Field Trips

Field Trips

Our Zoo is a great place for school groups, scout troops, church groups, retirement communities or any group to visit. The following apply for all groups.

A minimum of 10 people are required to receive a group discount.
For groups with children, we require 1 adult chaperone for every 10 children. FREE admission is granted for 1 adult for every 5 paid students.

To schedule, download a Field Trip Reservation Form and email it to guestservices@mmzoo.org or 540-343-3241 x5.  Once a field trip has been scheduled and confirmed, you will received this helpful guide for preparing for your field trip with Mill Mountain Zoo!

Field trip
Add-Ons

Want to make your field trip experience more exciting for the students?  Consider adding one of the following premium options to your field trip. These add-ons do require confirmation and scheduling from our Education Department. While you may request these programs online, they are not confirmed until you receive a confirmation email from the education department.

Guided tours

Mill Mountain Zoo offers two options for Guided Tours - Habitats, Animal Needs and Adaptations, and Threatened and Endangered Species. Please read the guidelines for Guided Tours before selecting this as an option.

Tours Cost an additional $40 per tour.

·        A Guided Tour is approximately 45 minutes long.

·        Due to an inability to lead large groups throughout the Zoo, Guided Tours are limited to 16 students.

·        Larger groups may be accommodated by breaking classes into smaller groups and doing 2-3 back-to-back tours (3 tours is the maximum in one day).

·        Guided Tours are for grades K-6 and are not appropriate for preschool youth.

The Habitat, Animal Needs and Adaptations Tour is targeted for SOL lessons in grades K through 6.   

The Threatened and Endangered Species Tour is targeted for SOL lessons is grades 3 through 6.  This tour also has a post-visit packet that teachers can use in the classroom after visiting the Zoo.

Please contact the education department at education@mmzoo.org for specifics about the SOLs covered by these tours.

Animal Program

Students get an up close and personal look 2 of our education animals during this private program in our amphitheater. The program lasts approximately 30 minutes. Our amphitheater seats approximately 70 students.

Animal Programs cost an additional $35 per program.

Zoo Choo Tickets

The Zoo Choo is Mill Mountain Zoo's iconic miniature train. The train takes two trips around the outside of the exhibit area and lets students see animals from a different vantage point. By adding on the Zoo Choo ride, students will have a private ride that only consists of your group.

Zoo Choo Tickets cost $2 per person and must be purchased in advance to guarantee an exclusive ride.

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