We’re Having Zoodles of Fun at Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo!
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – March 30, 2022 – Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo is pleased to release its calendar for April through August 2022. Spring is a wonderful time to visit the Zoo, as many of the animals are more active in cooler weather, so make plans to get outside with the family for fresh air! The Zoo plans fun and educational special events and seasonal programs for the entire family, most of which are free with the cost of admission. Calendar subject to change without notice. Please check BeardsleyZoo.org or Facebook for the most up to date information.
Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo is closer than you think and open daily from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Adult admission (ages 12 & older) is $17.00; children (ages 3 -11) is $14.00, senior admission (62 and older) is $14.00 and children under 3 years old are free. Zoo members also are admitted free.
Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo is located at 1875 Noble Avenue, Bridgeport, Connecticut, and parking at the zoo is free of charge.
HOURS
The Zoo is open seven days a week from 9-4, year-round.
Peacock Café: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily; grill closes at 3:30 p.m.
Carousel: Closed Monday through Wednesday. Open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday and Friday; Open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
April 2022
April 2, World Autism Awareness Day
Light It Up Blue! If you have family members with sensory issues, we offer a quiet space, sensory backpacks, and an understanding of people of all abilities.
April 8, National Zoo Lovers Day
This would be a perfect day to visit a zoo and be one of the millions of people who visit them each year. Enjoy seeing your favorite animals and have a fun-filled day. A few zoo facts: Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo opened in 1922 and is 100 years old. The Zoo is home to more than 350 animals, primarily North and South American and northern Asian species. Many endangered species make their home at the Zoo, including Amur tigers and leopards, Mexican and red wolves, red pandas, and many more.
April 10, Party for the Planet; Pequonnock River Clean Up, 9:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Join us for our annual Earth Day. The Zoo will support three separate activities this month: two separate Pequonnock River Cleanups in Bridgeport and The City Nature Challenge in Norwalk with the Maritime Aquarium. Up to 50 individuals each day can sign up to help the Zoo clean up Beardsley Park. The clean-up in the park will be held from 9:30 am-12:00 pm. We will supply gloves, trash bags, paper pickers and companionship: you bring your energy, face mask and desire to help clean up the earth! Families are welcome. As our thanks for being part of the clean-up crew, everyone who participates can enter the Zoo that day for the discounted price of $9 each. (Regular admission is $17 for adults and $14 for children ages 3-11). Sign up here: https://www.beardsleyzoo.org/party-for-the-planet.html
April 16, Party for the Planet; Pequonnock River Clean Up, 9:30 a.m. -12:00 p.m.
Up to 50 individuals each day can sign up to help the Zoo clean up Beardsley Park. The clean-up in the park will be held from 9:30am-12:00pm each day. We will supply gloves, trash bags,
paper pickers and companionship: you bring your energy, face mask and desire to help clean up the earth! Families are welcome. As our thanks for being part of the clean-up crew, everyone who participates can enter the Zoo that day for the discounted price of $9 each. (Regular admission is $17 for adults and $14 for children ages 3-11). Sign up here: https://www.beardsleyzoo.org/party-for-the-planet.html
April 17, Easter Sunday
The Zoo is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.! Come celebrate with the children.
April 20, Evening Lecture Series, Moonlight, Music, Romance, and Friend Zone, 7 p.m.
Fairfield University’s U Rize program students in conjunction with Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo are studying zoo animal behavior. Students studied who comes out when the sun goes down. By setting up camera traps around the Zoo, students observed and collected data on the wildlife that wanders Zoo grounds after the visitors have left. Students also studied acoustic enrichment for various Zoo animals. The breeding behavior of the white-naped cranes was documented. Also, can the Rainforest Building’s Yacare caiman and mata mata turtles co-habitate? Lectures will be presented via Zoom. The cost is $10 for each lecture, with a discounted cost of $50 if you register for all seven lectures. To purchase tickets: https://www.beardsleyzoo.org/evening-lectures.html
April 23, Party for the Planet, Earth Day Celebration, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The Zoo will celebrate Earth Day on Saturday, April 23. Come see a Cool Blue Bridgeport presentation with live animals in the Adventure Amphitheater—weather dependent—at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. We’ll have displays and presentations on pollinators, heritage breeds in the Farmyard, Saving Animals From Extinction (SAFE) programs, and more.
