Program Description
Join us at the Buffalo Zoo this summer for a wild camp experience like no other! Between six sessions of fun with fresh themes for ages 6-12, and our all new Cub Camp for ages 4-6, there’s something for every camper to enjoy.
Summer Camp
-$370 for Non-members per week
-$330 for Members per week
Cub Camp
-$150 for Non-members per week
-$110 for members per week
Members use code MEMBER2026 for associated member discount. (Membership will be verified and if falsified membership is confirmed, associated users will be invoiced full tuition cost)
Program Details
SUMMER ZOO CAMP 2026 THEMES AND DATES
Cub Camp (Ages 4-6) – June 30 to July 2
Enjoy this introductory program for our littlest campers that is only 3 half days (8:40 am -12:15pm). Parents are encouraged to stay on the first day while we learn a little about how our programs can be a fun, enriching learning environment for your kids. Each little one will enjoy a fun steam activity, visits to our exhibits, crafts and animal ambassador experiences all within the confines of the zoo.
Animal Superpowers! (Ages 6-12) – July 6 to July 10 and July 27 to July 31
Super strength? Super speed? Invisibility? No need to go to the movies to see these powers on display, just come to the zoo! Campers will learn all about the amazing adaptations that make our animals at the zoo superheroes. Witness a tortoise’s ability to disappear, witness the super smell of our polar bears. Use your super-brain to learn all about it!
Habitat Heroes (Ages 6-12) – July 13 to July 17 and Aug. 3 to Aug. 7
Animals cover every inch of the big, beautiful, and blue planet. Let’s learn together how we can protect it! Campers will learn all about the diverse environments that make up our earth as well as different ways people save it. From dry deserts, frozen tundra, or humid forests together lets learn about the animals that live in them and how we can save them for future generations.
Wacky and Weird Wildlife (Ages 6-12) – July 20 to July 24 and Aug. 10 to Aug. 14
Bone-eating vultures? Curly horned antelopes? Modern day dinosaurs? Sometimes wildlife is wacky! This week campers will learn all about just how weirdly fascinating our natural world can be. Together, we’ll also bust some myths about all sorts of animals. Questions like “How blind is a bat? “or “How much wood could a woodchuck chuck?” will be answered!
DROP OFF INFO
MORNING DROP OFF
Campers should be dropped off to the right of the front entrance of the zoo (northeast end of the parking lot). Please park in the lot and walk your child to the drop off line. Drop off will open at 8:45 a.m. and close at 9:00 a.m. Parking will be free of charge for pick up and drop off. When you enter the parking lot, please take a parking slip. If you are in the parking lot for less than 15 minutes, parking at the Zoo is free and you may follow normal directions to exit. If you are in the parking lot longer than 15 minutes for pick up or drop off, please ask camp for a complementary parking voucher that will allow you to exit the lot free of charge.
LATE ARRIVALS/EARLY PICK UPS
Please schedule regular appointments, doctor visits, etc. outside of camp hours whenever possible. However, if you need to drop your child off late or pick them up early on any given day, please let us know as much ahead of time as possible. If you have an appointment, emergency, or some other situation that cannot be avoided during camp, we will do our best to accommodate your schedule.
AFTER CAMP PICK UP
Camp pick up will take place at the same location as the drop off. The camp gate will be unlocked for pick up starting at 2:45 p.m and will go until 3:00 pm. Campers will only be released to adults listed on registration paperwork. A signature is required, and ID will be requested daily from each adult picking up camper. Any campers remaining after 3:15 p.m. will have to be picked up at the front gate of the zoo and will be charged $1 for every minute after 3:15 they are picked up. If you know you will be late, please call (716) 995-6123 and leave a message.
If campers will be picked up at the end of the day by anyone other than the person indicated on your registration, please email with the name of the additional pickup person. Additional names may be added ahead of time by sending a written note or emailing
jimprota@buffalozoo.org.
PARENTAL VISITATION POLICY
Zoo camp and all of its spaces are for the use of campers and camp staff only. Parents and guardians should only be in camp spaces during morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up times. The only exception to this rule is when parents need to enter camp spaces at pre-determined times for the purposes of late drop offs and early pick-ups. If this is the case, this should be discussed with the camp director before the fact.
REFUNDS
BUFFALO ZOO – CAMP CANCELLATION POLICY
If Buffalo Zoo cancels a program due to low registration or inclement weather, a full refund will be offered.
Partial refunds:
- Prior to June 1, 2026 → $75 non-refundable processing fee
- June 1–25, 2026 → 50% of the program fee will be retained
No refunds:
- After June 25, 2026
- No prorating for absences or vacations
Processing time: Approved refunds will take ~5 business days
