Member Perks

Members of the Quarter

The Harper family was the first lucky Members of the Quarter winner! Mom – Keri, Dad – Gerald and Daughter – Declyn live in Virginia Beach and have the ‘Two Adult Household Membership.’ The family came early to the Zoo’s annual Party for the Planet event and experienced a private Zoo tour. The trio saw the Aldabra tortoises up close and chatted with one of the Lead Zoo Keepers, Dennis. During the tour, Dennis talked about the Zoo’s five tortoises, answered questions about the tortoises here at the Zoo and in the wild, plus also gave them some advice on picking a pet turtle. The family was led on a guided tour through the Africa – Okavango Delta exhibit and learned some exciting insider information on the animals they’ve seen a few times before, like the names of some of their favorites and how to tell them each apart. Since the tour happened before the Zoo officially opened, they were also able to see the African lions go out into their yard.  The walk concluded with a delicious lunch at the African Village Café. Read on to learn a little more about our Members of the Quarter and how you can have the chance to be next!

Q: How long have you been Zoo members?

A: We’ve been members since January of this year. If I’d realized how cheap the membership was, we would have gotten it a long time ago.

Q: What’s your favorite part of the Zoo?

A: My husband loves the Australia Walkabout, while my daughter’s favorite has been the giraffes. Recently she has also loved the turtles (and tortoises). We’ve been thinking about getting a pet turtle…or maybe a new stuffed animal, for now.

Q: How often do you visit the Zoo?

A: We’ve been four times so far. I like that we can visit the Zoo and go to one area and then go home. Because we have the membership and can come again you don’t have to make it a long day and wear ourselves out trying to fit everything in.

Q: Have you taken advantage of our Member Perks?

A: Not yet, but I’ve seen the calendar. The Membership Swaps look great, and we’re excited to have the opportunity to visit other organizations as part of our membership.

Q: What’s the best part about your Zoo membership?

A: It’s a great value. It pays for itself so quickly when you visit just a couple of times. We can come back again and again to continue experiencing the Zoo throughout the year during regular Zoo visits and events.

A big thank you to the Harper family for being Virginia Zoo members and our first Members of the Quarter! If you’d like to be featured as our next member of the quarter, entering to win is easy. Just visit the Virginia Zoo in April, May or June, as often as you’d like, and you’re automatically entered to win a private Zoo experience and a feature in the Zoo Blog.  The next random drawing will be at the end of June.