Twilight Tuesdays at Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden is only a week old, but zoo fans already are warming up to visiting at cooler hours.
Mary Jane Humphrey takes full advantage of her zoo membership. She’s regularly on the grounds walking, and for her, the extended hours on summer Tuesdays are a bonus.
“This is one of the nicest places in the world,” Humphrey said during a break in her walk. “I mean, the people are great, the animals are all fine and healthy. The landscaping is beautiful. It’s safe, which is one of the reasons I don’t like to walk in the street ... I love taking an hour for myself, and I love spending it here.”
On every Tuesday until Sept. 16, the zoo will be open until 8 p.m., with last admittance at 7 p.m. The zoo’s Rainforest Grill and gift shop also remain open at the later times, and the zoo’s tram — recently decorated with images of animals and plants featured in the zoo — is still transporting guests.
Joan Cecil was excited to hear about the promotion. Her grandchildren — Marie 12, Emily, 10, and Henry, 3 — were visiting from Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, on the week of Mesker’s first Twilight Tuesday this summer.
“It’s perfect that we’re open late tonight,” Cecil said.
Zoo patrons and members frequently have requested some evening hours, said Abigail Adler, zoo marketing director.
“We tested it out last year internally in September for keepers and closing procedures,” Adler said. “This year we’re rolling it out for 11 to 12 weeks. It’s one of the things that makes us feel good, responding to a public request on something like this. There are so many things that are out of our control .., but on this, we can respond. We are the people’s zoo, and we want to give them the zoo they want.”
During last week’s debut of Twilight Tuesday, several patrons were already taking advantage. Robin Howard and Julie Winstead of Evansville looked forward to going through the sprawling West Side facility.
“The zoo’s just pretty at the time of the night, in the evening, and it will be cooler,” Howard said.
“We both just came straight from work,” Winstead added.
Howard said she visited the zoo on a recent blistering afternoon, and several animals were looking for shade, in no mood to be seen. She went to the Mexican Grey Wolves exhibit, and “not one of them were out.”
That’s another benefit of visiting during cooler hours of the day, said Rachel McKee, a zoo keeper. Animals like the cooler temperatures, too.
“You’ll see a lot more of the cats for example,” McKee said. “Instead of hiding in the shade, they’ll be out more because it’s cooler. They’re more active and out exploring. In the heat of the day, the animals are like you and me, we don’t want to be standing out in the blazing sun.”
Zoo visitation has been solid thus far this summer, Adler said, and zoo officials are hopeful the Twilight Tuesdays promotion will boost it further.
During the three-day Fourth of July weekend, Mesker saw 1,700 to 2,000 guests per day, thanks in part to the mild temperatures. The zoo continues to see guests from outside Vanderburgh County; Adler said roughly 60 percent of people coming through the turnstiles fall under the category.
“We see a lot from Illinois and a lot from Kentucky, and the Bloomington and Bedford areas of Indiana are becoming large draws, which is exciting to us,” Adler said.