Writing

Niabi sleepovers are wild times
Hear the sounds of the jungle at slumber party

By: Kelly Steuck - Published in the Quad-City Times on Tuesday, August 3, 2004

Lina and Tyler Winston of Muscatine, Iowa, set up their tent for a Safari Sleepover at Niabi Zoo, Coal Valley, Ill. Program participants get to camp on the zoo grounds, take a zoo tour and learn about the animals in a special presentation by zoo staff. Photo by: Kelly Steuck/Quad-City Times

You don't have to go all the way to Africa to hear the lions roar or the elephants trumpet at night.

Just bring your tent to Niabi Zoo for a Safari Sleepover.

"If you really want to see the zoo, this is a really good opportunity to do it," said Amanda Harris, 9, of Hillsdale, Ill.

Her sister, Rebecca,7, gushes that "you get more than just a visit."

Safari Sleepovers are held Friday nights beginning in May and running through August at the zoo in Coal Valley, Ill.

Participants bring their own camping tents and sleeping bags. Snacks are allowed, but not for the animals. Campers must be at least 4 years old, and adults must accompany all children under 18.

Once the camp sites are all set up, a cookout begins. When campers apply to participate, they have a choice of two burgers, two hotdogs or one of each. After a guided zoo tour and educational presentations with live animals, it's back to the campfire for s'mores.

"They are a fun experience for families to come out to the zoo," said Jennifer Ryan, the zoo's program director. "The animals are always more active when it's cooler. They're going to be kept up all night with the lions roaring," she joked.

The Harris girls are veterans of the program, participating in the sleepovers every year since Amanda was 5 years old. Her parents use a small wagon to tow their gear from the car to their camp site in a grassy area on zoo property.

Lina Winston and her son, 12-year-old Tyler, of Muscatine, Iowa, added a bit of luxury to their site by sleeping on air mattresses rather than the hard ground.

"Tyler really loves the animals. He wants to do something with animals when he grows up," she said.

"My favorite is the elephant," Tyler said.

Earlier in the summer, Winston had taken her other son on a youth group camping trip through church, so the Safari Sleepover was her "special time" to spend with Tyler.

The Brown family from Bettendorf are veteran campers, but new to the Safari Sleepover.

After his wife heard about the program, Jason Brown signed up himself and their three daughters. The girls, Maria, 8, Annie, 6, and Laura, 4, were all eager to see the animals.

Annie was looking forward to hearing the sounds at night, while Maria was excited about seeing all of the animals.

Rain is not a deterrent to the program, and there are no rain dates. "We have had, knock on wood, rain on two nights" in the four years of the program, Ryan said.

Sleepover groups generally include 25 to 30 people. The cost is $25 per person for Niabi Zoological Society members and $30 for others.