Rides are back!

July 12, 2021

Beginning Wednesday, July 14, Happy Hollow Park & Zoo visitors can once again enjoy the park’s family-friendly rides and attractions along with the two zoo areas. The $17.25 admission ticket includes both zoo areas, all play areas and rides. The Picnic Basket is open with an expanded menu and indoor dining soon to follow. Time limits have been removed from play areas, allowing for open play, and rides are now operating daily, as available.  

“With nearly 500,000 visitors per year and 1.3 million total riders, we know that rides are a popular aspect of the Happy Hollow experience and we are thrilled to reopen more areas of the park and zoo for members and visitors to enjoy,” says General Manager Kiersten McCormick. 

More Zoo in the Hollow and the Zoo on the Hill areas are re-opening as well. Guests can now interact with Happy Hollow’s goat herd at the popular contact yard and get a close-up encounter with Navajo-Churro Sheep and a dwarf zebu at The Barn within Double-H Ranch. Keeper chats will resume in the Zoo in the Hollow, and Animal Meet & Greets in the Zoo on the Hill are expected to return later this summer. The Puppet Castle Theater and the Crooked House, an indoor play area, remain closed. Both are expected to reopen in the fall. 

In line with state and county guidelines, face coverings are required for unvaccinated visitors when indoors or in crowded outdoor settings.  Guests are asked to stay home if they are feeling sick. Extra hand washing and hand sanitizing stations are available throughout the park and zoo, and high-touch surfaces are sanitized regularly. 

“Our rides team takes pride in providing fun, safe experiences for families with young children,” says Interim Assistant General Manager, Mario Day. “We are excited to welcome guests back to our most popular rides like Danny the Dragon and the Pacific Fruit Express roller coaster.” 

Happy Hollow is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Same-day ticket purchases are available on-site, but guests are encouraged to purchase their ticket ahead of time through the online reservation system to ensure their entry. Reservations are no longer timed, with guests able to enter anytime between 10 a.m. and  4:30 p.m. on the day of their reservation. Reservations are free of charge for Happy Hollow members and children under two. 

Visiting the amusement park and zoo helps promote wildlife conservation and research locally and around the globe. The Happy Hollow Quarters for Conservation program devotes 25 cents of every ticket sold and $1 of every membership to help protect animals in the wild.