Adventure Programs, The Houston Zoo

Open to all accepted Zoo Crew members throughout the year. Open to all teens, ages 13-17, in non-summer months (January-May, September-December). This includes teens not accepted into the Zoo Crew program.

Spring Adventure Programs

March 9-11

8:00am-6:00pm

$200

Want to spend your Spring Break protecting wildlife and wild places? Join us for a Spring Break Adventure in Big Thicket National Preserve. You will spend 3 days and 2 nights in one of the most diverse landscapes in Texas. The Big Thicket has an incredible amount of biodiversity due to the convergence of multiple habitats.

We’ll spend our time learning about the habitats and the plants and animals that inhabit the Big Thicket National Preserve while learning field research techniques and the science behind conservation. We’ll participate in habitat restoration projects, hike through the long leaf-pine forests, observe multiple species of carnivorous plants, and canoe or kayak through the bayous and rivers.

We’ll be leaving the Houston Zoo on Saturday, March 9 at 8:00am and returning Monday, March 11 by 6:00pm. Participants will be staying in a dormitory style field research station. More information about the field research station and its amenities can be found here. Transportation and meals will be provided by the Houston Zoo.

Participants and their parents will be required to attend a pre-trip meeting on Wednesday, March 6th 6:30-7:30pm.

Once you have registered, more information will be emailed to you.

April 27

8:30am-3:30pm

$50

Spend the day with our Sea Lion keepers and help protect ocean animals by removing trash from the Surfside Jetty.

We will meet at the Houston Zoo in front of Gate 8 at 8:30AM and return to the Zoo at 3:30PM. Transportation will be provided by the Houston Zoo.

Please wear comfortable clothing and sturdy close-toed shoes that you don’t mind getting dirty and/or wet. Also bring a sack lunch and water bottle.

April 14

8:00am-4:00pm

$50

The Houston Zoo is saving Attwater’s Prairie Chickens in the wild! It is estimated that less than 100 of these birds are left in the wild. The Houston Zoo manages the captive breeding program for the Attwater’s prairie chicken. We have breeding facilities both behind the scenes at the Zoo and at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. When the birds hatch and grow large enough, they are slowly introduced and then released into the wild in the Attwater’s Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge, where they will support the already existing populations.

Every year the refuge hosts the Attwater’s Prairie Chicken Festival to celebrate this iconic bird that calls the coastal prairie home. Houston Zoo Teen Programs will be joining them in the celebration. We will meet at the Zoo at 8am in front of Gate 8, which is approximately 200 yards to the left of the main entrance. Transportation to the festival will be provided by the Houston Zoo. Be sure to bring a lunch, reusable water bottle, and wear clothing appropriate for a day outdoors.

*Disclaimer: actually seeing a prairie chicken is not guaranteed*

May 12

8:00am-4:00pm

$50

Let’s explore the majestic forests of the East Texas Pineywoods. We’ll spend the morning canoeing around Raven Lake and afternoon hiking the many trails throughout the park.

We will meet at the Houston Zoo in front of Gate 8, which is about 200 yards to the left of the main entrance, at 8am. Transportation to Huntsville State Park will be provided by the Houston Zoo. Be sure to bring a lunch, a reusable water bottle and wear clothes that you don’t mind getting wet. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us at teenprograms@houstonzoo.org.