Wild Adventures Camp
Students in Kindergarten through Grade 8 will discover something new at the Dallas Zoo during each of our camp experiences.
All Camps include
Guided tours of the Zoo
Animal encounters
Nature-based learning
Educational experiences
Camps for Every Season
June-August
Summer Camps
During the summer, campers can enjoy a full day at the Zoo through outdoor exploration, educational adventures, age-appropriate fun, and opportunities to learn about our animal families.
October-January
Fall and Winter Camps
When school is out for the Thanksgiving and winter breaks, bring your campers to the Zoo to experience weather-appropriate activities, including projects and games, educational tours, and animal encounters.
Explore our camps
Multi-Day
Thanksgiving Break Camp
Dates: Nov. 23–25
Time: 9 a.m.–3 p.m., with AfterCamp Care available until 5 p.m.
Cost: $220 Public | $198 for Dallas Zoo Members
Get registered!
Member presale – Sept. 8
Public on sale – Sept. 9
Single-Days
Winter Break Camps
Dates: Dec. 21, 22, 23, 28, 29, 30, 31, Jan. 4, 5
Time: 9 a.m.–3 p.m., with AfterCamp Care available until 5 p.m.
Cost: $70 Public | $63 for Dallas Zoo Members
Get registered!
Member presale – Sept. 8
Public on sale – Sept. 9
Frequently
Asked Questions
For fall and winter camps, grade level groups correspond to the grade your child is enrolled in for the current school year.
For summer camps, grade level groups correspond to the grade your child will be entering in the fall for the upcoming school year.
We strictly enforce grade level requirements and verify grade levels based on campers’ birthdays. During registration, if the birthdate you provided is not within the correct range, you will not be able to proceed further with you registration.
Campers enrolled at the wrong grade level due to incorrect birthdates will be removed from the camp without a refund. They will be given the opportunity to enroll in the appropriate grade level camp and placed on the waitlist if the appropriate camp is sold out.
Our class sizes vary; however, they will be no smaller than 5 campers and no larger than 10 for the weekend camps, and no larger than 20 campers for the weekday camps. The teacher-to student ratio is one teacher per 10 children for all grade levels. This helps ensure that your child has the individualized attention he or she needs to enjoy his/her experience.
Children are supervised at all times by our Camp Guides and are escorted to public restrooms during restroom breaks. Camp Guides make sure that restrooms are only being used by campers when having restroom breaks.
The best way is to become a Dallas Zoo member and register online during priority registration.
Program sessions with online enrollment are updated in real time. Once a session is full, its registration button will be replaced with a button that indicates that a session is sold out. Parents may contact the Dallas Zoo Education Department to be placed on the waitlist at that time by emailing Education@DallasZoo.com. Please note above that all waitlist requests must be sent via email for tracking purposes and will not be accepted over the phone or in person.
All requests to be placed on the waitlist must be submitted in writing to Education@DallasZoo.com. Phone or in-person requests cannot be accepted. Properly submitted requests will receive an email from the Dallas Zoo Education department within 48 hours of acknowledging receipt. If a spot becomes available, you will be contacted directly. Please be aware this may occur as little as 24 hours prior to the first day of camp. If you would like to be removed from a waitlist, please let us know as soon as possible to give the opportunity to another camper. Buddy requests cannot be accommodated for waitlisted campers.
During registration, you will be prompted to indicate whether your camper has a buddy request. We try to accommodate buddy requests. As a reminder, camp groups work best when there are one or two grade levels in one group, so if your campers’ buddy is three or four grade levels apart, we will not be able to accommodate that. We will try our best to accommodate requests after registration. If you need to make or change a buddy request, please contact the Education Department at Education@DallasZoo.com or 469.554.7300. Buddy requests must be mutual — both families must agree to the request. Rosters are created the week before camp begins. If you have requested a buddy during registration, those buddy requests will be considered when creating the rosters, so you do not need to reach out, unless you don’t remember if you made the request. If you still need to make a buddy request, please let us know.
No, we strictly enforce grade level requirements. Grade level groups for fall, winter, and spring camps correspond to the grade your child is enrolled in for the current school year. For Summer Camps, grade level groups correspond to the grade your child will be entering in the upcoming school year.
Camp staff are committed to making Zoo Camp a fun and meaningful experience for your child. As a courtesy to our staff, once your child is checked in, we do ask that you leave the immediate area to help avoid confusion and allow the child time to start bonding with their group and fellow campers. If your child is having difficulties joining their class in the morning, staff may request you take your child home and try again the following day. Parents and other family members cannot attend camp as volunteers for the same camp group that your child is in.
Upon successful enrollment, you will receive an email containing arrival and parking information one week prior to the beginning of your child’s camp. Two newsletters with more detailed information will be sent via our Brightwheel account in the Brightwheel app.
Check out our Success Story to dive into what to expect during Zoo camps.
Campers are expected to follow instructions from staff, respect one another and Zoo property, and demonstrate a positive attitude. In the event of a severe behavior problem, we will call you to pick up your child. Depending on the severity of the issue and at our discretion, your child may or may not be allowed to return to camp the following day.
All camp participants must be completely toilet trained (requiring no assistance in the bathroom). Our definition of toilet trained means that the child is not wearing pull-ups and is able to manage his/her own clothing by him/herself.
Both drop-off and pick-up will be carpool-style. Drop-off and pick-up will occur at the front gate, 650 South R.L. Thornton Freeway, Dallas, TX 75203. Enter at the main gate of the Zoo, proceed straight across the bridge, turn right at the bottom of the bridge and look for camp personnel in front of the main ticket booths.