May 2022
May 1, Photography Goes Wild Photo Contest Begins
Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo is proud to announce its fourth annual photography contest is open for submissions, an opportunity for the Zoo’s many dedicated amateur and professional photographers to submit their best work for public viewing. The contest, sponsored by Milford Photo, will combine digital submissions with an in-person exhibition. Photographers selected for the in-person exhibit will be asked to print and mat their photo (size 8 x 10). Submissions must be in by June 30. An in-person exhibition will be held on Thursday, July 28 in the Zoo’s Hanson Building.
May 7, Photography Walkabout with Jack Bradley, 9:00 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Zoo Volunteer Jack Bradley will lead a group of 12 intermediate photographers in a hands-on morning session at the Zoo. You must have a basic working knowledge of cameras to join the group. Join Jack for tips on photographing animals from birds to bison, and tigers to trout. Class size is limited; sign up is required. $50 fee, payable in advance, plus $17 Zoo admission. Members pay only the $50 fee. Register here: https://www.flipcause.com/secure/cause_pdetails/MTQ3MTM3
May 8, Mother’s Day
Connecticut’s only Zoo wants to thank all mothers and grandmothers. Enjoy this special day by visiting animals and then having lunch together in the Peacock Pavilion.
May 14, New Haven Symphony Orchestra, 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.
What’s better than a day with the family at the Zoo? A day at the Zoo with a performance by the New Haven Symphony Orchestra! Four members of the Orchestra will perform from 2 to 3 p.m. The concert is free, but Zoo admission is required.
May 18, Evening Lecture Series, Anteaters and Highways, Dr. Arnaud Desbiez
The giant anteater is an iconic South American mammal listed as vulnerable to extinction by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The scrub forests and grasslands of the
Brazilian Cerrado biome have been traditional strongholds for giant anteaters. However, during the last 35 years, more than half of the Cerrado has been converted into pasture or agricultural
lands. Worse still, remaining habitat is becoming fragmented and dissected by an ever-increasing network of roads and highways—and these roadways are inflicting significant damage
on local animal populations, including the giant anteater. In fact, the giant anteater is now among the species most killed on roadways in the Cerrado. Dr. Arnaud Desbiez has launched Anteaters & Highways, a four-year effort to collect anteater road interaction data and help
protect the species in the wild. Research findings will be used to develop landscape and road management guidelines and mitigate the impact of road mortality on anteater populations in the Cerrado. Lectures will be presented via Zoom. The cost is $10 for each lecture, with a discounted cost of $50 if you register for all seven lectures. Link: to come.
May 20, Endangered Species Day
Endangered Species Day is an opportunity for people of all ages to learn about the importance of protecting endangered species and everyday actions they can take to help protect them. Visit the Zoo on May 20 and hear talks from animal experts. Tables with confiscated items from U.S. Fish and Wildlife will be on display, demonstrating the threat to wild animals, and Species Survival Plan (SSP) presentations will be held at the habitats of some of the Zoo’s most endangered animals.
June 2022
Sunday Serenades at the Zoo, every Sunday from 12:00 p.m.-1:30 p.m.
Music on the Peacock Pavilion stage every Sunday from June 26 through September 4.
Centennial Summer Animal Shows, Thursdays and Fridays, Adventure Amphitheater
This summer, special education programs will be held on Thursdays and Fridays at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. For every one of every age, these learning opportunities are designed to spark a connection with wildlife and encourage everyone to care about conservation. Meet select Zoo animal ambassadors and their expert caregivers, along with other engaging animal experiences. Times may be subject to change; ask at the Front Gate for the day’s schedule.
June 4, Wild Wine, Beer, and Food Safari
Wild Wine, Beer, and Food Safari returns in person! Zoo closes at 2:00 p.m. Join us for a fabulous night of great fare from local vendors and tastings of 100 different wines and more than 60 different beers from around the world and close to home. More information here: https://www.beardsleyzoo.org/wild-wine-beer–food-safari.html
June 15, Evening Lecture Series, Red Panda Network, Terrance Fleming, 7 p.m.
