Free Admission, Dog-Sledding at Brookfield Zoo's Annual FREEze Day

Submitted by the Chicago Zoological Society

Brookfield, IL - Venture out and head to Brookfield Zoo for winter-themed activities and free admission at its annual FREEze Day on Sunday, Feb. 14.

The day’s events will feature wintry fun for the whole family, including dog-sledding demonstrations from members and their four-legged friends of the Green Valley Dog Drivers between 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. on the zoo’s West Mall. Members of the organization will engage guests in games and musher talks with their canine teams.

Guests can also learn about some of the animals that don’t seem to mind the colder temperatures during special zoo chats. At 11:00 a.m. on the West Mall, zoogoers can get up close and find out about a bird of prey that can be found throughout the Chicagoland area.

Afterwards, hike over to Great Bear Wilderness at 11:30 a.m. to find out about one of the heartiest of the cold-weather animals — the polar bear. At noon, a chat about the Mexican gray wolves will take place at Regenstein Wolf Woods. The final chat will take place at 2:00 p.m. and will highlight snow leopards.

At Hamill Family Play Zoo, youngsters and their families can meet Nature Cat, a costumed character from WTTW’s new animated series that encourages children ages 3-8 to explore and develop connections with the natural world. Nature Cat airs three times daily on WTTW11 and at pbskids.org/naturecat, where users will also find games and educational “do-it-yourself” projects.

Representatives from WTTW also will be on hand at the event to engage kids in a variety of hands-on activities, including making bird feeders and playing tracking games. Other fun activities will feature mud play and creating Valentine’s Day cards for the animals.

For more information about FREEze Day, visit CZS.org/events or call (708) 688-8000.