Your dream of summer fun may be to get close-up with a Pinkfoot Goliath Tarantula and an eight-inch Emperor Scorpio — both amazing arachnids. Or maybe it’s more laid back, like picnicking on the lawn to the great oldies and not seeing or feeling any creepy crawlers at all.
Either way, Brookfield Zoo aims to please.
The zoo’s Summer Nights concerts on the east lawn continue for the 5th season, promising good music and an evening of family fun and relaxation.
Around the corner? Spiders, tarantulas and scorpions. Oh my.
The zoo’s new temporary exhibit, “Amazing Arachnids,” will be open in three themed areas of the west mall from May 26-Sept. 3, says Andre Copeland, interpretive programs manager for the Chicago Zoological Society. And if there’s one thing visitors will learn, it is that arachnids are spiders, but not “just spiders.”
Arachnids are also scorpions, tarantulas, ticks and mites — animals that have an exoskeleton, meaning they wear their skeleton on the outside. They have eight legs and two body parts. They can be as small as a dot on your pinky fingernail or so large their leg span would cover a nine-inch dinner plate.
And they are amazing. Some arachnids spin webs. Others sit and wait to ambush their prey. Some even pretend to be ants.
Brookfield’s exhibit stars 100 arachnids, the largest public collection of arachnids in North America. They will spend this summer in a climate controlled enclosure under a tent that also helps control the climate for visitors — no hot sun and no rain. But there’s a lot more to do here than just look at spiders.
Through a variety of features, the exhibit will enlighten visitors on how these creatures have helped with science and technological breakthroughs, and how they have impacted pop culture, music and art.
Where do you think Spider-Man came from?
“This is going to give people the opportunity to learn what they mean to us. It’s going to give them a different viewpoint of these animals,” says Copeland.
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“Although scorpions are often depicted in the western movies and in the desert, spiders tend to be the ones most talked about. They are most often connected with myths and a lot of hype about how dangerous they are. But when you remove yourself from the fear, you can actually find beauty in some of these animals.”
Lest you also fear standing still for too long, the Mission Safari part of the arachnid exhibit includes hands-on activities for guests of all ages. Weave a web, assemble puzzle pieces to create a spider and learn the Italian folk dance called Tarantella.
In Mission Safari, guests also connect to the stories and strengths of 16 other species in the zoo, including the bison and the Amur tiger. Four giant spinning wheels highlight 48 missions or tasks that link guests with one of the these animals through a neon green 3,500-square-foot maze.
Zoo visitors spin the wheel and are challenged to move through the attraction, including climb-on spider webs, jungle vines, swinging bars and a falcon monorail zip slide.
Whew.
Now may be a good time to chill.
Summer Nights concerts on the lawn at the east mall every Friday and Saturday evening from July 6-Aug. 18 begin with family fun at 4 p.m. and end with a 15-minute laser light show at 9 p.m.
In between there’s lawn bowling, giant checkers, kids’ crafts, puppet shows, a host of roaming entertainers, a 5:30 kids’ show and the whole reason why you dropped the blanket in the first place: the headliners who perform on stage from 7-8:55 p.m.
“We have all ages, babies to grandparents, who come to enjoy the music, and we offer a huge variety,” says Elizabeth Sterchele, assistant marketing events manager.
“Dancing is always encouraged.”
Sterchele says this summer’s schedule, available on the website (www.CZS.org/summernights) includes the popular Beatles cover band, American English, as well as Ides of March, the Berwyn-based band that hit the charts with “Vehicle” in 1970, Sixteen Candles, an ’80s cover band, and for a little reggae, Unity the Band.
The zoo’s Castaway Grill will be open, but visitors can also bring in food and drinks, just no glass bottles and no alcohol. Shows will go on in the rain, but not when there’s lightening or thunder. Check the website for updates. Keep in mind that while you can wander to see the animals, most buildings will be closed by band time. There is, however, a 6 p.m. dolphin show in the summer.
And, if you need more: Zoo guests can view 3D films in the new theater located in the Discovery Center. Two 20-minutes films, “Wild Africa” and “Walking with Dinosaurs” will alternate every half hour starting at 10 a.m.
