Costumes and Critters: Boo at the Zoo Brings Scare-Free Trick-or-Treating to Gulf Shores Oct. 17

GULF SHORES, Ala. — Little goblins, superheroes and princesses can trick-or-treat alongside giraffes, lemurs and tigers this weekend when the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo hosts Boo at the Zoo from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Oct. 17.

The morning event is billed as scare-free Halloween fun built for families with young children. Guests will find trick-or-treating stations, activities and meet-and-greets with the zoo’s animal ambassadors, and everything is included with regular zoo admission. Proceeds support the animals and programs of the nonprofit zoo.

The event comes one week after Hurricane Isaias swept past the coast. The zoo closed Oct. 9 and 10 for the storm after keepers spent several days building windbreaks and moving animals into secure buildings, as we reported ahead of landfall. Gulf Shores escaped with relatively light damage, and the zoo announced Boo at the Zoo for its scheduled date.

What to expect at Boo at the Zoo

The zoo is encouraging children and adults alike to come in costume. Guests who dress up get a chance to win a prize from the zoo’s gift shop; the zoo’s event page describes it as a chance at a “Golden Ticket.”

Families should bring their own treat bags, since the zoo will not be handing them out. Children can fill them at trick-or-treat stops along the paths while parents take in the exhibits.

Meet-and-greets with animal ambassadors are among the highlights. Ambassador animals are the zoo residents that keepers bring out for up-close educational programs, giving children a chance to see an animal at arm’s length and ask questions of the staff who care for it. The zoo’s separate paid Animal Encounters will be closed during the event.

Event details

• What: Boo at the Zoo
• When: Saturday, Oct. 17, 9 a.m. to noon
• Where: Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo, 20499 Oak Road East, Gulf Shores
• Cost: Included with regular zoo admission; tickets are available online or at the door the day of the event
• Bring: Your own treat bags and your best costume
• Note: Animal Encounters are closed during the event

Admission prices

According to the zoo’s website, regular admission is:

• Adults, ages 13 to 61: $23.95
• Seniors 62 and older and military: $20.95
• Children ages 3 to 12: $15.95
• Children 2 and under: free
• Zoo members: free with a membership card

The zoo is open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., so families who arrive for the Halloween festivities can stay after noon to finish touring the grounds.

From ‘The Little Zoo That Could’ to a new home

The Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo has one of the more remarkable stories among the region’s attractions. It began in 1989 as Zooland Animal Park, a small zoo built by Joey Ward in Gulf Shores, and took its current name in 2000. A nonprofit foundation to support it was formed in 1991.

Hurricanes have shaped the zoo ever since. When Hurricane Ivan approached in September 2004, staff evacuated more than 265 animals in about 36 hours and moved them roughly 20 miles inland. The original zoo, on the east side of Alabama 59, was left under several feet of water after Ivan made landfall Sept. 16, 2004, and it took about 14 months to reopen.

That struggle drew national attention. A television series about the zoo’s recovery, “The Little Zoo That Could,” aired on Animal Planet beginning in 2006 and made the small Gulf Shores attraction known to viewers across the country.

The repeated flooding at the old site eventually led to a move. Clyde and Andrea Weir donated 25 acres of land about four miles north of the beach, and the new zoo on Oak Road East opened in 2020. Its first test came that September, when Hurricane Sally made landfall at Gulf Shores; no animals were hurt, and Director Joel Hamilton has said that today the zoo has buildings for nearly all of its animals and does not face the flooding that plagued the original location.

A busy Halloween weekend on the coast

Boo at the Zoo is one of several family-friendly Halloween events on the Alabama Gulf Coast this month. Later the same day, Gulf Shores hosts its Haunted Hustle costume 5K on the beach, and The Wharf in Orange Beach plans a free trunk-or-treat night on Oct. 28.

Because the zoo event wraps up at noon, families can plan an early start: arrive near the 9 a.m. opening, bring water and sunscreen for a morning outdoors, and wear comfortable shoes with costumes, since the zoo grounds are best explored on foot.

Supporting the zoo

Admission and other proceeds from Boo at the Zoo go toward animal care and the zoo’s programs. Visitors who plan to return often may want to consider a membership, which covers free admission throughout the year, including to special events that are included with general admission.

For tickets and updates, visit the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo’s website or social media pages before heading out.