You have probably heard of Boo at the Zoo where kids trick or treat in their costumes around the zoo. You may have wondered like I have if Boo at the Akron Zoo worth it. We went to the Boo at the Akron Zoo last Saturday and had a blast!
Apparently a lot of people know about Boo at the Akron Zoo because the parking lot was full when we arrived just 1 hour after it started. No problem. We just had to drive to the Akron General employee parking lot across Rt59 and wait for the shuttle. The kids thought this was part of the adventure because school buses are cool.
Buy Tickets before going to Boo at the Akron Zoo
My biggest suggestion to you is to buy your tickets before going to Boo at the Akron Zoo. If not, you will have to wait in line.
If you buy your tickets ahead of time, simply walk to the entrance and you are good to go! With my party of 5, we had 4 tickets so 1 person had to wait in the line. It really only took 20 minutes to get from the front doors at the zoo to the ticket counter, they are pretty quick!
Plus, if you buy your tickets before the day of Boo at the Akron Zoo, you can save $1 per ticket. Pre-sale tickets are now on sale at the Akron Zoo and all Acme Fresh Market locations in Northeast Ohio for a discounted rate.
Non Scary Halloween Event in Akron
Boo at the Akron Zoo is one of the best non scary Halloween events in Akron. They have tube lights guiding the paths throughout the park, and lot of great displays all through the zoo. The decorations are festive while not being scary. I think they did a really good job at transforming the zoo into a fun and playful Halloween event.
The kids liked the friendly dragon below.
But our family’s favorite dragon at the Akron Zoo is the Komodo Dragon! He was actually quite alert and lively when we were there.
Even the most “scary” decorations are made to be comical like the graveyard scene below with grave stone with “I told you I was sick” and “Disco”.
Trick or Treating at Boo at the Akron Zoo
You can buy treating tickets and observer tickets for Boo at the Akron Zoo. If you are trick or treating, you will get a special Acme (one of the sponsors) bag to be used to collect the candy, this bag must be used so leave your fancy trick or treating bags at home.
There are 12 different themed stations at the Boo at the Akron Zoo. I was really impressed with each theme and how well the sets were decorated and the people handing out candy. They did an outstanding job. All of the themes were kid-friendly, nothing scary at all. Below is the Queen in her castle, she really got into character by inviting people into her castle with her royal voice. How appropriate in the picture below to have a knight there!
Below are friendly pirates handing out candy. The picture didn’t capture the ship scene.
The safari theme was lots of fun located next to the lions.
The construction theme was larger than life with real earth movers and tractors. I’m sure this equipment is being used to create the Akron Zoo new farmland and new train station. The old farmland is completely gone at this point for the renovation. I’m so impressed at how well the Akron Zoo is updating and adding new things each year. This is really a completely different zoo than 10 years ago!
Seeing double at the Akron Zoo!! My daughter found her twin, they both thought it was really neat to have the same exact costume. I spotted at least 10 varieties of bees at the Akron Zoo, beware! lol
There was a fun maze for kids to walk though. Mazes in Akron are always lots of fun.
So, how was trick or treating at the Akron Zoo? See below for the majority of their loot! I’m the type of mom that lets her kids dig into the candy while trick or treating, especially when I know it is from a safe trick or treating source. They each had several pieces of candy during the trip and I may have too. 😉 I was happy with the amount and variety of candy and sweets at each of the 12 stations. Several were handing out full size candy bars and others had a variety of Little Debbie cakes.
The Trick or Treating was well marked with lights and the flow through the zoo was easy as they directed traffic by blocking off sections of the walk way to encourage the flow. Although there was quite a bit of people at the zoo, we were able to get to each station without waiting in any lines more than a few kids. I highly recommend going to the zoo now because the animals are way more active than the heat of summer. The tiger was jumping and looked like he was trying to climb the tree! They like the cooler weather!
If you haven’t stopped by the new Carousel, you can during Boo at the Akron Zoo. It is really a beautiful addition to not just the zoo but to Akron in general. Kids can ride for just $2.
Attend Boo at the Akron Zoo
Boo at the Zoo is open October 22-24 and 29-30. Hours are 5:30 – 8 p.m. on Fridays and 3 p.m. – 8 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.. Click here for dates and times.
Akron Zoo Boo at the Zoo Ticket Prices:
Trick-or-Treaters – $10.00
Observers – $6.00 (Akron Zoo member observers are FREE.)
Tickets are now available at the Akron Zoo or buy Pre-sale tickets and save $1 each when you buy before the day you are attending at the Akron Zoo and Acme Fresh Market locations in Northeast Ohio.
This was not a paid post. My own opinions were used based on my perceptions. Thank you to Akron Zoo for their on-going relationship with AkronOhioMoms.com.
Yes, I heard that they had record number attendance last Saturday too. We were there first thing so I think that helped. Many people waited to come so they could be there when it was getting dark for all the lights, etc. We had plans later or we would have to. We were able to see the animals just fine but did have to wait our turn more than usual. You should go on a non-event day, you will have as much time as you want to be right in front of every exhibit. Usually it is not busy like event days. I hope you will try again, Leanne! You’ll love it!
I’m really glad to hear that you had such a nice experience. I was really disappointed with our experience unfortunately. There were simply too many people. I later learned that they had the second largest attendance in history last Sat night, when we attended. That certainly explains why we felt like we were being run over and couldn’t get anywhere near the animals. Apparently they usually have half as many people!! I appreciated that when I expressed my concern to them via their FB page, that they responded. We’re looking forward going to the Zoo sometime when there’s a smaller crowd… Our 17 month old was fascinated with the animals that he could see.
It was my pleasure, Boo Queen! Are you the queen in this post? If so, we loved you! Entering the queen’s castle was lots of fun!
Thank you for the great article on Boo at the Akron Zoo. This is our 22 year of Boo. About 7 years ago we starting asking visitors if their parents had taken them to Boo, and lots of people said “yes”. It’s great to know we are getting second generation treaters.
the Boo Queen
Thanks for letting us know!
We love love LOVE Boo at the Zoo, and can’t wait to go on Friday! 🙂 And just as an aside, if you have a child who really wants to use their “special” trick-or-treat sack/bag/bucket, they will typically let them use it AS LONG AS the Acme bag is clearly visible so that they know the child paid to trick-or-treat.