This is starting to become somewhat of a family tradition. I can’t remember how long Zoo Tampa (formerly Lowry Park Zoo) has been doing Creatures of the Night–I think it has been about 5 or 6 years now. But we have gone every year so far.
The entrance was non-scary. There were actors dressed up as princess flowers. My 7 year old son was careful to avoid them because “I’m not into stuff like that.”
The carousal, year after year, has also been the most creepy thing in the park as they always have silent ghouls haunting the area. There was also a smoke machine and a bunch of spooky lights.
The children’s section of the zoo featured people dressed as friendly scarecrows and more spooky lights. They did not have the mini maze or trick-or-treat here this year. The area was packed.
Towards the back of the park through the tunnel (which was decked out in creepiness as usual, there was a Halloween Party–complete with a DJ and mummies.
Next to the water ride was a haunted house that was kinda scary but not too scary. (My three year old daughter liked it and went twice).
We went through the Florida Boardwalk area and into the Manatee tunnel area. The Manatee Tunnel was decked out with spooky pirates. Out the tunnel on the other end was more pirates.
We successfully completed a scavenger hunt and my children won a prize from the prize bag. We did not do the main haunted house because it would have been to scary for everybody (I am the only one in my family of six that likes scary haunted houses) and the line was long. (If you want to do the main haunted house you can go there at 6:00pm sharp and make a reservation to skip most of the line).
We ended the night with a couple rides of the haunted carousal.
As usual, the zoo put on an amazing Halloween event. My favorite year was the first year we went because the focus was creepy haunted houses, but that didn’t really hit their target audience. The zoo has done an excellent job of getting this event dialed in for families with young children.
If you go, it will be packed. But it will be fun. Pass members get in free (if you are in the Tampa area the annual pass is worth it). More info can be found at the Zoo Tampa Website.
