Creatures Of The Night Returns To Lowry Park Zoo

TAMPA, FL – Fear not: the gharials, giraffes and things that go bump in the night will return soon to Lowry Park Zoo.

Creatures of the Night transforms Lowry Park Zoo into an immersive Halloween adventure for people of all ages. On Fridays and Saturdays from Friday, Oct. 6 to Saturday, Oct. 28, the zoo will stay open until 10 p.m. featuring a wide range of Halloween-themed activities.

Along with some of last year’s favorites, Creatures of the Night will debut a new scare zone experience. Whispering Woods, a frightful forest with a thirst for souls, is geared toward pre-teens to adults.

At dusk in the Wolf Haven village, where the werewolves roam, guests can catch the carousel to see the ghostly graveyard. The critter canal features creatures that creep, crawl and swoop. Attendees can also party the night away at a ghoulish dance party.

Zoo guests more interested in the terrestrial than the supernatural can get a glimpse into the nighttime habits of animal residents. Zoo staff have acclimated so the habitats in the Asian and African realms, as well as Primate World, are illuminated for nighttime viewing.

Also new this year to Creatures of the Night will be the Halloween-themed animal show, “Knock Knock: Trick-or-Treating with the Animals,” featuring Lowry Park Zoo’s animal ambassadors.

For the younger guests, Lowry Park Zoo will transform Wallaroo Station into Pumpkin Palooza, a fall harvest festival complete with trick-or-treating, a pumpkin patch, scare crows and family-friendly farm animals.

And for those who thrive on pumpkin spice, Lowry Park Zoo will introduce pumpkin-pie spice dishes, such as fried pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread a la mode, pumpkin parfait and more. “Revenge of the Beast Burger” is bigger and spicier than last year. Other seasonal favorites return, including beer, wine and cocktails.

While Creatures of the Night includes heavily themed areas with extensive decorations, lights, fog, mysterious music and sound effects, the zoo said there’s no horror or gore, just spooks and startles.

For more information, visit http://www.lowryparkzoo.org/events/creatures-of-the-night.

Images courtesy of Lowry Park Zoo