Learn about how the Red Panda Network is saving this adorable, charismatic endangered animal. Terrance will explain their integrated, landscape-level approach to conservation that is built on
the support and participation of local communities. Their conservation programs extend to over one million acres of forest and 50% of Nepal’s red panda range! The Red Panda Network involves community partners in 10 districts in Nepal with over 75 Community Forest User Groups in adopting sustainable forest management practices. Lectures will be presented via Zoom. The cost is $10 for each lecture, with a discounted cost of $50 if you register for all seven lectures. To purchase tickets: https://www.beardsleyzoo.org/evening-lectures.html
June 18, Photography Walkabout with Jack Bradley, 9:00 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Zoo Volunteer Jack Bradley will lead a group of 12 intermediate photographers in a hands-on morning session at the Zoo. You must have a basic working knowledge of cameras to join the group. Join Jack for tips on photographing animals from birds to bison, and tigers to trout. Class size is limited; sign up is required. $50 fee, payable in advance, plus $17 Zoo admission. Members pay only the $50 fee.
June 19, Father’s Day
Come spend a wonderful day with dad or granddad at the Zoo!
June 25, 100th Birthday Celebration
We’re having a party to celebrate our 100th Birthday! Join us for:
· A birthday cake bake-off
· A Sneak Peek at this summer’s Education Animal Shows
· Proclamations from the city of Bridgeport and the state
· Visits from the governor, mayor, senators, and representatives
· “Win a Free Birthday Party” Contest
· Entertainment on the Peacock Pavilion stage: Lost Rebel, a four-piece classic rock band
· Time capsule/Tree Planting
June 25, Lost Rebel (Fun Classic Rock), Peacock Pavilion, 12:00-1:30 p.m.
Lost Rebel is a CT-based classic rock band consisting of Greg Johnston (Lead Vocals/Percussion), Laura Webb (Lead and Background Vocals/Guitar), Tom Taggart (Lead Guitar/Background Vocals), Mark Gradoia (Lead/Rhythm Guitar/Background Vocals/Harmonica) and Mike Mastrianno (Bass Guitar/Background Vocals). Lost Rebels plays 70s favorites from bands including Fleetwood Mac, The Eagles, Tom Petty, Credence Clearwater Revival and more.
June 30, Last Day to Submit Photos for Photography Goes Wild
July 2022
Sunday Serenades at the Zoo, every Sunday from 12:00 p.m.-1:30 p.m.
Music on the Peacock Pavilion stage every Sunday from June 26 through September 4.
Centennial Summer Animal Shows, Thursdays and Fridays, Adventure Amphitheater
This summer, special education programs will be held on Thursdays and Fridays at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. For every one of every age, these learning opportunities are designed to spark a connection with wildlife and encourage everyone to care about conservation. Meet select Zoo animal ambassadors and their expert caregivers, along with other engaging animal experiences. Times may be subject to change; ask at the Front Gate for the day’s schedule.
July 3, Lara Herscovitch (Folk/Americana) Peacock Pavilion, 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
A singer/songwriter/poet/performer/author and policy social worker, Lara writes masterful modern folk-americana music, sings and leads with authenticity, integrity, humor and heart, and delivers performances that inspire, uplift and entertain. Lara’s songs are soulful, poetic treasure maps that point to the wisdom, grit and joy of underdogs and misfits, connection and courage, love and loss, hardship and hope, and resilience and transformation. Lara served as the CT State Troubadour from 2009-2010.
July 4-8, Zoo Patrol, Week 1, Ages 8-10
This session of Zoo Patrol offers children ages 8-10 the opportunity to explore a different area of the Zoo each day and have a custom guided experience. They’ll explore how the animals are cared for through presentations and projects on enrichment, training, diet, habitat care, and more. Sessions run on Zoo grounds Monday through Friday. Each week is $220/child for Zoo members and $250/child for non-members. Advance registration is required. For more information and to register, please call 203-394-6563.
