study fingerprints and evidence, and solve a mystery, aligned with the “Detective” Brownie Girl Scout Badge.

Animal Habitats
Learn about wild animals through observation at the zoo. Make a habitat collage, decorate animal “homes,” and create awareness for endangered species, aligned with the “Animal Habitats” Junior Girl Scout Badge.

Outdoor Art Explorer
Discover your artistic talents as you create your own animal. Go on a nature walk and make impression art from the items you find. Create a nature symphony, aligned with the “Outdoor Art Explorer” Junior Girl Scout Badge.

Citizen Scientist II
Be a scientist for a day. Test your observation skills, collect data, and analyze findings, then take part in a citizen science project, aligned with the “Think Like a Citizen Scientist” Junior Girl Scout Journey.

Night Owl
Discover nocturnal animals and nature through fun, hands-on experiences. Go on a night hike, observe nocturnal creatures, dissect owl pellets, create a star chart, and more, aligned with the “Night Owl” Cadette Girl Scout Badge.

Special Agent
Solve a mystery while exploring forensics, body language, and suspect sketching, aligned with the “Special Agent” Cadette Girl Scout Badge.

Outdoor Art Apprentice
Turn your appreciation of the outdoors into art through clay, music, and nature-inspired creations, aligned with the “Outdoor Art Apprentice” Cadette Girl Scout Badge.

Citizen Scientist III
Practice the scientific method through observation, data collection, and analysis, then take part in a citizen science project, aligned with the “Think Like a Citizen Scientist” Cadette Girl Scout Journey.

Voice for Animals
Learn about rescue and rehabilitation efforts in zoos and aquariums. Tour the zoo’s vet hospital, explore animal welfare research, and create a public service message to protect animals, aligned with the “Voice for Animals” Senior Girl Scout Badge.

Outdoor Art Expert
Become an outdoor art expert by seeing nature through an artist’s eye. Create eco-art and take part in a nature cleanup, aligned with the “Outdoor Art Expert” Senior Girl Scout Badge.

Animal Advocate
Explore the challenges animals face around the world and discover how you can advocate for them, aligned with the “Power of Advocacy” Ambassador Girl Scout Journey.

Geologist
Explore the world of rocks and the field of geology. Discover how Earth’s history is recorded in the layers beneath our feet. Designed for Cub Scouts.

Naturalist
Take steps toward becoming a naturalist by exploring the zoo’s biodiversity. Learn to identify local plants and animals and create your own insect habitat. Designed for Cub Scouts.

Birds
Discover how to identify and describe bird species. Go on a bird walk and get a bird’s-eye view of our feathered residents. Designed for Boy Scouts.

Insects
Explore the fascinating world of insects. Learn how they differ from other animals and discover their roles, anatomy, and life cycles. Designed for Boy Scouts.

Mammals
Investigate mammals and how they live, adapt, and survive in different environments. Designed for Boy Scouts.

Reptiles and Amphibians
Compare these two unique animal groups as you explore their characteristics, anatomy, growth, reproduction, and identification up close. Designed for Boy Scouts.

Globe Trotting
Explore animals, habitats, and cultures from around the world. Play traditional games, create a take-home craft, and more.

If I Ran the Zoo
Discover exhibit design, animal care, and zoo careers. Learn how and why animals are trained, what enrichment means, and what it takes to work at a zoo. Design your own exhibit and more.

Wild and Rare
Discover endangered species and how you can help protect wildlife. Learn how zoos support conservation and make your own scientific observations.

Be an Artist
Explore the connection between art and wildlife. Create nature-inspired projects and take home your own masterpiece. An additional $8 supply fee applies.

Can I Keep It?
Learn how to choose the right pet and what it takes to care for one. Discover how zookeepers care for animals and what makes a responsible pet owner.