We are such fans of the Detroit Zoo! We have been taking Wyatt since he was a wee little baby, and even before he was born, Billy and I would go to the “Date Nights” they would host, which was adults only, after hours, and served alcohol. It was always a good time! Our first real date night after Wyatt was born was actually one of these date nights, now that I think about it! We love going to all of their seasonal events, especially the Halloween night and the Holiday Lights event. But Dream Night was something else, something even more special. It is a night intended for those with special needs, and is limited to a pre-approved 1000 guests, total. It is cost free, everything from snacks to tickets and parking to the special exhibits, and is stress free as well.
I applied early and a few days later heard back that we were lucky enough to get tickets. I knew that Wyatt would enjoy it, and with hardly any other people there, Wyatt would be able to see things easier.
It felt so empty there! I have never been there, ever, where it felt like we were practically alone in the zoo until Dream Night. We pulled up and had our choice of parking spots, which is crazy, even with a handicap tag. There was no line to wait in to enter, and everyone was so pleasant and accommodating right from the get go, greeting us warmly. We strolled through, without having to worry about tons of kids cutting off Wyatt’s wheelchair, which can get a little scary! Kids are kids and will dart, it happens, but I never want to roll over a child’s foot! We could let Wyatt loose without fear! We didn’t though because we didn’t want him rolling away too far!
Our first stop were my favorites, the otters, who were hiding which bummed us out but we will go back and catch them later this summer, and then the reptile house. We were so excited about all of the cool snakes!
Next we wandered over to the tigers, where one of them was cooling off in its pool. It was a hot night, so I didn’t blame it one bit! From the tigers, we headed to Bricklive, which usually is an extra cost on top of the tickets, but was open for Dream Night! It was amazing! We were all blown away by these creations, all created from “bricks” that were very Legolike, but apparently not Legos. The amount of time and bricks that went into these very lifelike animals was mind boggling! The elephant took 25 days (or 600 hours) and 149, 071 bricks, and five people to build. Fascinating!!
We eventually stopped goggling at these animals to go see the real live ones, and continued on to the lions, the rhino, the giraffes, and my favorite, the zebras!! (Wait, did I say the otters were my favorites already? Well, they both are lol)
We moved on to the Kangaroos, which is super cool because you can walk through their exhibit and they get so close, and popped out right by Wyatt’s favorites, the wolves. The male wolf was hanging out right by the front of their huge exhibit, so we got to see him just relaxing and enjoying the evening.
By this point, Wyatt was getting tuckered out. It was 7:30 pm, and he usually likes to be in his pajamas, in bed, and being read to by 8 pm (this kid is an early bird, not a night owl ) and was fading fast on us. He really really wanted to ride the train though, and since it drops us at the front gate, we doubled back to get on it. When we got there though, we had a bit of a situation with his wheelchair. It is a small trainlet, and it can accomodate wheelchairs that fold up like an accordion, or there is a car with a ramp that they tie down the chair. Since Wyatt’s wheelchair folds down from the top, it wasn’t going to be narrow enough to take him out and stick it in with us so we opted for the ramp and tie down. Then we heard the ramp might not be working, but the woman running the train line was determined Wyatt was getting a ride, somehow. She thought if the train came back and the ramp wasn’t working, he could get a personal ride on the huge golf cart. Billy and I had already decided that if the chair couldn’t get on, Wyatt still could – one of us would ride while the other pushed the chair back to the front.
However, the ramp worked and we got all set up and then were told we couldn’t ride in that car with him. I almost passed out for a second when I heard that. I was like, I can’t not ride with him. First, because he will be scared, second because I will be scared, and third, because what fun is it for him to ride all alone?? So I asked if we could leave the chair there by itself, and just let him sit with us, and of course they were ok with it. They were very concerned and wanted to make sure we were happy – the woman who said we couldn’t sit there was just doing her job so we weren’t upset or anything, it just wasn’t going to happen that way. So we left the chair and sat all together and it was perfect. And it was all worth it, as the train was Wyatt’s favorite part of the night. The team of train workers got him to shout “All aboard!” and off we went! He was so ready to go home by the time the ride was over, despite loving every second of the night. Although we did make one more stop, the gift shop, where he picked out an otter t-shirt. (he also loves the otters)
It was a wonderful, magical, fantastically fun night, and I am so grateful that Wyatt was able to experience it! A big thank you to the Detroit Zoo for choosing us and for hosting such an awesome night out for all the families there!
Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs.. 
Aww, this sounds like so much fun! What a treat to be able to see the animals without the crowds. Glad Wyatt had fun!
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Dream Night sounds like a brilliant idea. A zoo without crowds and chaos would be way more fun. I’m glad Wyatt enjoyed it.
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It was really great night. Wyatt had so much fun!
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Every Zoo should have Dream Nights! What an exciting day for all of you, especially Wyatt! I LOVE going to zoos.
I once held a huge python. My cousin owns a store where he raises and sells bearded dragons and snakes. The python felt like silk.
When my youngest granddaugher was little we would take her to Busch Gardens in Tampa about 3 times a week. Her favorite part was riding the train. Sometimes we’d spend most of the day just riding the train.
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They should! We love going to zoos too. 🙂 Wyatt had such a great time!
Aw that is awesome!!! We are reptile people over here! We have four geckos – one leopard, one crested, and two pictus. No bearded dragon yet but we always talk about it. And snakes are so cool, but as the person who feeds the menagerie I am not sure I could do the snakes! Lol.
Kids love the train don’t they!! He would have been happy to stay on the train for a few more loops I think. Lol.
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I once had an Iguana named Clyde and I loved him. Sadly he passed away quite a few years ago.
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Aw I am sorry to hear about Clyde! Iguanas are so cool!! We love our little geckos too!
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Meant to say I loved him so much!
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I’ve never been to the detroit Zoo but it sounds awesome. So glad you guys had a good experience! 🙂
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It was so much fun! We go there often but it is usually nothing like this, obviously! Usually packed full of people, etc.
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Zoos are such special places. I have such fond memories of the Brookfield Zoo and Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, the Toledo Zoo, and, of course, the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo (which is absolutely the best)! I think it was amazing this was open to only a few kiddos with special needs. No hustle and bustle. I am always amazed at how people work so hard to make events like this happen for kids who are differently abled. I’m so glad all worked out on the train ride…because it’s just not a zoo visit if you don’t ride the train! Awww…I’m getting all teary eyed and nostalgic! I miss the Fort Wayne Zoo a lot! Thanks for sharing this amazing adventure, Erin!
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I saw photos of the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo and we hope to go back this summer to see it. I am not sure we will have time but we want to visit!
I was so amazed and grateful for everything everyone did. It was such a fantastic night for the kids in attendance. And us!
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This sounds fabulous, Erin. A wonderful opportunity at a terrific place. A real win!
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It was so well done too, and everyone was so nice and accommodating. We had such a great time. 🙂
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What a wonderful event, I’m so pleased you all got that experience. I really like waving at those trains when they go past (we have one in our slightly less local park).
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I do too!
He had such a great time. I will definitely be keeping my eyes open for it again next year!
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That sounds like such a perfect night at the zoo!
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What a special experience!
I always wanted to attend one of the guided night tours at the Wilhelma which is a big Zoological-Botanical Garden in our area, but never managed. Just now when I went to their website to look for news, I saw “Dreamnight” announced for next week. I had never heard of something like it before reading your post, so what a coincidence!
It’s a great idea.
Cat
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That is awesome to hear that they are having one as well! And that is a coincidence! Lol.
I love a guided tour of anything. My friend’s and I always go on an annual girls day out and we always look for a spot where we can take a guided historical house tour. Lol.
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What a fun night! I love zoos and to have one basically to yourself like this would be amazing! I’m glad the people at the zoo were really helpful with the train situation. Poor Wyatt does look wiped out but I bet he had happy zoo filled dreams!
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Great time…and photos too! Thanks for sharing with us!!
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Thank you for reading!
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