Last Updated on April 11, 2024, 8:42 AM | Published: April 11, 2024
The Oklahoma City Zoo and Botantical Garden sends this information as posted below:
Warm nights, cool cocktails, and wildlife from around the world come together at the OKC Zoo’s annual event series Sip and Stroll, presented by COOP Ale Works.
Now in its fifth year, Sip and Stroll is expanding to six evenings in May and June and moving to Friday nights. The adults-only evening event series gives guests the opportunity to enjoy the Zoo and the newly opened Expedition Africa habitat while sipping on a wide variety of COOP beers, signature cocktails, and other beverages available at five full bars placed throughout the Zoo.
The 2024 Sip and Stroll dates are May 10, 17, and 24 and June 14, 21, and 28. The June 21 event will celebrate PRIDE. Doors open at 6 p.m. with each event ending at 10 p.m.
General admission for the event is $22 ($17 for ZOOfriends members) and $2 of every ticket sold will benefit one of the Zoo’s conservation initiatives, the Texas Horned Lizard Headstart Conservation Program. Entry to the event includes access to an Asian elephant presentation, the Children’s Zoo barnyard, the Endangered Species Carousel, and more.
“Sip and Stroll has quickly become a fan-favorite event that guests look forward to all year round,” said Jenna Dodson, OKC Zoo’s events manager. “And with the newly opened Expedition Africa expansion, we’re even more excited to show off all the improvements to visitors who haven’t yet seen what’s new at the Zoo.”
This year’s event will highlight five zones throughout the Zoo, each with its own animal experiences, beverages, and food inspired by wildlife and wild places.
Food and beverage packages are available for pre-order as a lower rate than during the event, so guests are encouraged to plan ahead. A package with four food tickets and four drink tickets, redeemable at all bar and food stations, sells for $55. Packages with four drink tickets are $35 and packages with four food tickets are $22. Specialty food items available at the event include a hot honey chicken biscuit, carnitas street tacos, churro nachos, pork belly steam bun, crab Rangoon, and more. These packages can be purchased in advance with general admission at www.okczoo.org/our-events.
“Sip and Stroll isn’t just one of the Zoo’s liveliest events, it’s also a great opportunity to support our conservation initiatives,” said Dr. Rebecca Snyder, OKC Zoo’s Senior Director of Conservation, Education, and Science. “This year we’re pleased that a portion of every ticket sold will benefit Texas horned lizards, which were once common in central Oklahoma, but have seen a sharp population decline because of habitat and sustenance loss.”
As native grasslands in central Oklahoma have yielded to roads, suburbs, cropland, and non-native pastures, the population of Texas horned lizards has plummeted. As a result, they are considered a species of special concern by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.
Since 2008, OKC Zoo staff have taken part in a study of a thriving Texas horned lizard population at Tinker Air Force Base by tracking lizards and collecting data for ongoing studies. In 2019, the Zoo partnered with the University of Oklahoma to established a Lizard Lab at the Zoo to raise and study Texas horned lizards as part of a headstart program. Headstart programs raise animals in protected environments through their most vulnerable life stages, and then release them into the wild with the goal of improving survival rates and increasing the population. So far, more than 40 young lizards raised at the Zoo have been released at Tinker Air Force Base.
Sip and Stroll tickets are non-refundable and non-transferable. This event will occur rain or shine. Guests must be 21 years or older to enter this event, no guest under the age of 21 will be allowed entry. To purchase tickets or learn more visit www.okczoo.org/sipandstroll.
The Oklahoma City Zoo is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily with the last entry no later than 4 p.m. Purchase advance Zoo admission tickets at okczoo.org/tickets and avoid the entry lines. Located at the crossroads of I-44 and I-35, the OKC Zoo is a proud member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the American Alliance of Museums, and Oklahoma City’s Adventure District. Zoo admission is $16 for adults and $13 for children ages 3-11 and seniors ages 65 and over. Children two and under are admitted free. Membership has its perks! As a ZOOfriends member of the Oklahoma City Zoo, enjoy free admission all year-long, plus many additional benefits and discounts. You will also be supporting the Zoo’s animal family, education programming and conservation initiatives both locally and globally. Join or renew today at www.okczoo.org/membership.
Stay connected with the Zoo on Facebook, X, Instagram, Linktree and TikTok, and by visiting our blog stories. To learn more about Zoo happenings, call (405) 424-3344 or visit okczoo.org.
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