Zoo Boo! The San Antonio Zoo’s Non-Scary Halloween Celebration

Ghouls, goblins and monsters can make Halloween a screaming good time, but some kids – and adults – prefer a not-so-scary holiday that’s still a little wild. Lucky for us, the San Antonio Zoo is hosting their annual Zoo Boo!, a daytime Halloween celebration held every Saturday and Sunday in October.

During the first week in October, my husband, 7-year-old son, new baby son and I were treated to a preview of the fun. As we made our way down the Zoo’s paved paths, our first treat of the day was spotting the tiny superheroes, ballerinas, firefighters and other costumed kids – our Darth Vader fit right in. Guests 12 and under are welcome to show off their Halloween costumes during the event. It’s fun for the kids and provides parents plenty of photo opps. We watched of the day’s two costume contests just in time to spot a mini Bob Marley!

Next, we tried our hand at pumpkin painting. This safer, if equally messy, alternative to pumpkin carving was a fun creative outlet and a chance to rest from the long walk. It took some time to perfect the volcano scenescape that wrapped around my son’s pumpkin, but the effort was worth it. Zoo staff gathered up the pumpkins and Once done and dry it would serve as some lucky bird’s dinner.

The minute the clock struck 4 p.m., the trick-or-treating began and we were on a singular mission to fill our goodie bags with candy from every one of the treat stations. Along the way we took in the sights and sounds of the animal exhibits, walked far more than we would on a typical trick-or-treating outing and enjoyed the delicious cool weather. By the end of the day, there wasn’t a station we hadn’t hit.

While the event is fun for anyone, it’s a particularly great option for families with younger children (seriously, who wants to take a toddler out trick-or-treating when they should be in bed), sensitive folks (no terrifying front lawn displays or blaringly loud spooky music soundtracks to be heard) and those who are in the market for a little something different (because who wouldn’t want to trick-or-treat next to nature’s predators like crocodiles, owl and big cats?).

Zoo Boo! Basics: Guests can take part in the fun from 9 a.m. until close at 6 p.m. every weekend in October. I recommend arriving early to help snag a much sought after parking spot.

The event is free for members and is included in the price of admission for non-member. In addition to the zoo exhibits, Zoo Boo! attendees can take part in complementary trick-or-treating, costume contest and hay maze. Games and pumpkin painting are $5 each.

I am a member of the Zoo Troop, a group of local blogger ambassadors who get to experience zoo events and enjoy previews and promotions, and share them with our audiences. That’s me in the sugar skull scarf.