2023 is shaping up to be quite the year for The Mill Mountain Zoo. From new programs and playgrounds to a new and improved Zoo Choo, Mill Mountain Zoo is the place to be! So, what’s new at the Zoo?
All Aboard! The Zoo Choo is back on track! Mill Mountain Zoo raised $65,000 to make necessary repairs and upgrades to the beloved Zoo Choo. A complete restoration to the locomotive was done along with adding two new passenger cars and a brand-new engine. The Zoo Choo is open for business daily starting at 10:30 am, with the final ride at 4:00 pm. Tickets are $2 per passenger and can be purchased at the admission window, Gift Shop or Bali’s Bistro. *Weather permitting of course.
There is also a brand-new mural, in the Zoo Choo train tunnel! A local artist hand-painted depiction of The Roanoke River and The Blue Ridge Mountains, complete with local wildlife that can be seen in and around the river. Grab a ticket for The Zoo Choo and the mural.
Want to learn from an expert about conservation issues and how you can help? Join us for Conservation Conversations at the Mill Mountain Zoo Amphitheatre, April -September at 11:00 am on the last Thursday of each month. We welcome local experts to cover topics about biology, botany, animal behavior, the environment and so much more! Conservation Conversations is included with your Zoo admission. Come for the Conversations, stay to visit the animals.
A big thank you must go to Roanoke Valley Garden Club, McNeil Roofing Inc., Lainy Wilhelm, and Mike’s Country Market & Greenhouses for giving Mill Mountain Zoo its first-ever Green Roof! Thank you all for helping us expand our conservation efforts and continue to meet our mission. The Green Roof is not only lovely to look at, but it will also help us continue to educate our visitors about ways they may practice conservation at home. Come check it out!
We have also partnered with Carilion Clinic and Carilion Children’s Hospital and Robins & Morton to bring kids of all ages to the Carilion Children’s Curiosity Corner! This playground will provide a physical outlet where children can learn while they play. The giant life-like insect climbers provide fun exercise outdoors while offering up-close exploration for aspiring young entomologists to learn the value of all creatures, great and small.
One of our favorites that was launched this year is our brand-new Explorer Backpack Program! The Zoo has partnered with the Roanoke Public Library System to have a Zoo curated animal- themed backpack available for checkout for one week by any valid library card holder at all Roanoke Public Library branches. Backpack animals are either a red panda, green snake, owl, tarantula, red fox, or snow leopard. Each backpack will have books about the theme animal, a pair of binoculars, a Virginia wildlife guidebook, trail maps of Mill Mountain, a DVD about the theme animal habitat, and a free Family Pass for two adults and six children’s admission to the Zoo. Kids (and their parents) can learn all there is to know about their theme animal and come see them at the Zoo. The program is such a hit that we are going to be expanding it in the near future.
