Seasonal Events

Events planned throughout the year provide fun educational opportunities and one-of-a-kind experiences for all ages!

Tigers in heart shape with pink background

Wild Hearts

Celebrate all things love by participating in our Wild Hearts tours during Valentine’s Day weekend! Wild Hearts tours will be happening Saturday, February 8, and from now until that Saturday, you can purchase a “valentine” for any animal of your choice and write a special message to them, and we’ll display them near their habitats and at the gift shop! 

Eggxotic Easter Egg Hunt

Eggxotic Easter Egg Hunt

It’s a fun-filled activity for kids to learn about animals and conservation and enjoy some time outside. There will be egg hunts at 12 pm and 2 pm, and participants hunting for the eggs will have thirty minutes to find the eggs in our large field and picnic area. Inside each egg will be a small figure of one of our park’s animals along with a fact about the animal; try to collect them all! There will also be some eggs filled with candy and printed facts about conservation efforts. Guests will also be able to tap into their creative side and paint eggs at our decoration station.

Earth Day at the Animal Park

Earth Day at the Animal Park

Join us as we celebrate Earth Day. While you meet our residents on a self-guided safari, you’ll also learn about things each of us can do to help save the planet—and species like ours! Make a day of it with craft stations, other fun activities, and our nature trails, which will be open for exploration.

Starry Night Sky

Wild Under the Stars

Join us to view the Lyrid Meteor Shower! With some of the darkest skies in the greater Triangle and Triad area, the Animal Park at the Conservators Center offers superb viewing conditions for astronomical events and phenomena. You’ll be able to view multiple meteor showers over the course of this quarterly event series, as well as have opportunities to view Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn with your binoculars or telescope. And if you feel like howling at the moon, go ahead—our wolves may join you!

Jerry Binturong

World Binturong Day

On the second Saturday in May each year, help us honor one of the most intriguing species found here at the Park, the binturong! Visit with our resident binturong ambassadors during a self-guided safari and learn all about this fascinating keystone species.

Beer and food on a table

Lions, Tigers & Beer

We’re always excited when September rolls around and it’s time for Lions, Tigers & Beer—a wildly popular event since its inception in 2017. After exploring the Park on a special Twilight Tour, sample food and beer pairings inspired by our animals and custom-created by talented local chefs and brewers. Eat, drink, and be merry with fun raffles, silent auctions, live music, and more.

Animal skull surrounded by lit candles

Legends & Lore

Celebrate spooky season this October with an adults-only tour that lets you experience the Animal Park after dark. Meet our wolves, lions, tigers, and other residents while you learn about the legends that have given predators their fearsome reputation across millennia.

Kids trick-or-treating

Howl-O-Ween

Bring the kids for a day of Halloween fun. See and learn about our animals on a short tour, play fall-themed outdoor games, show off your costume—and feast on candy!

Ra Lion rubbing against a paper chain and pumpkin

Pumpkin Prowl

Round up your friends and family and join us for our annual Pumpkin Prowl, a wildly unique way to celebrate autumn in North Carolina! Select, decorate, and carve your pumpkin. Then play some games and try some tasty snacks from local vendors while our keepers decorate our animals’ enclosures with your creations. You can watch the animals enjoy their enrichment at your own pace—Pumpkin Prowl is a self-guided safari, so spend as much time as you like admiring the residents that catch your eye.

Santa Claus sitting on chair surrounded by presents and stuffed animal lion and tiger

Happy Howlidays

On the second Saturday of December, we’ll be offering a variety of holiday fun – including Santa’s Safari tours, photos with Santa, fun games, and much more!  Make sure to bundle up the family and grab the wishlists before heading out, and bring your cameras to snap your picture with Santa.

Wolf paw print in the snow

Winter in the Wild

Join us in celebrating the season with our animal residents on Saturdays in December with a Winter in the Wild tour! Take an evening stroll along our path with an experienced tour guide. You’ll also enjoy the glow of holiday lights and a cup of hot cocoa.

Trekkie Gray Wolf howling

Tree Toss

Think the holiday fun ends after New Year’s? Think again! In mid-January each year, we repurpose unsold evergreen trees donated from Cranberry Tree Farm to provide one-of-a-kind enrichment to our residents! Watch our lions, tigers, wolves, and many other animals play with their trees, enjoy a few treats, and discover “toys” made especially for them by our elves, i.e. you! Space is limited, so reserve your tickets early.

Important Information

Know Before You Go

Learn more about your upcoming visit to the Animal Park at the Conservators Center.

Accessibility, Safety, and Pets

The Animal Park is not wheelchair accessible; however, accessibility accommodations are available for visitors with mobility issues. Please note that we are not able to allow unauthorized vehicles, including scooters or motorized wheelchairs, in the Park. Find more information about disability accommodations and access in the Tour FAQ on our Plan Your Visit page.

If you are planning to visit the Animal Park, please take a moment to review your confirmation email and text to complete our online tour waiver.  Waivers will also be available in the gift shop for visitors to complete during check-in.

For safety reasons, the Animal Park cannot allow visitors to bring pets on site. Any visitor who brings an animal to the Park will be asked to leave immediately. No animals may be left unattended in a vehicle.

Due to the uneven surfaces of our tour path, for children’s safety, we cannot allow them to ride in wagons in the Park, and we encourage child sling carriers over strollers. Strollers are allowed, with children secured inside, but at the parent’s sole discretion.

Family Adventures

Have you ever looked a lion, tiger, leopard, or wolf in the eye? Had a “conversation” with a jungle cat? Witnessed the flickering tufts of a caracal’s ear? What on earth is a binturong—and why is it so important to its natural ecosystem?

Discover all this and much more when you join us for an Adventure tour at the Animal Park!