Nashville’s Boo at the Zoo is back! I’ve attended the Nashville Zoo’s annual Halloween extravaganza almost every year since 2017, and my daughter and I have so much fun. Here’s everything you need to know about the event.
🎟️ Details
- Dates: Daily through Nov. 1 from 5-9 p.m.
- Where: Nashville Zoo
- Ages: 2-12
- Cost: Mondays-Thursdays are $19, Fridays through Sundays are $23. Members save $3 a ticket, and kids under two are free.
💃 Boo at the Zoo Activities
The field in front of the carousel has bouncy houses, carnival games, and a monster mash dance floor, which is always packed with spooky little dancers. Carousel rides are free, though the zipline costs extra, as does pumpkin painting. My daughter’s favorite part are the animal shows, which in the past have included magic tricks and the zoo’s spookiest animals.
Photo ops with popular characters, like Disney princesses, are located in front of the reptile area. It tends to get super congested here. I recommend bringing a stroller for the younger kids.
All the zoo restaurants and food stations have special food for the night, like Dracula’s delicious dessert ice cream, toasted s’mores funnel cake, and a blood orange margarita bucket for the adults. A lot of the food is basically what you get during the day, though.
This year the zoo is partnering with Conexión Américas for a Día de los Muertos night on Nov. 1.
My cat witch at a treat station. (Margaret Kingsbury / City Cast Nashville)
🍫 Trick-or-Treating
Each kid receives a free trick-or-treat bag, and 10 candy stations are scattered along a trail through the zoo, where you can see the flamingos, tigers, and Andean bears. Sorry adults and teens, trick-or-treating is limited to kids 12 and under only, though some stations like to throw a candy or two to the parents.
Don’t expect a full bag of candy. Boo at the Zoo is more about the fun of being at the zoo at night and kid-friendly Halloween activities than it is about trick-or-treating.
🤔 Is It Worth Going?
If you have a child two and under, or still too young to fully enjoy candy and Halloween fun, skip it. Many of the Halloween decorations are up all day, so if you go during regular hours, you can still get some cute pictures, without spending the extra money on activities your child wouldn’t enjoy.
My main gripe is how short Boo at the Zoo runs. Since it’s only two weeks, it’s hard to find a time to go that’s not on a school night. If that’s not an issue for you, weekdays tend to be less crowded. I like going because it supports the zoo, and my kid has fun, but there are less expensive Halloween options around town.