“Wild Africa” features the lives of some of the most iconic African animals and gives insight to how their lives are affected by the presence and absence of water. In “Walking with Dinosaurs,” paleontologists imagine a year in the lives of a herd of plant-eating dinosaurs. Cost, including the rental of 3D glasses, is $8 for adults and $6 for children ages 3-11 and seniors 65 and older.
If you only have one day to spend at the zoo, there is nothing to stop you from dedicating a day and evening to zoo fun. Take in the shows. See the 3D movies when you need to sit quietly in the cool dark theatre. Enjoy and learn from “Amazing Arachnids,” and wind down from the day with a blanket and some good music on the lawn.
You may have to carry the kids from the car to their beds when you get home.
Or, visit more often and divide the summer fun between multiple days and evenings. There’s always plenty to do at the zoo.
Joan Cary is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.
“This is going to give people the opportunity to learn what they mean to us. It’s going to give them a different viewpoint of these animals,” says Copeland.
“Although scorpions are often depicted in the western movies and in the desert, spiders tend to be the ones most talked about. They are most often connected with myths and a lot of hype about how dangerous they are. But when you remove yourself from the fear, you can actually find beauty in some of these animals.”
Lest you also fear standing still for too long, the Mission Safari part of the arachnid exhibit includes hands-on activities for guests of all ages. Weave a web, assemble puzzle pieces to create a spider and learn the Italian folk dance called Tarantella.
In Mission Safari, guests also connect to the stories and strengths of 16 other species in the zoo, including the bison and the Amur tiger. Four giant spinning wheels highlight 48 missions or tasks that link guests with one of the these animals through a neon green 3,500-square-foot maze.
Zoo visitors spin the wheel and are challenged to move through the attraction, including climb-on spider webs, jungle vines, swinging bars and a falcon monorail zip slide.
Whew.
Now may be a good time to chill.
Summer Nights concerts on the lawn at the east mall every Friday and Saturday evening from July 6-Aug. 18 begin with family fun at 4 p.m. and end with a 15-minute laser light show at 9 p.m.
In between there’s lawn bowling, giant checkers, kids’ crafts, puppet shows, a host of roaming entertainers, a 5:30 kids’ show and the whole reason why you dropped the blanket in the first place: the headliners who perform on stage from 7-8:55 p.m.
“We have all ages, babies to grandparents, who come to enjoy the music, and we offer a huge variety,” says Elizabeth Sterchele, assistant marketing events manager.
“Dancing is always encouraged.”
Sterchele says this summer’s schedule, available on the website (www.CZS.org/summernights
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) includes the popular Beatles cover band, American English, as well as Ides of March, the Berwyn-based band that hit the charts with “Vehicle” in 1970, Sixteen Candles, an ’80s cover band, and for a little reggae, Unity the Band.The zoo’s Castaway Grill will be open, but visitors can also bring in food and drinks, just no glass bottles and no alcohol. Shows will go on in the rain, but not when there’s lightening or thunder. Check the website for updates. Keep in mind that while you can wander to see the animals, most buildings will be closed by band time. There is, however, a 6 p.m. dolphin show in the summer.
And, if you need more: Zoo guests can view 3D films in the new theater located in the Discovery Center. Two 20-minutes films, “Wild Africa” and “Walking with Dinosaurs” will alternate every half hour starting at 10 a.m.
“Wild Africa” features the lives of some of the most iconic African animals and gives insight to how their lives are affected by the presence and absence of water. In “Walking with Dinosaurs,” paleontologists imagine a year in the lives of a herd of plant-eating dinosaurs. Cost, including the rental of 3D glasses, is $8 for adults and $6 for children ages 3-11 and seniors 65 and older.
If you only have one day to spend at the zoo, there is nothing to stop you from dedicating a day and evening to zoo fun. Take in the shows. See the 3D movies when you need to sit quietly in the cool dark theatre. Enjoy and learn from “Amazing Arachnids,” and wind down from the day with a blanket and some good music on the lawn.
You may have to carry the kids from the car to their beds when you get home.
Or, visit more often and divide the summer fun between multiple days and evenings. There’s always plenty to do at the zoo.
Brookfield Zoo
Where: 8400 West 31st St., Brookfield
Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays-Fridays; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays
Tickets: Adults $21.95; seniors 65 and older $15.95; children 3-11 $15.95. Parking: $14.
Information: 708-688-8000; brookfieldzoo.org
Joan Cary is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.