July 10, Liz McNicholl (Celtic/Folk/Americana) Peacock Pavilion, 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Liz McNicholl performs as a soloist and with the Liz McNicholl Band throughout Connecticut. Liz immigrated from Ireland at 18 and continues her musical journey in the States in the Folk/Irish scene with strong influences by the likes of Mary Black, Maura O’Connell, Christy
Moore, Nanci Griffith, Gillian Welsh, Allison Krauss, Eva Cassidy, Bob Dylan and more. Liz has released three CDs: “Grand Central Station,” “Tiny Lights,” and a self-titled album by her band (formerly called “The Crickstones.)”
July 11-15, Zoo Patrol, Week 2, Ages 11-13
This session of Zoo Patrol offers children ages 11-13 the opportunity to explore a different area of the Zoo each day and have a custom guided experience. They’ll explore how the animals are cared for through presentations and projects on enrichment, training, diet, habitat care, and more. Sessions run on Zoo grounds Monday through Friday. Each week is $220/child for Zoo members and $250/child for non-members. Advance registration is required. For more information and to register, please call 203-394-6563.
July 18-22, Zoo Patrol, Week 3, Ages 8-10
This session of Zoo Patrol offers children ages 8-10 the opportunity to explore a different area of the Zoo each day and have a custom guided experience. They’ll explore how the animals are cared for through presentations and projects on enrichment, training, diet, habitat care, and more.
Sessions run on Zoo grounds Monday through Friday. Each week is $220/child for Zoo members and $250/child for non-members. Advance registration is required. For more information and to register, please call 203-394-6563.
July 20, Evening Lecture Series, No Where is a Place –Travels in Chilean Patagonia, 7 p.m.
Take a virtual trip to the Chilean Patagonia with Gerrie Griswold as she shares breathtaking images from this ethereal travel destination tucked along the tail of the Andes near the bottom of the world. Meet the people, animals and numerous microclimates that define this mythical place.
The cost is $10 for each lecture, with a discounted cost of $50 if you register for all seven lectures. To purchase tickets: https://www.beardsleyzoo.org/evening-lectures.html
July 24, Vick & Barre (Piano/Vocal Duo), Peacock Pavilion, 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Vick & Barre is comprised of vocalist Suzanne Vick and pianist Chris Barre. This duo takes songs you know and love from artists including The Beatles, Joni Mitchell, Alanis Morrisette, The Kings of Leon, and The Rolling Stones…and adds a twist to make the songs their own. Both accomplished performers, Vick & Barre bring a little extra sparkle to beloved favorites in this musical labor of love.
July 25-29, Zoo Patrol, Week 4, Ages 11-13
This session of Zoo Patrol offers children ages 11-13 the opportunity to explore a different area of the Zoo each day and have a custom guided experience. They’ll explore how the animals are cared for through presentations and projects on enrichment, training, diet, habitat care, and more. Sessions run on Zoo grounds Monday through Friday. Each week is $220/child for Zoo members and $250/child for non-members. Advance registration is required. For more information and to register, please call 203-394-6563.
July 28, Photography Goes Wild Photo Exhibition, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Come to the Hanson Building to see hundreds of photos taken by the Zoo’s many amateur and professional photographers. This is the fourth year for the non-juried photography competition,
sponsored by Milford Photo. The exhibition is a festive evening for the public, to view the photos and for the photographers to meet and mingle with each other. Prizes awarded.
August 2022
Sunday Serenades at the Zoo, every Sunday from 12:00 p.m.-1:30 p.m.
Music on the Peacock Pavilion stage every Sunday from June 26 through September 4.
Centennial Summer Animal Shows, Thursdays and Fridays, Adventure Amphitheater
This summer, special education programs will be held on Thursdays and Fridays at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. For everyone of every age, these learning opportunities are designed to spark a connection with wildlife and encourage everyone to care about conservation. Meet select Zoo animal ambassadors and their expert caregivers, along with other engaging animal experiences. Times may be subject to change; ask at the Front Gate for the day’s schedule.
