Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens

July 22, 2011 - Jacksonville, Fl -

Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens announces availability in its summer camps for the remainder of the summer. Camp openings are available for all age groups from Kindergarten up to the completion of eighth grade. When school is out, Zoo Camp is IN!  Nowhere else on the First Coast can your child spend all day or all week nose-to-nose with an elephant, toe-to-toe with a flamingo, neck-to-neck with a giraffe, eye-to-eye with an anaconda or shoulder-to-shoulder with a gorilla!  All of the programs include behind-the-scenes tours, activities, games, crafts and animal encounters.  Members of the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens receive discounts on Education Programs.

Spend an entire week at the Zoo this summer exploring the animal kingdom, conservation, zoo careers and the great outdoors. Camps meet Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. until August 12. Extended care is available before and after camp each day. Every day features up-close and hands-on opportunities with a variety of animals in the Education animal collection. The programs are designed to be challenging, fun and developmentally appropriate for children in the age group specified. All camps are held at the PepsiCo Foundation Education Campus located at the south end of the Zoo’s main parking lot. Discounts are now available for siblings that attend the same week. To find out more about Zoo Camp, visit jacksonvillezoo.org.

“Kids of all ages will thank their parents for sending them to summer camp at Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens,” said Tony Vecchio, Executive Director of the Zoo.  “Where else can they learn about, get up close to and even feed some wild animals?  The experience will create memories they will share over their lifetime.”

For more than 96 years, the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens has been dedicated to inspiring discovery and appreciation of wildlife through innovative experience in a caring environment.  Since its beginning in 1914, with an animal collection that consisted of only one red deer fawn, the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens has become one of the top zoos in the nation.  It now features more than 1,800 rare and exotic animals and over 1,000 unique plant species. Preservation of sustainable biodiversity is a key mission of the Zoo.  The Zoo is a non-profit organization and an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums.  It is open year-round, seven-days-a-week, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and is located on Jacksonville’s north side at 370 Zoo Parkway, one-half mile east from I-95.  For more information, go to jacksonvillezoo.org.