Roaming Roanoke – Mill Mountain Zoo at the Library
For this edition of Roaming Roanoke, we combined two fun things – Mill Mountain Zoo animals and the library! Mill Mountain Zoo is bringing some animals to the libraries this summer!
We love visiting libraries and there are so many nice ones in our area! You can’t really go wrong choosing whichever one to visit! We also love seeing the animals at Mill Mountain Zoo! When the zoo and the Roanoke libraries partnered up, we had to go!
Mill Mountain Zoo is bringing several animals to a different library each week. How fun! My three kids and I went to the first one last week at the Raleigh Court Branch Library. The event is held outside on the library yard. The best part about this is that the animals come out of their cage or carrier and are not behind bars or glass like you see at the zoo. You can get a close-up view of them and even get to touch some of them! My two-year-old was really excited to feel the difference between some animals with fur, scales, or feathers! At the event at Raleigh Court Library, we saw furry animals, snakes, and birds. The bird was the biggest hit with the crowd. It performed some tricks and could talk!
This event is also very educational. The Mill Mountain Zoo employee describes each animal and teaches a short lesson with each animal. People can ask questions and she could answer them all! Even I left feeling very knowledgeable about some snakes and birds. I learned a lot just like my kids! So many other parents and children at the event were so excited to see the animals up close and asked a lot of really in-depth questions. The event was a hit for everyone!
The Mill Mountain Zoo animals are visiting several other libraries this summer. Here is the schedule from the library.
Melrose Branch Library on Wednesday, June 30th at 2:00pm
Main Library on Thursday, July 8th at 10:00am
Gainsboro Branch Library on Thursday, July 15th at 2:00pm
Williamson Road Branch Library on Thursday, July 20th, 10:00am
As always, please check with the library for any additions or changes.
The events are outside so you can come late or leave early depending on your schedule or how your kids react. You can sit or stand at the event. We sat on the grass, but some people had blankets or fold-up chairs so plan accordingly. The animals’ handler brings the animals around the crowd to touch and feel so you can get as close or stay far away as much as you wish.
We enjoyed getting to see the Mill Mountain Zoo animals outside of the zoo and up close and personal! It was fun for all of my kids (ages 6, 5, and 2). Each of them liked something different but touching them and watching the bird do tricks were their favorites.
Once the event is over, you can also go inside the library and check out books! It’s a win-win!
If you have an event or place for Roaming Roanoke to visit, please let me know!
More Roaming Roanoke
- Roaming Roanoke: Little Green Hive
- Roaming Roanoke: Mommy Time
- Roaming Roanoke: Salem Ice Cream Parlor
- Roaming Roanoke: Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest
- Roaming Roanoke – Mill Mountain Zoo at the Library
- Roaming Roanoke: National D-Day Memorial
- Roaming Roanoke: The Dilly Dally
- Roaming Roanoke: The Jefferson Center