Please have your phone with you and your Brightwheel app open. Once you get to the front of the line, one of our staff will greet you on the passenger side of the car and present you with a QR code for you to scan. Once you scan this code, you will answer a few health questions on the app. Once you have answered the questions and checked in your camper using your Check-in Code, we will escort them to their camp group.
Afternoon pickup occurs in the same location as morning drop off. Have your Brightwheel app open and use your code to check out your camper. Camp staff will escort your camper to your vehicle. If you do not have Brightwheel, you will need to provide a valid ID and be on the list of approved pickup people for the camper(s).
Yes, AfterCamp is available during Wild Adventures Camp.
AfterCamp pricing for Fall and Winter Camps:
- AfterCamp Thanksgiving Camp – Public: $60.00
- AfterCamp Thanksgiving Camp – Member: $54.00
- AfterCamp Winter Break Camp – Public: $20.00
- AfterCamp Winter Break Camp – Member: $18.00
AfterCamp pricing differs for Summer Camp.
Campers not picked up during regular pickup times will be automatically enrolled in AfterCamp and the credit card on file will be charged accordingly. AfterCamp pickup closes at 5:00 pm. Pickups after 5:00 pm will be subject to a $5.00 per minute fee.
If you have signed your camper(s) up for AfterCamp, and will be arriving to pick up before 4:45 pm, please park in any available spot near the front ticket booths. You will then proceed to the Children’s Zoo where we have AfterCamp.
The AfterCamp group will either be on the playground or in the Discovery House (the yellow house next to the goat yard). At 4:45 AfterCamp pickup occurs car-pool lane style in front of the main ticket booths until 5:00 pm. Pickups after 5:00 pm will be subject to a $5.00 per minute fee.
Please be aware that late drop-offs and early pick-ups interfere with your child’s experiences and are discouraged. Any missed activities and experiences cannot be rescheduled. If drop-off/pickup is necessary outside of the drop-off/pick-up windows, please provide advance notification to the Dallas Zoo Education Department via email at Education@DallasZoo.com.
If you have a last minute emergency, please contact camp staff via the Brightwheel app before you arrive. We will radio your camper’s group to find out where they are. We will then message you back via Brightwheel the location. You will need to park and escort your camper to meet their camp group.
All authorized pickup people must be on your camper’s Brightwheel profile. Additional people for pickup can be added by contacting the Education Department at 469.554.7300 or Education@DallasZoo.com.
Campers should wear:
- Closed-toed shoes for walking, temperature appropriate play clothes (hat, t-shirt, shorts, getting wet, getting dirty, etc.), and hats are options. We recommend that you apply sunscreen and bug spray before arrival.
Please send your camper with the following:
- Sack lunch that does not require refrigeration or microwave.
- Refillable water bottle with your camper’s name on it.
- Bug spray and/or sunscreen
Please do NOT send your campers with the following:
- Glass Bottles
- Money or valuables
- Knives or weapons
- Handheld video games, Pokémon cards or other games, electronic devices, toys.
Each camper will receive a backpack when they arrive at the camp. The backpacks will be labeled with the camper’s name and will be used throughout the week, and then your camper will be able to take them home at the end of the week.
Camp Guides will provide a morning and afternoon snack break which includes a prepackaged snack to each camper. If desired, campers may bring their own non-perishable snacks. Refrigeration and microwave heating are not available.
We do not administer medication of any kind during camp. We cannot store medication at the Zoo. Please contact the Dallas Zoo Education Department at Education@DallasZoo.com if you have any further questions regarding medications or medical assistance.
During camp season, our Camp Guides monitor the weather each day and adjust the daily activity schedule for camps accordingly.
We do ask that campers bring refillable water bottles with them each day so that they are able to maintain proper hydration throughout the day. We have stations throughout the Zoo where water bottles can be refilled.
Please keep children home if they have a fever of 99.9°F or more, skin rash, and/or discharge from the eyes, ears, nose, or any other visible signs of illness. Children may return to camp after they have been free of fever and other symptoms for 24 hours and/or have been to the doctor, and the doctor has cleared the child to return. If you have visited the doctor, please bring a note from the doctor stating that your child is cleared to come back to camp. We record attendance each day, so please call or email us if your child will not be attending camp because of illness or other reasons.
In the event your child becomes ill at the Dallas Zoo or has an accident that requires a doctor’s attention, we will notify you immediately. If you cannot be reached, we will call the individuals listed on your emergency form. For the comfort and wellness of your child, we will expect you to pick your child up within one hour of that call. If a child has an accident that requires minor first aid, such as a scrape, bump, etc., we will take care of the injury and notify you when you pick up your child or by phone or a Brightwheel message that will appear on your feed the same day.
Please call the Dallas Zoo Education office at 469.554.7300 and a staff member will deliver your message to the appropriate person. You can also message camp staff using our Brightwheel app. If your child has a cell phone with him/her, it needs to be turned off during the camp day. Please do not call your child’s cell phone during scheduled program times.
All camp sales are final. No refunds will be given for cancelled camp reservations or camp withdrawals. A program credit may be issued based on circumstance. The credit may be used for any education program or camp at the Dallas Zoo. Credit will not be issued for cancellations made within 48 hours of your scheduled enrollment or for no-show participants. All programs will take place in the rain or shine. The Dallas Zoo reserves the right to cancel or change any program for reasons we deem appropriate. If we cancel your program, a full refund will be issued, and individuals will be contacted directly.
Dallas Zoo’s Wild Adventures Camps are single-skill exempt camps not licensed by the State of Texas.