The N.C. Zoo has some unique gift ideas for kids of all ages. If you're still shopping around for gifts, here are a few options. Descriptions come courtesy of the zoo, which is in Asheboro about 90 minutes from the Triangle.
Virtual Zoo Programs
Holiday Break Camps: These virtual, one-day camps provide fun activities such as visiting zoo habitats, meeting zookeepers, and hands-on crafts. Kids will have fun learning about Animals in Winter while staying socially distant and safe. Camps are designed for students in grades 1-6 and focus on three ways animals have adapted to survive the winter – migration (Let’s Move It, Move It), hibernation (A Long Winter’s Sleep), and being built for winter (Designed for Winter).
Species Spotlight: This virtual encounter introduces you to ambassador animals or an animal in the zoo. Spice up your next online meeting or gathering with a personalized experience with a zoo animal!
Creature Connections: An online afterschool program from the zoo and the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher. It runs through June 2021. Creature Connections is a one-hour, live program every second Thursday of the month.
In-Person Experiences at the Zoo
Snorin' Safari: A family adventure where you can spend the night at the zoo doing fun activities and wake up hearing the lions roar or wolves howling. The Snorin' Safaris would begin in March 2021 or later, depending on COVID-19 restrictions in place at the time. Price range: $40-$50 per person.
Ride-and-a-Guide: Give the gift of a private tour of the zoo with a professional guide! The North Carolina Zoo Society offers "Ride-and-a- Guide" outdoor programs for small groups wishing to visit the zoo and travel in comfort in a golf cart. Price range: $150-$190 per group.
The zoo's online gift shop also offers up lots of toys, fair-trade jewelry and more, along with an opportunity to adopt Jingle Bear Rock. For $50, you get a plush grizzly bear, a personalized adoption certificate and a fact sheet about grizzly bears.