Aug 1-5, Zoo Patrol, Week 5, Ages 8-10
This session of Zoo Patrol offers children ages 8-10 the opportunity to explore a different area of the Zoo each day and have a custom guided experience. They’ll explore how the animals are cared for through presentations and projects on enrichment, training, diet, habitat care, and more. Sessions run on Zoo grounds Monday through Friday. Each week is $220/child for Zoo members and $250/child for non-members. Advance registration is required. For more information and to register, please call 203-394-6563.
Aug 7, Stephen Peter Rodgers (Americana/Original Folk) Peacock Pavilion, 12:00 p.m.-1:30 p.m.
Stephen Peter /Rodgers is a nationally recognized singer, songwriter and visual artist who has spent more than a quarter of a century engrossed in the New /England music community. He has performed across the United States and overseas. Stephen is most well-known for his nearly 20-year stretch as leader and co-songwriter of the 90s/2000s alternative rock/folk band Mighty Purple, as well as for his 15-year adventure as the Founder/Director of The Space (an all-ages music venue) and of The Outer Space. Stephen released his most recent solo album, “Count It All Joy” in 2019. His new album, “Speck on a Clover,” will be released on May 13, 2022.
Aug 14, Dust Devil Heart (Harmony-driven Female Duo) Peacock Pavilion, 12:00 to 1:30 p.m.
Dust Devil Heart is an indie folk singer-songwriter duo based in Branford, CT. At the core of DDH are two women–Holley Anderson and Elise Morrison—who both write songs, sing tight beautiful vocal harmonies, and play acoustic guitar and electric bass. They just recorded their first original album titled “Dwell Time,” which was produced by Steve Rodgers in Hamden, CT, and will be released this winter.
Aug 17, Evening Lecture Series, Right Under Our Noses, Working Dogs For Conservation, 7 p.m.
Obtaining crucial data on wild species can be extremely challenging, and a variety of problems may prevent finding cryptic animals in diverse environments. The unparalleled ability of canine olfaction offers a way to increase proficiency in non-invasively collecting information on endangered, rare, and hard to find species and detect and remove threats to wildlife. At the forefront of the conservation dog field, Working Dogs for Conservation (WDC) has been selecting, training, and deploying dogs that ‘live to work’ for projects worldwide Lectures will be presented via Zoom. The cost is $10 for each lecture, with a discounted cost of $50 if you register for all seven lectures. To purchase tickets: https://www.beardsleyzoo.org/evening-lectures.html
Aug 21, The George Lesiw Trio (Jazz/Blues/Guitar), Peacock Pavilion, 12:00-1:30 p.m.
Recognized as one of the most prolific and versatile performers on the Connecticut music scene, guitarist George Lesiw has made his surge a topic of conversation and interest among the
Northeast audience. Lesiw combines the true improvisational essence and language of jazz, the daring electricity of rock-fusion, and the gritty fire of blues.
Visit our Tropical Greenhouse
Enjoy a visit to a tropical paradise at our Victorian Greenhouse. As you stroll through, you can see several species flowering, and feed our colorful Koi fish in their pond. It’s a short walk through another world. Free with Zoo admission.
About Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo
Let your curiosity run wild! Connecticut’s only zoo, celebrating its 100thth year, features 350 animals representing primarily North and South American and Northern Asian species. Guests won’t want to miss our Amur tigers and leopards, maned wolves, and Mexican gray wolves and red wolves. Other highlights include our Spider Monkey Habitat, the prairie dog exhibit, and the Pampas Plain with giant anteaters and Chacoan peccaries. Guests can grab a bite from the Peacock Café and eat in the Picnic Grove. Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo is a non-profit
organization celebrating its Centennial year when the mission of helping fragile wildlife populations and eco-systems is more important than ever.
Tickets must be purchased on the Zoo’s website at beardsleyzoo.org: we recommend that guests continue to wear masks while visiting the Zoo, but when guests are outside and are able to maintain social distance, masks may be removed. In any indoor area, or when social distancing cannot be maintained, masks must be worn. Everyone over the age of two, except for those with medical conditions that preclude wearing them, should have a mask available.
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