More to the Story with Staley: Chattanooga Zoo Ice Cream Safari

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — Just about everybody loves ice cream, and just about everybody loves the zoo. Put the two together, and you’ll see people having a ton of fun!

The Chattanooga Zoo is a place where one can experience an up-close-and-personal slice of time with wildlife.

As for ice cream? You’ve heard it before. That popular song from the roaring ’20s: “I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream.”

Ice cream and the zoo together? It’s a perfect match!

“Everybody is super happy here,” said Guest Experience Manager Sian Simmons. “This is for all ages. It’s not only for kids. It’s for adults with no kids as well. It’s truly a family friendly event!”

Saturday was the Chattanooga Zoo’s 7th annual Ice Cream Safari.

For three hours, with a small entry fee, folks packed the zoo. They received unlimited ice cream, walked the grounds, and enjoyed the vendors, games and crafts.

Despite the hot weather, it was sweet and special.

“This is an attendance driver for sure,” Chattanooga Zoo President Dardy Long said. “People can come on down and get out of the house, have ice cream, see some of our animals. It’s awesome.”

The event was a sellout, with 15,000 people. That is up from about 900 last year.

It’s not the busiest day of the year for the zoo, but it is certainly one of the more unique.

Although, the idea itself was not home grown.

“I’m happy to say we stole the idea,” Long said. “Many other zoos do this. But the vendors help us with this and it’s very popular. Actually, we sold out this morning!”

“Most things like this are done to reach out to the community. And we also do this because we want to put our efforts into education as well,” Simmons said.

Humans weren’t the only ones enjoying a sweet treat. The zoo keepers put together special treats for the animals, only adding to the fun in the sun!